This is Fine: Maximum Cope Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & PC)

As far as comical adaptations of beloved memes go, This is Fine: Maximum Cope is, well, fine. As a tribute to KC Green, it more or less captures the flammable essence of the source material, caffeinated beverage and all. But as a fully-fledged game—a Metroidvania, at that—it often struggles to set itself alight as a clean and airtight side-scrolling experience. The movement can feel awfully sluggish, and the combat can often leave you feeling at a loose end and about as fed up as a yellow hound on Death’s doorstep. Yet, for every molten wisp of mediocrity that peppers this canvas, a luminous bolt of orange and red veer over to rightfully put it back together to create a simple yet satisfying experience. The visuals are great, and sure enough, the world design and the boss attributes are original. But, again, it’s just, you know…fine. 

In no way is the Metroidvania adaptation of Green’s meme an infectious thrill ride with all of the deadly corkscrews and vertical drops of an evergreen coaster, nor is it an action-packed, narrative-heavy punch to the neck that can leave your flesh throbbing, for that matter. Though, to be fair, it is a genuine delight to romp through, nonetheless. It’s a delight, mainly due to the fact that it blends humor with action, and uses the faithful power of originality to construct its world and create an unlikely troupe of characters and other peculiar situations that might just make you smile in the face of danger and the wake of catastrophe. Does the joke always land? No. Does it continue to repeat the joke until you eventually cave in? Absolutely.

As far as plot points go, Maximum Cope keeps things on the straight and narrow, with a morally ambiguous hound, a world that’s seemingly on the brink of falling to the wolves, and a series of predicaments that cater to fear, anxiety, loss, and humiliation. Amidst all of this, Question Hound—a yellow dog, naturally—makes a daring decision to venture deep into a perpetual fever dream in the hopes of confronting and, above all, coping with the inevitable consequences of his mere existence. Each layer in this world has a boss that embodies a different mood, and every crossroad that you gradually explore invites you to tackle them, all while earning a few abilities and collectibles along the way to further enhance your natural skills. Again, fine. Don’t expect a thought-provoking plot here, basically — just textbook Metroidvania trappings.

As far as gameplay mechanics go, what you see here is what you get: a fairly traditional side-scrolling affair that primarily involves basic platforming, mindless button mashing, and, true to the Metroidvania style, venturing back and forth between biomes and panels to unlock abilities that can allow you to open new doors and secret areas. For instance, during the initial phases you have a selection of branching pathways, but only the power to explore one of them. As you dig a little deeper and earn your stripes, however, you can return to earlier zones and unearth fresh locations and, with that, additional features. This more or less carries over across most of the campaign, with each section of the story having its own distinct theme, boss, and set of environmental challenges.

While Maximum Cope doesn’t bring anything new to the platforming field, the game itself does highlight some brilliant aspects. Again, the controls can feel a little clunky and wooden, but with a multi-layer world with a solid variety of secrets and floors to explore, it does provide a lot of breathing room for you to flaunt your skills. Moreover, it generates a sizable trove of abilities for you to foster, meaning that you always have a new gimmick to fool around with. And then there are the little things—the Coffee Bean collectibles and the tongue-in-cheek angel-versus-demon banter, for example. Sure, it’s all a little, well, silly. And yet, given that its sole purpose is to represent a meme, it does make for a good game. Not perfect, but great.

If you can waltz into the Question Hound’s world with relatively low expectations, then you should be able to enjoy it for its simple pleasures and its laughably bad gimmicks. Whether you’re a fan of Metroidvania titles or not, you should be able to scrap a lot of joy out of these volatile boroughs and their sentient objects for the short time it sticks around to spin a yarn. Again, it’s best to expect a bit of clunkiness and an irritating soundtrack that has an awful habit of looping like clockwork. But, if you can turn a blind eye to all of that, then you should be, well, fine.

Verdict

This is Fine: Maximum Cope remains faithful to the source material with a simple yet oftentimes hilarious Metroidvania theme that will leave you whispering the iconic words “this is fine” long after the final credit roll. And while it is, you know, fine, Maximum Cope does, rather gracefully, make for a strong game all around. To call it a brilliant piece of meme art might be a bit of a stretch, but to be honest, it isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, either. I suppose, if anything, it hovers in the middle, between greatness and catastrophe. On the one hand it has some fantastic features—a clean art style and a ton of great characters, for example. But on the other hand, it often struggles to balance out its visual strengths in its gameplay department, with sluggish mechanics and tedious combat, to list just a couple of its major flaws.

With all of the above said, I will say this: Maximum Cope, as a rather unnecessary tribute to an internet meme, did surpass my expectations as a video game. It never made me feel great, but it did lead me to ask that all-important question: if the yellow dog can find a home away from home in the gaming world, then who’s to say that other memes can’t follow in the same direction? Pepe the Frog, anyone? No?