Reviews

• 

  Dohi64

  May 26, 2022

  [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote] [b]her majesty's spiffing[/b] is a 2-hour sci-fi point & click adventure. queen elizabeth 2 herself launches a spaceship at the beginning of the game because brexit means brexit and might as well leave the entire planet while they're at it. only with a small ship and crew for starters though. who knew big ben was just a disguise all these years? well, it was probably not erected as a missile silo back in 1859, but still. (and yes, I know big ben is the bell, not the whole building.) it's not only short but also easy and will [b]probably appeal more to fans of british humor and lifestyle in general[/b]. your first task, inevitably, is to make some tea and there's a debate over jaffa cakes, as old as time itself. there's also a lot of 4th wall-breaking, 'retro' stuff (dial-up internet and floppy disks feel like yesterday to me) and the usual smorgasbord of references to everything from star wars and airplane to michael jackson and resident evil. not everybody's cup of, well, tea again. [b]I really enjoyed the writing[/b] but found jones' (the other guy) voice acting awful and [b]his constant boyoing in every sentence was annoying as fuck[/b]. another issue is, [b]dialog can only be skipped sentence by sentence, not based on what's currently on the screen[/b], so if you're a fast reader, still gotta wait for the second half to appear. you'd thing a point & click adventure would default to a mouse that's actually capable of pointing and clicking, but no. [b]the game shows a controller prompt on startup whether you have one plugged in or not[/b], only changing it to a mouse icon after clicking once. [b]keyboard and mouse controls aren't rebindable, nor are they great.[/b] wasd or left click to move, shift to run, that's about it for the good part. [b]there are some hotkeys but most of them don't work[/b] and a few are only shown on the gamepad controls screen for some reason. there are arrows on the side to make [b]awful camera positions[/b] easier and more confusing to navigate at the same time and you need them to get off chairs or back out of close-up scenes instead of a simple right click. that one brings up interaction options, something left click should already do. as it is, it only does so when pressed with ctrl, but that's a whole other inconvenience. [b]inventory management is also a nuisance.[/b] mouse wheel would be ideal to bring up and hide it (or right click if it wasn't otherwise occupied), but only clicking the bag in the corner works, the hotkey for it doesn't. you have to equip whatever you want to use by clicking it, then the equip button (sometimes it won't work, so try again), then right click an item in the world and choose 'use inventory item'. it's that simple... [b]I'm pretty sure these people never played an actual mouse-driven point & click adventure in their lives, including their own.[/b] nothing wrong with having controller as an alternative, but the whole game seems to prioritize that and proper kb+m controls took a backseat. mouse wheel is supposed to be 'quick inventory swap' and it would be great if it simply cycled through the items, but I never got it working, nor the previous/next inventory item hotkeys. the presentation is great all around, though I could've done with less of the 'feet thumping on metal surfaces' noise and music is really repetitive. options are plentiful: separate volume settings, various subtitle languages and english voiceovers (and an americanized one), plus resolutions, windowed mode, target fps and a bunch of graphics customization, so you can get rid of nonsense like bloom, motion blur, depth of field, etc. that's where the object highlight toggle is hiding, still gotta mouseover but it's not too bad. [b]autosave and manual saving over 4 slots with an overwrite prompt are available[/b], always good news, though limiting slots is never great. [b]as good as most of it is, it's a mixed bag overall and only recommendable on sale[/b], mainly due to unintuitive and buggy controls and the camera. and of course lack of content and a relatively high price to go with it, but there are always sales and bundles to look out for. I don't mind short games anyway and there are a few optional/hidden things to find if that's your thing.
• 

  Flib

  Dec 8, 2016

  Very fun, reminds me of Space Quest. Extremely short though, £15 for 2 hours of content is pretty steep.
• 

