Try Not To Fart – An Xbox Indie for the Ages

While I’m posting long-lost articles, here’s a game more memorable than Rage:

Yep, that’s right, I’m recommending one of the signs of the end of humanity. In title, in presentation, and most likely in spirit, Try Not To Fart is everything that’s wrong with Xbox Indie Games – a low-brow stab at the weakness of easily-amused stoners with a dollar to burn.

I’m recommending it because in the grand scheme of shameless cash-grabs that infest XBLIG, Try Not To Fart is actually pretty decent. First and foremost, it’s genuinely hilarious – tears-streaming-down-your-face hilarious in the right circumstances. Whether the humor is intentional or accidental changes from moment-to-moment, but the game is often charmingly self-aware.

Then there’s the gameplay itself. I expected the typical button-stomping QTE/Simon game. After all, those are a dime a dozen on XBLIG, and they’re all terrible. What this game does is actually a bit more inspired, asking you to hold down several buttons at once. It’s sort of like Twister for your hands.

The charm comes from the presentation. It looks a bit like South Park, and you’re thrown through an escalating story of love and unfortunate gas. I honestly didn’t expect a story at all, but there’s indeed a series of ridiculous scenarios in which the hero must try no to fart. As you move from one level to the next, what starts as an embarrassment on a first date becomes a life-long curse.

It’d be a spoiler for both games to say that the outcome isn’t unlike Red Dead Redemption.

So gather a room of friends, sip a few drinks, and forget about all the artistic merits of video games for a little while.