Delicious FruitJopagu's Profile
Send a PMJoined on: Jan 16, 2022
Bio:
Hi, I'm Jopagu. She/They pronouns please :)
I don’t play much avoidance so my diff ratings on those might be scuffed.
I've submitted:
427 Ratings!
425 Reviews!
10 Screenshots!
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427 Games
425 Reviews
Jopagu
For: I Wanna Cute Jump!
For: I Wanna Cute Jump!
I Wanna Cute Jump is a piece of art. We have seen many artistic fangames throughout the years, with a number of games that have deep themes and symbolism, games that innovate in unusual ways in terms of gameplay, and games that are simply beautiful to look at. Cute Jump perhaps does none of this, and yet I still believe it is one of the most interesting pieces of art to emerge from this community. Cute Jump instead challenges our notions of what it means for something to be art, and about the purpose of art. This isn't a new idea, mainstream visual art has had movements such as abstractionism and dadaism that similarly challenge the societal image of art. Furthermore, abstractionism has its place in fangames, with things such as I Want bringing strange and abstract images and gameplay. However, Cute Jump does something that is, to me, novel. Instead of challenging the idea of what art looks like, it challenges our idea of what art does.
Art is often considered as that which is meant to evoke emotion in its audience. People often look for art that brings emotions that are typically simple and good, such as happiness, nostalgia, appreciation of beauty, or humor. However, much art is also devoted to bringing about emotions considered negative. We have horror movies that bring fear, tragedies that bring sadness, political pieces that bring social discontent, and more. This is usually recognized as a core part of artistic expression, and art without negative emotions is sometimes considered "low-brow". Why then, are some emotions excluded? Why are things like frustration and impatience considered invalid targets for art? Cute Jump is a game dedicated to evoking those emotions, and it has seen derision, with this being called "bad game design" or a poor choice on the part of the author. No one negatively reviews a horror movie for being scary after all, why is the intentional use of frustration considered a negative?
Cute Jump asks us what role these emotions have in games. It does not ask you to like it, but it asks you to go in with an open mind. It asks you to explore your response to things like luck checks and waiting, and for you to consider how these emotions might be used to elevate our experience, rather than detract from it. Just as it is okay for someone to dislike being scared and thus avoid horror, it is okay for you to dislike frustration and avoid this game. Cute Jump simply asks that you consider these feelings a valid part of an artistic experience. I ask that you try this game with an open mind, and really think about how you perceive the game, about whether you really dislike these things or if this is just a knee-jerk reaction based on your preconceived ideas of art. It's okay to try this game and quit after a few screens if you truly dislike it, I just ask that you approach it with due consideration and respect for the game.
Despite me praising it's uniquity, Cute Jump is not the first to do these things, rather just taking it further than I've ever seen. But seeds of the same ideas can be seen throughout fangame (and even general gaming) history, in fact all the way back to the beginning. When the original I Wanna be the Guy was a thing, it gained popularity as a "rage game", and it was one of a host of such games, which often wore their goals on their sleeve, such as Unfair Mario. These games were designed to be unpleasant, unfair, and frustrating. They were meant to make you angry. They often insulted the player and barely even tried to be "fun" in the conventional sense. These games were incredibly popular, a mainstay of let's plays and middle school classrooms. And yet, over time, they evolved to lose those aspects, a trend followed by fangames. What were once "a RAGE game for MASOCHISTS" became "a challenging precision-platformer". Even among the fans of these games, frustration and unfairness became negative talking points rather than the entire point of a game. For a long time "Masochistic" was a badge of pride for fans of hard games, and yet recently I've seen people consider it insulting and react with anger to the word. The idea of enjoying frustration has become so taboo that people refuse to acknowledge that games, particularly difficult ones, are frustrating, and that this enhances the experience! Frustration creates a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when used right, but people have it ingrained in their minds that it is a bad word, and a sin of game design, even when those people are playing hard games and inherently experiencing frustration.
