Safety First! - PC (Steam)

Introduction
Safety First! is developed by JCO and published by Headup Games. Dev team’s first game release onto Steam, but I think they’re off on the right foot. The title in question is a parody of sorts, but one which doesn’t feel forced and can be quite a challenge to unsuspecting players. For its current price, I consider it a great deal.

Gameplay
Physics-based puzzle platformers aren’t new neither on Steam nor before it. And yet, very few of them mix humor with nerve bending digital acrobatics. You will fail Safety First! a lot, in fact. But you will still laugh at the outcome of your less than stellar results. The humor in this game, considered crude by some players perhaps, is still offering a new perspective upon a genre I frankly felt that I’ve seen enough of it already. The not-so-subtle Magical Yellow Repair Liquid or MYRL for short, is not central to the game’s “plot”. As long as you keep an open mind about it and have plenty of pacience at first, the title will entertain you for quite a few hours. Just do your best to play it with a controller. The keyboard layout only adds unnecessary issues to an already hard game. With several game modes to choose from that are unlocked as you progress through the initial levels, I find it a perfect incentive to be finally able to play the Drunk mode and fail in even funnier ways than you did before.

Not much can be said against or in favor of Safety Fist!’ looks. It could have been more lively, but then again, it acomplishes its purpose even with only a handful of colors. The soundtrack on the modes unlocked later in-game fits the mood and never felt repetitive.

Pros
+ Humorous approach to platforming
+ Level and obstacle diversity with several game modes
+ Steam Trading Cards & Achievements
+ Decently priced

Cons
- Tutorial or not, still a fairly difficult game
- Lacks chromatic variation
- Keyboard controls while responsive, not ideal

Result / Final thoughts
Don’t get fooled by its apparent simple looks and goals. Safety First! Is one of the few platformers in recent years that amused me, beyond the regular feelings of frustration that most platform games offer on a regular basis. It’s not to be taken lightly, any game that no matter how difficult instead of rage quitting, puts a smile on your face. You can even skip levels (“cheating”) so stop hitting that keyboard, will you? Use a gamepad and relax. MYRL fixes almost everything.

Rating 8/10