A simple one level platformer with a captivating little chick as a character. However, there are something I'm sure you could be doing better.
General:
Design (3/5 birds) - Pretty simple and clear cut design, find these letters and finish the level. However, I believe there are improvements to be made as I'll mention later on in this review.
Audio (4/5 sounds) - Good sound effects and catchy background music, however, and its not a priority, but it would help if you varied the sound effects in terms of pitch so it doesn't sound the same all the time. Therefore, keeping your player a little more engaged.
Mechanics (3/5 hats) - Once again, pretty simple stuff fitting for a simple game. But I think there could be tweaks made as well as I'll mention later on.
Art (4/5 trees) - Simple but I really like the animations, kept the whole experience very serene.
Emoview:
Glitches (1/5 turnovers) - Glitches are a problem in pretty much every game. For example, once when I killed one of the dark birds, it just kept moving but instead upside down. It ended up killing me. I also tend to get stuck often in random areas. Lastly, I didn't actually finish collecting all the letters before finishing the level which just ended anyway (Ended up with NI_US).
Running Blind (2/5 maps) - There was a lot of parts in the game where I had no idea where to go or even if there was any land below me. This was a problem because I found myself just taking the leap of faith a couple times hoping that it was the right place. I believe you could have done it better by letting the player choose or at least see his/her next move rather than an empty space.
Boooost (3/5 feathers) - As fun as the super boost when flying was, it felt crazy fast and exaggerated. I found myself off the map way too many times. A simple fix could be to not increase its upward speed by as much as it is or at least make it visible for the player to see how far he/she is going instead of just feeling like the chick teleported.
Verdict:
Despite all the complaints, it was a very cute little game with some nice sound effects and animations that I appreciate. Can't wait for more!
Attack dark birds with some fancy hats right here for yourself: Nidus
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Zombidle (Incremental)
Alright so I've been working on my own incremental game recently and stumbled upon this gem. This is much less of a review than it is a documentation of things I should learn from when making incremental games. So I'm sorry if I can't offer you anything beneficial to the improvement of your game. Needless to say, I had a ton of fun playing it, great work!
General:
Design (4.5/5 bobs) - There are aspects of the game I think all new incremental game developers could learn from. However, the only time I would say I got bored (even for just a little) was after my revisit to the game. I'll explain all the likes and one dislike of the game later on.
Audio (5/5 screams) - Audio quality and control pretty much perfect from the different volumes set and how it all contributed well to the chaos.
Mechanics (5/5 clicks) - Well integrated system and easily understood interface.
Art (5/5 farms) - Polished and coherent artwork,
Emoview:
Revisiting (3/5 millions) - When I revisited the game I got up to 7M in skulls which I thought couldn't possibly have meant 7 million. That's when I realized it actually was just that and I spent it all to become suddenly super powerful. The effect it had on me was the same as when I use cheats in single player RPG games which, after awhile, makes the game dull because I'm already as powerful as I can be. HOWEVER, this time the difficulty shot up very rapidly and I soon found myself in practically the same place I was yesterday. I didn't expect that to happen and I really applaud the developers on that.
*All the rest are 5/5 so I won't bother rating them, let them just be lessons for myself and future developers.
Clicker is key - Economically the clicker was the best option to get early on in the game which was exactly what it should have been. I was caught into making myself the most powerful tool instead of any of the automated monsters because it just made more sense money-wise.
Running men - Keeps player engaged with great rewards from accuracy while also keeping the player challenged at random times.
Scrolls - Ads feel like a rarity not something that is just put up in every level. Other than that, they give great benefits that increase in duration over time which keeps the player even more engaged.
Chaos is glorious - The damage points, the exploding houses, the burning people, the spell that sends beautiful clicks from the sky.
Godlike - New areas start you off feeling like the most powerful being once you begin because they are broken much easier.
Verdict:
Too addictive. Beware.
