Needy Streamer Overload: Typing of the Net Review (PC)

I’m not the least bit fond of internet slang, which probably means that I’m the worst possible candidate to endure the likes of Needy Streamer Overload: Typing of the Net. Perhaps I’m getting on a bit; the last time I remember using an abbreviated word in a social situation was back during the golden age of MSN messaging. And even then, I primarily recall that I frequented the likes of BRB or LOL. But times have since become a little more complicated for us oldies; teens often use slang to convey their inner voice, and suddenly, Tl;dr translates to too long, didn’t read. Did I know that? No. Am I something of an uncultured idiot for not being able to understand millennial jargon? In the eyes of millions of former TikTok users, yes — and that hurts. Iykyk. *Insert passive-aggressive wink here*

I will put my hands up and say this: Needy Streamer Overload is one of those games I’d usually avoid, if not for the fact that it would force me to build bridges with the youth of today, then for the sake of protecting my lack of self-awareness — whatever’s left of it. It’s a game that doesn’t really rival a traditional spelling bee; it’s more driven by abbreviations and “text” talk, which means those of a grammatical background are far more likely to sweat than those with a natural inclination for cutting out letters for, I don’t know, fun. And it’s this text talk that bothers me; I can’t get away with it without facing some form of professional criticism or backlash. But, for the sake of being “down with the kids,” I’m willing to bite the bullet on this one. BRB.

Tl;dr

Needy Streamer Overload: Typing of the Net (or NSO: TN, if we’re sticking with the abbreviations) is a—you guessed it—typing game in which you, the typist with an undying desire to please an annoyingly arrogant streamer, are tasked with completing several basic inputs in a timely manner. The streamer, whose sole purpose is to regurgitate random phrases in a chat box, invites you to flex your millennial muscles by swiftly sending you words to type out. To cut a long story short, the faster you can type the words, the higher the score. It’s a simple concept, and one that is bound to resonate with younger generations as opposed to older, slightly less lingo-inclined adults.

Needy Streamer Overload touts 200 words in its dictionary, with phrases that originate from both ends of the Millennial-Gen Z spectrum. These phrases, while not explicitly compatible with other languages outside of the English-speaking world, essentially range from simplistic to next-level brain rot. And when I say brain rot, I’m referring specifically to the latter part of the age barrier; who the heck uses l33t? In a nutshell, though, the idea is as simple as they come: hammer your keyboard into submission, and expect some kind of praise from the on-screen steamer before *sigh* doing it all over again.

Iykyk

There are only three levels in Needy Streamer Overload, so, if you’re looking to divulge your skills in a drawn-out campaign, then you might want to look elsewhere to find that typing fix of yours. As it turns out, each of these levels combined only amount to roughly thirty minutes of gameplay, which means that there’s isn’t a huge amount of replay value to be found outside of the initial play-through. Saying that, the game does take advantage of a nifty scoring mechanic—a grading system that essentially judges your ability to insert the appropriate phrase in a timely fashion. But even then, there’s still only a handful of minutes left in the tank; an hour ought to be enough to scrape the barrel clean and see all there is to see here. For as little as $8, though, I suppose it could be worse.

Thankfully, there is a “secret” within the basic infrastructure of the game’s main gameplay loop—a mini-game, as it turns out, that allows you the chance to take a few moments away from the endless battle to thrash out words on a keyboard. The mini-game in question, while not entirely complete, is more or less a simple retro side-scrolling platforming experience that allows you to take control of the sword-sporting heroine and tackle various environmental obstacles.  It’s basically a game that you’d find on a web browser from 2006 — what more can I say about it? Still, it’s a lot better than some of the other internet browser games out there, so I suppose I have to give a little credit to the developers for installing it.

BRB

Given the fact that you could quite easily sweep the floor clean in less than an hour or so, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to hear that, as it stands in its current state, NSO: TN just isn’t worth taking the time to explore. Okay, so it houses some interesting candy-popping graphical features, and it stays true to its roots throughout by implementing corny yet annoyingly gleeful musical effects — but that’s about as far as I’m willing to take it. From a gameplay standpoint, there just isn’t anywhere near enough depth to warrant a pitstop. Of course, it’s a typing game, so you get what you’re given, but for a relatively high asking price of $8, you’d at least expect to see a little more gas in the tank, so to speak.

Verdict

Having spent a worrying amount of time second-guessing my career and reassembling several lost brain cells, I am now in a relatively good position to call Needy Streamer Overload out for what it is: brain rot for middle-aged journalists. Perhaps I’m being a little too salty on this, but to each their own, I guess.

As much as I would like to say that I enjoyed the whole thing, I just can’t bring myself to agree with the small pocket of die-hard NSO fans out there. Yes, Typing of the Net does do some things right, but I wouldn’t say that it provides enough of said things to warrant the price of admission. Sure enough, the extra mini-game does deliver a solid addition to the mix, but again, it’s hardly enough to justify the price tag.

Of course, if you’re familiar with the Needy Streamer Overload universe, then you’ll likely find something to love about Typing of the Net. Although, it is worth noting that, while the typing entrée does indeed add a new layer of paint to the series as a whole, it doesn’t really add any new lore to the mix, which almost makes it a redundant addition to the original story. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to onboard as much of the NSO catalog as possible, then you’d be right to consider trying your hand at this minimalistic interlude. Just, eh — don’t expect much from the experience; it’s hardly award-winning material.