Summary
- I always wanted Dunkey to succeed, but I didn't think Big Mode was as rock solid as he promised.
- One game in, he now has a perfect record to maintain.
- Any concern over Dunkey didn't impact Animal Well, which shot to 90 on Metacritic.
When Dunkey first revealed he would be going into video game publishing, there was a mixed reaction. With 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Animal Well, the first game published under his company Big Mode, hitting 90+ on Metacritic, it would be safe to say he had proved the doubters wrong. A🔜nd in doing so, he has inspired a little bit of soul-searching over hot button issues within gaming.
My own reaction was mixed in and of itself, writing my thoughts under the headline 'Dunkey's Indie Game Publisher Is Arrogant And Short-Sighted - I Hope It Works'. Even in the wake of Animal Well, I largely stand by that view - the way Dunkey pitched this to his audience was that he simply knew which games were good and which games were bad, and thus would be able to only pick winners. Undoubtedly, that's an arrogant business model. But looking at everything happening in triple-A publishing at the moment, I was hopeful a games-first indie publisher could provide some good news in a sea of bad.
Can Big Mode Sustain This Momentum?
Animal Well was in development for years before Big Mode came along, so wasn't exactly plucked from obscurity. Then again, if it was so obviously great before the benefit of hindsight, why didn't Annapurna, or Devolver, or anybody else pick it up? Animal Well shows that Dunkey could have the eye for gems he promised from the outset. It's still relatively early days, though; now he has to keep it up.
It remains to be seen how challenges will be handled - what happens when games go over time or over budget? What if a game is picked up through an error of judgement and looks set to flop? What support will Big Mode be able to offer? How fruitful can the strategy of only picking games that are both clearly excelle🐈nt yet currently free agents be? These are the same doubts I had initially, although after Animal Well, it would be fair to say Dunkey has earned credit in the bank and time to answ🧔er those issues as and when they arise.
I don't remember caring all that much about Dunkey becoming a publisher, aside from thinking his message to fans was a little cocky and naive, but ultimately wanting it to work. But when I read back on my article, it was way more explosive than I remembered. I would say 'that's the job', except I don't think it is - I go in hard on issues I'm particularly passionate about, but mostly try to take a more nuanced and balanced view. This time, though, I went too hard for reasons even I’m not sure of.
Why Was Dunkey’s Publishing Move So Controversial?
I like to think myself immune to groupthink, but everyone who thinks that finds themselves most susceptible to it when it counts. I'm generally ambivalent (with an occasional light sprinkling of disdain) when it comes to YouTubers, but I've always respected that Dunkey built his own work instead of angrily reading out someone else's article while stuttering with faux rage. I don't know why Dunkey's move was met with such animosity, or why I, apparently, felt this too.
Clearly, any of this (perhaps unwarranted) negative reaction has not left much of a sour taste. Those same journalists who were critical of the move into publishing - or more fairly, the tone of it - are the same ones handing Animal Well scores that see it clear 90 on Metacritic. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Here at Th✃eGamer, we gave it a perfect 5/5. The reaction to Dunkey publishing was a moment in time, o💙ne of mild confusion and derision more spurred on by the style of the announcement rather than the substance of it, but that moment has passed. Now, the proof is in the pudding, and Animal Well is well-baked indeed.
There are bigger challenges to come, but Big Mode has proven it belongs in the industry and doubters, whatever their motivations, have been proven wrong. To go right back to the start, I remain glad it worked out. But it's a lesson to be more measured in response to issues, and more hopeful for positive outcomes. Now, let me go write an article about my personal grievances with Phil Spencer...
168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Animal Well
- Top Critic Avg: 89/100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- May 9, 2024
- ESRB
- ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy V🐎iolence
- Developer(s)
- ꦇ Shared Memory
- Publisher(s)
- Bigmode
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
Shared Memory's Animal Well is a Metroidvania with exploration, puzzles, and platforming. Billy Basso's game takes place in a dense labyrinth filled with animals.
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