keepin it short again today, guys. Sorry, it's just a real busy week.
Ethereal advertises itself as an "offensive tower defense game" which reminds me straightaway of Derrfex, but really, that's an inaccurate description. It's a lot more like bLight. In fact its so much like bLight that I luckily don't have to waste time talking about the mechanics. I can just turn you over to my review of that game.
The only real differences are the gameplay and the graphical style. I don't like either of them quite as much as I liked them in bLight, but they're not horrible here either. This game goes for a more dark, mystic kind of setting. There's no real objective way to say which game's style is better, but I don't think anyone can really put together a case for why Etehreal looks better. Then again, this game was made by one guy, so I'll show some mercy.
Next, the gameplay. I think I actually prefer the basic strategies that Ethereal tries to employ to the ones employed in bLight. Every enemy has a distinct optimal strategy with which to beat them, whereas in bLight it really came down to spamming troops. However, the slippery controls make Ethereal feel kind of loose and uncontrollable, which leads to more frustration than contentment.
Yeah, this was a weak review, but I'm sorry. It's all I got for now. The reason I stopped playing Ethereal as early as I did is only because of my workload tonight. This review does't sell it, but this game is fun. It gets my seal of approval.
Until next time, stay mysterious.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26420
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Eskimo Joe
Hey look, a real review! Given the abnormally large work:time ratio I have tonight, I was tempted to save this for tomorrow, but hey, a guy's gotta procrastinate somehow...
Eskimo Joe is a run-of-the mill 2D sidescroller. As far as I could tell there were really only 2 things about it that made it unique/are worth talking about. One is good, one is bad. I guess it's a good day to be a reviewer.
Let's start with the good, just because I don't have much to say about it: the overall style. It goes for a kind of South Park-esque paper figures art style, which gives the game a fair amount of charm. The music is fitting and pleasing, the design is thoughtful, always exploring new ways to utilize the same mechanics, and the game feel is fine except for one thing...
Which brings us to the bad: the hit detection. God the hit detection is awful in this game. I've gone on record saying, when in doubt, one should make the hitboxes larger rather than smaller. I suppose I forgot to mention that this only applies to things that don't kill you. The hitboxes in this game are all huge all the time. Yes, this may come in handy when jumping on platforms, but there's nothing quite as irritating as jumping in the vicinity of a spikey death trap and being sent back to the nearest checkpoint. Of course it doesn't help that the spike-death sound effect is obnoxiously loud. This aspect of the game kind of reminds me of A Flipping Good Time, and ain't that just a blast from the past.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay slippery
Links
PROINK: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24640
Eskimo Joe is a run-of-the mill 2D sidescroller. As far as I could tell there were really only 2 things about it that made it unique/are worth talking about. One is good, one is bad. I guess it's a good day to be a reviewer.
Let's start with the good, just because I don't have much to say about it: the overall style. It goes for a kind of South Park-esque paper figures art style, which gives the game a fair amount of charm. The music is fitting and pleasing, the design is thoughtful, always exploring new ways to utilize the same mechanics, and the game feel is fine except for one thing...
Which brings us to the bad: the hit detection. God the hit detection is awful in this game. I've gone on record saying, when in doubt, one should make the hitboxes larger rather than smaller. I suppose I forgot to mention that this only applies to things that don't kill you. The hitboxes in this game are all huge all the time. Yes, this may come in handy when jumping on platforms, but there's nothing quite as irritating as jumping in the vicinity of a spikey death trap and being sent back to the nearest checkpoint. Of course it doesn't help that the spike-death sound effect is obnoxiously loud. This aspect of the game kind of reminds me of A Flipping Good Time, and ain't that just a blast from the past.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay slippery
Links
PROINK: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24640
Monday, March 18, 2013
Erebus
Sorry to say, but this is going to be another somewhat anemic review. Not because the game is broken or I can't figure it out. No, this review is going to be short because I don't want to spoil the experience.
What I can tell you is that this game is SCARY. I haven't played much of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but, for sake of reference, I was more scared during Erebus than I was during that game.
One thing that I love about Erebus is that I think it's one of those games that can be studied. I think there's a valuable lesson to be learned here about just how invested someone can get in a blank-slate character. Throughout the game, there are no details given about who you are or what you're doing. Compare that with Amnesia. In that game, the first words to be uttered are "My name is Daniel," followed by some more backstory. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if there was ever a game to prove to us that it's unnecessary, it's Erebus. The only things you get in terms of written exposition are orange wall etchings. That means the game has to rely on its mechanics and design alone to convey the story. I admire that a lot in a game.
