Plasmarift's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lost Ethereal]

I like the game and I like that you don't shove a story down the player's throat (you can subtle pick up on what the story might be). I also like the art style and the puzzles. This could definitely be extended into a bigger game, but some things are needed and need to be fixed:
SPOILERS
- There is a glitch in your game. After beating it once and replaying it (without refreshing), once you reach the part where you need to shine light on the black creatures, shining light on one will cause the creature they're on to turn into a person and you get an item (as should happen), but it also leaves the last two black creatures floating in the area (you can still kill them, but there's no point to since you already have the item).
- Also, in the place where you put the 9 blue things, after placing the first one, the snake thing turns into a person and you get an item. If you try to place a second one, the game will freeze.
- The fact that you limit the player's movement to a specific path is kind of boring and annoying (there are a lot of things in sight that can't be reached, like the graves at the beginning). Allow the player the freedom to roam and perhaps add some interactions, like add a button that will allow the player to examine objects. It will make things more interesting.
- Also, I think the game would be better if you added a few enemies to liven it up. As much as I like the art style, moving through areas that you can't interact with and that don't have anything to offer will get boring quick.

Still, a very cool game. Good job in the contest and I look forward to your next game release.

thelucre responds:

Thanks for pointing out those bugs. I've fixed them in the latest upload. After all the feedback we are definitely going to pursue a larger game with deeper interactions.

[Alula Falling #5]

Man, that was a sad ending. Though I definitely like that this isn't another "Happily Ever After", it's more like a "Sadly Ever After", but that's just my opinion. I have some complaints with the game.
- I read the description and that you originally planned to have multiple endings. I wouldn't mind a single ending if you hadn't stated in the previous games that determining Alula's karma through kills would determine her fate. All the kills did was make the battles easier and didn't change Alula in any way. You didn't even change the text accordingly with whether or not you spared one of the unnamed characters (after beating them, Alula says "What a waste of a life" and "I'll avenge you").
- For the kill counter for Alula, it stopped at 9 and won't go up.
- Parts of the new set up on the battle screen are good: the intro where it shows you who you are facing was cool, but changing it so that the Star app was the default didn't seem like a good change.
Still, I really like the series. It was probably my favorite from all your other ones (with the interconnected storylines).

JackAstral responds:

Fixed those things up- thanks for pointing them out!

[Achillia: The Game]

Since a lot of the reviews pointed out the good in the game, I'm going to point out the problems I had.
- I don't think I can get the super combo to work. The closest thing I have come to find that could be considered a super combo would be when I attempt it: I strike once, fly up into the air, spin attacking and then come back down with a downward strike, which deals 12 damage. As good as that is, it's not enough. I still can't get gold on the level it teaches it to you so I must not be doing it right. You could have include a vision showing what it looks like or a tutorial manual that you can access at the menu to show you step by step how to do it.
- After level 10 (or even earlier), some of the bigger enemies stop getting knocked back by your attacks so you have to stop attacking and dodge (since you didn't put in any way to defend against attacks), but this is sometimes impossible because you place the player in such a small environment that it is often times impossible to dodge (you don't even allow the player to move backwards to areas they've been to in the level if there are no monsters left there).
- I don't think it was a good idea to set up an award system based on how fast you beat a level. There are some variables in this game that are outside of the player's control that can prevent them from getting the gold. For example, going back to the whole "enemies stop getting knocked back", they can just walk away from you while you're in the middle of a combo so you waste time moving toward them again and hitting them. Also, I've gone into levels where the number of enemies will vary, which again adds to the changing degree of difficulty. Basically, you are rewarding players for luck and skill in the later levels rather than pure talent. Right now, I'm about half way through the game at the last volcano level and I can't advance. If I am unable to get the awards on the levels I'm on now, what chance do I have in future levels? Had you added real upgrades that could be earned or bought then I would have the chance to progress. Instead (if a person is not as skilled as necessary to advance) they need to grind on older levels just to get potions to use in the upper levels, which they will use up, either by beating or failing the level, forcing them to go back and replay older levels to get more. At least when you're grinding for experience, you get to keep it.
- I don't see how the move set is supposed to help me at all. Most of them take down just about the same amount of health as a normal combo and they offer nothing else in return except for some of the attacks allowing you to hit flying enemies. You don't give a move to hit enemies on all sides, to hit enemies while you're dodging, to hit from a distance (you can't move even while doing one of these moves without canceling it). What's even worse is that the screw attack could get you out of a rough situation if you are surrounded or cornered except that you include so many enemies in the level, such as the boss volcano level (plus the lava geysers) that you can't get away from all of them and even worse, right after performing it, there's a brief moment where you can't move. (Going back to the boss volcano level, it is super overcrowded to the point that it starts causing lag. As it stands now, the best move that I can do is the basic combo and another strange one I stumbled across, but if I have any chance at succeeding, I need to attack, dodge, move forward, attack, and repeat over and over again until all enemies are dead.

You may think I hate this game, but that's far from true. I want to like this game. I like the art, the music, the mysterious story, and the main character. I just think it could have been executed better.

