The-Great-One's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Running out of Power Inc.]

And Nothing of Importance Was Lost That Day

This game just pissed me right the fuck off. Let's start from the top. I love how instead of music or silence we get just white noise, which I thought was cool and gave the game an ominous feel to it. The presentation was simplistic, you could make out the basics of an office complex. The story I actually kind of liked, except the ending sucked because no matter the path you took or the action you took, nothing happened at the end. I understand you got 48 hours and anything made in that time is ambitious. It doesn't excuse the lackluster ending though. I thought, well if I do this maybe there will be a different outcome... but there isn't. The controls are stiff which isn't too bad until you introduce the spike hazards which are... pointless. The introduction to them was okay, until the next room with them where you have to make a pixel perfect jump to get passed them. Replaying the game to see if there was a different ending based on a different path was awful. It just filled me with rage. Then the room with the text "I had a great time here" must have been some sick joke on your part or part of the story in the message being a lie. I'd believe both honestly because just a drop down into a spike room and another pixel perfect jump to get to the door. Overall the game wasn't that great. I mean come on, I remember playing Shword, a game you did in 7 days, which I absolutely loved.

|| Cheers ||
*Good Presentation
*Good Sound
*Great Music
*Good Story
*Okay Controls

|| Jeers ||
*Bad Gameplay

[1 Minute Personality Test]

Evaluation: Awesome Game

It took me a minute to realize that the NPCs are randomly generated, once I had that figured out it became all about what I could do within the game. What if I did this, this and this, what result would I get. One thing I found out was if you kill the hostage and defuse the correct bomb, then the game's music will stop, but the game will keep going. It won't end for some reason. If I leave the building and go eat ice cream afterwards, then the bomb will explode. Weird.

The game looks simple, but I figure that's what you were going for in a way. We're playing a personality test. The music was good and the sound effects were nice to. I loved all of the different evaluations, they were funny and got me to laugh. I ended up getting all of the medals! I want to see more from you!

|| Cheers ||
*Superb Presentation
*Great Music
*Great Sound
*Masterful Concept
*Masterful Controls
*Masterful Gameplay

|| Jeers ||
(none)

[Shword]

Shword From Sha Shtone!

I want to start off by saying I loved how this game looked. It was simplistic and crude, yet engaging at the same time. Minimalism is one of my favorite traits and I love the armed turtles and psychotic destruction of the adorable walking enemies. The music and sound effects were both spot on. There wasn't really a story to this game, which I would have liked to be honest due to the world we're in. The gameplay though was absolutely amazing. It was like a simplified portal, but with more focus on the platforming aspect than the puzzle solving. I noticed after I had beaten a level that I could go back and beat it a different way. I really wished that this game was longer because I was really getting into it. Kudos to you sir! Can't wait to see more!

|| Cheers ||
*Masterful Presentation
*Superb Sound
*Superb Music
*Great Concept
*Masterful Controls
*Masterful Gameplay

|| Jeers ||
(none)

[Authentic Octopus Game (Demo)]

Game Boy Octopus

I wanna start off by saying that I love the dialogue in this game. It was witty and fun. Although not always clear as to the characters being here or the ordeal of the area I can excuse this because it is indeed a demo and not fully fleshed out.

The gameplay is fun, but the controls certainly were not. A to jump, S to shoot your weapon, D to switch weapons, and F to interact with stuff were all fine, but why do I need to push a separate button to do my double jump? I like that the double jump also equals as an air dodge that is a very clever idea, but I don't like that it is tricky to full off. Why couldn't I just push A twice?

The music is fun and takes me back to playing a Game Boy. That along with the presentation. I like the part where I am shown the future. It is like advertising your game as well as showing you what is to come. Quite the combo without taking the player out of the immersion. All in all, this was a very fun game.

|| Cheers ||
*Superb Presentation
*Superb Sound
*Superb Music
*Great Concept
*Good Controls
*Superb Gameplay

|| Jeers ||
*Controls - Extra Button For No Reason

squidly responds:

Well the interesting part is that there already IS another double jump that you need to press A to use. The final thing here is that you actually get 3 jumps, with the air dodge typically being your last because it puts you into a helpless state.

Thank you so much for the review!

[Jamming with Grandma]

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Usually games that look like this on Newgrounds tend to get unsavory reviews and responses and are usually wiped off by their looks alone. I at least attempt them and I wasn't disappointed thankfully. The presentation does have this vibe of kid friendliness to it... that was until a guy kidnapped me, put me in a room with an explosive (even though it wasn't one it was the most intense thing I've seen in a game with this kind of style), and then there is a kid dressed like Freddy Krueger outside in which I later learn that his glove consists of real blades... for a YouTube prank? This was the kind of madness I was reveling in!

