Quick Look: Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake

Not from an artist point of view. Here's a side by side comparison of some of the art and the map is just straight up the same map in both games :/

The style itself is not something the artist could (or would) claim ownership over (just look for 'cute flat character' on dribbble and you'll find similar stuff) but the makers of Monsters ate my Birthdaycake clearly saw MonsterUp Adventures and were, let's say, very inspired...

This happens a lot in the graphic design and illustration world! You guys might remember the reverse cover of Borderlands 2 having some details from an Olly Moss poster (link), the same thing happened here, just on a different scale.

You look around for inspiration and if you have to get that mock up done quickly, you'll add a few placeholder details that you saw somewhere else. Usually, as soon as you do a second pass on your art, you work those placeholders out, but if time is pressing and deadlines are close, two things can happen:

You just straight up forget that this detail you added wasn't yours and stop seeing it. We're all human, it happens. If everyone on the team has enough time to do their jobs properly, someone else sees it and it gets fixed. Or:

You see it and leave it consciously. There are a million reasons why you would, usually it's a lack of time to build something else, but you saw that your thing looks exactly like that other thing and chose not to work against it (or you did, but someone else up the chain decided to keep it in against your will. That happens as well.)

That really sucks and happens because artists are overworked and undervalued.

I can totally emphasize with people who just forgot that they copied something. It happened to myself and multiple friends in art school and uni. It only happened once to most of us though. Realizing that something you thought was genuinely your own but isn't, is really devastating.

The other thing happens way too often though, some are even shameless about it...

So if I were the artist of MonsterUp Adventures, I would be just as pissed!

It's just more likely that someone decided to save time.

[EDIT] All that being said, this games writing is really good!

He's from Long Island.

@iamcarneiro: Great post, duder. That was super informative to a non-visual artist like myself.

@iamcarneiro: I do not see a single element that is a direct rip of that other artists work . It is nothing but a similar style.

You really shouldn't be eating that much birthday cake at once, the Boogin King is really doing you a favor.

Giantbomb is extra great lately.

I haven't played either game and I'm only going off this video and the MonsterUp screenshots only, so I wouldn't run though town screaming "Plagiarism! Plagiarism!" either :)

But I do feel the guy. The map in Monsters ate my Birthday Cake especially is disappointing. MonsterUp was clearly the reference and the Cake people just rushed their design :/

But lives in Jersey.

Hahah the start is awsome

Heh! It really is a charmingly cute game.

TRIPLE BUMP

EDIT: Oh my god the Boogan king is Matt Rorie.

It was just my birthday when this was released.

Must buy it.

This is too adorable to not get. "Long dog where am you?" sold me on it.

I love Vinny so much.

Please fix the compressors or whatever on the audio, though. It sounds a little... chopped? or something? I'm no audio guy.

Oh god that intro. XD

That intro!! Made my day. Giant Bomb East representing!

Very adorable game. Really lovely.

Best QL intro ever. GBNY 4 LYFE

Game also looks super cool

DAT OPENING