Plasmarift's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Pride and Punishment]

*Bug*
I don't know if everyone else is having this problem, but once I reach the end of the last room before the boss and I try to go to the right off screen to trigger the green flash to take me to the boss room, I just fall off the edge and get a game over screen. Then, when I press retry, I end up in the boss room and the boss isn't moving (he's in like a standing animation) and my arrows go right through him without damaging him. I can also walk through the wooden gate in the boss room on the far right and I (again) will get a game over screen. Then, when I press retry, I get a screen where my three hearts are flashing, a brown background, a grey floor, and an arrow meter in the upper right corner filled to capacity (with no hero insight).

I like the game (even though it is probably pretty short). I really hope this gets fixed. I want to see how this ends.

glitchs2d responds:

Don't worry it's not a bug, its just not finished. I'm balancing the boss fight at the moment trying to make it beatable for the average player. I will probably release the update tonight, more than likely.

[Perdition]

I'm a little sad because this game really has the potential to be something great, but with the game problems and level layout, it is taking away from that, but before I go into specifics, I want to point something out. This is extremely similar to Gyossait in graphics and presentation, and the game Loved slightly by the storyline, especially at the beginning, but I am mainly concerned with the game problems (I'll go into the similarities last).

For the actual problems (like others have pointed out):
- The game freezes frequently, especially when shooting the gun.
- If you pause while floating back to a respawn point, you will remain in the spot you paused at after unpausing.
- The autosave pushes you too far back when freezes occurs so often. A manual save probably would have been better.
- Multiple endings are cool, but I think
- *Spoilers* I am right now trying to ascend the tower to face the deity that referred to me as a slave. I have found a way to reach the switch on the right, but not the one on the left because I can't get passed the part where there is a large cliff I would need to reach in order to make my way to the switch. I went up to the top level and there is a giant floating halo thing, but collecting it doesn't seem to do anything except transport me back to the beginning of the tower. Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug of some kind?

Still, the game is good and I'd love to play it through all four endings. I just don't want to have to refresh the page every 5 minutes to do it.

Now for the extreme similarities:
(Forgive me if you are the creator of Gyossait under a different account though if you are a different person extending the game yourself into a similar story, you should give credit where credit is due in the description or Credits page, which I haven't seen yet).
- The opening animation, though different, bares a striking resemblance to the other game, especially with the slow movement.
- The blinking collectable gun.
- The shaking and demonic sounds when you are killed.
- The fact it was made with Stencyl
- The main character's white, alien like appearance.
- The red, blinking text.
- The shooting enemies all look like the main character from Gyossait when he gets his gun (and they shoot the same bullets).
- Both games have more than one ending (with this game and other both giving the option to kill what is assumed to be a deity).

Carrill responds:

I am not Amon26 on a different account. I was merely inspired by the visual aesthetic of Gyossait. That being said, I think that a lot of the similarities you point out are merely surface level. For example, lots of characters in indie games are the color white. Gomez from FEZ is an example. Screen shakes are a common tool used to create satisfaction when the player performs an action. Other than this, there's a lot about this game that's my own. That being said, I've added Amon26 as an inspiration.

As for ascending the tower, once you've collected the cross Gomadi tells you to return underground. You must head to the lowest level of the area.

[Blake Strongflank Escapes]

I would seriously suggest adding in an alternate button for jumping like z or x (it's not impossible to beat the game using one hand, but the use of my other hand would have helped). The game runs smoothly, I like the story, and I also like dynamics of the wall jumping and air jumping put together to beat the levels. The minimalistic graphics are a drawback though (especially when all you needed was animated main character and lava or spikes for the red blocks, no offense though).

I did have trouble on the last two because of the reason I mentioned above and also, it was tough for me to wall jump when falling at high speeds because it was hard to see if I was pressed up against the wall and when to wall jump because by the time I hit the button, it was too late usually. I really seemed like it just wasn't working for me at times, but I'm sure this falls on me and not you.