The puzzles were pretty easy for the most part, although the safe combinations were what stumped me. It took me a while, but I got it, which I must say I was impressed with. Okay somebody else is probably reading this and thinking "dude, that was easy" and yeah, but I've seen harder point and click adventure games that have had others stumped on what to do that I easily figure out. In this case this one got me stumped. I must say there were even certain parts of the dialogue that had me laughing. All in all, it was a fun game!

|| Cheers ||
*Great Presentation
*Great Controls
*Great Gameplay
*Great Sound
*Great Music
*Superb Voice
*Great Story

|| Jeers ||
(none)

[Epix Quest - Minigame I]

Heart-Pounding Action

Woo... that had me going for long time. My score was 399 at the end of it. Well let's take a look at it. The intro was nice and gave me a light chuckle. Then I come to a screen where I have to enter my name and I do, which I like the little typewriter sound effect when doing so, a nice touch that wasn't needed, but appreciated.

The game loads up and all I have to do is collect treasure chests. Starts out kind of boring really, but then some spikes appear... which no big deal for me, then boulders start rolling which at first the sound of effect of the boulder rolling and crashing was getting on my nerves. Then we have walls moving and the boulders moving faster at which point I was more than happy about the boulders loud noises to alert me to their appearance. Afterwards chests started appearing on the spikes which had me really tense. I was on the edge of my seat while playing which I can tell you I haven't had a Newgrounds game do that for me in a while. I was completely invested in everything.

The presentation isn't much to look at it, the chests honestly look like doors, other than that though it does get a pass, I know what everything is supposed to be and what is going on so it's a simplistic style choice that has no meaning other than to look neat and that I can appreciate, because there is still a game here, a good one at that.

There is no music to be found here and I can't decide on whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. Ultimately it isn't needed, but at the same time it would have been nice for it to be an option at the very least.

The controls were tight and responsive and the game introduced elements to you slowly overtime so when I died it was my fault not the game's, I got too wily in trying to get that chest and I didn't account for the possibility of a boulder even though I felt like I was in a gumball machine that was being fed quarters by a child with ADHD with too many damn quarters!

Overall it was fun!

|| Cheers ||
*Good Presentation
*Great Sound
*Superb Concept
*Superb Controls
*Masterful Gameplay

|| Jeers ||
(none)

DragonHeadStudio responds:

You got the game! Thank You! :D
(Have some secret easter eggs inner)

[Uncontrollable]

Level 19 Is Where I Stopped

I just couldn't go any further. I love this idea and other games have done this better such as Karoshi:Suicide Salaryman, Tower of Heaven, and The Unfair Platformer. I'll start with the positives though and work my way down.

Again I love the idea of a level changing the rules on you throughout it so you can adapt to it, however my problem wasn't figuring stuff out, it was how the levels were designed. Truthfully once I did figure it out I felt rather silly and it gave me that "Oh" moment, however that mostly stemmed from just running my hand across the keyboard until I saw something happen. That's not clever, that's annoying, but the true annoying thing came with two things.

One was at the catapult level, which I liked the idea of, but came to realize that this little square seems to have less than stellar traction so it would slide, which ended up killing me when I stuck the landing. I wouldn't have a problem with this, but it seems that some levels I have good traction and others I don't either that or this game made me extremely paranoid.

I stopped at Level 19, that was the level of just the level design showing its true colors. Jumping around these spikes is a nightmare. It is best to just imagine an extra spike on each side of the spikes because if your jump isn't pixel perfect then you will die and trying to make this kind of jump within a narrow area with a ceiling while your square is constantly jumping and you have to move it correctly brought me to a boiling point. I noticed in your description that you fixed an error in Level 19, well I'm glad I didn't see it because then I would've been really pissed.

There are extra collectibles along the way, but I stopped caring about those a long time ago. There is no real incentive to get them because if you get them and die you still get to keep them and I don't even know what they do.

The sound effects were passable and the music choice was nice at first, but it just slowly droned on me as I kept going. A variety would have been nice.

The overall presentation of this game is absolutely dull in which case I don't mind usually, but a little bit more flavor would have been nice to make it pop more. The font also could have been a bit bolder to make it easier to read, that's just a nitpick though.