GuzuLigo responds:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! There is a lot to talk about there.
I don't really know how to make you a fair answer, so I made you a Video:
https://vimeo.com/165795198

Hope it helps you find the right tricks to enjoy the game better! Also, I guess you'll see why I ended up making game gets more difficult quickly. I actually tried to make next stages less difficult, but more challenging to get 3 stars, so you might not stuck at any... except for final boss. But I hope you'll like it!

[Cathode Raybits 2]

I like the game, but can you please give the player the option to disable the dash ability? I keep accidentally activating it and it kills me more often than the enemies do (Besides, what purpose does it serve? It doesn't make you go that much faster anyways and takes away control from you until after it deactivates)

Other than that, the game presents a difficulty that is seldom tried nowadays, which is good. The game nearly always offers you the ability to avoid damage if you're smart about your movements (it especially gives you these options as you acquire more weapons). Very good job on giving nearly all the enemies their own movement patterns and designs (it keeps the game from getting old).

And I'm old enough to recognize the style (hopefully others will be too) and I've so fat found no glitches. I'd gladly play through the whole game, but to get so far and then have the dash ability jet you into a pit, it just feels like I'm being cheated in that regard, even though no one else seems to have that problem.

Anyways, great game!

SinclairStrange responds:

I'll look into that, I could possibly disable that or map it too another key so that doesn't happen :) I'll prolly do that in a patch update :)

I'm glad other than that you enjoyed thee game! :D

[Argument With A Trump Supporter]

I like your games, but I wish you hadn't made it so easy to win the game (you almost have to go out of your way to lose). I know there are arguments that could have been brought up against Bernie Sanders (so I kind of felt it was a shame that you included some great facts in here about the problems America is experiencing yet didn't address both sides thoroughly. It could have been really enlightening and fun). Even if this was just a satire or you were trying to prove a point, what better way to do so than to acknowledge both the negatives and positives of the people you support?

Still, a good game, but like I may have suggested for your last game, I would really suggest putting in a reset feature and maybe a fast forward feature (in this case, to get to the debate instantly). Also, I'd suggest cutting out the beginning where there is just nothing happening and we have to wait for Jason and his mom to reach the gate. Good luck with your next project. I look forward to it!

Jasonario responds:

Always thanks for the suggestions! I want to improve a little with each and every one. I'll definitely consider a rest button for the next one. And yes, I'm aware it was biased. I debated inwardly about making it less biased, but I decided since it's more of an ongoing story of Jason's life, I'd rather keep it tailored towards his views, and not really worry about being totally fair. As for difficulty, you're right, I should have made it more difficult. The next one will be, I promise.

Anyway, thanks so much for your feedback. It really helps!

[You are the cube]

I usually don't feel the need to comment as much as I used to, but seeing that the commenter below me does not understand how the game works, I feel it is my duty to point it out.

You are a cube that cubes moving until you hit something. That is how it is supposed to work and that's what adds the difficulty.

As for what I think of the game, I do like it and I won't fault it much for the simpleness of the graphics (especially since it is your first on here and it seems like you were trying to create a fun challenging game and not a visual masterpiece). It certainly is challenging, but I found some problems with it:
- It seems like the level design could have been done better. There are too many loopholes that you can take to get around challenges, especially early on. It's both good and bad because a lot of puzzle games will only give you one option, but I have the feeling that this wasn't what you had in mind.
- If you fall off a ledge without jumping, you can still jump while in the air. I don't if you intended for that to be the case.
- I don't know why, but playing the game forces my computer to work pretty hard, which doesn't seem to make sense. I've played tons of games with a lot more going on both in visuals and in action. What's going on in the game that's causing this?
- Although it is a minor detail, try to make things like counters and level select screens more diverse and not just with plain text: this creates a type of disconnect where it makes it seem like I'm interacting with an application when I should be immersed in the game (also, it just comes off as laziness to some people, no offense).

Still, I had fun playing it and that's good. I look forward to your next game.

ShadowScout responds:

Hi Plasmarift,

thank you for your Feedback.

This game is indeed the very first one I publish.

The double jump feature is an intended one and allows you to find different ways solving a level.

I tried to make it possible to solve each level, after the first five, over at least three paths and maybe got kind of lost in that idea, which lead to the apperently weird level design.

I will look further into the described performance issues and improve it more.

[Sacred Chikin]

The game has an interestingly, weird concept (I'm guessing the main character is a bone duck. It looked cool) and having different ways or spots to get each or most flowers was pretty cool, but my problem is with the health system. You say the game is hard, but that's because you make the player restart to level 1 when they die when you could just restart them at the level they were on. To me, it seems like a cheap way to add difficulty, as it doesn't make the game itself hard, it just makes you be more careful, but even that is not enough. It only takes four mistakes, which are very easy to make (one mistake if you fall off a cliff), to cause a complete restart. I was actual interested to see the ending, but I'm not going through it again because it's not worth it. Maybe add in a function where successfully completing a level will grant one heart if the player had damage or have health packs in the level (or just remove the reset system altogether). Also, having to cut off the chicken's head and draw the star for the third time in a row got annoying so I'd suggest a skip button after the first time you do it. I wish you luck in your next project!

