For several decades the threat of nuclear war was considered to be a very probable danger and way that our society would fall. With the threat of nuclear war looming over us, there was always an undercurrent of fear that was perpetuated by various propaganda. I am too young to have gone through this, but generations before me would practice drills as school children in the event of nuclear bombs, in hopes that all that lead based paint in the school would shield them from the radiation, since a typical school desk would do little to stop the damage from the explosion. The idea of nuclear war has been addressed through every form of creative media and songs like Iron Maiden's When the Wild Wind Blows address how the fear of such an event alone can have a catastrophic effect on people. Nuclear war is no laughing matter at all.
And yet, we have franchises like Fallout that have a wonderfully sardonic sense of humor over such an event. While not even a remotely similar game, 60 Seconds! wears its Fallout influence proudly. This family degeneration simulator presents terrible scenarios in a way that is difficult to not laugh at. Granted, the pool of people (myself included) that I have shared this game with may not be the embodiment of the wholesome 1950's suburban Leave it to Beaver ideal, but damn it we laughed at this game. We may be in a hand basket and wondering where we are headed, but we enjoyed every second of 60 Seconds!
The premise is simple: you are a suburban American family in the 1950's and the air raid sirens are blaring. You have 60 seconds (and now the title makes sense, and I am proud I didn't take the opportunity to make the obvious jokes) to gather whatever you think you need in the house and run to the fallout shelter. This includes family members, though the value of those freeloaders is debatable. Why does your wife and kids need to be picked up and carried to the shelter when you have other supplies to gather. This game would be a lot easier if they assisted you in gathering items and took themselves to the shelter. I can see this family relationship taking on a dynamic similar to the Bundy family, which the disgruntled and beaten down countenance of the family patriarch suggests they already do. Of course, if you have no other family members down there, you can make the rations last longer. Just a thought.
Once the family enters the shelter, the format switches from an overhead third person style to a visual novel approach. The family sits in the basement with all these collected items. Some of these can include a radio for entertainment, a gun, an ax, first aid kits, and rations. The only consumables are water and soup. No noodles, chips, astronaut food, preserves, none of that. Just soup, because it stays good in its can for 737 years. The story progresses through reading a journal which tells the tale of randomized events, very few of which are good. The family is kept alive by tending to their illnesses and injuries as well as giving them food and water. Depriving family members of food and water will eventually result in them either dying or abandoning the shelter. The apathy levels are strong in this family, which is evidenced by whenever someone does die their bones are left where they fall and will remain for days.
Keeping the family alive with food and water is only part of the equation. Insanity can set in which is represented through different visualizations. Timmy for example will wear a soup can like a hat where Ted will form a close friendship with his sock puppet. Despite the apparent uselessness of his family, Ted does apparently care for them since when I took him to the shelter with no one he had the sock puppet on day two. The soup and water is in finite supply, so someone needs to venture out in the wasteland to gather more supplies. This can take several days and the haul they bring back is randomized. They do not always come back, but items like a gas mask or ax does seem to increase their luck. Sometimes a family member may be too sick, injured, or insane to venture out to collect supplies. If all family members are in this state (or dead) all that can be done is hope that donations or a rescue party arrives before everyone dies.
Random events also put the family at risk. Radiation has made the rats become more aggressive and they may try to steal your soup. Mutant cockroaches are also a thing, but what kind of nuclear apocalypse would this be without them? Knocking on the door could be any number of things. It could be the military coming to rescue you, or it could be people masquerading as firemen collecting canned goods, but having a rifle makes those beggars go away pretty quickly. The knocking on the door can be ignored, but usually curiosity got the better of me. One time Timmy didn't make it to the shelter with us and a knock at the door was little Timmy. He was sick and insane, but he found his way to us. We ended up dying because we ran out of water, something Timmy's absence may have prevented. Selfish freeloading brat. Sometimes the opportunity may arise to rob supplies from neighbors. This can be done, but the family feels badly about themselves. As they should.
Each playthrough is unique, even the layout of the items in the house are randomly generated so one does not simply walk into Mordor memorize the item layout and make a mad dash to collect everything. Each play through can last about thirty to sixty minutes, which is much longer than the game advertises. It kind of sells itself short in that regard. I was informed that there is one happy ending and about a dozen different unhappy endings. I have yet to see the happy ending, but I have a hunch the unhappy ones are more entertaining.
Closing Comments:
60 Seconds! is a blast (groan). The bulk of a playthrough is a fairly simple visual novel where choices do have consequences on the outcome. The combination of the correct choices that lead to the happy ending is something I have yet to figure out at the time of this review, but I am told said combination does exist. The randomly generated nature gives it great replay value. It may get old if played daily, but I have gone through it a few times since I learned about it and spreading it out helps maintain the entertainment value. Having a darker sense of humor is somewhat of a prerequisite to truly appreciate this title, but for people possessing that attribute there is much fun to be had within 60 Seconds!