I like off the wall games such as Rub Rabbits, Project Rub, Warioware, Catherine, Snakey Bus, and Strange Flesh. They stand out and show the risk-taking side of developers, naturally, when Limited Run Games announced they were releasing Green Lava Studios Volume 1 I decided to check it out, three bizarre games bundled together, My Name Is Mayo, Mr Massagy and My Name is Mayo 2. The concept for each sounded bizarre and thought, yes, I want to try this nuttiness.
In 2020 just before everything got locked down I got to achieve something on my bucket list, a hot wings challenge, it was both scary and exhilarating. It all became pretty serious when they handed me blue gloves and goggles to wear as if it touches my skin or eyes it would be bad, extremely bad. I had to consume twelve wings in twelve minutes, no drinks allowed and I just managed it. It was crazy but awesome and after downing about two litres of milk, I felt awesome. Playing Green Lava Studios Volume 1 I found myself asking was this too crazy or even worth it?
Story
My Name Is Mayo
Ever wondered what it is like to be a jar of Mayonaise? Me neither. There are lots of mini-stories about the Mayonaise, love, dreams and philosophy. Sounds crazy right? It is, but also really fun.
Mr Massagy
You play as Johnny, a guy on a dating app, whose sidekick is an abusive overweight parrot. The idea is for you to take all the local females out on dates, get a high score with them and get a massage to become Mr Massagy. The characters in the game are a lot of fun and extremely varied my favourite being the werewolf girl (not even the weirdest one).
My Name Is Mayo 2
The game builds upon the first game with improved stories and a lot more jokes, in some ways the studio leans into the silliness even more. There also more mini-games to enjoy within the game making it more engaging. But what will you learn this time?
Overall the three games are a lot of fun, very crazy and off the wall, I love a studio that is not trying to follow the pack but creates something different, very different.
Visuals
My Name Is Mayo
The visuals, a 1930's style look and design that is very minimal looking, the only thing that changes are the costumes as you progress the story along with a few props. As it is a mini-game of sorts it is hard to bash it too hard on the lack of visuals and/or quality.
Mr Massagy
There is a clip art feel to this one or low budget anime but they can be quite fun to look at especially some of the character designs. Could the visuals be better? Yes, but for the type of game it is, it is not a deal-breaker.
My Name Is Mayo 2
This time the visuals are much improved with fun backgrounds, more detailed costumes and even the UI itself is much more user friendly.
Music
My Name Is Mayo and My Name Is Mayo 2
Both feature just one track on a loop, it sounds like the music from an old 1950's sitcom and reminded me of the music used in the original The Sims game.
Mr Massagy
The game features ten tracks and a selection of artists responsible for them; Skullex, DefunctMeeck3y, Emotional Soul, DJ Teen Mom, Papi Calfornia, BullDawg, By Crescendolly, Moustacho, and DJ Coconut. While the soundtrack runs just shy of twenty minutes there were some standout tracks for me; 'I Just Pushed A Button', 'Deeper In You', 'Quiero un Mojito'.
Overall there is very little music in the games, but with them being so short it is not really necessary.
Gameplay
My Name Is Mayo and My Name Is Mayo 2
The gameplay is simple, extremely simple, yet tough. It is a clicker game, you need to click on the jar of Mayonaise thousands of times to complete the game. At certain points, you unlock a new story and then can choose to follow it before moving on to the next one.
The dialogue along with the crazy costumes really what make the game so much fun, but the best way to play is with a friend because like all things it is good to share, unless it's food. Overall fun, crazy and short but not in a bad way.
Mr Massagy
This game certainly offers more depth than My Name Is Mayo and My Name Is Mayo 2. You will have to use your Linder app to find local females to date, then once you are on the date you have the option to ask and answer questions in the hope of getting a three-star rating. But getting one-star can be as much fun just for the reactions and depending on the answers you even have the option to get collectables.
The dialogue is a lot of fun and offers some really random responses to questions. There is even a final boss of sorts which makes for some good laughs.
Final Thoughts
So, after a mere three hours how did I feel? Like I played a crazy set of games and I liked it. They all offer a zany story, fun, if not low budget visuals, a catchy soundtrack and more gameplay than you might expect from something so simple. It's not a big-budget game, it is not based in reality but it is not trying to be and is a great escape from the norm, so with that being said this one gets a 3 out of 5
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