That said, I do think a few things are underexplained. A few motifs or set pieces will occasionally pop up out of nowhere and perhaps be called back to a few times, but they don't really have any implications for your character. Fair warning: what I'm about to say is very minimally spoilerey, but still spoilerey:
BEGIN SPOILERY TYPE THINGS
Let's compare the gooey jamlike substances from Erebus and Amnesia. In Amnesia, the player has no idea what the jam is, and as such may even be tempted to stand on it. If he does this, however, he takes damage. This strengthens the perilous mood the game attempts to set. The walls are covered in this jam stuff, meaning you as the player are literally surrounded...encased, even, by danger. In Erebus, the jam just kinda chills there. You can play with it all you want and it won't hurt you. This only ends up hurting the game by giving the player the thought that he or she might be invincible. After all, the jam is arguably the most threatening thing in the facility, and you can bounce about on it merrily with no repercussions. After that, all the player really has to do is ignore the scary sights and sounds to completely uproot the entire feel of the game. This may seem like a huge flaw, but I honestly don't mind it THAT much. The creators of this game were, I think, trying to see how much fear, or even just feeling in general, they could deliver with the minimal amount of substance. In that respect, Erebus passes with flying colors
END SPOLIERY TYPE THINGS
I encourage anyone who reads this to play Erebus. If you're up for a challenge, play it at midnight during a thunderstorm or something, but it works during the day as well. Fair warning: the ending may seem disappointing or lazy at first, but when you get to it, just think about it. Think about why they chose to end the game like that. Think about the visceral human fears the ending plays to on the most personal of levels.
This game definitely earns my seal of approval. That's all for now. Until next time, stay alive.
Links
Oh God, what's that?! https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24654
What I can tell you is that this game is SCARY. I haven't played much of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but, for sake of reference, I was more scared during Erebus than I was during that game.
One thing that I love about Erebus is that I think it's one of those games that can be studied. I think there's a valuable lesson to be learned here about just how invested someone can get in a blank-slate character. Throughout the game, there are no details given about who you are or what you're doing. Compare that with Amnesia. In that game, the first words to be uttered are "My name is Daniel," followed by some more backstory. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if there was ever a game to prove to us that it's unnecessary, it's Erebus. The only things you get in terms of written exposition are orange wall etchings. That means the game has to rely on its mechanics and design alone to convey the story. I admire that a lot in a game.
That said, I do think a few things are underexplained. A few motifs or set pieces will occasionally pop up out of nowhere and perhaps be called back to a few times, but they don't really have any implications for your character. Fair warning: what I'm about to say is very minimally spoilerey, but still spoilerey:
BEGIN SPOILERY TYPE THINGS
Let's compare the gooey jamlike substances from Erebus and Amnesia. In Amnesia, the player has no idea what the jam is, and as such may even be tempted to stand on it. If he does this, however, he takes damage. This strengthens the perilous mood the game attempts to set. The walls are covered in this jam stuff, meaning you as the player are literally surrounded...encased, even, by danger. In Erebus, the jam just kinda chills there. You can play with it all you want and it won't hurt you. This only ends up hurting the game by giving the player the thought that he or she might be invincible. After all, the jam is arguably the most threatening thing in the facility, and you can bounce about on it merrily with no repercussions. After that, all the player really has to do is ignore the scary sights and sounds to completely uproot the entire feel of the game. This may seem like a huge flaw, but I honestly don't mind it THAT much. The creators of this game were, I think, trying to see how much fear, or even just feeling in general, they could deliver with the minimal amount of substance. In that respect, Erebus passes with flying colors
END SPOLIERY TYPE THINGS
I encourage anyone who reads this to play Erebus. If you're up for a challenge, play it at midnight during a thunderstorm or something, but it works during the day as well. Fair warning: the ending may seem disappointing or lazy at first, but when you get to it, just think about it. Think about why they chose to end the game like that. Think about the visceral human fears the ending plays to on the most personal of levels.
This game definitely earns my seal of approval. That's all for now. Until next time, stay alive.
