4/5 ★ – nldemo's review of Nobody Saves the World.

This review will be a tidy one, for no particular reason (well, maybe Elden Ring...) Nobody Saves the World was a bunch of co-op fun. I did not play it solo at all, and while it can be enjoyed solo I would definitely recommend this as a couch co-op game. The game ramps up a bit on the complicated side due to lots of info hitting you at once, but once you figure it out it never adds to that complexity and it's all downhill from there. Mostly that complication is over quests and shape-shifting, which is a never ending addicting loop of powering up! The game is constantly hitting you with the endorphins of new forms, new abilities, and stat boosts from leveling up. Quests exist for every single form, encouraging the player to experiment in order to level them up. Specific abilities for each form can also be equipped on other forms, giving even more incentive to level up and experiment with all sorts of combinations. This is the real meat and potatoes of the game, and what made it so addicting to keep coming back to! I won't spoil any of the forms, but unlocking some of the more unique ones was more exciting for me than actually defeating the final boss and getting the story ending. The art style is a bit unique in that they were clearly going for a "yucky" look, similar to something you might remember from "Ren & Stimpy" or "Ahhh!! Real Monsters." This choice might not appeal to all, but the actual implementation is so well done and the color palette used is absolutely vibrant and colorful, so it never really stands out as too much of an obstacle. The world design (and map) is very reminiscent of a Link to the Past, which is always a good thing. The soundtrack is also really charming, and I often found myself humming several different tracks from the game long after finishing a play session. The controls and gameplay are super smooth, never being too demanding on the player or raising the skill ceiling too high outside of a few optional challenges. Maybe the only downside to playing co-op is going into the game menus to mix & match your skills or review your quests for your certain class can be a little jarring for your buddy and slow down the game. Luckily the game at least gives a quick view of the active quests - so that eliminates one reason for jumping back into the menu. The story is quite simple, but overshadowed by the entertaining dialogue and the aforementioned gameplay loop. You play as Nobody, who has lost his memory and stumbles upon a magic wand allowing him to shapeshift. You start off learning real basic forms (melee knight, ranged archer), and get much more specific and unique forms late game such as the Mermaid & Zombie - and these aren't even the really cool ones! As you explore the world the story will guide you through multiple cities, quests, regions, you get the idea... until you either save the world or die trying! As long as you enjoy either the art style or games with swappable classes, I would definitely recommend this game for your couch co-op backlog.