Good Job!
| Good Job! | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Good Job! icon | |
| Developer(s) | Paladin Studios[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Masataka Takemoto Coen Neessen |
| Producer(s) | Katsuya Eguchi Toyokazu Nonaka Fernando Rojas Braga |
| Designer(s) | Kyle Gaynier Kenta Usui |
| Programmer(s) | Pieter Peeters |
| Artist(s) | Lauren 't Jong Benjamin Paulus |
| Composer(s) | Antonio Teoli |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
| Release | March 26, 2020 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle, action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Good Job! is a 2020 puzzle video game developed by Paladin Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. The player controls a megacorporation CEO's son in completing exaggerated office tasks in destructive playground-style puzzles to climb the corporate ladder. Although there are normal ways to complete the levels, the player can be as destructive and creative as they like to beat the level faster.
After good impressions from both companies, Nintendo and Paladin Studios met together to create an experimental game, where all ideas were created to come up with good prototypes and levels. The game was announced and released in March 2020. The developers decided to use minimalist design to help appeal to a broad audience. The game received generally positive reviews, with reviewers praising the exaggerated gameplay and office setting.
Gameplay
The player controls the son of a CEO of a major megacorporation; their goal is to complete tasks throughout the building to climb the corporate ladder.[1] These goals are common office tasks, such as setting up a projector for a conference meeting.[1] These tasks can be completed in a multitude of ways, although most can be described as "non-destructive" or "chaotic"; for example, the player could either navigate the projector throughout the rooms, or simply form a slingshot and launch it through the walls instead.[1] Upon completing the task, the player is graded on how long it took to complete the level, as well as the money repair costs for damage; there is generally no penalty from the amount of damage done.[2] The gameplay is broken up into levels, each level being a different floor that covers a different type of business.[2] Clothing pieces can be found throughout the level for customizing the character.[1] The game supports local multiplayer with one other person, allowing for two players to complete the puzzles at one time.[3]
Development
For about ten years, Paladin Studios always hoped to partner with Nintendo, as most of the company's developers grew up playing Nintendo games.[4] Nintendo's producer, Takao Nakano, played some of the company's mobile games, and believed they put care into them. In 2017, Nintendo met with Paladin Studios to discuss working on a project. Nintendo asked Paladin Studios to work on one of their experimental projects. The developers always wanted to create a game set in an office, due to it having a "certain appeal". They believed that despite strict rules, breaking them is a relatable thought for most people. Additionally, they wanted the game to appeal to a large audience, and both ideas were merged.[5]
To learn about themselves, both companies wrote personal biographies about who they are and how they work. Nintendo and Paladin Studios discussed regularly and worked together on the game very closely. Paladin Studios, located in The Netherlands, would create a working prototype of the game and send it to Nintendo in Japan for review every day. Both countries have opposite time zones, so every morning Nintendo had a prototype they could review, and every morning Paladin Studios had a review back from Nintendo.[4] The game had a two year development cycle, and was announced March 26, 2020, releasing the same day. Paladin studios commented how "Nintendo did a tremendous job at guiding us through this process and really helped us make the best content we could possibly make."[3]
Experimental gameplay
"For co-op we wanted parents to be able to play together with their youngest kids. So that while the parents would try and solve the problem the kids could wreck the office."