Cute Jump takes off all the window dressing, and forces the player to confront that yes, this game is frustrating, yes this game is tedious, and yes it requires luck! And yet for many of us this game is fun! These aspects are interesting and creative! Not everyone will like this game, this is a given for any sufficiently abnormal art, and yet enough people have clearly enjoyed this to show that the taboo is misplaced, that frustration and its like are in fact valid forms of artistic experience. So yes, Cute Jump is "a RAGE game for MASOCHISTS". Furthermore, it is tedious, luck based, and annoying. But I posit that this game is proof that the "rage game" era is not dead, despite claims to the contrary. People still enjoy these experiences even if they believe they won't, even if they have been led to believe that this is a demonstration of bad game design.
Cute Jump is a successful experiment, and I hope that this type of design sees more use, as it truly was a one-of-a-kind experience. It made me think about games in a way few other things have. I absolutely recommend everyone try this, no matter how briefly. I hope that it can make you challenge your beliefs, and reconsider what makes something "art".
I have put off this review for several days, trying to figure out how to word my thoughts. I wanted to say something profound, and I hope that came through what is ultimately several paragraphs of somewhat messy writing. This review is jumbled and disconnected, but I think my points got across well enough. I hope some of you appreciate what I'm saying, and that it can motivate you to play I Wanna Cute Jump and see it in the way I see it.
[3] Likes
Art is often considered as that which is meant to evoke emotion in its audience. People often look for art that brings emotions that are typically simple and good, such as happiness, nostalgia, appreciation of beauty, or humor. However, much art is also devoted to bringing about emotions considered negative. We have horror movies that bring fear, tragedies that bring sadness, political pieces that bring social discontent, and more. This is usually recognized as a core part of artistic expression, and art without negative emotions is sometimes considered "low-brow". Why then, are some emotions excluded? Why are things like frustration and impatience considered invalid targets for art? Cute Jump is a game dedicated to evoking those emotions, and it has seen derision, with this being called "bad game design" or a poor choice on the part of the author. No one negatively reviews a horror movie for being scary after all, why is the intentional use of frustration considered a negative?
Cute Jump asks us what role these emotions have in games. It does not ask you to like it, but it asks you to go in with an open mind. It asks you to explore your response to things like luck checks and waiting, and for you to consider how these emotions might be used to elevate our experience, rather than detract from it. Just as it is okay for someone to dislike being scared and thus avoid horror, it is okay for you to dislike frustration and avoid this game. Cute Jump simply asks that you consider these feelings a valid part of an artistic experience. I ask that you try this game with an open mind, and really think about how you perceive the game, about whether you really dislike these things or if this is just a knee-jerk reaction based on your preconceived ideas of art. It's okay to try this game and quit after a few screens if you truly dislike it, I just ask that you approach it with due consideration and respect for the game.
Despite me praising it's uniquity, Cute Jump is not the first to do these things, rather just taking it further than I've ever seen. But seeds of the same ideas can be seen throughout fangame (and even general gaming) history, in fact all the way back to the beginning. When the original I Wanna be the Guy was a thing, it gained popularity as a "rage game", and it was one of a host of such games, which often wore their goals on their sleeve, such as Unfair Mario. These games were designed to be unpleasant, unfair, and frustrating. They were meant to make you angry. They often insulted the player and barely even tried to be "fun" in the conventional sense. These games were incredibly popular, a mainstay of let's plays and middle school classrooms. And yet, over time, they evolved to lose those aspects, a trend followed by fangames. What were once "a RAGE game for MASOCHISTS" became "a challenging precision-platformer". Even among the fans of these games, frustration and unfairness became negative talking points rather than the entire point of a game. For a long time "Masochistic" was a badge of pride for fans of hard games, and yet recently I've seen people consider it insulting and react with anger to the word. The idea of enjoying frustration has become so taboo that people refuse to acknowledge that games, particularly difficult ones, are frustrating, and that this enhances the experience! Frustration creates a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when used right, but people have it ingrained in their minds that it is a bad word, and a sin of game design, even when those people are playing hard games and inherently experiencing frustration.
