Say No! More Review (PC)

A colleague wants coffee, with no milk. Another needs his toner refreshed. A boss asks for overtime. Another leader talks about giving it all to the company. All we want to do is to scream a big, fat “No” in their face and focus on what’s important for each of us. In the real world that’s often hard to do, but in this game that’s all you need to do to make the world better.

Say No! More is developed by Studio Fizbin and published by Thunderful Publishing. I played the game on the PC via Steam but it is also offered on the Nintendo Switch. The experience is very narrative-focused, driven by a very positive message about confidence and self-expression.

Players take the role of a character known as The Intern. She is unable to resist the indignities of the first day of work for a major company, which include coffee runs and a general toxic work environment. Everything changes when she finds a cassette (this is a world of Walkman players and hulky computers) with an Australian accented trainer. He teaches her about the power of “No”. Her life begins to change.

The gameplay of Say No! More is limited. The main character moves automatically around the world and players only need to worry about uttering their word when the need arises. There are four varieties of “No” to deploy and four ways to charge up their use. There’s pleasure in discovering their nuances involved but the game never asks the player to solve complex situations with them. There are plenty of cool moments featuring the powerful negative word but there’s no actual challenge to overcome.

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The story is what kept me engaged. The main character has to deal with situations and conversations that many of us hate or try to avoid. A culture of saying “Yes” can be a real problem in our reality, a tool for big companies to try and control the time and energy of their employees at all times.

Say No! More models good behavior by showing how powerful the word can be. Don’t accept that request to work more hours and drop any attempt at having fun after work. Push back against friends who are doubting themselves simply because society has never allowed them to express their personality. Don’t accept the food order that fails your standards. Assert yourself when you should, but know when to listen and when to lend someone your ear and your energy. Strike back against that abusive boss who fails to understand boundaries.

Everything is exaggerated and cathartic in a positive way. The story goes to some weird and unexpected places, including a game show from Hell and a major twist. The constant focus on showing how things could be better becomes a little annoying towards the end but the writing never becomes too cheesy.

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The biggest problem (which might be a good thing for other players) is that the entire experience is a little too short. It gives its main character a nice resolution and has a cute epilogue. But, towards the end, I expected to see one final escalation moment, pitting the power of “No” against a new type of foe or a surprising new situation.

Say No! More is blocky, like a cross between cloned LEGO and a small scope Minecraft. But despite the clearly limited resources, I had no problem engaging with the game. All main characters, with a focus on The Intern, have personality and well-defined emotions. The variety is a little limited but even the environments and word battles have fun little details. The soundtrack, peppy and sunny, is a highlight (I let it play even after the game was done) and the voice acting, also created by a small team, manages to be both funny and touching, at times. The game also needs to be commended for the variety of “No” voice packs offered, including Hindi, Chinese and Arabic.

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The Good

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