NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test

Reviewed January 23, 2025 on PC

Platform:

PC

Released:

January 21, 2025

Publisher:

WSS playground

Developer:

WSS playground

If you love internet slang and want a challenging typing test, then NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net is a game for you. Based on the 2022 visual novel Needy Streamer Overload, this is a title where you’re testing your typing speed whilst also learning internet slang and memes. But don’t let the cute exterior fool you. There is more to this game than meets the eye and it’s here where things take a turn away from sugoi.

Joining you throughout the game is KAngel, a cute social media influencer who was featured in the original game. She returns to guide you through your typing journey by throwing various phrases in English and Japanese. Your job is to type them within the time limit or else you get pwned and have to start over. The words are randomised, so if you fail a round and decide to try again, a different set of texts will appear on the screen. Some words are easy to type like “Noob”, “Kawaii”, and “desu” but there will be longer phrases like “The Cake is A Lie”, “It’s over 9000” and “Good Night Sweet Prince.” Don’t worry, the brainrot words like “Rizz” and “Skibidi” are not featured (and thank goodness for that). But you will see some familiar memes like “cheezeburger.”

NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net has three rounds for you to face, each taking at least 3 minutes. So in theory, it shouldn’t be that difficult. But don’t let this game fool you with its adorable charm, this typing test is a beast. For context, 70 to 80 words per minute is my average, and it took at least 5-6 attempts in each level for me to get through it. It was insane and the urge to throw my keyboard through the monitor was strong.

What prevented an almost-damaged PC is the cute art style and music. While there are no voice lines, just reading the text and hearing the 8-bit track was somewhat calming. A lack of voice-over was likely a good choice because it might be annoying to hear someone talking while you’re struggling to type 2010’s internet slang. Sadly, it’s difficult to fully indulge in the text as the next word appears really quickly.

“While there are no voice lines, just reading the text and hearing the 8-bit track was somewhat calming”

As someone who does typing tests once in a while, NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net changes the format slightly and gives it more of a challenge. What makes this different from the likes of MonkeyType is that you don’t need to use the spacebar, but you do need to know how to touch type the number row. Also, the wrong letters/numbers you type won’t appear on the screen and affect your progress. The game will make a squeaky sound and you just need to press the right letter to continue. The game also features a timer and you need to type the words quickly or else you lose lives and it will be game over. Also, the internet slang plays a role in the game’s challenge as there will be words and terminology that you have never heard of before. Meanwhile, the longer phrases are smushed together like one giant word so good luck being able to read what’s on screen.

If you think the typing challenges on NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net are hard enough, wait untill you see what’s hidden behind the cute facade. Once you finish the game, you will be greeted with an easter egg in the credits, where you will be taken to a secret platformer area with five different levels to complete. Sadly, this section does not feature any typing challenges, which is a shame as there was an opportunity here to tie it all in with the main premise and make something more unique. This section also feels like it was finished properly, making it hard to recommend playing.

NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net Review – No ordinary typing test

While this mini secret section is fun to engage with, it doesn’t feel like a complete build. There were issues with the keyboard controls so you’re better off picking up a controller to get through the game. However, the game had issues detecting it and requires Steam’s Big Picture Mode to fix it. There was a moment when my window suddenly shrunk to the smallest size despite it being set to full screen… during a boss fight. Also, it gets laggy for seemingly no reason whatsoever.

It’s really unexpected and unacceptable to see this many bugs and unfinished content. While turning the game off and on again solves some of these issues, it makes completing the mini-secret section uncompelling. It makes engaging in the extra content inadvisable as it’s not mandatory to complete and it’s just an easter egg for those who are fans of the game.

4.5

Mediocre

Positive:

  • A typing test that actually challenges you
  • Great art and great music
  • No skibidi toilet and rizzlers in sight

Negative:

  • The typing tests are too fast, even at level 1
  • The game is too short and does not offer that much content
  • The mini secret section has so many issues that it's literally unplayable

NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net is a typing game that actually challenges you. Whilst there is a decent game here for those who love to test their typing skills and enjoy learning internet lingo, it’s a shame the experience doesn’t last very long. However, if you plan to pursue the mini secret section, you better hope that it doesn’t screw you over during a boss fight as there still seems to be a lot of instability and glitches in this build.