Mushroom 11 turns the concept of a physics-based puzzle platformer on its head. Although in this particular case there is no head, just a weird gelatinous blob of a future-mushroom.
Mushroom 11
Developer: Untame
Price: $14.99
Platform: PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review.
Mushroom 11, is so interesting because of its main mechanic for movement and environmental interaction. Developer Untame describes this mechanic as the act of destroying and subsequently growing organic cells. It’s a rather vague concept to wrap your head around, which only starts to make sense when you pick it up and try it for yourself. Your only tool is sparkly circle aptly named an “eraser.” You can apply this to the green blob that is our hero and doing so destroys that part of our fungal friend. As a natural mushroom-y response, it grows the same amount of cells elsewhere on its mass. By doing this quite rapidly you are able to drive the mushroom’s growth in a specific direction. That’s it. This deceptively simple action forms the foundation for every aspect of the game. However, there’s one other component that is integral to the game. The mushroom is solid.
Playing as a solid organism that holds its shape when left alone is a real challenge to understand at first. It feels like you are playing a platformer as a platform. Nevertheless, by progressing through the levels, the movement becomes quite fluid. This strange balance of consistency was very intriguing to experience. The growth effectively transforms the fungus in such a way that it is able to conform to the environment. For instance, if you erase a section and the only available space to grow is a thin pipe, the fungus will speed through it like water in a hose. This is just one way the environment acts as both an obstacle and a device for progression. The level design is exceptional in achieving this somewhat reversed role.
The erasing and growing mechanic is translated into being a tool for solving puzzles in an ingenious way. It all comes down to two key factors, you can’t erase yourself completely, and you always come back to a consistent volume. Unlike other titles which have players controlling giant, rolling blobs, size doesn’t matter. This means the amount of body you have will always be enough to get past a tricky section. Additionally the mushroom can also be split, and as one segment is erased the other grows in size. This allows for all sorts of weird and wonderful things. Did you happen to fling a small part of yourself up a ledge but not your whole blob? Well just erase the big section and voilà; you are now up top! It’s actually necessary to think this way; puzzles will frequently require splitting up the mushroom in order to hold buttons or unlock doors.
Mushroom 11 does come with the standard physics and platforming of its kin. Hazards like fire and poison are rampant. Chase segments require a quick hand and the abandonment of any methodical growth strategies you had been comfortable with previously. Boxes, levers and boulders all make their appearance each with weight and momentum, and each chapter ends with a boss. The boss battles are quite interesting, because the mushroom doesn’t have any traditional offensive abilities to speak of. These fights are an exercise in avoidance and survival, which is a good change of pace. One boss has you dodging fireballs while trying to circumnavigate flailing limbs all while trying to crush what appear to be seeds.
Developer Untame, in an experimental flurry, began incubating Mushroom 11 at the New York City Game Jam in 2012. That particular event had the theme of Ouroboros, the iconic symbol of a serpent or dragon forming a circle by eating its own tail. This is often interpreted as rebirth or as something recreating itself. A very interesting fact when you consider all we have been discussing around the destruction/growth mechanic utilised in Mushroom 11.
There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of a story in Mushroom 11. We appear to have awakened in a post-apocalyptic future as a green pulsating mushroom that in a hurry to get somewhere. The art design does a great job of communicating the destruction of all that existed before. With beautiful background artwork of futuristic trash and dilapidated skylines; not to mention the junk-yard’s worth of scrap metal we have to drag our soggy mushroom body through.
Classic ambient, electronic band, The Future Sound of London, is responsible for putting together the soundtrack for Mushroom 11, and it left me rather disappointed, surprisingly so given the band’s pedigree. The music is ambient to the point of which it is non-existent at times. This lack of music left certain chapters feeling slow and without emphasis. Now that’s not to say the soundtrack is bad, but it certainly takes a back seat. I would have preferred it to take a bigger role, driving the pace and tone.
Like most puzzle-platformers, difficulty can be an issue. Certain puzzles may stump you for a period of time, whilst others may be easy. The learning curve is fairly consistent as it introduces new ways of thinking about your mushroom and its ability, with only a few spikes here and there. Twitch skills and timing are also key aspects, which make keeping your mushroom under control of the utmost importance. In some ways I found this to be a point of frustration. Trying to keep your blob together under duress can be quite the challenge. The frustration is relieved thanks in large part to the frequent checkpoints and instantaneous load times.
The ingenuous movement mechanic and clever level design make Mushroom 11 a standout in a market saturated with physics-based puzzle platformers. Even with its flat soundtrack, I would still recommend Mushroom 11 to those you enjoy the unfamiliar and experiencing fresh ideas. Mushroom 11 offers a memorable experience, and one worth the time.
The Final Word
The ingenuous movement mechanic and clever level design make Mushroom 11 a standout in a market saturated with physics-based puzzle platformers. Even with its flat soundtrack, I would still recommend Mushroom 11 to those you enjoy the unfamiliar and experiencing fresh ideas. Mushroom 11 offers a memorable experience, and one worth the time.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
