The Making of Roundabout
- November 17, 2018
- No Goblin
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store“The Making of Roundabout” is a huge compendium of art, stories, and the full Roundabout screenplay. Not only does it include the full 87 page shooting script from Roundabout, we’ve also annotated it with our stories and notes. On top of that, Panzer has also put together these brilliant art pages that talk about the origins of our characters, our logo, some behind the scenes pics - pretty much a…
Reviews
- The game features a unique and charming gameplay mechanic where you control a constantly spinning limousine, making for a fun and engaging experience.
- The FMV cutscenes are hilariously cheesy and add a lot of character to the game, enhancing the overall enjoyment with their campy humor.
- There is a generous amount of optional content, including collectibles and challenges, providing replayability beyond the main story.
- The game can be frustrating at times due to the lack of precise control, leading to frequent collisions and deaths without significant penalties.
- The main story is relatively short, taking only a few hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- There are occasional technical issues, such as awkward respawn points and minor bugs that can disrupt the gameplay experience.
- story222 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The story of *Roundabout* is a quirky and humorous journey delivered through cheesy FMV cutscenes, reminiscent of 1970s B-movies, featuring a cast of eccentric characters and a lighthearted plot involving love and absurdity. While the main storyline is relatively short, taking about 2-3 hours to complete, it is filled with charm and replayability through various side missions and collectibles. Players appreciate the game's intentional silliness and engaging narrative, making it a memorable experience despite its brevity.
“An incredibly charming story with funny writing.”
“The plot itself could have been easily ignored in a game like this, but the effort and care put into it made me actually want to finish the story.”
“A delightfully cheesy story, no less, one about romance, weddings, civil disobedience, skeletons, murder, and tourism.”
“The story is unbelievably stupid.”
“The main storyline is fairly short, about 2 hours but when completing it it was only 25% finished so plenty to do.”
“But you'll finish story mode in about an hour, and after that, unfortunately there isn't a whole lot to do.”
- gameplay174 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Roundabout" is characterized by its unique and challenging mechanic of controlling a constantly spinning limousine, which can initially feel disorienting but becomes intuitive over time. While the gameplay is simple and often described as puzzle-like, it offers a fun and addictive experience, complemented by humorous full-motion video cutscenes that enhance the overall charm of the game. However, some players find the gameplay repetitive and frustrating, suggesting that the enjoyment largely depends on one's appreciation for its quirky premise and comedic elements.
“The gameplay is simple to understand, but challenging.”
“The gameplay is fantastic, the cutscenes and acting are fantastic, the DLC was a fun ride, and the story really is funny; it was just laughter the whole way through.”
“The core mechanic is fun and satisfying to master, and the FMV cutscenes are downright delightful.”
“The gameplay is complete nonsense.”
“Boring and repetitive gameplay, forced humor, nauseating color palette, and simply not as fun as it seems.”
“With that said, if you're looking for a driving game, this doesn't really have driving. If you were to strip away the graphics, you're more or less guiding a rotating line through a maze, not driving. There is no accelerator, no brake, no turning left or right; its controls do not resemble driving at all.”
- humor98 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and originality, featuring a blend of hilarious dialogue, absurd situations, and intentionally cheesy full-motion video cutscenes that evoke a quirky '70s vibe. Players find themselves consistently entertained, often laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of the scenarios and the over-the-top acting, which adds to the game's endearing quality. Overall, the humor is a standout aspect that enhances the gameplay experience, making it a memorable and enjoyable title.
“Between jamming to the funky beats, hilarious dialogue, and ridiculous situations this game puts you in, I end up with a smile on my face the second the opening screen pops on and that same smile sticks around even hours after I stop playing.”
“Roundabout would be good enough for the gameplay alone, but what really makes this game special are the cheesy, hilarious FMV cutscenes that introduce you to a (ahem) revolving cast of characters.”
“The gameplay is fantastic, the cutscenes and acting are fantastic, the DLC was a fun ride, and the story really is funny; not even once did I cringe at a bad joke; it was just laughter the whole way through.”
“It's like a joke that is funny, then it's not funny, then it is funny again.”
“When I heard it was by people from Something Awful, I immediately assumed it would be boring, unfunny, crass, and full of in-jokes that only the most profoundly autistic would understand.”
- music25 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, 70s disco vibe, featuring soft funk basslines that complement the fun and quirky gameplay. Reviewers appreciate the classy soundtrack and its ability to enhance the overall experience, despite some noting that it can become repetitive. The combination of cheesy B-movie style cutscenes and engaging music creates a charming atmosphere that many players find enjoyable.
