Say No! More is described by developer Studio Fizbin as "the world's first NPG (No! Playing Game)." Published by Thunderful, Say No! More aims provide the catharsis of saying "no" to annoying coworkers and bosses through its humor and jazzy, late-90s arcade game aesthetic. What came as a surprise, however, is that beneath all the jokes and absurdity lies a tender and important story about community and self-empowerment.
Say No! More follows one of three new interns on their first day at a large company. Their supervisor gives a motivational speech in which he states that employees "have to say YES to everything around here!" This quickly presents a problem when the supervisor demands that the protagonist gives him their lunchbox and walks off with it. Thankfully, a cassette player conveniently falls from the sky that contains a motivational tape about the power of saying "no," providing the confidence and skill necessary to take the lunchbox back.
Say No! More has simple mechanics that allow the game to be accessible to gamers and non-gamers alike. Similar to the character creation in Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Say No! More keeps it simple by allowing the option to customize basic features like hair and clothes or choose from a variety of pre-made characters. Moving in the game works like classic arcade games, wherein the character automatically navigates the impossibly tall corporate skyscraper the game takes place in. This allows the game to focus on creating absurd requests and directives that make screaming "no!" a tantalizing gameplay element.
In order to provide a variety of ways the player can say "no," certain characters are introduced that can withstand the naysaying and require learning one of the four different way to say "no!": heated, cold, lazy, or wacky. Each of these can be charged up for more power and are paired with fun taunts that echo fighting games like Super Smash Brothers. While these gameplay mechanics risk becoming too repetitive or stale, the multitude of unique and creative interactions that can be had during Say No! More's short run time keeps the gameplay fun and engaging.
It's important to keep an eye out on some of these interactions because not saying "no!" may be really helpful to a coworker, while saying "no!" in the right situation can pay off in hilarious ways towards the end of the game. These interactions are signaled by pink text bubbles, so paying to what they say before saying "no!" is important. This only scratches the surface, however, as Say No! More has a lot of twists and turns in store.
Say No! More is a game with simple mechanics that delivers an emotional and thought provoking story. The characters are wacky, but full of heart and charm, and the story is no different. Its focus on themes like power of self-advocacy, helping those around you, and breaking cycles of abuse will resonate and inform a lot of how a prospective player feels about the short game. With only a 2 hour run time, Say No! More manages to navigate humor and heart with grace and is well worth picking up for those interested in a compelling narrative experience.
Say No! More will release on April 9th, 2021 for PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. Screen Rant was provided with a Nintendo Switch download code for the purpose of this review.