Speaking Simulator can get a bit complicated, but the goofy writing and strange yet fun gameplay make it a weird but worthwhile game. It can be a tad repetitive, but if you’re looking for a silly and fun time, Speaking Simulator is indeed for you.
Speaking Simulator
Developer: Affable Games
Price: $15
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed) and PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a Switch code for review.
Speaking Simulator is a fascinating and strange game. You spend most of the game adjusting your character’s tongue, eyes, and facial features in order to resemble a human. If you make too many mistakes, various appendages will begin to fly off, emit smoke, or shoot oil. Most of the people you talk to don’t notice this though, leading to some very bizarre and humorous scenarios. This is just scratching the surface when it comes to how weird Speaking Simulator is, and though it can be repetitive, it’s that weirdness that makes it such an unusual delight.
The plot of Speaking Simulator is pretty straightforward. You’re a robot that is trying to blend in with human society in order to eventually take over said society from within. Unlike most invasion stories, Speaking Simulator doesn’t have you decimating buildings or evaporating humans; it’s more of a pacifist’s take on an alien invasion. You just have to talk semi-well and act slightly more human than robot. The situations behind each level are fairly mundane. One mission has you ace a job interview, while another has you chatting with an employee from the other side of a bathroom stall. Eventually, things progress to the point of speaking at a funeral and giving a presidential speech, which is as ridiculous as you’d imagine.
I’d compare the gameplay of Speaking Simulator to other intentionally awkward and clumsy games like Surgeon Simulator or QWOP. While you start by simply controlling your mouth and tongue, you’ll eventually have manual control over your eyes, eyebrows, facial muscles, and more, all at the same time. The controls parallel the gameplay loop of starting simple and becoming intentionally obtuse. At first, you use the left and right analog sticks to control your tongue and mouth, respectively. As the levels go on, you purchase upgrades which make you have to use the joycon bumpers to control your eyebrows, the X and Y buttons to control your expression, the d-pad to move your eyes, etc. It becomes a comically complicated experience, and you begin to feel like an underpaid intern tasked with 20 different jobs who’s just scraping by. I mean that in a positive way, as it’s a wacky, satisfying kind of chaos.
“There’s also not much replayability in Speaking Simulator, as the settings and writing are its most appealing attributes.“
Though Speaking Simulator isn’t particularly long, playing it all in a sitting or two can be monotonous. With how complicated later levels become, playing more than one or two levels in a row can begin to feel dull and almost tiring with how many tasks you need to perform at once. There’s also not much replayability in Speaking Simulator, as the settings and writing are its most appealing attributes. This means that when you finish the game, you’re pretty much completely done with it.
The visuals are suitably cartoony, which amplifies the strange tone and ridiculous gameplay. When your teeth are falling out while your eye rotates all over and your nose shoots oil all over, Speaking Simulator feels like a surreal [adult swim] fever-dream.
The Final Word
Speaking Simulator is a short, surreal, and fun game that uses its peculiar concept and strong writing to create a truly unique experience. While it can get a bit repetitive after a while, Speaking Simulator is a fun little game for anyone looking to just have some goofy fun.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