Play it for hours for yourself right here: Zombidle
General:
Design (4.5/5 bobs) - There are aspects of the game I think all new incremental game developers could learn from. However, the only time I would say I got bored (even for just a little) was after my revisit to the game. I'll explain all the likes and one dislike of the game later on.
Audio (5/5 screams) - Audio quality and control pretty much perfect from the different volumes set and how it all contributed well to the chaos.
Mechanics (5/5 clicks) - Well integrated system and easily understood interface.
Art (5/5 farms) - Polished and coherent artwork,
Emoview:
Revisiting (3/5 millions) - When I revisited the game I got up to 7M in skulls which I thought couldn't possibly have meant 7 million. That's when I realized it actually was just that and I spent it all to become suddenly super powerful. The effect it had on me was the same as when I use cheats in single player RPG games which, after awhile, makes the game dull because I'm already as powerful as I can be. HOWEVER, this time the difficulty shot up very rapidly and I soon found myself in practically the same place I was yesterday. I didn't expect that to happen and I really applaud the developers on that.
*All the rest are 5/5 so I won't bother rating them, let them just be lessons for myself and future developers.
Clicker is key - Economically the clicker was the best option to get early on in the game which was exactly what it should have been. I was caught into making myself the most powerful tool instead of any of the automated monsters because it just made more sense money-wise.
Running men - Keeps player engaged with great rewards from accuracy while also keeping the player challenged at random times.
Scrolls - Ads feel like a rarity not something that is just put up in every level. Other than that, they give great benefits that increase in duration over time which keeps the player even more engaged.
Chaos is glorious - The damage points, the exploding houses, the burning people, the spell that sends beautiful clicks from the sky.
Godlike - New areas start you off feeling like the most powerful being once you begin because they are broken much easier.
Verdict:
Too addictive. Beware.
Play it for hours for yourself right here: Zombidle
Saturday, March 5, 2016
ThunderBolt (Side Scroller)
General:
Design (3/5 jumps) - I believe you could do better with the implementation of randomly generated platforms. Maybe applying a learning curve even, getting harder over time (Maybe there is, I just didn't realize it other than the screen scrolling faster).
Audio (4.5/5 songs) - Loved how well it worked with the retro style of the game!
Mechanics (3/5 slams) - Pretty simple stuff overall, maybe more could be added in the future to toughen things up and make it all the more interesting.
Art (4.5/5 backgrounds) - The game itself is beautiful looking in my opinion, the player sometimes get lost in the confusion of everything going on and the things going on in the background which is a problem. Make your player and platforms stand out and all is well~
Emoview:
Lost (1/5 players) - Like I mentioned earlier, finding the player sometimes was a problem because of all the art.
Impossibruuu (2/5 deaths) - Sometimes it was just impossible to be able to past an obstacle because after slamming there wasn't space or time for me to jump back to the next platform.
Da feels (4.5/5 runs) - Overall the elements worked well to run a mostly well polished game. When I did manage to get the moves down just in the nick of time, the ultimate feeling of pro-ness surged through me which made me want to play all the more.
Verdict:
Beautiful game with a few flaws that, if fixed, would make it one hell of a side scroller. Good job!
Run, jump, slam, repeat right here: ThunderBolt
Design (3/5 jumps) - I believe you could do better with the implementation of randomly generated platforms. Maybe applying a learning curve even, getting harder over time (Maybe there is, I just didn't realize it other than the screen scrolling faster).
Audio (4.5/5 songs) - Loved how well it worked with the retro style of the game!
Mechanics (3/5 slams) - Pretty simple stuff overall, maybe more could be added in the future to toughen things up and make it all the more interesting.
Art (4.5/5 backgrounds) - The game itself is beautiful looking in my opinion, the player sometimes get lost in the confusion of everything going on and the things going on in the background which is a problem. Make your player and platforms stand out and all is well~
Emoview:
Lost (1/5 players) - Like I mentioned earlier, finding the player sometimes was a problem because of all the art.
Impossibruuu (2/5 deaths) - Sometimes it was just impossible to be able to past an obstacle because after slamming there wasn't space or time for me to jump back to the next platform.
