Genre: Humorous Adventure
Release date: 2004
Platform: PC

I recently was blessed with a copy of Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass, a new title from Wadjet Eye Games, makers of the wonderful Blackwell series. I played through the game before discovering that this is the sequel to a game I had never heard of.  The sequel was so enjoyable; I immediately had to search out the original. This is the review for that first game, Da New Guys.

The Setup
The game follows the path of three wrestlers who are part of a team—Da New Guys.  The team is made up of three characters. There is Brain, the self-absorbed brawny member of the team. He, supposedly, uses smarts over strength to defeat his opponents. Defender is the masked super hero type; and Simon is the big burly wrestler whom you wouldn’t want to meet at the end of a dark alley. Each member of the team is a playable character at one point and you can even switch between them in a later sequence.

Since Da New Guys follows three wrestlers, you can probably guess that it is a humorous game drawing parallels to Monkey Island or anything by Al Lowe. I don’t find myself laughing at such games, but I’m often smiling inwardly. 

The game starts with Brain preparing for a big fight against new wrestler Smiley Joe.  The first part of the game is Brain’s training. After the fight, the wrestling boss decides to break up the team because he doesn’t think they value teamwork. The rest of the game consists of trying to prove to the boss that the team can work as a team. Along the way you’ll have to deal with evil wrestlers, an elaborate theft, and a shift at the local Cosmic Burger.  

The production values of this game leave a bit to be desired. This is clearly an early attempt at creating a game. The drawings are a bit crude, but not the worst I’ve seen.  The animation is a bit rough. The voice overlay—most done by the game’s creator—can be jarring at first. However, with all of these things you can see the dawn of a style that you’ll warm up to quickly. The game play is so fun and the puzzles so entertaining that you won’t mind some of the simpler graphics or the lackluster voice track. 

The music track, pulled from a variety of different sources is fitting. I even recognized some of the tunes, which was a pleasant surprise.

Having played the sequel first, I found this earlier look into the game designer’s mind a fantastic historical note. He does get better. The polish is already here. I’m reminded a bit of Homestar Runner, the famous web comic. It is easy to get lost in the game without worrying about some of the production values.  

Conclusions
If you’re looking for a humorous way to spend a few hours; Da New Guys has your back. Go download it for free from theAdventure Game Studio web site and prepare yourself for some fantastic old school fun.  

Rating: B+