whoa.
Critical Mass is a relatively simple game, which is good because I don't have to waste too much effort describing it before I pick it apart. You are a little molecule trying to become a big molecule. How do you accomplish this? By beating the crap out of other molecules (yikes). Strewn about the levels are such weapons as baseball bats, swords and even palm trees (double yikes). Once you become big enough, you can go critical and destroy the entire map with a nuclear explosion (Jeez, this game is brutal).
In terms of gameplay, eh, it's nothing to brag about. First, there's the balancing issues. The combat is really frustrating when you're smaller than everyone else, but the only way to get bigger is through the combat. Naturally, you want to take down the bigger opponents, but this only leads to you getting squashed down to an even smaller size. It reminds me of that dumb courtesy rule my friends used to enforce when we played basketball; if you scored a basket, why the hell should you get to start with the ball again? If you're any good at shooting, that just means whoever scores the first basket has a huge advantage. Same thing in this game. However, I've been smacked down to size multiple times after getting really big, so I guess it's not that big a problem, but getting rocketed off into the sun by a big guy that you've just spent 5 minutes trying to kill certainly creates the feeling that this is a problem.
Next, there's the game feel itself. It's kinda messy; you're either given no feedback or way too much feedback. All it really amounts to is rushing into the battlefield mashing LMB and hoping for the best. At any given moment it seems an enemy can blindside you and completely reverse all the progress you've worked so hard to achieve. In short, it can be good, like if you're beating the snot out of other molecules, but having the game play you is not a very fun feeling. I think this is where the term "counter-play" comes in handy, but I'm not entirely sure how applicable that is. I'll link the Extra-Credits on that down below. Also, the mega-punch is anything but mega. I wish it was a little more fun to use, because usually when I used it I just ended up getting intercepted in midair and utterly squished.
Finally, we gotta talk about conveyance. I do appreciate that this game doesn't tell you much in-game and kind of leaves you to figure it out on your own, but the controls should be intuitive enough that I learn what everything does early on. See, What you're supposed to do is beat up other molecules with LMB and then collect the ions they drop with RMB. However, that was never explained to me. All I saw in the battlefield was molecules killing molecules. Therefore, when I used RMB, I thought it was just an extremely inefficient attack and never used it. Perhaps if the enemies actually demonstrated more than just the "grab item and kill people with it" strategy, I would feel more comfortable experimenting with the controls without feeling the need to conform to an unimmersive and frankly boring strategy.
That said, I do think the game has some good points to it as well. As I said, when the combat works it really works. The sound effects are pleasing and the aesthetic is nice enough that you forget how unmercifully brutal the game is. The mega-punch, while ineffective in combat, is very useful for recovery, making getting tossed off the map less of a frustration (even though it still is very much that) and more of a fun little side-game of "launch yourself back onto the platform." If you get bored, you can just mega-punch skyward and leisurely drop back down to earth.
All in all I think this game made some really smart choices but didn't pay enough attention to the little details and the game as a whole suffers because of it. It was a fun little romp, but doesn't quite get my seal of approval. Until next time, stay at least a little merciful, I mean jeez...
Links
Allegory for the competition in the games industry?:https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=419
Counter play: http://extra-credits.net/episodes/counter-play/
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