Yum Yum is a fun and original shooter that fans of abstract shooters should take a look at, even if it is too short and too easy. The review at Game Maker Games has the lowdown: "Ambiance. Has a nice ring, doesn't it? Ambiance is the one word I get when I play Yum Yum. The music, graphics, gameplay, everything about it intertwines in a way that shows that game design is really an art. Yum Yum has... a simple concept: Guide the White Yum Yum to victory in a miniature universe. Several other critters are obviously jealous of Yum Yum's... erm... Whiteness, so it is always under attack. Luckily, Yum Yum is capable of shooting its head at its foes, and so the battle begins. === Graphics - (8/10) - Great === Yum Yum features an incredibly simple, but well-put-together graphics style. There are few colors, and your enemies are nothing more than abstract-looking shapes. The brilliance lies in how everything is animated, blends in, stands out, and in general "fits" together. === Gameplay - (8/10) - Great === Based off a simple concept of launching your head at enemies, one would assume the game would get quite stale. The game introduces a boss here and there, little non-moving turret-looking things, spinning pluses, even a level where you have to dodge falling bars. The variety is certainly there. The game also features a multiplayer mode, scoring major bonus points. There are two nitpicks I have, however. One is the length. Once I started getting the hang of things, it was already over. I think that even with the few gameplay objects, few sprites, few everything, the game could've been lengthened a bit. Another is the unbalanced control schemes. The first and default one is to move the mouse left and right to rotate Yum Yum left and right. This was a bit awkward, for me anyway, and it has one important flaw: You can't control your speed. I found the game very difficult like this. Luckily, I managed to find the second control setting, which gives you a cursor, and Yum Yum always flies towards it. The farther away the cursor is, the faster Yum Yum travels, so you get control over your speed. Unfortunately, with this in effect, the game became fairly easy. Still, the game is quite a fun play while it lasts. === Originality - (8/10) - Great === Yum Yum includes a fairly unique storyline. Apparently, a new universe is forming, and you need to guide Yum Yum to become the dominant species in it. The storyline also fits well with everything else, generating the excellent ambiance. Pretty much everything in the game is unique, although besides the intro story, and a small paragraph when you beat the game, there's not a whole lot of story. Still, Yum Yum is pretty original, and I applaud the creator for that. === Presentation - (8/10) - Great === The game is presented in a very professional manner. The menu and the gameplay room share similar backgrounds, so you feel like the entire game is one flowing creation. It also runs at a solid frame rate, and loads quickly to boot. === Closing - (8.2/10) - Great === Yum Yum is a very-well-tied-together game. The entire thing feels like one cohesive experience, a very impressive feat. I enjoyed playing it, and I recommend you give it a shot as well! Reviewed by: Underdogs |