Da feels (4.5/5 runs) - Overall the elements worked well to run a mostly well polished game. When I did manage to get the moves down just in the nick of time, the ultimate feeling of pro-ness surged through me which made me want to play all the more.
Verdict:
Beautiful game with a few flaws that, if fixed, would make it one hell of a side scroller. Good job!
Run, jump, slam, repeat right here: ThunderBolt
Chopterfury (Side Scroller)
I'M BACK! All right so I've learnt to live with and love the NewGrounds new games system. There's still an equal amount of new games coming in each day and now they've drastically been able to get rid of the spam from Under Judgement. So now I'll be focusing still on 2 reviews a week, choosing the games on the first page with the most appealing name and pictures in my opinion.
General:
Design (4/5 levels) - It was a pretty fun game overall. Some levels were made to feel awesome which I really like. Other than that, the suggestions and tips before each level are pretty hilarious at times.
Audio (4/5 beats) - Loved the sound, especially since you mention its original. I think there could be more of a variation because this particular sound is just repeated on and on. However, its coherent with the game itself, good job!
Mechanics (4.5/5 powerups) - Absolutely loved the powerup system. Especially how you can have multiple projectiles at once. Just wish the player had more control over which ones he/she picked. Maybe it can be a customizable thing in the future.
Art (2/5 sprites) - The art itself was coherent throughout the game its just that it felt a little amateur.
Emoview:
Can't pause (2/5 buttons) - Despite being able to stop the game to skip the level. I would love to have had a button to exit out to the main menu again once in game instead of having to complete the level.
Bugs (3/5 glitches) - The reason this is rated 3 is because I didn't face many. Sometimes I'd die even if I wasn't really stuck which was a little annoying but that was about it.
Power (5/5 bombs) - You can really feel the power surging through as you collect multiple projectile powerups and start to destroy everything.
Verdict:
It's an overall very fun shoot-em-up side scroller with lots of potential.
Bomb all the terrain for yourself right here: Chopterfury
Bugs (3/5 glitches) - The reason this is rated 3 is because I didn't face many. Sometimes I'd die even if I wasn't really stuck which was a little annoying but that was about it.
Power (5/5 bombs) - You can really feel the power surging through as you collect multiple projectile powerups and start to destroy everything.
Verdict:
It's an overall very fun shoot-em-up side scroller with lots of potential.
Bomb all the terrain for yourself right here: Chopterfury
Monday, February 15, 2016
Madness Adventure DEMO (Platformer)
I know it's just a demo but I believe you could avoid and learn from some of the common design flaws in platformers.
General:
Design (2/5 platform) - The game just has all the mechanics of a very basic platformer. The UI was a little amateur as well. Lastly, you should consider adding instructions, never assume the player knows the buttons for the game.
Audio (3/5 backgrounds) - I really liked the background music and I think it fit well with the game. However, there wasn't any audio anywhere else like in the title screen or any sound effects when dying.
Mechanics (1/5 jumps) - As I mentioned, you have the very basic mechanics. You need your game to stand out from the whole ocean of platformers already out there.
Art (1/5 crosses) - I'm sure you can do much better for all the art in this game!
Emoview:
No progression (1/5 balls) - It got boring pretty quickly for me. The game introduced two new enemies but then it lost the challenge. I suggest you make it harder over time for the player by either adding more of the initial obstacles introduced or introducing new ones. You should also add some checkpoints.
Cling (1.5/5 walls) - I could cling to the sides of the platforms and rise anyway which I doubt is meant to be a feature.
Shock (2/5 songs) - I like the background as I mentioned earlier but it gave me a huge shock at the start because of how loud and sudden the beginning was. Not to mention, I didn't expect there to be any music since it was absolutely silent before that.
Verdict:
You have the basics down, now its time to make your game stand out and polish it to perfection. Good luck!
