Platform:
PC
Released:
April 11, 2025
Publisher:
Jake Houston
Developer:
Jake Houston
Game Over: A Musical RPG is the debut game from Australian solo developer Jake Houston. If you’ve been itching for a new Undertale, a successor to Earthbound, a game that rivals the comedic genius of The Stanley Parable, you just might find it within Game Over.
Game Over is a comedy RPG with core musical elements that tells an unconventional tale about a video game whose story is already over. It’s a beautiful collection of pixels with so much heart and soul put into it, and the sort of wit and comedic timing that had me literally laughing out loud so often that my cheeks hurt. Game Over is an experience eight years in the making, and I personally think all that hard work very clearly paid off.
Though Game Over has a classic and simplistic pixelated art style reminiscent of old-school RPGs like Earthbound, it makes up for the lack of HD graphics with a bucket load of humour in the way it shows NPCs struggling to understand their new role in a world whose purpose is finished. The game had me laughing out loud within its first five minutes with one particular encounter, one that sets the tone for the entire experience very quickly.
We meet Horribly Disfigured Harper, who needs assistance moving some bricks, delivered by ‘The Brick Building Company For People Building Brick Houses”, so that they can finish building ‘The Shop Owned By Harper Which Also Sells Potions”. But the bricks have been left just out of reach due to Harpers horribly disfigured face, which is so horribly disfigured they’re sure we won’t help them.
But we do, because we’re the ‘Hero Type’ and we prove to Harper that they’re not beyond help. Game Over also allows the player to just… Not do that! You can choose to not help at all, because you already saved the world, so what does it matter? The game is full of hilarious and ridiculous encounters like this, and it adds a thick layer of charm to the experience. There’s even a guy you can punch in the face, simply because he’s just way too dang happy, and I feel like some people can relate to that.
“Game Over is full of hilarious and ridiculous encounters like this, and it adds a thick layer of charm to the game.”
Game Over sets up its narrative with a very sudden tone shift. Text becomes jumbled, textures become changed and mixed with each other, and the music cuts in and out, distorting and whirring. Characters blink in and out of existence, and it’s honestly a bit spooky for a while. The spookiness doesn’t last for too long, though, as the constant jokes break through the atmosphere and lighten the mood. The reactions the NPCs have to all this chaos are hilarious, as if this wouldn’t be absolutely terrifying in real life.
As all good RPGs do, Game Over features random battle encounters. These ‘duels’ are basically Guitar Hero style rhythm sections. The amazing thing about this is that every single encounter is unique and nothing is repeated. Each is handcrafted with its own soundtrack and its own comedic storyline. There’s an encounter that plays out like a noir detective story with you playing the suave jazzy backing track. One where a reporter keeps popping up to ask you questions you must answer while trying to hit all the notes at the same time.
The music used within Game Over is diegetic, meaning all the music is housed within the world and all the characters can hear it. Each character is ‘voiced’ by a musical instrument, and each unique character has a sound that is so perfectly fitting for their personality. As you explore the world, certain items, like plants or animal,s will emit musical tones, which all build onto each other to create the perfect atmosphere for each area.
“The music used within Game Over is diegetic, meaning all the music is housed within the world and all the characters can hear it.”
Game Over offers the option to change your duel layout, meaning if you’re not comfortable with the default ‘DFGHJK’, you can change it to something that suits you better. There are also three difficulty options, offering an easier duel experience for those who need it. These are Hard, Less Hard and Nigel Mode. Nigel Mode is lovingly named after Jake’s dad Nigel, who he says hated losing at games. If you toggle Nigel mode, the duels auto-play, and you literally can’t lose. Great for anyone who struggles with rhythm games and still wants to enjoy Game Over. Thanks Nigel!
There is only one mechanic that I think could use some work, and that’s the platforming. You gain the ability to sort of warp across the screen, but it’s directional, and sometimes you need to chain warps together to pass falling tiles. It’s far and few between that this pops up, but that timing can be hard to get right. It’s not the worst, and after a few tries, you can get good at it, but I can see how it might frustrate some people.
There are so many silly jokes to find within Game Over, even in the settings menu. While browsing the settings, I noticed a toggle called ‘settings on/off, ‘ so of course, I toggled it out of curiosity. I gained an achievement called ‘softlock’ and the settings menu fully disappeared before some on-screen text gave me a lecture about messing with things. If you try and hit the switch again, it does nothing. Spam it enough times, and it changes from “settings on/off” to “doofus button”. Of course, I clicked it again, only to laugh when I realised that I had become the joke myself for clicking it. There truly is a little bit of comedy hidden in every layer of Game Over.
Game Over is such a joy to play and experience. From the laugh-out-loud humour to the super-catchy soundtrack, there was so much to love about this game. It offers enough challenge to players who enjoy harder rhythm games while at the same time offering an easy and pleasant story experience for those who aren’t as interested in the harder gameplay. The accessibility of the difficulty settings is great, and the game design, character design and dialogue are top-notch. It’s always so nice to see passion projects that truly live up to the time and effort that is put into them, especially from a solo dev.
8.5
Great
Positive:
- Musical encounters are bespoke and equally fantastic
- Every character has their own unique and charming personality
- Dialogue, Jokes and comedic timing had me laughing out loud
- Nigel Mode offers an accessible gameplay experience
Negative:
- The platforming/teleporting can be a bit hard to grasp
Game Over: A Musical RPG is a passion project that is bleeding heart and soul. The soundtrack is incredible, every encounter is unique and entertaining, with nothing being repeated. All the characters are charming and have their own unique personalities that help the world feel grounded. The dialogue and comedy are perfectly timed and full of wit, and there are genuine laughs around every corner. If you’re a fan of Undertale, Earthbound or The Stanley Parable, please do yourself a favour and check out this home-grown Australian indie.
About the Author
Hayley Louise
she/they
Hayley spends most of her time gaming, but when she's not doing that you can find her doing all kinds of nerd-adjacent things like playing board games, building Lego, reading books and talking nerdy to everyone who will listen.
