Playing Every Game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
PEGBRJE: ‘Reproduction Man’ and ‘The House on Holland Hill’
Blast from the Past and Pizza Delivery Simulator™
Reproduction Man is a 2D puzzle game created by David Kilmer, a solo indie dev based out of the United States. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original Reproduction Man launched back in 1998 (also by Kilmer), this is an updated version with new graphics and sounds for players to relive a small blobby individual trying to help the dumb sperm.
As this pink blobby individual, players will try to get the cluster of sperm towards the egg so that life can begin to exist. Unfortunately, sperm is not known for its brains, so it will only take the most direct path possible to achieve its goal. Players match the two together by ensuring that the path is cleared and the egg does not get crushed in the process.
To achieve this, players will need to understand how our Repro Man interacts with the world around it. The green blocks are solid, but edible by the player to create a path. The red stones and clear bubbles are also solid, but cannot be eaten and instead must be moved out of the way. Stones fall downwards when the green blocks under them disappear, while bubbles float upwards. If either are stacked on top of another without anything on their sides, both the bubbles and rocks will fall their respective directions. This means that players will need to watch not only for falling rocks, but also for removing the braces from them, for the stones can kill the egg and the player.
As the game progresses, new powers and interactions will be introduced to ramp up the difficulty for our little purple friend. Besides eating the green, players can also push the red and clear spheres around if there is empty spaces on either side, giving way to some strange solutions. Other powers like warping become available in later levels. This truly opens up the region to serious shenanigans, but only as long as nothing blocks the path.
As with many shareware games of the 90s, this game is not long — unless you are not the best at puzzle games (this is a self call-out). There are a handful of levels, but each one gives a silly sense of whimsy as you try your hardest to find a way for these idiotic sperm to follow you properly. Thanks to its recreation, the soundtrack is catchy and the graphics are extremely clean.
If you want a puzzle game that will confuse anyone that might not fully understand the reproduction cycle of humans, this is the perfect way to baffle them further. For the rest of us, it is a fun puzzle game that highlights the brilliance in simplicity and that many games do age quite gracefully when given a new coat of paint.
The House on Holland Hill is a narrative thriller created by Hedgefield, an illustrator and game dev based out of the Netherlands. Players will follow the tale of Luigi, a Pizza delivery man sent to Holland Hill one fateful day. Here, he sees a new house built right on the side of a forest, and meets the new fellow that has just moved in; Callum Breckonridge.
The game starts with a terrifying event where nobody answers the door, before whisking Luigi back to the very first delivery to this house. From here, Luigi will make 13 deliveries where each one is told as a vignette. It details Luigi’s experiences with Breckonridge. The player is able to make certain choices to determine the relationship between the delivery man and the rich home owner. Players can keep their distance or try to involve themselves with someone they interact with frequently, both with varying degrees of consequences. Each visit is in a free roam environment, allowing the player to make decisions in the way that they can sneak in to the house or barge in uninvited.
The core of the game revolves around these decisions, for Luigi will witness Callum’s life unravel after every delivery. Tragedy befalls our repeat customer, and the only way to get details is to insert Luigi in to the conversations. Or, perhaps Luigi would rather just watch Callum spiral from afar, keeping himself distanced as it is not his business what happens. That too is a decision, but it is hard to deny the sliver of curiousity. After all, Luigi has visited so often that they might even be acquaintances by this point.
No matter what decision Luigi makes, his deliveries to The House on Holland Hill will happen no matter what and the story will unfold in front of him. The stories told per delivery give a window-like view of the entire ordeal, leading up to the grand reveal to which one of four endings will determine Luigi’s fate. It only takes 20–30 minutes, but in that time it tells a powerfully somber story full of mystery and intrigue. What is going on in that house, you wonder? Well, the only way to find out is to give it a spin.
Oh, and the original was made during Wizard Jam, further cementing my love for Game Jams. Anything can come out of them.