Cute Jump takes off all the window dressing, and forces the player to confront that yes, this game is frustrating, yes this game is tedious, and yes it requires luck! And yet for many of us this game is fun! These aspects are interesting and creative! Not everyone will like this game, this is a given for any sufficiently abnormal art, and yet enough people have clearly enjoyed this to show that the taboo is misplaced, that frustration and its like are in fact valid forms of artistic experience. So yes, Cute Jump is "a RAGE game for MASOCHISTS". Furthermore, it is tedious, luck based, and annoying. But I posit that this game is proof that the "rage game" era is not dead, despite claims to the contrary. People still enjoy these experiences even if they believe they won't, even if they have been led to believe that this is a demonstration of bad game design.
Cute Jump is a successful experiment, and I hope that this type of design sees more use, as it truly was a one-of-a-kind experience. It made me think about games in a way few other things have. I absolutely recommend everyone try this, no matter how briefly. I hope that it can make you challenge your beliefs, and reconsider what makes something "art".
I have put off this review for several days, trying to figure out how to word my thoughts. I wanted to say something profound, and I hope that came through what is ultimately several paragraphs of somewhat messy writing. This review is jumbled and disconnected, but I think my points got across well enough. I hope some of you appreciate what I'm saying, and that it can motivate you to play I Wanna Cute Jump and see it in the way I see it.
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 75 75
Nov 5, 2023
Jopagu
For: I Wanna MedlMedlMedl
For: I Wanna MedlMedlMedl
A masterclass in using the randrandrand formula. This game manages to create a lot of interesting screens by combining gimmicks I never would have considered with randomization. There is a wide variety of picks, some are kinda bad but the vast majority are really interesting. The game rarely creates impossible spawns, making it feel fair despite the RNG. The creativity of the level design is undeniable, making this game something no other creator has managed to pull off. Because of that, I would say this is easily a must play for fans of randomization.
[0] Likes
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: 55 55
Oct 25, 2023
Jopagu
For: I wanna be the Prismocean
For: I wanna be the Prismocean
A cute little trap game. Prismocean features some seriously funny traps, including a couple that I couldn't stop laughing at. Unfortunately, some of the platforming is more annoying than anything else, particularly in the latter screens. This part of the game felt more annoying than funny for a lot of it. The boss is pretty good, but nothing special. There are secrets, but I only got the one that was in the open, so they seem to be pretty cryptic.
Overall, this is a decent recommendation, with the first few saves being a must play trap experience. Unfortunately the rest is harder to recommend, and with the game being this short it might not be worth downloading for what amounts to a few minutes of 10/10 traps.
[1] Like
Overall, this is a decent recommendation, with the first few saves being a must play trap experience. Unfortunately the rest is harder to recommend, and with the game being this short it might not be worth downloading for what amounts to a few minutes of 10/10 traps.
Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 48 48
Oct 25, 2023
Jopagu
For: I wanna M
For: I wanna M
A fun little L game, one of the better ones I've played in this genre. The inclusion of jtool gimmicks adds a lot, raising this above vanilla L needle. They enable some interesting pathing, and some precision maneuvers that were pretty unique. I actually felt like every save was interesting to play, and there were very few spots of annoyance.
[1] Like
Rating: 7.5 75
Difficulty: 53 53
Oct 24, 2023
Jopagu
For: I wanna Athletic needles
For: I wanna Athletic needles
A decent L game that's relatively beginner friendly. There are several annoying saves that drag it down, such as the "V" shaped jump on the top. However, most of the saves are fine, but few of them are particularly interesting, mostly just being basic precise maneuvers.
[1] Like
Rating: 6.0 60
Difficulty: 50 50
Oct 24, 2023
3 Games
| Game | Difficulty | Average Rating | # of Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Wanna Free the Fortress | 59.0 | 8.3 | 10 |
| The "Needle" | 53.0 | 6.7 | 15 |
| I Wanna [Expunged] the [Expunged] | 19.3 | 8.9 | 7 |
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