The process of developing new levels initially started with defining the main objective, quickly creating a prototype to determine if it would be enjoyable. From there, they would consider the multiple ways of completing the task; they would create the level layout and a "non-destructive" solution, where no damage is necessary. The non-destructive solution was created first, due to it being "the most difficult thing to get right, level design wise." After, the "destructive shortcuts" were created. Although the game is playable with two people, the levels were designed with one player in mind. With multiplayer, the developers would have been more restricted, making sure they could not beat the levels too quickly.[5]
The game director for Paladin Studios, Coen Nessen, considered development to be "very iterative". Whenever the developers would come up with a new idea for a concept or feature, they would spend the day creating the idea to see if it would work and be fun to play. When they believed it would fit into the game, the concept was implemented. Although they came up with some good ideas, most were not used due to a loss of game direction. One of these ideas, for example, was a race track-like level where the player would race around with an office chair and fire extinguisher. considered the development process "really tough but incredibly rewarding." They considered developing every idea they came up with stressful, but exciting when an experimental idea came to be.[5]
Graphics
The character design and minimal art style was decided upon from the beginning. When they came up with a stick figure for a character, they proffered the design, saying how it reminded them of "a warning or street sign character." Early concepts of the office building struggled to keep balance in family content and "office vibe". When the director from Nintendo's side, Masataka Takemoto saw the original prototype, he assumed it was in early stage but still liked the simplicity. He then started to push towards a minimalist design; during development, he urged Paladin Studios to "keep it simple", but still make sure "it won’t look plain".[5]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 78/100[6] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8/10[9] |
| Eurogamer | 4/5[7] |
| GameSpot | 7/10[8] |
| Nintendo Life | 9/10[1] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[2] |
Goob Job! received "generally favorable" reviews, receiving a 78% on review aggregator Metacritic.[6]
Reviewers praised the general gameplay, being able to solve the problem with multiple solutions.[1][10][11] Critics liked the multiple approaches to completing tasks,[1][10][9][11] with Nintendo Life noting that it results in good replayability, that each level has a multitude of objectives based on how quickly or how much money is spent.[1] Some like the amount of physical objects that could be destroyed, of which being called satisfying.[11][7][8] Eurogamer reviewer Christian Donlan praised the rising complexity of each level, saying how it fit well.[7] Siliconera like the simplistic graphics, calling them colorful and abstracted.[12]
Many critics understood the theme of wanting to break the rules and cause destruction in an office setting.[7][8][9] Donlan was fond of how certain tasks are exaggerated, such as oversized photocopiers, and it made him want to smash it through the wall willingly.[7] Due to the game releasing during the COVID-19 pandemic, reviewers found it enjoying having fun in an office space, something that they had a lack of during quarantine.[10][11]
Slight negativity came from how multiplayer is not much different from single player. Reviewers were upset how levels were exactly the same, and expressed how it could lead to the loss of coordination and double the amount of accidental damage. Nonetheless, they enjoyed how it could result in faster times if the players work together well.[1][10] Destructoid's CJ Andriessen had an issue with picking up objects; he said that the character would accidentally pick up the wrong object, most of the time causing accidental destruction, ruining a peaceful playthrough.[9]
Notes
- ^ Additional work by Nintendo Software Technology
See also
- Enercities – a game created by Paladin Studios
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Reynolds, Ollie (March 30, 2020). "Good Job! Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c Rudek, Jordan (March 30, 2020). "Good Job! (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Craddock, Ryan (March 27, 2020). "Good Job! Is A Brand New Puzzler From Nintendo, And It's Out Now On Switch". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on March 30, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Vroegop, Bastiaan (October 13, 2020). "Hoe de Nederlandse gamestudio Paladin met Nintendo samenwerkte" [How the Dutch game studio Paladin collaborated with Nintendo]. gamer.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Richards, Brian (July 5, 2020). "[Interview] Nintendo and Paladin Studios on Good Job! – origins, art style, partnership, cut ideas, and more". Nintendo Everything. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Good Job! Critic Reviews for Nintendo Switch". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Donlan, Christian (March 31, 2020). "Good Job review – a proper little delight". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c Barbosa, Alessandro (April 2, 2020). "Good Job Review – Office Space". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Andriessen, CJ (April 5, 2020). "Review: Good Job!". Destructoid. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Frushtick, Russ (March 26, 2020). "Nintendo's surprise release is absolutely worth your time and money". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Gach, Ethan (March 26, 2020). "Good Job! Turns Office Nepotism Into Something More Fun". Kotaku.
- ^ Russel, Graham (April 5, 2020). "Switch Surprise Release Good Job! Is Best When You're Worst". Siliconera. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
