this gaem are hurt mai brain
*ahem*
Knick-Knack-Knock is a game in which you manipulate the environment in order to crush your enemies with blocks. It's a neat concept, so consider the first test passed. However, if there's one thing life in high school has taught me, it's that passing one test does not shield you from bitter failure in the long run.
I played this game twice. The first time, I ragequit on an early level because I couldn't figure out the controls. Then I started blogging angrily. I wanted to quote the game's instructions directly, so I fired it up again and was able to figure out the controls. Once I got that down, the game went from "saddening disappointment" to "inventive puzzle game" real quick.
Alright, let's do a good ol' analysis, shall we?
In terms of aesthetic, the game goes for a kind of pixel art-ASCII hybrid. I guess it's cute in its own right, but it kind of demands other design choices that infuriate me. For example, the music is just a 3-second loop that repeats over and over. If it were anything complex, the game wouldn't feel like something you could play in the 70s.
The gameplay is really where it's at. The controls are simple and intuitive with one really unique feature. The window that the game plays in actually behaves like it's a box that you can move around. By dragging the window around, you can manipulate the objects in the game. It's a neat way to break the fourth wall whilst enhancing the gameplay. This feature is the kind of thing that made me want to embark upon this blogging journey in the first place. Way too many of these games play it safe. I understand that these projects are a way of teaching students how to create games and therefore can't deviate too far from the standard formulae, but still.
For its smart level design and unique mechanics that genuinely caught me by surprise, this game gets my seal of approval (though I think it could've done without the pretentious visual style, but that's just me). Until next time, stay inventive.
Links
Name most likely inspired by a Banjo Kazooie level: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18869
