Bad Onion

Overview

Bad Onion presents itself as a retro-style platformer reminiscent of mid-90s Sega titles, delivering a fundamentally functional but ultimately forgettable experience. This straightforward platformer offers moments of pleasant diversion but consistently falls short of its potential due to technical shortcomings and design choices that undermine player satisfaction. What could have been a charming nostalgic trip becomes an exercise in mild frustration punctuated by occasional bright spots.

Frustrating Foundations

The core gameplay suffers from unreliable collision detection that frequently betrays player expectations. Deaths often feel unfairly imposed by environmental inconsistencies rather than resulting from genuine player mistakes. This creates a sense of being tricked by the game's systems rather than challenged by its design. Platforming sequences become exercises in trial-and-error frustration instead of skill-based progression, with the unreliable physics constantly undermining player agency.

Level design further compounds these issues with layouts that seem engineered to exploit the collision system's weaknesses. Players report feeling trapped in situations where failure feels predetermined rather than earned. The absence of precise environmental feedback creates an experience where success and failure feel arbitrary rather than deserved. While the game maintains basic functionality, these fundamental flaws prevent it from achieving the satisfying flow state that defines great platformers.

Fleeting Charm

Bad Onion's visual presentation and character designs provide its most consistent bright spots. The quirky protagonist and enemy designs suggest creative potential that never fully materializes in the gameplay experience. These elements create an initial impression of charm that unfortunately fades quickly as players encounter the game's limitations.

Bad Onion is overwhelmingly OK and not nearly good as it could have been with some better level layout and improved collision detection.

Rekall

The "pleasant" quality mentioned by players proves to be both the game's greatest strength and its most damning characteristic. This mild amusement wears thin after about thirty minutes, revealing an experience devoid of the memorable hooks or innovative mechanics that sustain engagement in stronger platformers. The game establishes a baseline of functionality without ever delivering the spark of excellence that transforms competent execution into compelling entertainment.