  Azralynn

  Dec 9, 2016

  [b][u]See written review below[/u][/b] or watch it here: https://youtu.be/PFQnHMaqYMo [h1]TL;DR: SKIP TO CONCLUSION![/h1] Her Majesty’s SPIFFING is a short, but very good point and click adventure game with funny dialog and amusing characters. You are part of a two man crew searching for a habitable planet to colonize on behalf of Great Britain. The story is cute, and silly. I was satisfied with the ending, but it definitely leaves the story open for a sequel. The dialog is full of witty banter, and has a whole lot of puns that made me smile several times during my playthrough. The game makes many references to outdated real world things and other games, which I found to be quite funny. Does anyone else remember clippy, and how cute, but annoying he was? The point and click gameplay was as expected. You click around to move, and choose what you want to interact with, and then decide how you want to try and interact with it. The puzzles are clear-cut; they don’t offer much of a challenge, and the game even acknowledges that fact. Movement felt on par with other point and click adventure games I’ve played, like Sam & Max. The character usually cooperates, but sometimes when the camera angle change it causes you to walk the wrong way. [h1]Pros:[/h1] [list][*]great dialog with the witty comments, jokes, and puns will make you smile or laugh quite often [*]point and click gameplay is what you would hope for, and it's comparable to other point and click adventure games (i.e. Sam & Max, The Tales of Monkey Island) [*]the puzzles are straightforward, and make sense, but they are also on the easy side (which may be a con for some) [*]character animations look good, and the environments look decent as well [*]voice acting was decent, and the soundtrack was fine [*]full controller support[/list] [h1]Cons:[/h1] [list][*]very short, and lacks replay value, unless you plan to go back for achievements (I completed the game in just under 2.5 hours, but I expect some people will take around 3 hours) [*](nitpick) even with the anti-aliasing turned on, it still looked like there were some funky edges [*](nitpick) one small area where you try and click on the arrow to move to the next screen, but the character doesn't go, and another area where both characters are moving around, and you collide - it’s not a big deal, just a minor nuisance [*](nitpick) keybindings are not customizable (but the default controls are standard, and will be fine for most people)[/list] [h1]Conclusion:[/h1] Overall, I enjoyed the game, especially all the witty banter, and out of game references that came along with it. It’s a good pickup for those who enjoyed Sam & Max or Tales of Monkey Island. Although, it is an extremely short game, so you may want wait for a sale. If you like my reviews, please feel free to join my Steam group, and follow my curations [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/AzralynnReviews#curation]here.[/url] You can also view this review on my website [url=http://www.azralynn.com/review-her-majestys-spiffing-game/]here.[/url]
• 

  silentArtifact

  Dec 11, 2016

  Top-notch point-and-click humourous adventure game, even if it's not strictly point-and-click. Short, very short, but worth the price of admission. Desperately crave more.
• 

  The Eternal Anglo

  Dec 13, 2016

  Funny, charming and sadly short.
• 

  miguli

  Dec 13, 2016

  So good, honestly. I'm not even getting paid to say that. Wish I was though. The game feels fresh with it's jokes, setting and visuals. The whole thing screams quality, like a posh ponce quaffing tea in his country estate. The only gripe I had with it is that it is, as you might have already gathered, is that it is short. Honestly, that isn't that big of an issue if more of us buy the game the more of a chance there is we get a sequel. I deserve that. You deserve that. Your dog deserves that. Your chinese surveillance gadget hidden away in your home deserves that. The Queen deserves that. Treat yourself, it's almost christmas.
• 

  [MoX]Arken

  Dec 27, 2016

  This game has some amusing humour...but its short...especially for the price tag... The game has some interesting humour. The puzzles are a little on the easy side, but a lot of the tongue in cheek nature of them lead me to think it was more because it was the tutorial to the game. So i was, i admit, somewhat surprised when I saved to discover I was a third of the way through the game and not the barely scratching the surface like I thought. The game is beutifully rendered, the ship has lots of little details in it. but the problem lies in the sheer lack of content. The devs have giving you the prolog for the story, and have failed to deliver on the rest of the game. If this was the demo, this game would be on my wish to play list. I would be eagerly awaiting the launch of the game itself. Its not though....Its the whole game...and i'm disappointed.
• 

  ⎝⧹Quirken⧸⎠

  Jun 24, 2017

  I laughed. Out loud. Several times. Usually when I see/hear funny things, I'm only smiling in my head. This game has just the right balances of smart and dumb humor combined with jokes making fun of point-and-click games. The main character reminds me of somebody (personality wise) from Family Guy (probably due to the art style combined with his style of posturing), except consistently quality bar and better humor. And no filler. Gameplay-wise, it's a pretty standard point-and-click. No huge suprises, and while I haven't beaten it yet, I don't really expect any. (All the reviews I skimmed suggest that I'm already probably halfway.) It took me about an hour to decide I wanted to show and/or get gift copies for 3 friends.
• 

  Flawii

  Jun 25, 2017

  Hilarious, just that. This game is not that hard, it's not that long, it is just the most british way to travel through space I can think of. Completed in about 2 hours, really funny 2 hours.
• 

  irongollem

  Jun 26, 2017

  This is just a demo. Shareware. Could be something if it was a full game but about 60 minutes of gameplay is no game. The screenshots on this page basically show ALL scenes this game has!
• 

  Modder

  Jul 5, 2017

  Fun short adventure which deserves a sequel (and more funds)
• 

  Lord Longlegs

  Aug 5, 2017

  Brilliant little point & click game, had me chuckling all the way through. Great visuals and excellent voice acting coupled with plenty of poking gentle fun at the various nationalities (light hearted stereotypical racism based on the habits of those involved) made this a very enjoyable experience. I found a couple of the puzzles a bit obscure hence the slightly longer playtime than some other players but got there in the end, 2 - 2.5 hours would seem a more realistic time for more experinced players of this genre. Plenty of achievments that will take a second play through to get 100% (unless you've already sneeked a peek at the guides.) My only gripe was that it was too short so I strongly advise you buy this game so the devs can continue their great work & make episode 2. Want to play more from these guys...9/10
• 

