deletedTAMyStudios's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Party Bueno]

Better than any party I've ever been to!

When are you guys planning to release the soundtrack?

molkman responds:

Coming right up!

[Attack of The Land Shark]

10/10 Great soundtrack. I can't wait until the game is released!

[Freak o' Lantern]

This game is so close to being perfect!

So many good things to say. The controls are fluids and feel very natural. I love the upgrades, voice actors, animations, script, art, etc. The music is perfect, too! I mean, so much love was obviously put into this thing. I really appreciate being able to play something like this.

It's so easy to point out flaws, but let me give a little extra space for the good stuff because I tend to be really detailed in my critique. Awesome. Great job, guys. Please know that I really enjoyed this game while I played it. To each and every team member, thank you for giving me such an enjoyable thematic experience.

---

Okay, now onto things I didn't enjoy as much (relatively few):

* Upgrades. Except for a select few combinations, game play was slow, especially in later levels. Most upgrades were interesting in theory, but the majority of combinations were underpowered. For example, I found myself practically requiring candy magnet, improved speed and the mask in later levels. With only three equipment slots, that left me with little variety in play.

* Lack of (entertaining) variety. The introduction of bullies, the vast number of candies required to beat a level, the slow game pace and the relative uselessness of the hiding mechanic made other play styles far less entertaining. Maybe overlapping upgrade stats (ex: an upgrade that boosts more than one stat) would have made different combinations more useful?

((I can tell you guys put a lot of effort into the different NPC responses and whatnot - there's a ton of subtleties I'm not mentioning - and those make things better, but those only add value to what's already good about the game. Unfortunately, the less entertaining bits of a game always stand out in their own right.))

* Some mechanics underutilized in design. Once again, the game plays slowly, and due to the nature of kids always moving from right to left, and the later introduction of bullies (which can smash pumpkins), the game's design begs you to play the game quickly.

((Granted, I was going for perfect scores in levels, only because it was so easy to do up to a certain point that I became used to it. Perhaps this is a flaw in how I was playing. This makes hiding behind bushes not-very-useful. I kind of wish more was done with the concept.))

I really think that's it. This game could use one or all of the following:

* Put additional effort into where the focus was expanded - more useful upgrades, better use for hiding mechanics, some variety in play/game design to better utilize additional features

* More mechanics - trick or treating for real, vandalism, other stuff, I don't know, adding new mechanics could make things either way more fun or way less fun.

* Narrow and hone in focus - limit upgrades to a select few more useful ones, focus on other aspects of play, maybe focus on things such as timing, combos, or other things that can be made fun once the focus has been narrowed, eliminate unused mechanics, etc.

Overall, though, excellent experience. I hope this game or concept is worked on more in the future. Unfortunately, I got to the third zone and bored'd myself out of the game. Surprisingly, though, I feel as though a little additional effort would bring this game from a B+/A (on my personal scale, however valuable that is) to "I can't believe this is free! A++++ would play again!".

Thanks again! Keep on making awesome games!

Evil-Dog responds:

Thanks for the in depth and respectful review, that's a breath of fresh air next to a bunch of rambling idiots. I will say this, a game is as good as it's worst flaw, it's a saying in game design and it's very true. We were on a tight deadline to deliver the best game we could and I totally agree with most your points. We're planning a non holiday sequel to this game which will be a bigger, fuller more varied game. A full platformer with a lot more meat. This was a mere little halloween game, the best we could do in the limited time we had. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Enough Plumbers 2]

I hear some Cave Story influence in the music? Anyways, I thought this was a lot of fun. Personally, I think you did a great job :)

The puzzles were well thought-out, with the optional and final puzzles being really challenging but in interesting ways.

[Brawlin' Sailor]

Seriously, you guys rock. I don't know what else to say. You guys are so creative. Do you even mean to be? I mean, lots of people are creative. I'm creative. It's the implementation and coming up with one that's tough. 4 days? Seriously? Do you guys just sit around until a game idea comes to mind that can actually be implemented in that kind of time?

I don't know how you guys do it. Seems to me like magic. A+ great job.

molkman responds:

Thank you so much. We like to have lunch while thinking of ideas. That seems to be the best time.

[The cave of heroes]

Looks like so much effort was put into creating the assets, but not enough into polishing the user-interface. Really challenging, brilliant puzzles. Aside from the occasional glitch, this game was very enjoyable.

[Captain Robert]

My only issue with this game is my short attention span, and my fear that it's partially incomplete due to the tight time constraints. Here's why:

There's one glistening note (in the vents, by the plants) that I couldn't find no matter how hard I tried. Believe me, I tried. It was awkward to find an extra compartment of the ship just floating in blackness, though... No notes in it? Argh.

All I want is to know either how to get that glistening event or what happens when I get to it. Preferably the first thing.

[Pan Man]

I started playing this game and returned home after 20 years. I really liked the ending. You could imagine how annoying it was that this guy couldn't turn around.

molkman responds:

Don't foget yo family, man.

[Shape Adventures]

Unfortunately, I hit a few glitches and had to restart the game. It's crazy how this game is more fun and immersive than most of the "professional" content out on the market right now. It goes to show that with even a little bit of love and care, minimalist games can say a lot... to your heart.

Kolumbo responds:

True, thanks.

[The Peacekeeper]

Overall, a great, very well balanced game that's a good stress reliever if you need it!

I liked how "unimportant" assets - such as gore - looked almost intentionally cheap and was really easy to discern from the stuff you had to pay attention to - such as bullets.

The dodge and shoot mechanisms are great, too. Even with plenty of bullets on the screen, a skilled player can easily pull off a "near-miss", dodging bullets just barely. There's no awkward collision boxes and the controls flow fluidly.

I enjoyed how the upgrades weren't all achievable for the final battle. Not easily, at least. It made me care more about which upgrades I chose. The upgrade pricing was great, too.

I spent a lot of money on backpack upgrades, and I can't help but wonder if it actually grants me less money as opposed to more... No perceptible effect of that stat, from my perspective!

Who has an axe, exactly? The humor definitely didn't resonate much with me. Seemed kind of childish, but I'm getting older and can't assume games are going to do the same.

I don't have many complaints. None serious. Progressing the landscapes or having some kind of actual plot would have been nice, but I wasn't necessarily expecting it.