Psyduckfreak responds:

thanks for the feed back. I also thought of making a skip button but the them was Ritual so i thought making it repetitive would fit that. If i re pick up this project ill add.

[Basket & Ball]

The game is both unique and very difficult at times, especially if you are trying to get all the stars (level 28 took me the longest time to get all the stars). The only thing I would suggest is for the free shooter levels (where you have to launch yourself to the basket) to make the period that the ball is in play longer (I consider the ball out of play when it gets that annoyed look on its face). It seems like this happens way too early, especially when there is still a chance for the ball to go in and when I still have an hour glass launch token thingy. Other than that, great job!

suntemple responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I might add a manual restart button to the shootouts and extend the waiting time.

[TRANSGRESSION]

I wish I could give this a better score, but the biggest problem that I find with it is that the environment is way too dark; I can barely see the floors and walls in the game, if I'm able to see them at all (I've literally had to feel around, running into walls and jumping to find the right path). I'm sad to say this because I see the bright colors and backgrounds you used and I really like them, but not being able to see where I'm going is a big problem.
Other things that might need fixed/improved:
- the life bar, ammo, and whatever it is that is beneath it (it is never explained in game) should probably have a more decorated appearance, as they look like something you'd find in game based on keyboard letters and symbols (I've seen games that only use keyboard letters and symbols that were good, but it just doesn't fit in with the art style of the game)
- It makes it even tougher to navigate when the two characters behave strangely whenever they come into contact (if you run into clone 2, clone 2 will slide away as if he is on ice). It also doesn't help that there hit boxes are so big that one clone can be standing on top of the other without actually being in contact with them.
- I really think you should have put in an option to just play with one character as there is no challenge or benefit to having the second; it just comes off as annoying, having to traverse the same obstacles twice.
- This is just an idea, but you mention in the story that the police force is now disposable since they are all clones. Why not have it when one dies, the number for the clone goes from 201811420 to 201811421 to indicate that a new clone has taken his place.

The other comments seem to have covered similar points and I really hope to see the changes you mentioned in the other comments. I wish you good luck in your game developing.

AlexVsCoding responds:

This is a really really awesome piece of feedback and I appreciate your time taken to write this up. Literally as I write this the build is getting an update including:

- B to Toggle Brightness (Lightens the background slightly, enough to differentiate, let me know if it doesn't).
- Pause menu now has full list of controls available
- Players no longer collide with one another - This might cause some unforseen issues in the design of the game, but dealing with the sliding is priority (I can always pick up on smaller issues later on). Enemies will still be able to push you, but it'll take a good number of them to really have as much impact as the players did.

As for your other suggestions:
- Regarding single player option, unfortunately in this game the presence of 2 players is critical to the plot (Give the press kit a read for more details)
- Regarding the numbers as well, they need to remain those numbers specifically as they have subtle significance in the plot.

I'd strongly suggest you grab someone to give this game a go with - It's how the game was meant to be played! Thanks again for your comments!

[Gold Run]

The game is interesting, though it's lacking in some areas:
- I'd really appreciate an arrow keys and/or asdw control option in addition to the mouse/touch screen control option. For me, it's really hard to control the character with having to point somewhere for him to go to it.
- Once you get into the secret area, there's really no incentive to collect the gold coins since you don't need to to finish the level and doing so doesn't do anything for you. Now, if you could upgrade your character with the gold coins, buy cool costumes, unlock new levels, or even if the level just gave you a "secret found" achievement for finding the secret, this would give the player incentive to do this, especially if you were to enable newgrounds medals to be earned.
- It seems like you're really pushing for the secret areas, yet you don't specifically state to the player which one is better to try and get: the bag of gold or the secret.
- some better suited text for the timer and coin counter might help, although I couldn't tell you what would be a better fit; I just know that plain text usually doesn't look good on a game. It almost makes it look like a powerpoint.
- I'd really like there to be more interaction with the environment. you have fences, skeletons, houses, and a lot of stuff, yet they only serve as obstacles. Maybe give the player hiding spots where they can go to to hide from enemies, give the option to find a gun to shot enemies (for tablets and touch screens, just tell them to tap with two fingers to shoot or something).

As for the good qualities, I like the graphics and the idea behind it. I also like the fact that you made the character pretty slow, which makes you have to plan your next move ahead of time because you can't easily outrun the enemies, especially the buffalo (making the player trap the enemy behind places is also good). The music is also good. (I've actually never heard of the program Phaser so I may have to look into it)

I look forward to your next creation. Good luck!

Full2D responds:

Wow - thanks - it is helpfull for sure.
I made this game to lern Phaser,
and also it took only 1 month - so Im not expecting it to be a huge hit.
Also wanted to keep it simple, so few things are simlified, and some not developed enough.
But some of Your points I will keep in mind during next game development - and Im developeing now :-D
Next one will be platformer - there will be arrows stering and virtual joystick for mobiles - so expect better product overall.
;]