‘3 out of 10: Episode 1’ – Review (PC)

*3 out of 10 is an episodic release described as a playable sitcom. This review is for Episode 1 only.*

3 out of 10 is not a score that any studio wants to receive for their game let alone be the best score a studio ever earns. Unfortunately for the fictional studio in the new title from Terrible Posture Games, this is reality. The game plays out like a sitcom following the world’s worst studio as they finally unveil their new game Surfing with Sharks. More is riding on this game’s release than they even know. 3 out of 10 is part video game and part sitcom and lets you play through each episode at your own pace.

Unexpectedly you find yourself in the middle of your first day on the job. What you thought was just an interview ended up being your first day. Your predecessor Javier seems to have spontaneously combusted due to the pressure that comes from being a game developer and the studio is in desperate need of a replacement. What you experience will be anything but a normal first day of work. Your team is all completely nuts and has trouble working together for the greater good.

Hellbent on trying to pass off a Great White Shark as a Tiger Shark in their new game because Great White Sharks are overdone in pop culture, they soon find a mob of protesters outside of their studio demanding that they change the shark. Some of the most hilarious moments in the first episode are interactions with the protesters. In a day and age of cancel culture and the Internet, it feels as though people want to be mad for the sake of being mad and Terrible Posture does a great job of showing how ridiculous that can be.

This puts the studio in full blown panic mode. Your first task is to play the game and meet your new colleagues. Most of the missions in the game are optional and if you choose to move along without meeting everyone that works there, that’s your prerogative.

Gameplay comes in the form of mini games in the first episode. You’ll be matching items that drop a la Tetris or Bejeweled, clearing a way through a crowded storage room in a mini game that feels like the hacking mini games in Bioshock, to even posing action figures in the right way before times runs out. Though not difficult, they are goofy and fun and even a bit stressful at times since you are generally racing against the clock. Controls generally felt tight except during the action figure posing – we found ourselves picking the wrong body part from time to time in an attempt to finish before time runs out.

Once you take part in sacrificing an intern to the programmers in the basement, you’ve had enough and decide that you just can’t work here anymore.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger and brings the right blend of comedy, mystery, and intrigue to the table in order to make you stick around and see what happens next.

Joe Mirabello and his team have crafted a fascinating game that we can’t wait to see unfold. It’s always great to see a studio branch out and try new things. We loved Mothergunship, the studio’s last release, and were pleasantly surprised to see their next game be so drastically different. Often you see studios try the same thing over and over because they are good at it and it can eventually become stale.

3 out of 10 will be releasing episodically on a weekly basis over the next 5 weeks. Episode one is available now for free so check it out and, if it fits your fancy, then you can check out the subsequent episodes as they release.

*3 out of 10 was given to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion*