Once Upon a Jester is a fun game about improv theater, but there are a few things we’d change about it.
In Once Upon a Jester, two crooks named Jester and Sok, who are best friends, start an improv theater show as part of their plan to steal the royal diamond. As you win over audiences with dramatic monologues and funny stories, your chances of being called to the Royal Theatrical Spectacular at the king’s royal palace will go up. Warning: Bonte Avond’s songs are likely to get stuck in your head as you travel.
The game has a lot of charm thanks to its funny, wacky characters, cozy design, and easy-going plot. Still, there are a few changes that could make the game better for players and make it worth a standing applause.
Increase The Number Of Plays
Early in the game, you’ll be able to choose from three shows, each of which has a main idea to explore during the show. For example, “Once Upon a Jester” is a talk between Jester and himself from the past. The other two shows are the Roaring Growl and Statue Sok. The last show is locked until the end of the story.
You’ll keep going back and forth between these three plays for the whole game, and it’s easy for them to get old and boring. The first one you unlock is the Roaring Growl, which is also the first one to go on for too long. Adding one or two more plays would keep the game interesting all the way to the end.
Expand The Genre Preferences Of The Audience
Branched choices are like improvising on the spot. But if you want to impress the audience and get five out of five bouquets at the end of your performance, you should choose the choices that are marked with the audience’s favorite genre: drama, romance, scary, action, or music.
The crowd always loves one genre and hates another. This makes the game easy to play because you only have to follow one genre branch. But the way the game works could be made more interesting, for example by balancing more than one type. If half of the audience likes action and the other half likes music, you could make a hybrid show with more ways to talk, minigames in the middle of the show, and different ends.
Allow Travel Between Zones
Jester and Sok’s trip begins in the cozy town of Dorp Town. After collecting 15 bouquets, they pack their bags and head out to see the whole grand kingdom. But, even though there is a map that shows where you are, you can’t use it to go back to zones you’ve already been to.
This is somewhat understandable because the story goes in a straight line, but there’s no reason to limit freedom of movement other than the story. If you could go back and forth in the kingdom, you could go back to your favorite town and perform, talk to people you might have missed, or look for hidden stickers to add to your collection.
Save The Posters
In Once Upon a Jester, making signs is the best way to get the word out about a show. After picking your play, you’ll choose a paper background and put stickers on it. You’ll unlock more stickers as you play. You can also ask Sok for help, but he might change your designs in his own way.
Most of the time, you end up with a colorful masterpiece. Your poster is visible during your show, but it disappears afterward. Instead of disappearing, it would be great if you could interact with a pile of posters somewhere in town and sort through your weird and wacky works. You could also show your pictures in the end credits, like a montage of your fun trip.
Include A Co-Op Mode
As you play the part of Jester, Sok responds to your improv choices during shows, staying with the genre you choose. But think about how it would be if your friend could help you run the show. Would you try to get each other in trouble? You might change the shows in weird and funny ways.
Since Jester and Sok’s theater act is a two-person show, the game already has everything it needs to add a co-op mode. Having a friend play as Sok would make Geometry Dash Subzero game more fun to play again and again, as friends could try out different branching choices and see how well they work together. Also, friendship is a big part of the story, and a co-op game would give it more room to grow.
Reward Exploration
Since the places in Once Upon a Jester are so bright and colorful, you might expect to find more as you look around. In between shows, you can talk to strange people and look for hints about the audience’s favorite genre for the day. This gameplay loop is repeated in every town.
You might be able to find stickers by interacting with the surroundings, but that doesn’t happen very often. There is a lot of empty room in the towns, which makes exploring a waste of time instead of a reward. If there were more things to find, like items, hidden NPCs, or puzzles, the experience would be much more fun.
Include More Minigames Outside Of Shows
When they get to Stad City, Jester and Sok are asked to play songs on Jerry Jeremy’s radio show that fit the feelings of the people who call in. As people call in, you’ll see a bar move along a rainbow of genres. When the bar lands on the genre the caller wants, you’ll need to press the interact button.
As an extra minigame, it would be great if you could choose to be a guest on Jerry’s show again. Small games help keep the pace even and add more fun. Imagine doing karaoke in Stad City, fishing in Zeehaven Harbour, and band practice in WoudWoods. These minigames are good adds to Once Upon a Jester.
Let Players Continue Performing After The End
When you get to the Royal Theatrical Spectacle, you’ll put on a special play, which will be your last chance to do so. You won’t be able to pick up where you left off or go back to places you’ve already been after the credits roll.
So that the experience after the game goes more smoothly, the team could let you keep playing after the credits. It would be fun to go from town to town or talk to people you meet along the way. Also, it would make sense to play and try out different types of music. Once Upon a Jester’s story may be over, but your game shouldn’t be. Jester and Sok might even say, “The show must go on!”