“An amazingly fun game with a wonderful soundtrack and it's the kind of weird that I love.”
“Compellingly frustrating gameplay, a relentlessly catchy soundtrack, and hilariously cheesy fully acted cutscenes guiding you through a story of loss, love, strife, and a spinning limousine.”
“The soundtrack is complementary to the fun and jovial nature of the game and along with the voiceover within missions, it prevented my initial expectation to play the game whilst listening to podcasts; it was simply too happy and enjoyable to sully my full experience that the audio provides to the game.”
“My only criticism is that the soundtrack can get repetitive.”
“The music in this game has a 70's disco vibe and while not outstanding, it fits in very well to the world around it.”
“Music is basic but fits with the gameplay.”
- graphics25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with some praising the colorful and charming art style reminiscent of 70s B-movies, while others note a lack of graphical options and technical limitations. Overall, the visuals are described as serviceable and fitting for the arcade-style gameplay, though not particularly groundbreaking. Despite some shortcomings, the aesthetic and presentation contribute positively to the game's quirky charm.
“Graphics: 9/10.”
“The graphics look great.”
“The visual aesthetic is excellent; the car, UI, and the environment are all nice to look at.”
“The graphics of the game aren't anything special, but it's an arcade-style game, not some AAA blockbuster, so you'll likely forgive the technical aspects of the game.”
“There are no graphic options, so you may want to try the demo beforehand to make sure you can run it.”
“The graphics leave a bit to be desired (no anti-aliasing or vsync), but gameplay is solid (that's all that matters, really) and the writing is insanely humorous.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with a wealth of content, optional collectibles, and mini-games that encourage players to revisit missions for improved performance and completionist goals. While the main story is relatively short, the depth and variety of challenges provide ample opportunities for players to engage beyond the initial playthrough. However, some players may find limited replay value unless they are motivated by achievements or specific unlockables.
“Truly amazing, the amount of content and replayability this game contains, making for an extremely fun and unique game.”
“For such a cheap and seemingly simple game, there's a surprising amount of depth, and even replayability - while you only need to mosey your way through any story quest once to progress, you can go back and repeat the missions as much as you like to attempt to improve your standing against your friends and globally.”
“The main story isn't that long, only about 3 hours, but it's incredibly replayable, and offers tons of minigames and optional collectibles to keep you busy even after you've beaten it.”
“But there isn't any replay value unless you want the Steam achievements.”
“Not much replayability unless you want to unlock more limo hats.”
“Replay value - not applicable to everyone as already mentioned, but this game offers you so much more than just completing missions and moving on to the next one to see the FMV.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is stable, with few performance issues reported, though some players experienced frame rate drops in areas with heavy lighting effects. While the game does not aim for technical excellence, it meets basic performance requirements, though menu navigation can be sluggish and movement occasionally feels jagged. Notably, the character performances, particularly that of Kate Welch, stand out despite the overall joylessness of the delivery.
“Performance was stable though.”
“I haven't got much performance problems overall but there were places with a bigger amount of light effects which sucked most of my FPS (and it couldn't get turned off in the settings).”
“As for how the game is optimized, it ran at about 55°C on my GPU.”
“The performance is really strange though.”
“I haven't got much performance problems overall, but there were places with a larger amount of light effects which sucked most of my FPS (and it couldn't be turned off in the settings).”
“It runs slowly in the menu screen and the movement can sometimes be a little jagged.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features top-notch acting and a heartwarming love story that fosters a deep emotional connection with the characters, making players genuinely care about their journeys. Its blend of humor and innovative gameplay enhances the overall experience, resulting in a rare emotional investment even in a lighthearted context.
“And not only is it funny, but by the end of the story, I was truly emotionally attached to the characters and cared about them, which is rare even in a serious game.”
“Top-notch acting, heart-warming love story, super accurate controls, and innovative gameplay.”
“Wholesome”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a sense of distance, creating an immersive experience that evokes feelings of isolation or expansiveness. This quality enhances the overall mood of the game, drawing players into its world.
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs that can lead to frustrating respawn scenarios, such as being placed far from checkpoints or spawning inside objects that cause instant failure. However, audio glitches are minimal, and the overall content quality remains high.
“It's also quite buggy... often a respawn will either drop you miles from where you were, bypassing all the closer checkpoints, or it'll respawn you partially inside a building or vehicle, causing you to explode immediately.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game offers extensive content for completionists, the grinding required to achieve 100% can become tedious over time.
“You could spend a lot longer on this game if you want to fully complete everything, but it will become tedious.”
“The grinding feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”
