“Screencheat is an awesome game based on a hilariously nostalgic idea and packed full of a whole lot of fun.”
Screencheat is a split-screen multiplayer experience which encourages everything which gamers have always hated. Back in the day when four of you needed to sit in the same room to fight it out on classics like Goldeneye, your excuse for loosing was often that your so-called friends were watching your screen to find out where you were and kill you. You on the other hand would naturally never do such a thing… until now!
The basic premise of the game is that there are 2-4 players in an arena, a pretty standard setup yes? However, on your screen, everybody else is invisible. The dirty twist in Screencheat then is that you are forced to look at your opponents screens in order to find them and win. The very idea will likely make the more experienced gamers amongst you cringe, but what follows is hilarious fun and a surprising amount of challenge as you try to decipher the locations of your adversaries. You thought you used to get frustrated because your friends were cheating? Screencheat will show you just how hard it can be to do that when the tables are turned!
As it stands at release, Screencheat is limited in its game types and arena options. With just a handful of each to choose from, you might expect initially to get bored quickly. You would be wrong. Each map and game type can lead to all manner of calamity when the action begins between them, so hold on to your socks if you thought this would be easy! Every arena in Screencheat is helpfully set out into four coloured quarters to help you navigate around your friend’s screens more easily. You quickly realise how difficult it in fact is however to concentrate on what you and three others are doing simultaneously; a skill you will need to master in order to succeed at this game. The maps are also well varied, but one thing is common amongst them. Despite their simplicity on the face of things, they become almost like mazes as you try to focus and follow others around them. Despite the few map options then, it certainly isn’t easy to learn the maps, nor is it repetitive to play on them.
The game types on offer are predominantly fun twists on your standard multiplayer options. You might like to try out Capture the Fun first, or perhaps Hillcampers. There is one very creative option indeed in Screencheat, and that is Murder Mystery. This Cluedo-like option gives you a weapon, location and person to target in order to earn your points. You must follow your clue cards, remembering of course that when you are looking so are the other players, and eliminate your targets in order to win. This is perhaps the hardest game type on the game, but the premise behind it is ingenious! There is also a fairly unique mode named One Shot in which, you guessed it, you can only fire once until either a timer runs down or every other player has also fired a shot. Despite the limited game types in Screencheat then, you do not easily get bored of playing them, and the challenge does not get drastically easier as you go. Most importantly, every single one of them is fun to play, which naturally is a bonus!
My personal favourite feature in the game however is the voice overs. These are simply hilarious, mixing generally funny voices alongside clear mockeries of classic multiplayer game voice over actors, for example the gentleman from Halo. If the game was chaotic and side splitting enough already, these truly complete the experience. If that isn’t enough for you either though, then perhaps your weapon choices will tip you over then final insane edge. Would you prefer a candlestick or a hobby horse? Maybe bear bombs are more your thing, or a blunderbuss perhaps? These are only half of the weapons in the game, but I think that probably gives you a fairly good idea. Put simply, this game is all about fun, and my goodness don’t you know it when you turn it on!
Aside from its fairly limited nature in terms of content, there is little that you can say on the negative side about Screencheat. The only other downside is that its graphics are a few steps back from cutting edge, but this is part of its charm and classical gaming appeal. You can even play the game locally as well as online, so if you really do want the nostalgia of screen watching your childhood friends and shouting at each other all the while, you can actually do it! Screencheat is an awesome game based on a hilariously nostalgic idea and packed full of a whole lot of fun. Now I can’t see how that wouldn’t be up anyone’s street!
The Good
- A hilariously fun idea based on the nostalgic gripe of “screen watching” in classic multiplayer gaming.
- Endless laughter in every aspect of the game, from the voice overs to the weaponry.
- One heck of a challenge for something once considered to be cheating!
- A local multiplayer option allows for a genuinely nostalgic battle of the screen watchers amongst friends.
- Brings together several elements of classic multiplayer experiences and makes them fun and exciting.
The Bad:
- Somewhat limited in map and game mode options.
- Graphics which do not meet the top end of modern standards (though this really isn’t the point!).
Other Notes:
- Warning: This game may make you hate yourself for what you are doing (and if you don’t understand this comment then congratulations on being young).
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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