Upon playing a couple hours of Stephen’s Sausage Roll, something ignited in me. I was wonderfully reminded about what my favorite gaming genre was. It wasn’t role-playing games, first person shooters, action adventures, or even puzzle games (which is what Stephen’s Sausage Roll is, if you weren’t aware) It was the types of games that spend years in the shadows of development, gaining a small but dedicated fanbase, until the project is released and takes the gaming world by storm. The latter part of that statement may sound a bit generic, but it’s awfully true. Where would indie games be without the breakout successes of Super Meat Boy, Fez, Braid, and more recent/ current-gen examples such as Stardew Valley, Gone Home, and Papers Please. These types of games only come so often, and while Stephen’s Sausage Roll may be inspired by some of them, it did the continued impossible. Here’s why.

Gameplay:

This level in particular, introduces two sausages. But do worry, as everything in this game is harder than it seems.

In Stephen’s Sausage Roll, you need to move sausages across a treacherous landscape onto a grill, without burning it and letting it fall into the sea. This nearly crude and condensed premise seems like it would belong better in something like a kid’s book and much less a game praised by the creators of QWOP and The Witness, but Stephen’s Sausage Roll is one of those games that shows how the craziest ideas can work with the right execution. It’s ridiculously hard at times, and punishing at others. But if there’s anything that the best modern puzzle games have shown me, it’s that the feeling of success is triumphant over failed attempts.

Story/ Design:

It’s at moments like these where you feel hopeless

If someone had told me that my favorite gaming moment of 2016 (so far, at least) would be pushing a sausage to grilled perfection in Stephen’s Sausage Roll and then basking in over-joyous exuberance, I would have said they were a bit insane. But it’s moments like these that work so well because of Stephen’s Sausage Roll’s excellently executed difficulty curve. This isn’t a disclaimer that the game doesn’t start off hard per-say, but quickly introduces you new ways to not only finish levels, but improvise as well. I think the second mention is a lot more important, as certain solutions can come out of this., You’ll go with this “one last try, let’s just see if this works although it probably won’t mentality” and the feeling of it actually working out is beautiful.

Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:

The game doesn’t waste much time on graphics or sound, particularly because it doesn’t need to

Many gamers say that the best games don’t need amazing graphics, just compelling gameplay. And while I always complied with this argument, I never felt it to be essential if need be. Stephen’s Sausage Roll throws my perspective of this issue into a loop. The game has irregularly blocky and pixelated graphics, with a main character who seems like he could barely seem as an NPC in other games. But this is one of the best sacrifices I’ve seen, because it shows how nothing distracts from a gameplay. Playing another game and having to stop halfway through because of a visual glitch is rightfully distracting, so a game that goes against these confines is particularly refreshing.

Conclusion:

I wrote far more than I thought I would about Stephen’s Sausage Roll. I also swore way more than I thought I would after playing Stephen’s Sausage Roll. It’s just that kind of game. It made learn the beauty of frustration all over again, and the subsequent feelings to overcome it. All in all, it’s a monument of a puzzle adventure.

Stephen’s Sausage Roll gets a 10/10 (Masterpiece)

We’d like to thank increpare for sending us a code!

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