Mr. President! is a 3D physics game in where we must save “President Rump” from any hazards he may encounter, be it a far-off sniper or a giant taco hurling down from the sky. Our journey begins inside of an empty room that contains nothing but a portrait of Rump and a single piece of newspaper stuck to the wall. Approaching the paper will allow us to relieve the events that occurred on that headline in all their glory. The protagonist Dick “Rock-Hard” Johnson is conveniently enough bulletproof, making him the perfect man to guard the president who seems to be in a sniper’s sights where ever he goes. Jumping, dancing, diving, crouching, front flips and even slowing down time our some of the tools we are given to ensure Rump’s continued survival against a game world all too intent on his death.
As I stated in the opening paragraph, this is a physics game, so our character does not control all too reliably and merely brushing into an object can send you hurling through the air, wasting valuable time to save Rump. There is very little leeway given on the amount of mistakes you can make, and typically a single error will cost the president his life with nothing short of a perfect, movie-worthy run allowing you to barely reach him. I was quite impressed with how well they timed all the hazards. Even a perfect run will have you saving him by the skin of your teeth, making it always feel like a desperate race against time but it is always on the mark with just how much time it would take you to reach him. Once we finally reach Rump, we can either jump in front of the bullet which is just as tricky as it sounds or simply slam him off the stage by hurling yourself at him.
Many of these forceful tackles off whatever high raised platform he is on would likely cause severe damage to the 71-year-old man that Rump is based off, but as long as he lives, we keep getting our paycheck, so it’s all good. In fact, it becomes strangely hypnotizing to watch him flail about mid-air in slow motion with the feel-good knowledge that you just “saved” that man. This may seem like your usual meme game though it won’t take long before the difficulty ramps up and your mind switches gear from “lol this is fun” to “let’s do this!” as you break through solid walls in order to deflect that bullet with your abs of steel. The levels quickly lose any sense of realism as you stave of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat trying to assassinate the president and shimmy across floating beams containing swinging feminine hygiene products.
It does get rage inducing as the wacky physics can make things unpredictable and you are actually trying to accomplish something with no time to waste. At times, it felt like equal part luck and skill that has gotten me through some levels. While the difficulty does get to nail-biting degrees, only a few stages felt downright cheap as they relied on actively trying to aim your gravity-defying leap maneuvers. One jump it will send you flying through the map, while another similar one will send you a pathetic amount before face planting a few feet away. These stages rely purely on luck making it a case of try into you randomly get it right. Luckily they are in the minority, with most other levels feeling more or less fair. But man, did that Putin level really grind on my nerves.
Completing a set of rescues will take you back to your room and unlock a new newspaper containing more missions. Each set has a specific theme be they a women’s rally, one in front of the Mexican border or campaigning at a KKK meeting. If you were wondering if this game was just tongue in cheek satire, it isn’t. The devs genuinely seem to dislike “Rump” and are all too keen on showing him in rather absurdly terrible, mean-spirited ways. Just something to be aware of in case such a thing would bother you. Thinly veiled hate aside, it is still on the comical side, and you’ll find many things to chuckle at, such as Mr. Rump’s tiny hands or the fact that he stands back up after a multi-story fall to keep on waving at his crowd.
There are a ton of levels to go through, and they constantly add new twists to keep things fresh. Interestingly enough, the room you find yourself when not on a mission gets dirtier and filled with whiskey bottles, guns and writing on the wall as your character seems to lose his sanity over time. I was entertained all the way throughout, but for some reason, they decide to clear all progress once you finish it, putting you back to square one. That means that in order to play your favorite stages you will have to replay the entirety of the title. Why they decided to do this is beyond me as there isn’t much incentive to play through again.
Before heading out on the last mission mission, make sure to check out the other modes to play. One has you once again take on the role of the bodyguard, but the objective is no longer to protect the president, instead it is to slam into Rump in an CEW wrestling ring. Kick him off the top rope as he shows off, elbow drop him through a table and engage the president in a rage in the cage match. It is all as silly as it sounds and is a lot more stress-free than the regular mode. You have as much time as you want to line up a way to slam into Rump in spectacular fashion with obstacles such as giant Slim Jims blocking your path at times. Each set of matches you win grants you a new doll on your shelf to access more and is another thing affected by the game resetting all progress for no reason.
Finally, you have the last and perhaps most fun mode of them all. The one in where you get to play as Rump himself as he wrestles immigrants out of the ring. That is your only goal, there is no timer or anything stopping you from screwing around with the ragdoll physics as long as you desire. It is also the one mode in where you encounter a little girl as an enemy in your mission to deport all immigrants. You can’t simply ask her to leave the ring. Eventually, you have to show her what the Rump is cooking and Street Fighter the heck out of her with a spin kick or move of your choice. It is absurd but trying to get an opponent out of the ring and keep yourself in is pretty fun. Especially when they ramp up the insanity like they always do and you find yourself standing toe to toe with an immigrant on top of an unsteady ladder.
This type of humor is certainly not for everyone, though whether you are against it, there is more than a simple meme game to be found here. It is a decently crafted title in its own right with a ton of content for your buck. While at first you are simply content messing about with the physics, it will get your competitive side going sooner rather than later and the struggle to keep Rump alive truly begins. Its controls are not up to snuff with the kind of split-second jumps you have to pull off here, but is functional enough to still let failure or success be purely based on your own skills most of the time. I’m not exactly sure who I would recommend this to, though if any of these antics seem like it may be fun to you, Mr.President! has more than enough to keep you entertained for quite a while.
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