Teenage Lawnmower
Score: 80% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Robinson Technologies Developer: Robinson Technologies Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Simulation
Graphics & Sound: Being an Independent title comes with its own unique baggage. They are usually small, different, and not too mainstream. These facts don't prevent them from being good though, the graphics notwithstanding. Just don't expect Final Fantasy - style cut scenes. Teenage Lawnmower is a 3D romp through your neighbors' backyards, with a quick 2D stop in your house from time to time. The core game puts you in control of your lawnmower as you careen around the grassy outback of your suburban neighborhood. The levels are relatively flat, with small hills and bumps here and there to throw you off, but nevertheless the game remains colorful and easy on the eyes. Tranquil music at home will prepare your mind as you meditate for your next big gig. The few sound effects will keep you drawn in, although more of the same might not have hurt. Not bad in the end though.
Gameplay: Teenage Lawnmower is far from being a pure lawn mowing sim. You have to battle the hardships of your everyday life while trying to keep a lucrative business by mowing peoples' yards. Your alcoholic mother and her white-trash boyfriend will appear to be your main problem, but delving further into this game will reveal a dynamic neighborhood that hasn't had its filter changed in quite some time. As each day in the game goes by, you have to make enough money to keep you and your poor mother from starving, freezing, etc. During the course of each day, you will get various calls from prospective clients who need their grass trimmed. It's up to you to decide if the time it takes and the money it pays are worth the effort. A handful of clients will call you over and over again for the first few days, and each client will represent a different level. To complete the level, and get your cash, you have to cover the entire yard (mow) in a certain amount of time. These levels have their own catches. For instance, on one job you do for a city park, you can't run over any squirrels. Others will have you avoiding boulders, or rabid watchdogs. Not only does choosing what levels to play affect the game, but you will also be faced with different decisions each day. Do you steal your mom's boyfriend's dinner? Or do you go hungry? Do you join a cult? Your answer to these situations will have a factor on current situations and also the ending of the game. Yes, there are multiple endings in this game. I was surprised as well.
Difficulty: Teenage Lawnmower has a slightly elevated learning curve at the beginning of the game. Getting a hang of the first few levels will take a couple of tries (and invariably, starting over from scratch). Some of the levels, however, are just plain mean. One in particular has you dodging boulders that come out of nowhere, and you can do little to avoid them when they are traveling at celestial speeds.
Game Mechanics: Teenage Lawnmower is as simple as forward, back, left, and right. This is how you control your lawnmower, and the only other added quirk is the presence of gas canisters on almost every level, which will send your mower flying on a short burst of speed. Despite its Independent status, Teenage Lawnmower has a couple of blatant problems. For starters were the bugs. Every so often your mower would start the level driving itself backwards, and you could do little to stop it. Another problem was the situation of being struck by a bolt of lightning, and watching it as it carries you outside of the level to a point of no return. Despite these flaws, Teenage Lawnmower is actually a catchy little game. It may take some people more time than others to actually see it for what it is, but spend an hour or two with it and you may not want to leave the screwed-up little community you have landed yourself in.
-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz
Minimum System Requirements: DirectX8 compatible 3D graphics card, 300 MHz+ processor   Test System: 1.4 GHz Processor, GeForce 2 MX Video Card
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