Strong Bad Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner Review (WiiWare)

Reviewing a game that has been on the market for a while is interesting, since I have to look at it from two major perspectives: Is it still worth either its full price or whatever its average price on the market happens to be? And has it since been eclipsed by a more recent title? In the case of Strong Bad Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner, I’m glad to say that it’s still worth the 1000 points/$10 they’re asking for.

As the name suggests, this game is all about the popular Strong Bad character from the Homestar Runner world created by the Brothers Chaps. And since it’s a Telltale release, you’re in for a solid point and click adventure. The Wiimote is the perfect way to play this sort of game, clicking about the world to gather items, solve puzzles, and generally interact with the cartoony world. For all five of you not familiar with Strong Bad, an egotistical jerk who delights in mocking his fans, causing problems, and stealing and cheating his way to victory. He’s about the worst role model you could have for children, and he’s hilarious. Unlike most adventure games, this one isn’t always about helping solve problems... quite often the purpose of any given puzzle is to cause cartoon-style grief, and you’ll be laughing the whole way through.

The main plot will probably last you anywhere from two and a half hours to four hours, depending on how quick you catch on to things; some puzzles appear to be inspired by certain email episodes on the Homestar Runner website, after all. But if you limit yourself to just that, you’d be missing out. True to the spirit of the Strong Bad Emails, there are lots of little things to do; you can play an Atari-esque boxing game (complete with Wiimote-held-sideways, NES style controls), take photos, help Strong Bad make a comic, and more. If you’re willing to explore, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy beyond the main storyline. It’s a lot of little things, but they do add up and help keep things fun.

Unfortunately, there are a few problems worth noting. One or two of the puzzles have very strange solutions, ones that simply left me scratching my head and going "Huh?" when I did solve them by random chance. Also, the game’s voice acting has some minor issues; it all sounds fine, but sometimes it’s not obvious when you should be losing control of Strong Bad while someone talks. Even more unusual, he’ll say some of his rude cut-off lines after someone has already finished talking. These are minor things however, especially the puzzle solutions; Strong Bad will usually speak up with a few hints if you get stuck.

At 1000 points/$10, this is one of the most costly games on the WiiWare service. By pricing it this way, Telltale is basically stating they’re offering one of the best games on WiiWare. Fortunately, they back that up with a very enjoyable point and click adventure, one that entertained me even though I haven’t been to the Homestar Runner website in several years so I’m not even their target audience. If you’re a fan of the likes of Maniac Mansion, Sam & Max, or even King’s Quest (though Strong Bad is far more forgiving than King’s Quest in terms of difficulty, since Telltale wants you to win), then you’ll love this. The Wiimote is the perfect tool for playing games in this genre, and you’d do well to give this series a shot.