All in all, a fun start, a middle ground with some headache, and an unsatisfying finish.

|| Cheers ||
*Okay Presentation
*Good Music
*Good Sound
*Good Controls
*Great Concept

|| Jeers ||
*Bad Gameplay - Level Design

[Look at your Feet]

Don't Wanna Walk in Your Shoes

I tried to play this game on three different occasions each one irritating me each time. I read the description first where it said "A little art game" which I have nothing against as long as it isn't pretentious, then I get a nice little message from you where you dedicate the game to yourself to help you remember that you shouldn't look away.

I digress though, let's talk about the game a little bit. I like how you start with a small tutorial of putting the shoe together in which case you have to be pixel perfect, putting that shoe together is easy enough though. The controls worked well, but then again it is merely point and click to a precise level. When I get to the first shoe I just cannot get it put together. I swear from zooming in to zooming out it matches the picture perfectly. I figured though it is pixel perfect so perhaps I'll just take the shoe apart and try again. Which I did... and I got nowhere. I don't know what you're asking me for, but all I know is that it aggravated me to the point of just not caring about the game or your pretentious little message.

I can't imagine being timed while putting together these shoes, which I get is your point - factory workers though have an easier time than this game. I will say that it does look, the factory workers in the background look nice, the shoes look good, and overall the aesthetic pulls me in... the gameplay took me out of it. Also this nice sweet little song also drew me out. I am supposed to be immersed, and this fails to do so.

|| Cheers ||
*Great Presentation
*Good Sound
*Great Controls

|| Bad Points ||
*Bad Concept
*Bad Music - Not Fitting
*Bad Gameplay

[The Valley Rule]

Knytt Stories?

First impressions this looks rather intriguing. I loved the music and the atmospheric noises with the water streams and birds flying, it was nice. I get a power up that let's me climb and I realize it's just a wall jump really. I instantly think I'm playing Knytt Stories and that would be further confirmed when I picked up an air jump power which is just another way of saying double jump. I am finding triangles that will go towards opening a door at the end.

The concept is just a Knytt Stories clone to be honest, which wouldn't have been as bad if something more interesting was done with it. The controls are fluent and respond quite well. That's pretty much it there in the technical points.

The gameplay is good though except for that last part is a giant wall to scale and this is where I drew the line. Climbing up this wall was not easy and not fun. You can make something difficult and challenging, this went too far. It reminded me why I didn't like fan made levels for Knytt Stories. One slip and it is back down to the bottom to try again. That didn't make me appreciate any skill I put into the game, it was just lazy design at that point, especially when you get to the top of the cliff where there is just one space to jump and you have to hit it right because if you don't, you're doing it again. I noticed in your description that you say you added a save point at the top of the cliff, that doesn't excuse it though. The presentation of the game as a whole was beautiful though even though I had no idea where I was until I read the description, I am beneath the surface. How did I get there? Why am I there? Who is my character? What is my character? I got nothing, but just a game.

This game did seem a bit boring and short for my tastes, I know you had a small time frame to make it, but I've seen better stuff made in 48 hours. I understand this was made for a Ludum Dare and the theme was Beneath the Surface, you could have done much more with this.

|| Cheers ||
*Great Presentation
*Great Music
*Great Sound
*Great Control

|| Jeers ||
*Bad Concept
*Bad Gameplay

[Goomy: to the Rainbow!]

This is quite interesting I'll give it that. The characters called Goomys I must say are quite adorable. The worlds that they're in is also adorable, however it lacks any real depth since each area is nothing more than a pallet swap. The power ups I'm not sure what they are or what they do. Some more clarification would be nice, like perhaps a tutorial level or something in the menu to describe the power ups. There really is no story, just a bunch of Goomys going to the Rainbow Land. Why? I don't know because you didn't tell me. The music is okay, it is bouncy and cute, I think you had some missed opportunities though. The sound effects are nice and fit well. The controls are really tight and responsive which I liked, however the gameplay got dull after a while. When I was going through the 2nd level I just got bored with this game. You have aesthetics down pat, there just needs to be more game here.

|| Cheers ||
*Great Artwork
*Great Animation
*Good Music
*Great Sound
*Superb Controls
*Okay Gameplay

|| Jeers ||
*Bad Story - Implied A Story (Had None)

ShimoneShimone responds:

Thank you for your feedback!
I am currently working on a help/tutorial that will also explains what the power ups do. I hope to finish it as soon as possible. I wish I could create a story (and that was the original planning) but I have a deadline (March 28th) and I am the only person who is working on this game, so unfortunately there was no time to create a story...

EDIT: Game updated with in-game help/tutorial!