Ah, Fancy Pants Man... The man with the fancy pants.

Being a fan of the series since the golden era of flash games (RIP), this is a classic most platformer-enthusiast would enjoy.
At times, it feels like Mario, when you're jumping on enemies and collecting "coins". Other times, it feels like Sonic, when you're running fast, rolling/sliding into enemies and collecting "rings".

Now.... Take those 2 examples, give the character a pencil, and then throw in some satisfying movement-physics, and you'll have Fancy Pants Man, the hero of Squiggleville. ^^


As far as gameplay goes, it feels as satisfying as it did all those years ago. Running, jumping, running, whacking spiders, running some more.... Drop-sliding to gain more running speed.... Using said speed to gain greater altitude when jumping, then drop-sliding again for even more speed...

As you go through the game, you'll have to execute a few tricky maneuvers (especially if you want to collect all the collectables.... Some of them are VERY tricky....), but nothing too difficult.

The core concept of the game is great, but unfortunately, the game itself is also somewhat short.
Don't get me wrong though. Despite it being short, that doesn't make the ride any less enjoyable. You'll definitely have a blast while playing. Not only that, but the music (Composed by Mike Raznick) fits really well into each area as well.

As mentioned, the game is very short. This is somewhat understandable, given that it's a 1-man project, and everything is hand drawn, from the gorgeous backgrounds/foregrounds to every frame of each character's animation (mainly Fancy Pants Man and the enemies), but in the end, subjective value of a game does come down to how much an individual is willing to pay, and how much said individual expects to get out of the given price tag.
Personally, I'd likely have experienced slight regrets, had I purchased this game at full price.
Picking it up at the recent Winter Sale, I'd say the price I paid for it was juuuust right.

Tangent: Let's say you have 2 piles of wooden logs. One was made by using a hatchet, the other was made by using a chainsaw.
Obviously, the hatchet would require a lot more effort than the chainsaw, but the end result would still be the same; 2 (functionally identical) piles of wooden logs. Would you pay more for one pile than the other?

Full respect to the creator for all the effort put in though. The game is a masterpiece, and a great trip into nostalgia, for those who played the flash-versions of the games in the past.

This review may be tagged with "[N] hrs on record (12.2 hrs at review time)", but this number is somewhat misleading. I'm the type of player who tends to restart a game half way through, just to check on some random suspicion. If we eliminate my restarts (and a bit of alt-tabbing and afk for unrelated stuff), then the total playtime at full completion (all achievements + the extra content) would likely be closer to 4 hours.
I've read others state they've completed it (no specification of to which state) in about 2 hours. Given that I normally spend about twice the time others do on any title, this seems about accurate to me.



If you are the type who likes a good platformer, with a bit of hack 'n slash, then this game will not disappoint you.
However, I do recommend waiting for it to go on sale if you wish to pick it up.
(Optionally, acknowledge all the hard work DrNeroCF put into it and shell out full price... your call entirely. ;) )

Ah, Fancy Pants Man... The man with the fancy pants. Being a fan of the series since the golden era of flash games (RIP), this is a classic most platformer-enthusiast would enjoy. At times, it feels like Mario, when you're jumping on enemies and collecting "coins". Other times, it feels like Sonic, when you're running fast, rolling/sliding into enemies and collecting "rings". Now.... Take those 2 examples, give the character a pencil, and then throw in some satisfying movement-physics, and you'll have Fancy Pants Man, the hero of Squiggleville. ^^ As far as gameplay goes, it feels as satisfying as it did all those years ago. Running, jumping, running, whacking spiders, running some more.... Drop-sliding to gain more running speed.... Using said speed to gain greater altitude when jumping, then drop-sliding again for even more speed... As you go through the game, you'll have to execute a few tricky maneuvers (especially if you want to collect all the collectables.... Some of them are VERY tricky....), but nothing too difficult. The core concept of the game is great, but unfortunately, the game itself is also somewhat short. Don't get me wrong though. Despite it being short, that doesn't make the ride any less enjoyable. You'll definitely have a blast while playing. Not only that, but the music (Composed by Mike Raznick) fits really well into each area as well. As mentioned, the game is very short. This is somewhat understandable, given that it's a 1-man project, and everything is hand drawn, from the gorgeous backgrounds/foregrounds to every frame of each character's animation (mainly Fancy Pants Man and the enemies), but in the end, subjective value of a game does come down to how much an individual is willing to pay, and how much said individual expects to get out of the given price tag. Personally, I'd likely have experienced slight regrets, had I purchased this game at full price. Picking it up at the recent Winter Sale, I'd say the price I paid for it was juuuust right. Tangent: Let's say you have 2 piles of wooden logs. One was made by using a hatchet, the other was made by using a chainsaw. Obviously, the hatchet would require a lot more effort than the chainsaw, but the end result would still be the same; 2 (functionally identical) piles of wooden logs. Would you pay more for one pile than the other? Full respect to the creator for all the effort put in though. The game is a masterpiece, and a great trip into nostalgia, for those who played the flash-versions of the games in the past. This review may be tagged with "[N] hrs on record (12.2 hrs at review time)", but this number is somewhat misleading. I'm the type of player who tends to restart a game half way through, just to check on some random suspicion. If we eliminate my restarts (and a bit of alt-tabbing and afk for unrelated stuff), then the total playtime at full completion (all achievements + the extra content) would likely be closer to 4 hours. I've read others state they've completed it (no specification of to which state) in about 2 hours. Given that I normally spend about twice the time others do on any title, this seems about accurate to me. If you are the type who likes a good platformer, with a bit of hack 'n slash, then this game will not disappoint you. However, I do recommend waiting for it to go on sale if you wish to pick it up. (Optionally, acknowledge all the hard work DrNeroCF put into it and shell out full price... your call entirely. ;) )