Review The limit of allegory

Over the years, many people have speculated about what a “Pokemon game for adults” might be like. I've never been too sure. I appreciate that modern Pokemon is too simplistic and loaded with tutorials and explanations, and I wish there was more variety in the narrative to keep me interested, but so often the tone is simply “so Charizard smokes a big doobie!” and a lot of swearing. If this is the type of game you want, your prayers have been answered and the name of your god is The Edge of Allegoria.




It has all the pitfalls you'd expect from a game that goes this route. Every other line is a curse word. It's a little challenging. Most of the characters hate you in incredibly sarcastic ways, or are horny, or stoned, or some other “cool” thing that you would never see in Pokemon. But Edge of Allegoria knows this. He is aware of the world he was born into and, at times, deliberately rides as close to the Pokemon as possible. He knows what he's doing and I'll give him some credit for that.


Pokemon, for adults

Rediscovering existential terror in Edge of Allegoria

Before venturing into one of the towns (which don't have vulgar names, but are named after the order in which you visit them, like the second town “Secunton”), I met an NPC, a chubby bearded guy who seemed to fill the role of i game critics. He complained, as I just did, about the frequent swearing that was more annoying than rebellious, and about the subversion of RPG clichés that didn't accomplish much other than being edgy and different. Then he asked for a stick, and immediately stuck it up his ass, telling me that the last one was lost.


I admit, it made me laugh. There are some parts of Allegoria's silly edginess that fit the tone it's trying to create. We are sent on a Jabberwocky hunt, and it becomes clear that the reason we are sent on a Jabberwocky hunt is because the Jabberwocky saw the married, hidden mayor having an affair with another man. Then… let's kill the Jabberwocky anyway, because that's the only way to progress in the game.

While Edge of Allegoria is content with being a Pokemon parody, it feels like a step back from where it needs to be. There are some very interesting stories in this world, the kind of stories Pokemon could never tell. But the game doesn't seem interested in telling him that. It's all set up, no punch lines. Or maybe all punchline, no setup. Or maybe there are some setups with no punchline and some that aren't set up. It's a fun enough game, if below the level of something like Thank God You're Here, but very disjointed.


It makes the NPC moment feel like that fourth wall breaking line in the third X-Men prequel where Sophie Turner says the third movie always sucks. It's smart! But it's still right! And the third X-Men prequel still sucks!

Allegory's mechanical limit isn't up to par

Oven Allegory By In Meme-1

But obviously this is a video game, not a stand-up special. It's clearly meant to be a laugh, but it's also something you should play like any other Pokemon, even if this one is much more transparent in its inspiration. I'd use the same word there: it's a disjointed affair.

You do not capture any creatures in Edge of Allegoria, all battles are fought only by you. You get weapons from shops, chests, or key enemies, and each has a unique attack. Master the weapon by winning enough battles and you can use its unique attack when wielding other weapons. Since armor also requires mastery to gain perks, it's a decent way to get you switching up your arsenal.


However, mechanically it is very far from Pokemon. There are no types, the Mad state is incredibly overpowered while everything except Poisoned is underpowered. You can't see how many items heal you, or if they heal you at all, in the battle menu, and you can't even see what your moves do. When you get a new weapon, it asks if you want to equip it but doesn't tell you its stats or unique move. The only way to compare weapons is to remember all the numbers.

But numbers aren't everything: since you fight alone, you can't eliminate powerful enemies with the strength of many. I found that I had to grind myself up about seven levels higher than any dungeon boss to even have a chance, and even then I was cramming items and trying to remember whether steak or pizza heals you more.

In a similarly vague move, some paths are blocked by normal objects like rocks or crystals that you have to progress to break. But other times there is a street performer who doesn't give you any suggestions on how to move it, or your dog just lies down on the road. Beyond the humor, there's a “sure, okay” attitude towards the actual game.


There's still a bestiary and the idea of ​​”seeing them all” is still there, but most of them are things that already exist. There are bears, foxes, rabbits etc., but also mimes, succubi, vampires, rocs and harpies. The enemies are all drawn as if they were drawn in a teenager's bedroom, and it wouldn't be so bad if every battle against them didn't start with a line like “Wowee, my pants just got tighter, schwing !” or more inevitable swear words.

The cast of Allegoria can be irritating

Oven Allegory By In Meme

This extends to the characters too: many of the women you meet can't wait to go as soon as they see you. There's a prostitute that everyone in town hates because she forces men to leave their husbands, but she hates men too – she just wants money (then you give her the poison she uses to kill the king because it tastes like urine and apparently gives him likes to drink his urine).


There's a woman whose husband asks for a goblin heart to impress her, but when he finds out it's you he asks for a nymph foot and will reward you by letting you suck his toe. You see someone who looks like they're giving birth, you go to get them the food they need, and it turns out that a whole other person is stuck “up there” during coitus, and this has happened before with a snake.

It's one of those things I feel like I should have a problem with on principle, but a world where most women are highly sexual and most men are pathetic losers is actually a pretty funny proposition. It won't be for everyone, but in 8-bit graphics the little sprites are so obviously non-sexual that it makes the whole thing look more like a D&D campaign gone off the rails than a Real Games For Real Gamers deal.


The Edge of Allegoria is an adult Pokemon game, for better or worse. I enjoyed it, but I think the fact that it was so obvious that Pokemon helped it a lot. A useful and good experiment for a larf, but not a game changer. It might be the first game ever to reference the “why do they call it an oven when you're in the cold or hot food eating the food” meme, and that has to be worth something.

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Released
December 4, 2024

Developer(s).
Button factory games

Publisher(s).
CobraTekku games

Pro

  • Some funny moments
  • Excellent Pokemon nostalgia
Against

  • Humor can irritate you
  • Battles become frustrating with a sterile UI
  • It gets repetitive quickly

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