Troublemaker Review Summary

Compelling story and well-developed characters: The game's story and characters received significant praise. Players found the narrative to be deep, touching, and full of meaning, often relating to its themes of not giving up and Indonesian high school life. The characters were described as well-written, charismatic, and relatable, with natural dialogues and expressive portraits.

Enjoyable and charming indie game: Players generally found the game to be a good, enjoyable indie title, especially considering its origins. They appreciated its charm, simple concept, and overall fun experience, often describing it as a pleasant way to pass the time.

Humorous and entertaining content: Many players highlighted the game's humor, finding it very funny and full of cool references, easter eggs, and memes. The comedic bits, meta-jokes, and hilarious moves contributed to a memorable and entertaining experience.

Attractive and unique art style: The game's visual presentation, including its unique and colorful art style, comic-style dialogues, and expressive 2D character portraits, was highly appreciated. Players found the artwork pleasing and the character designs visually appealing, with animations and cutscenes also receiving positive remarks.

Proudly Indonesian game: The game's Indonesian origin was a significant positive for many players. They appreciated its relatable cultural context, the use of native language, and saw it as a commendable step forward for the Indonesian game development industry.

Outdated and Inconsistent Graphics: The game's visual presentation, particularly the 3D character models and graphics, was widely criticized. Players found the models janky, lacking expression, and inconsistent with 2D art. Graphics were described as outdated, ugly, and sometimes pixelated, even on high settings, contributing to an overall unpolished look.

Repetitive Gameplay and Pacing Issues: Many players found the gameplay loop and overall experience highly repetitive, with frequent rematches against the same enemies without variation. The game also suffered from poor pacing, with extremely short chapters and overly long, constant cutscenes that felt like padding.

Poor Story, Characters, and Dialogue: Players heavily criticized the story and characters, finding them poorly written, inconsistent, and unlikable. The dialogue was frequently described as 'cringe,' nonsensical, and excessively vulgar, with many feeling the profanity was forced and misplaced.

Clunky and Repetitive Combat: The combat system received widespread negative feedback, being described as stiff, clunky, repetitive, and unengaging. Players found it often devolved into button-mashing or spamming single moves, with issues in parrying, blocking, and overall responsiveness. Sound effects for combat were also noted as flat and unsatisfying.

Significant Bugs and Lack of Polish: The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, leading to an unpolished and unfinished feel. Players reported various glitches, including display blackouts, missing cutscenes, broken graphics, and general clunkiness, which significantly detracted from the experience.

Combat difficulty is low: The combat difficulty is perceived as low, with enemies exhibiting slow attack patterns and often attacking one at a time. While the game has an energy mechanic, its impact on overall difficulty is minimal, and investing in energy regeneration can make combat trivial. Despite some skill being required for proficiency, the hard mode is not challenging.

Strong resemblance to Yakuza/Bully: The game is frequently compared to the Yakuza series due to similar brawler mechanics, fight transitions, and upgrade systems. It also evokes a 'Bully'-like school life atmosphere, positioning itself as a niche campus action game.

Core combat mechanics and special moves: Combat primarily revolves around dodge, counter, and heavy attacks, with a limited number of combos. A special 'Gerakan Gokil' (Crazy Move) system adds unique, often humorous, ultimate moves that can be executed after filling a bar, though long animations can be canceled.

Game length is very short: Players found the game to be quite short, with completion times often under 10 hours, even on harder difficulties. The main storyline, which is a significant part of the game, can be finished in just a few hours.

Miscellaneous technical and content notes: The game contains strong language but is suitable for mature audiences. It supports mouse and keyboard controls and includes NVIDIA DLSS, though it lacks AMD FSR or Intel Xess support. Dialogue is in Indonesian.

Performance is acceptable with minor bugs: Players report that the game generally performs adequately on lower settings and mid-range hardware (GTX 1650, 16GB RAM). However, minor bugs like NPCs getting stuck are still present, indicating some areas for optimization.

Overall negative player experience: Many players expressed significant dissatisfaction, with some uninstalling the game quickly or regretting their purchase. Several would not recommend it, citing issues that made the game almost 'untolerable' or only enjoyable for a very short period. Some even advised against playing due to performance issues or a lack of immersion.

Conditional positive recommendations: Despite some negative feedback, a notable portion of players recommended the game, especially when purchased on discount. They praised its storyline, interesting combat, and suitability for casual, stress-free gameplay. Some gave it positive ratings, indicating a good experience for certain player demographics.

High anticipation for sequel: A significant number of players are eagerly anticipating a sequel, specifically 'Troublemaker 2'. They hope the developers will learn from the first game, improve various aspects, and continue the story, aiming for a game that appeals to both casual and dedicated players.

Buy only on deep discount: A strong consensus among players is that the game is only worth purchasing when it is heavily discounted, ideally during a Steam sale or for a very low price. This suggests that the current full price is not perceived as good value.

Support local Indonesian developers: There's a strong sentiment among Indonesian players to support local game developers by purchasing the game. However, some advise non-Indonesian players or those unfamiliar with Indonesian culture against playing, suggesting the game's appeal is culturally specific.

Inconsistent visual and audio quality: Players expressed disappointment with the game's visual and audio presentation, citing a mismatch between 3D models and 2D art, average graphics, and a lack of polish in voice acting, music variety, and sound effects. The game's attempt at photorealistic graphics was noted, but the overall quality was deemed not AAA.

Hope for future improvements and sequels: Despite some criticisms, players expressed a desire for future improvements and sequels, indicating a belief in the developer's potential. They hope for better story, gameplay, and overall polish in subsequent titles.

Yakuza-like Indonesian setting: Many players compared the game to the Yakuza series, specifically an 'Indonesian high school Yakuza.' Other comparisons included 'Indian soap opera' and the movie 'Crows Zero,' highlighting its unique cultural setting and narrative style.

Inconsistent world-building and language: Players noted several inconsistencies in the game's world-building, including anachronistic character designs, incorrect dates on posters, and a mix of internet slang with a rural setting. There was also criticism regarding inconsistent language use.

Presence of various technical bugs: Players reported several technical glitches, such as interaction buttons getting stuck, doubled sound effects in the shop, duplicated border indicators for restricted areas, and characters getting stuck when too close to others.