Jump around for yourself right here: Madness Adventure DEMO
General:
Design (2/5 platform) - The game just has all the mechanics of a very basic platformer. The UI was a little amateur as well. Lastly, you should consider adding instructions, never assume the player knows the buttons for the game.
Audio (3/5 backgrounds) - I really liked the background music and I think it fit well with the game. However, there wasn't any audio anywhere else like in the title screen or any sound effects when dying.
Mechanics (1/5 jumps) - As I mentioned, you have the very basic mechanics. You need your game to stand out from the whole ocean of platformers already out there.
Art (1/5 crosses) - I'm sure you can do much better for all the art in this game!
Emoview:
No progression (1/5 balls) - It got boring pretty quickly for me. The game introduced two new enemies but then it lost the challenge. I suggest you make it harder over time for the player by either adding more of the initial obstacles introduced or introducing new ones. You should also add some checkpoints.
Cling (1.5/5 walls) - I could cling to the sides of the platforms and rise anyway which I doubt is meant to be a feature.
Shock (2/5 songs) - I like the background as I mentioned earlier but it gave me a huge shock at the start because of how loud and sudden the beginning was. Not to mention, I didn't expect there to be any music since it was absolutely silent before that.
Verdict:
You have the basics down, now its time to make your game stand out and polish it to perfection. Good luck!
Jump around for yourself right here: Madness Adventure DEMO
Eruption 01: The return to Cucken (Action)
Just a typical happy day coming home after a good frisbee training when I realize the only game on the Newgrounds Under Judgement page happens to be a rage game. Well... so much for that happy day.
General:
Design (2/5 enemies) - I think there are some cool mechanics but I believe a lot could be improved with the overall design like I'll explain later on in this review.
Audio (3/5 beeps) - Definitely fits the style of this game, from the sound effects to the background music. It would be better if the background music was more pumped up since it's an action game after all. Not to mention all the sounds get repetitive after some time. Some variation of pitch in the enemy death sounds would help.
Mechanics (3/5 z-keys) - I like the point system but I believe it could be improved. It is however, pretty hard to shoot the enemies at all, it makes the gun seem much less important (although the shield-like extra life was a nice touch).
Art (1/5 guns) - It was pretty hard to see the score in the background and to be honest it was quite hard to tell the things apart at first. Despite being a rage game, the player should be able to clearly tell what a gun is and go after it.
Emoview:
Unclear (1/5 instructions) - I didn't know I could move till after my second death purely because the instructions didn't specify that I should or could. Other than that, I was under the assumption that I could shoot at will but I didn't know I needed a gun. Also I had to really figure out the point system for myself after a while. I ended up more confused than I was enraged.
No progress (2/5 deaths) - You have some work to do on the level design that would make it a much more fun game. The player really can't move from any of the platforms smoothly. If you make them all accessible by jump the player can get into better and more strategic positions to keep killing and progressing in the game. The enemies flow out at quite a constant rate too so every time I kill one of em I end up back on the same point because I fall to the platform.
Verdict:
I honestly think that this game has a huge amount of potential because it could be a very fun, more strategic action platformer instead of just a platformer like many other rage games out there. Hope to see more of it! Gambateh!
Rage out all you want right here: Eruption 01: The return to Cucken
General:
Design (2/5 enemies) - I think there are some cool mechanics but I believe a lot could be improved with the overall design like I'll explain later on in this review.
Audio (3/5 beeps) - Definitely fits the style of this game, from the sound effects to the background music. It would be better if the background music was more pumped up since it's an action game after all. Not to mention all the sounds get repetitive after some time. Some variation of pitch in the enemy death sounds would help.
Mechanics (3/5 z-keys) - I like the point system but I believe it could be improved. It is however, pretty hard to shoot the enemies at all, it makes the gun seem much less important (although the shield-like extra life was a nice touch).
Art (1/5 guns) - It was pretty hard to see the score in the background and to be honest it was quite hard to tell the things apart at first. Despite being a rage game, the player should be able to clearly tell what a gun is and go after it.