I hope to see a sequel of some kind in the future. Good luck in the contest :)

almostnot responds:

Hey, thanks for playing and for the great feedback. In the future I'd like to add in totally mappable buttons, it's just down to me spending more time and learning more of Construct2.

I take the point on the visuals. I tried out a few styles but nothing seemed to work without a complete overhaul. I'd love it to have a really awesome pixel art style in the future but that'd require someone with much better art skills than me.

The wall jumps falling at high speed was planning to be the single hardest move in the whole game so I guess I should be glad it's tough. Sometimes you need to make sure you're really hugging the wall before you jump off it.

Blake will RETURN!

[Night Strike Infiltrators]

I'm pretty sure there is something very wrong with this game. I can't see the platforms: only the main character, enemies, ladder, forcefields, and background I can see. I'm pretty sure I should be able to see the platforms I'm walking on, right? Does it matter that I am playing on the Safari search engine?

There is no sound, but I'm not sure if this is a bug or that there isn't any (if there wasn't any to begin with, then I say it could use some). The game seems to work good, but it is kind of hard to navigate when you don't know where you are going.

Wolod responds:

I tested game today on Safari 5.1.7 for Windows (I don't have Mac) and it works fine. It seems that you have some troubles with WebGL.

[Hangman's Wife]

Definitely interesting. Kind of wish there was more to it like an open area to explore or the story leading up to it.

I'm mostly commenting to tell you that you can just press the tab button and hold down the Enter key to get a high score. You might want to fix that.

Kolumbo responds:

ohhhhhhh snap, thanks!

[Lone Ghost & Cat]

The game concept and puzzle mechanic is great, but there are problems, specifically with the challenge.

Problems
- In many of the levels, including some of the last ones, the difficulty is way too easy (I was able to just walk straight to the door on some levels). now, if you were required to bring the cat with you, then the difficulty would go up, but as it is now, the cat is expendable and I can drain all the life out of it I want to beat the level (unless there is an alternate ending that I am missing).
- The story seems like it would be interesting, but it is not explained. Is the character in a retirement home? (that would explain all the old ladies). Is everyone a ghost and is that why they can absorb my energy? Why can the cat absorb their energy yet I can't take theirs? Am I actually a ghost or do I only become one with my energy taken away? Why do they seem hostile toward the main character? Why is the bus at the end flying? What was with that weird tongue monster? Is this all taking place in the afterlife? All questions I'm still unclear on.
- This one goes back to the unexplained story. The controls and goals themselves are not clearly explained. These can be figured (although everything seemed very odd at first with the door in the wall closing up) though I thought the "petting the cat" mechanic was only for entertainment. I didn't connect it with the fact that the cat would follow me if I only petted it ONCE.
- The game was also short, but this isn't a huge problem (I know this is your first game). I was more so just disappointed that it had too end so soon.
- The tongue elevator was a good idea though the guy wiggling his feet while it is going up just looks weird. It seems like it would be controller if he stood still, but that's just me.
- I'd encourage a menu screen and pause button in your next game for access to instructions and credits among other things. Not really necessary for this game though.

Good
- The controls and environment were great. I loved the perspective for the over world and for the levels (it reminds me of old school 90's games).
- The graphic are pretty good (especially the distortion used for ghosts) and although I already said something along these lines, I really like the concept and gameplay.
- The music was also fitting. It had a nice spooky yet techno feel to it. The sound effects were also good.

I do like the game despite my complaints and I look forward to your next. Good job!

PhilllChabbb responds:

Hello Plasmarift,

First of all, thanks for all the feedback. It's really hard to accurately change your perspective to what someone else might see, and you've given me just that. A crucial ingredient to grow. :)

So many issues you've bring up did pop-up in my mind. I can't use "it's my first game" as an excuse for all of them, but it did affect my design process in a way. The unknowing part of it. Only realizing now some of the issues.

