Legend of Neil: Gung-Ho Hilarious

Gamers like watching video game parodies almost as much as they like actually playing video games, and thanks to G4, CollegeHumor and a million independent producers, the genre has definitely reached the point of oversaturation. So if you’re going to do a video game parody at this point, you really have to be top shelf to stand out — especially if you’re going to do one with a heavy emphasis on slapstick, cursing and sex jokes. But here comes The Legend of Neil, clutching a lame-ass wooden sword, some half-decent elf ears, and a strictly not-safe-for-work attitude.

Created by Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo on The Guild, and thus a guy who knows something about gamer web series), Neil’s premise boils down pretty simply to: “What would happen to a real dude in a video game world?” There’s a bit of a pacing problem. The first episode consists of Neil waking up to discover that autoerotic asphyxiation with a NES controller cord has “magically transported” him into the world of The Legend of Zelda and being confused by that. But the series quickly picks up momentum, with a fantastic use of episode-ending cliffhangers that really do generate excitement for the next installment.

Neil’s strength comes from its more subtle touches, such as its incorporation of the shifting screen from the classic Nintendo gameplay, as well as its riffs on the game’s quasi-morbid nature. (You kill a creature and then you eat its heart for strength? This is a game kids play?) As Neil, Tony Janning nails just the right combination of real-world confusion and gamer-level enthusiasm — his reaction to his first kill, not to mention his discovery that Zelda is black, is perfectly played. Other guest actors are also up to the challenge: Dr.Horrible/The Guild star Felicia Day as the Fairy is the ultimate in clingy girlfriend cliches, but her performance is so gung-ho hilarious that it ends up working as a satire of those cliches.

Actually, gung-ho hilarious is really the best way to describe Neil as a whole. Even when a joke might not be working, the show’s full-on commitment to its concept keeps things moving along. And that’s the attitude that will keep this show working through its last three episodes (Comedy Central is producing a run of six), as hesitation is what gets you killed in comedy — or in Hyrule.