Emoview:
Unclear (1/5 instructions) - I didn't know I could move till after my second death purely because the instructions didn't specify that I should or could. Other than that, I was under the assumption that I could shoot at will but I didn't know I needed a gun. Also I had to really figure out the point system for myself after a while. I ended up more confused than I was enraged.
No progress (2/5 deaths) - You have some work to do on the level design that would make it a much more fun game. The player really can't move from any of the platforms smoothly. If you make them all accessible by jump the player can get into better and more strategic positions to keep killing and progressing in the game. The enemies flow out at quite a constant rate too so every time I kill one of em I end up back on the same point because I fall to the platform.
Verdict:
I honestly think that this game has a huge amount of potential because it could be a very fun, more strategic action platformer instead of just a platformer like many other rage games out there. Hope to see more of it! Gambateh!
Rage out all you want right here: Eruption 01: The return to Cucken
Friday, February 12, 2016
Grumpy Turtle (Arcade)
I'm just going to put it straight out there: The music in this game is seriously creeping me out. I know it's a scary forest and everything but damn there should be a warning label for that soundtrack.
General:
Design (1/5 jumps) - The design of the game could use some improvements which I will specify later on.
Audio (2/5 creeps) - As I mentioned, I got the creeps just from listening, I firmly believe you could find a better soundtrack to set the atmosphere for this game especially with a cute turtle being your star. Not to mention, the fish and sword sounds could use some tweaking to be more coherent with the overall atmosphere.
Mechanics (3/5 fishes) - To be fair, I think most of the mechanics in these kind of games are more or less the same and you have that mostly down. Just work on the implementation.
Art (2/5 castles) - The turtle's animation is rough and the background could definitely be better as something the user wants to strive to see.
Emoview:
Unfair (1/5 swords) - Some times it is out of pure luck that I get as far as I do and then at some parts I have absolutely no way of continuing no matter my skill level. It becomes more a game of luck this way which I think needs to be changed. You could always check out how your competitors like doodle jump have implemented their game mechanics to make the player always feel in control.
Slow Progress? (2/5 turtles) - I understand the you are a turtle and all but I think, at least with the current mechanics, that the turtle could follow the mouse fully instead of slowing moving towards that location. Other than that, it feels awesome in some games to have a huge boost when collecting multiple fish because you get to shoot straight up. However, this game limits you to its screen that's slowly progressing upwards, I think you could take some ideas from that.
Verdict:
Long way to go but at the very least you have the mechanics sorted out. Don't give up!
Fly your own turtle to the top right here: Grumpy Turtle
General:
Design (1/5 jumps) - The design of the game could use some improvements which I will specify later on.
Audio (2/5 creeps) - As I mentioned, I got the creeps just from listening, I firmly believe you could find a better soundtrack to set the atmosphere for this game especially with a cute turtle being your star. Not to mention, the fish and sword sounds could use some tweaking to be more coherent with the overall atmosphere.
Mechanics (3/5 fishes) - To be fair, I think most of the mechanics in these kind of games are more or less the same and you have that mostly down. Just work on the implementation.
Art (2/5 castles) - The turtle's animation is rough and the background could definitely be better as something the user wants to strive to see.
Emoview:
Unfair (1/5 swords) - Some times it is out of pure luck that I get as far as I do and then at some parts I have absolutely no way of continuing no matter my skill level. It becomes more a game of luck this way which I think needs to be changed. You could always check out how your competitors like doodle jump have implemented their game mechanics to make the player always feel in control.
Slow Progress? (2/5 turtles) - I understand the you are a turtle and all but I think, at least with the current mechanics, that the turtle could follow the mouse fully instead of slowing moving towards that location. Other than that, it feels awesome in some games to have a huge boost when collecting multiple fish because you get to shoot straight up. However, this game limits you to its screen that's slowly progressing upwards, I think you could take some ideas from that.
Verdict:
Long way to go but at the very least you have the mechanics sorted out. Don't give up!
Fly your own turtle to the top right here: Grumpy Turtle
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