  Weckar

  Dec 17, 2017

  Other reviewers have noted that this game is quite short; I want to start this review by stressing that: This game is very short. A little over two hours, and that included getting stuck at several points. The game being short wouldn't be too bad a thing, if the puzzles were actually that engaging. Which... they are not. The ability to examine items up close and manipulate them in the inventory is a clever mechanic, and the few times it is used is when the puzzles are halfway interesting, but beyond that this game is a straight-forward 'pick up item, carry, use, done'. Even the lackluster puzzles could be forgiven, if this game was actually as funny as people say it is. I personally thought that it was not. The humor largely relies on references, many of which do not land, and the problem is further exacerbated by the game's continued insistence on commenting on just how funny it is being or is about to be. As the disappointing icing on the mediocre cake, the story isn't really that interesting. If you've seen the trailer, you've basically got it all. There's also several plot-threads that are kind of introduced and then left dangling, which could be meant as sequel-bait, but just ends up feeling out of place. In some ways, this is a very polished game; the animation and the environments are very well done, and the voice-acting is actually very good as well. However, they are let down by the material they have to work with, and by the lackluster story and puzzles. Overall, I do not recommend this game, unless you can pick it up for a reduced price in a sale. 4/10, would not expand empire again
• 

  Ploppy

  Jan 7, 2018

  Classic point and click + well observed humour a la Stanley Parable. Loved it but wanted more of everything. Bring on the sequel!
• 

  Dancing Joker

  Mar 29, 2018

  The best Brexit Simulator currently on the market.
• 

  Meatbug

  Jun 3, 2018

  Her Majesty's SPIFFING is a very charming but short adventure game. You're playing as Captain Frank Lee English, sent on a mission to locate and claim a new, inhabitable planet for Grat Britain and the Queen. Moving around is done with WASD controls while all interactive objects can be used or inspected via a contextual menu popping up by right-clicking (all interactive objects will also be highlighted). The puzzles are relatively easy to solve and mostly logical, the voice-acting is really good and graphical wise it's quite pretty. There are also a lot of nice pop culture references, nods to other videogames, movies etc. which, together with the overall humor in the game, made me chuckle quite often. However, apart from being a nice game, i think the price is quite high. Even if you are not an adventure veteran, you probably won't need much more than 2-3 hours for a playthrough, which compared to the price, is quite low. I would definitely recommend it, though not for the full price.
• 

  cbones - LINUX

  Jun 29, 2018

  A funny satire from before one starts playing (check the voice options) through to the end. I hope there will be more, as I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and jokes. It is also a really nice touch when point-and-clicks expand to allow using the keyboard to move the character! [h1]System Info & Performance Report[/h1] [table] [tr] [td]Operating System[/td] [td]Ubuntu Linux 16.04 x64[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]CPU[/td] [td]Ryzen 5 1500x[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]GPU[/td] [td]GTX 1050, nvidia-396[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Game Saves[/td] [td]Automatically and manually; 4 manual slots[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Notes[/td] [td]Expect 2-3 hours of gameplay[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Technical Notes[/td] [td]No problems except when “escaping” the pre-menu title animation – that will lock the game up[/td] [/tr] [/table]
• 

  Lucky Shot

  Dec 22, 2018

  Really good game! Brings tears of joy to the eyes of the fans of the point & click genre. The monologues and dialogues are really funny, the puzzles are mostly easy but enjoyable, the characters are memorable, and the storyline is small but well-thought-out. Good job! More point & click games please!
• 

  BarbaricAvatar

  Mar 25, 2021

  If you like predictable, cliched humour and very short games then it's easy to recommend. If you like a play-through time of more than 2 hours and imaginative dialogue then it's hard to recommend. I'm in the latter camp.
• 

  ActuallyDenz

  Apr 22, 2021

  Her Majesty's SPIFFING reminds me of some of Telltale Games' earlier games, in that it's a relatively simple point & click game with puzzles that aren't overly complicated, and are fairly logical for the most part. The fact it's made by a British indie company comes across pretty strongly, as there's a lot of British humour in there (many stereotypes - a little casual xenophobia, an obsession with tea, that sort of thing!), and quite a few pop culture references to have a laugh at. Some of the pop culture references are probably universal, but some are definitely British! The art-style is fun and the sound does a good job of setting the scene. The only real issue with the game is that it's only around 2 hours long, and it doesn't seem like we're going to get a sequel. I'd cautiously recommend it.