The Fantastic Game

The Fantastic Game
Basic information
Name	The Fantastic Game
Release date	06/08/2012
Creator	Fantasticaneer
Development stage	Incomplete
Additional information
Engine used	Unity
Current version	FANTASTIC 1.FUN
Other versions	FANTASTIC 1.0
Downloadable through	IndieDB, Free Indie Gam.es

The Fantastic Game is a 3D exploration game developed in the Unity Engine by Fantasticaneer. It was first released as version online in early 2012, as version 1.0. An updated version, called "FANTASTIC 1.FUN," was released shortly after, on September 23rd, 2012.^{[citation needed]} It became apparent that the creator has abandoned the game, because it hasn't been updated since the second version, even though at the end of the game, he mentions that "fantastic 2.0 coming soon". The Fantastic Game is the first ever created game that fits into the egglike genre.^{[citation needed]} The term "egglike" was coined by YouTuber/Twitch streamer Vinny, owner and founder of Vinesauce. In the video, he states that the game is "egg-like", referring to the amount of weirdness contained within the game, taking as an example the big, white eggs seen near the corners of the first area of the game. The "-like" suffix can be traced back to the term "roguelike," a genre of video game which was having a resurgence in popularity at the time, with popular video games such as The Binding of Isaac, and later Nuclear Throne being staples of Vinesauce streams.

In the Fantastic Game, the player's mission is to find and collect Dollas, which serve a purpose similar to Super Mario 64's power stars or Banjo-Kazooie's Jiggies. Dollas are required to unlock and uncover normally inaccessible areas of the game, such as new areas and worlds. There are 16 Dollas in total, many of which can be found as a reward for solving platforming sections, at the end of long hallways, or through a hidden teleporter.

The Fantastic Game makes many references to obscure art, music, video games, and pop culture. This is one of the key defining qualities of the game genre that the Fantastic Game inevitably spawned, for better or for worse.

Locations

The Musical Stones

The Musical Stones are a set of 22 cylinder-shaped stone platforms located right in front of the spawn. Although they are put in two sets, they aren't exactly aligned. Stepping on one of these stones will produce a sound effect that sounds like an object hitting a frying pan. Even though the stones are placed in a linear order, the musical notes are not in order.

In the FANTASTIC 1.FUN version, Fantasticaneer added a blue, smaller stone platform next to the musical stones. Unlike the other stones, this blue platform will repeatedly play an assortment of a specific musical note, then play an assortment of a different musical note, and so on. 7 musical notes can be heard during this process, and after the last assortment ends, the process is automatically repeated. Stepping on this stone again will stop it from emitting sound.

Seizure Tunnel

It's a tunnel located next to the spawn. This tunnel is slightly spinning in the counter-clockwise direction, and it's colored in a way that makes it look like it could give someone a seizure, hence why it's called "Seizure Tunnel". It's colored by two color gradients, one of which is green and yellow, while the other one, red and blue. A bridge that shares the same texture easily leads the player out of the tunnel. Two dollas can be found near the tunnel, one of which is inside of it, and the other one, above it. This last dolla can only be collected through The Leap of Laith, which is from where the player can easily get above the tunnel.

Additionally, the music that plays inside the tunnel is a remix of the song "K.K. Jazz" from the videogame Animal Crossing. The music plays and loops itself until you exit the tunnel.

References/Memes

• The infamous giant "Smash Mouth eggs," which are located in the first area of the game. When approached, the eggs will play a continuous loop of a short clip from the hit song "All Star" by Smash Mouth; specifically, the clip features the singer saying "so much to do; so much to see" on repeat. The song itself was prominently featured in the 2001 animated feature film Shrek, which has cemented it's meme status.^{[citation needed]}
• Waluigi is featured early on in the game.

• Several references to Super Mario 64 appear, possibly as tributes to the game;
  • A painting of Bob-Omb Battlefield from Super Mario 64 appears and can be entered.
  • The eyeball in the dark room bears a striking resemblance to Mr. I.
  • The main objective of the game mirrors the "collect-a-thon" platforming genre that Super Mario 64 kick-started in the mid 1990s.

• The song "Mahnna Mahnna" from the Muppet Show (also featured on Sesame Street) is featured in the game.
• The "Dollaz" that the player collects are a reference to a YouTube video of the PC game Moonbase Alpha, wherein players make humorous comments using the game's built-in text-to-speech engine.
• In the fan remake, a monitor is present on the Sega Saturn Ledge that shows a screenshot of and plays music from Super Mario Land 2's Space Zone. The ledge also features a tree growing out of a Sega Saturn and a movable Sega Saturn physics object, which, like most objects you can interact with, exist differently from player to player while playing online.