So Many Me

Editor's Notes

Digital Xbox One version reviewed.

Introduction

'So Many Me' is developed by Thai studio Extend Interactive, which until now has been busy making mobile games. 'So Many Me' had an unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign in 2013, but was able to secure alternate funding and was released on PC in July 2014.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

'So Many Me' is a puzzle platformer, a genre that has been seeing a strong resurgence lately. All of the game’s puzzles are traversed by not one but many characters, little green blobs that can turn into sticky blocks at will, allowing their brothers to cling to and jump onto them. The blobs are led by Filo the hero blob, and the rest of the clone "Mes" follow in his exact footsteps. Filo has been chosen to save the world, of course, although he is a rather reluctant hero. Some unknown mechanism has placed the Mes all over the world of Xio, along with puddles of his DNA that morph into other forms. Filo and his clone brothers are advised by Asimov, a disembodied and absentminded being that serves as a tutorial of sorts. The game has a lot in common with 'Badland', another recent platformer ported to the Xbox One, but 'So Many Me' is more about puzzles and jumping as opposed to speed.

The game has infinite cuteness, but not in a kiddy or infantilizing way. It is very charming and has a smartly written, self-aware script. Filo simultaneously mentions how much of a cliché the story is, for instance, then jumps wholeheartedly into it. Each of his clones has a distinct personality, and can be customized with hats and tricks earned through collectibles, usually by way of another puzzle. While most platformers lately have a kind of a "push A to skip this text and continue with the game" vibe, the jokes and narrative in 'So Many Me' are infectious.

As for the platforming and puzzles, the character-turning-into-a-block routine is not new, but it is implemented well. The Mes can create a chain of blocks that allow the last Me to progress very far without environmental platforms. The first Me recalled is always the last one placed, otherwise the chain could go on indefinitely and render most of the puzzles ineffective. With only a few exceptions, controls are smooth and responsive. Things get a bit dicey when creating blocks near surfaces or at the edges of dead zones where abilities don’t work, but for the most part 'So Many Me' is a precise experience. The boss fights at the end of each stage can be petulant and don’t always make use of the smart platforming, but they’re generally not too irritating.

In addition to their blocks, every stage offers a new mechanic whereby the Mes shapeshift into a new form that has special abilities. These include a trampoline Me and a large, powerful jellosaur that can smash through blocks. The puzzles in every level are typically centered around creative applications of these mechanics, and some of them can be challenging, especially when I was greedy and wanted to also grab the level’s shopping bag collectible and power point thing, which is used in the hub to purchase new abilities. I was more successful when trying to be inventive with the platforming abilities, although it was occasionally possible to cheese the mechanics and access areas through brute force jumping (shame on me).