The difficulty curve is really out of whack. It's true some levels were easier, like the one where you could just walk to the exit. This was an experiment in letting the player chose what to do without rewarding the action. Maybe the action itself was the reward? Most of them was bringing the cat to the exit or not. I'm a big fan of letting player choice be worthwhile and meaningful. Not just a static do this (maybe) meaningless action to get a reward. I might of not executed those levels well, but it's a little level up in that area. :)

For the story aspect of the game, you are 100% correct. You've actually made me think more about it and what ended up in the game. Since it was my first game, learning to program, to play piano, to compose music and trying to design a game for the first time kinda took more energy and the % of my time. So the story did in fact lack a lot. My only knowledge of story telling is the pace and "show don't tell". So it's something I must work on for the next games. Once I'm more comfortable in an area can move in the next to improve the skills (hopefully!).

And I feel the same way about the game length and menu/pause options. Glad to be on the same pace.

Overall it's been a great experience working on this game. And, again, a huge thanks for playing and helping me grow with your feedback. :D I'm also looking forwards to my next game! Haha. :)

Phil

[The Valley Rule]

A very beautiful game. The sound effects (except for the jump sound) were great and the game felt very relaxing because of them. The power ups worked well together and the environment was beautiful, yet old and desolate. Although the puzzles weren't really tough, the maneuvering required to scale cliff was difficult yet fun once you got used to it (you should have seen me flying up those cliffs).

There really wasn't much of a story though and the name itself isn't really explain (if the game was meant to take place in a valley, then the environment did not convey this. It looked like a temple). Though I can't take off too many points for this because games don't need stories to be good and this could be seen as an art game, where the conclusions as to the story are left up to the player. Also, does the girl have red ears or is that a bow in her hair?

Very good job. my only regret is that it was so short. I encourage you to make a sequel to this and I'd be glad to help in any way if you need it (writing, beta testing, voice acting, level design). I may contact you in the future for questions on Stencyl since you seem to have a firm grasp on using it (especially on the small shrubs and grass). Good luck in the contest and good luck on your future projects.

Raiyumi responds:

Thanks!

Yeah, the name is a bit weird for what it is. We had a lot more planned for the overworld and lore, but we had to cut it short, unfortunately. :(

[30 Days Remain]

It's definitely a tough game. You can get through it without losing any places, but it is tough (I almost did), but I just think it is ridiculous that if one of them is overlapping a person that I can't get them without hitting a citizen. Sometimes, there are just too many people on screen to get in a clean shoot. Still, I like the game and the idea. By the way, if none of the places are lost by the end, is there a different ending?

koe415 responds:

Yeah, there's three endings based on how many locations are lost when you reach day 30. Thanks for playing!

[RaggaMuffin]

I can see your art improving with every game (you really like food, don't you?) The game was very well put together and challenging in some parts as well. There are a few bugs, where on the moving platforms, there are times you are unable to jump unless you are moving on it (you can't jump on it when you are standing still). The game was awesome and love the jokes and things you put into this. Keep up the great work!

Munguia responds:

Thanks Plasmarift, yes i like food, who doesnt? i will try to fix the move platform stuff, :)

[StarBright]

I liked the game. It was a fun little challenging game at times though there are some problems. Sometimes, the rotating saws will stop mid-air when you are not directly near them and the only bug I came across was once glitching through a grass wall, but I was able to come back out without a problem. Also, having to restart the level from the beginning after getting a star becomes annoying when it would've taken less time to get the second star in some levels without restarting.

By the way, I found six of the runes, one in every level with stars to get in them, but you say there are seven and the only level left is the final level where the stars get displayed and I've looked everywhere in that level. Is there more than one rune in a level that I missed?

SirNightOwl responds:

Hey thanks for the review! Yeah the saws do stop in your just under a screen width as to do it so they are constantly rotating can cause lag :(

You were correct about the runes! My mistake, updated the file and the 7th rune is in front of the spawn on the final level, glad you liked the game enough to gather them all, hopefully it was a bit of a challenge :)