Unlike some games, Dr. Lunatic's Supreme With Cheese was designed with one simple aim in mind: fun. Wacky, offbeat and mildly addictive fun, yes, but good fun all the same. It falls into the action/adventure genre, combing problem-solving with plain mow-'em-down style challenges, and is presented via a top-down scrolling 2D view. Whilst this is a bit more restrictive than, say, the first- and third-person 3D interfaces, it gives the player the opportunity to see more of the game world at a time - and critically, the ability to keep a close eye on what's behind your character.
The basic goal for each level is also deceptively simple - get in, collect all the brains, get out. There are various bonuses and the like to collect along the way, of course, and a full complement of nasties trying to stop you, but that's the general idea. There's also no concept of a life - if you die, you're simply returned to the level select screen. Whilst this sounds like a sure-fire way to produce a repetitive game, the sheer number of interesting and innovative level designs employed by Supreme With Cheese allows this simple formula to shine.
With over 1,200 levels, arranged in 20 worlds, and a fairly flexible approach to transitions allowing the player to pick which levels to play next, there's plenty to do. The levels are arranged into groups, known as worlds, each with a common theme. Whilst access to later worlds must be earned, there's no requirement to complete one before moving onto the next - it's perfectly acceptable to jump around, and get all the easy parts out of the way first, before tackling the more taxing puzzles.
As an action game, combat is a key part of the gameplay experience. In Supreme With Cheese, combat revolves primarily around a combination of hammers and pants, supported with a large cast of interesting (and frequently explosive) special weapons.
Hammers are your primary weapon. They come with infinite ammunition, and if you collect enough, it's possible to throw up to five of these at once. Pants, for some strange reason, allow you to throw your hammers faster, so it's worthwhile rooting them out. It's also possible to carry a single special weapon, controlled with an alternative fire button. There's a selection of around twenty special weapons, covering zap wands to bouncing bombs and a fair few between. These weapons have limited ammo, and should be used with a little strategy to get the greatest effect - if you can resist the temptation to simply mow a path through your enemies with them, that is.
There's plenty of targets for this weaponry, of course. Hamumu have included a wide variety of beasties, some of which are very odd indeed. Old favourites, such as zombies and deranged robots, can be found in abundance, along with some slightly weird new creations - the exploding Jalapeno peppers are a favourite of mine, for example. As well as different artwork, sounds and weaponry, the different monsters have their own AI parameters, giving each a unique feel. Some are able to spawn other critters, adding additional depth to the gameplay.
The art has mainly been drawn in a cartoon-like style, which fits the offbeat ambience well. The graphics quality is fairly low - this is a low-resolution 2D game, after all, but the artwork and design is generally of good quality. If you're looking for near photo-realistic vistas, though, then this isn't really the game for you.
Supreme With Cheese ships with just under thirty music tracks of a reasonable standard, though they can get a little repetitive after a while. It's also possible to replace or supplement the in-game music with your own, if desired. The sound effects, on the other hand, are generally well-produced, clear and distinct, and fit well with the cartoon theme of the artwork. A few are a little over the top - but then again, that's half the fun.
Many games in this genre include a shop of some sort, and Supreme With Cheese is no different. However, it builds upon the shop concept to produce the SpisMall - a spacious collection of shops and entertainments, including a cinema, art gallery, arcade, and others. These all serve a purpose - the gallery, for example, records any special achievement awards - Gallery Goals - that you've acquired so far. It's possible to buy access to new worlds, different parts of the Mall, game features like the level editor, as well as various powerups. All in all, SpisMall provides something more interesting to do with your virtual cash than merely stocking up on gameplay items.
A level editor is included in the package, and there's a healthy community dedicated to producing new worlds and levels. Many of these have been included in the base install, helping to form Supreme With Cheese's impressive level count, and many more can be acquired from Hamumu's website.
I'll freely admit that I've not come close to completing this game - it's a big, big game, with some frustratingly hard levels. But the size works in its favour - its very rare to find yourself completely stuck without something to do. I've found myself playing in short snatches - over lunch and after dinner seem to be common times - and it's nice to find a game where it's practical to do that. My main gripe is the lack of an option to play in a window - but that's a pretty minor failing, in the grand scheme of things.
All in all, Supreme With Cheese offers plenty offbeat entertainment, which you can enjoy in short bursts between other activities. What more can you ask for?
As I'm currently living off a student budget, my recent purchases tend to be from the various budget ranges of older titles: I'm more likely to be found playing Quake II or the original Unreal Tournament than Thief III or FarCry. I'll probably make an exception for Doom 3, though. (For the record, I did try Doom 3, and wasn't very impressed. Thief III has made it to the budget range here in the UK, and one day I'll play it. Perhaps after I've updated this profile properly...)
I enjoy online games, but I prefer the persistent world offered by the MMORPGs to the competitive environment of the CounterStrike servers. I've a feeling too many years of leisurely RPG playing have ruined my shooter reflexes; needless to say, I tend to end up on the tail end of the scoreboards in online FPS games. That said, I enjoy the competitiveness of multiplayer gaming, but prefer the face-to-face encounters of LAN gaming to the anonymity of the public servers.