Links
Oh God, what's that?! https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24654
Sunday, March 17, 2013
EPIGate
This is another one of those "NOT REAL EXE" things. This time, when I tried searching the web for "EpiGate Game" the first result said "When blogging under one's own name can be used against you." This kind of gives me the feeling that looking any further into this game is going to sent some sort of cabal of gangsters after my head, so for now, file this one under "broken."
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=593
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=593
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Epicenter
I just have no idea what's going on in this game. We've had games with bad conveyance here before, but this...
I just don't have any words. There is legitimately nothing to analyze in this game because nothing got accomplished. All I did was fly around in a biosphere at like 2 frames a second with an overly confusing control scheme and no direction whatsoever. Maybe this game actually has...oh, I don't know...content, but I have neither the time nor the willpower to find it.
Until next time, stay.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=443
I just don't have any words. There is legitimately nothing to analyze in this game because nothing got accomplished. All I did was fly around in a biosphere at like 2 frames a second with an overly confusing control scheme and no direction whatsoever. Maybe this game actually has...oh, I don't know...content, but I have neither the time nor the willpower to find it.
Until next time, stay.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=443
Friday, March 15, 2013
Empyrean Contrata
Well played, DigiPen. You almost got me. For the first time since AEscher, I had to google the meaning of one of the words in a game's title. Turns out the word "Contrata" isn't even English, though. Dirty trick, guys. Low blow.
Alright, now let's get into the game. Empyrean Contrata is a nightmare in every sense of the word. It must have been a nightmare to build and it's certainly a nightmare to play. It's one of those Civilization-esque games that just does everything wrong. I've never played Civilization, mind you. It just never appealed to me, so maybe this is how Civilization players like their games. I wouldn't know. My opinion, though, is that this game is a crowded, choppy, unintuitive mess.
Let's run down the issues, shall we? First off, the framerate is preposterously choppy. All the textures are very simple, so I don't see any reason for this. Plus, I ran this game with Fraps just for kicks, and it said it was running at an optimal 60fps, meaning this is an inherent problem with the game, not a problem with my hardware.
Next, along that same line, the visuals are messy and ugly. Even when you look at a unit from close up in the "units" screen, it just doesn't look appealing. It's a frothy mixture of pixels that are all just different shades of the same color, though I suppose this is necessary considering how far back the camera is. It's zoomed out so much that all the textures just kind of blend in with one another, creating a very convoluted combination of dark, ugly pixels.
Alright, that's enough on the visuals. Let's get to the real meat of the problem. The GUI. Oh, the GUI. This is the textbook definition of sensory overload. I'm almost at a loss for words. Just getting through the tutorial text takes like 5 minutes of mindless left-clicking, but you need to go through with it because otherwise you'll know what 0% of what's happening on the screen means instead of the required 5%. Even after the instructions are spoon-fed to you, everything is conveyed so, so poorly. This game would give Egoraptor a heart attack.
You know what? I can't even go into detail about how poorly everything is conveyed in this game. Play it for yourself and experience how truly clueless a game can leave you.
The only positive purposes I can ever see this game serving are as follows:
1) for some reason, you really want to deter someone from the video gaming medium as a whole, so you show them this game and they never look back.
2) you use it as a learning experience. A what-not-to-do guide if you will.
That's all I got for now. This game tired me out. Until next time, stay organized.
Links
adfhgaikjafadf what?: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25112
Alright, now let's get into the game. Empyrean Contrata is a nightmare in every sense of the word. It must have been a nightmare to build and it's certainly a nightmare to play. It's one of those Civilization-esque games that just does everything wrong. I've never played Civilization, mind you. It just never appealed to me, so maybe this is how Civilization players like their games. I wouldn't know. My opinion, though, is that this game is a crowded, choppy, unintuitive mess.
Let's run down the issues, shall we? First off, the framerate is preposterously choppy. All the textures are very simple, so I don't see any reason for this. Plus, I ran this game with Fraps just for kicks, and it said it was running at an optimal 60fps, meaning this is an inherent problem with the game, not a problem with my hardware.
Next, along that same line, the visuals are messy and ugly. Even when you look at a unit from close up in the "units" screen, it just doesn't look appealing. It's a frothy mixture of pixels that are all just different shades of the same color, though I suppose this is necessary considering how far back the camera is. It's zoomed out so much that all the textures just kind of blend in with one another, creating a very convoluted combination of dark, ugly pixels.
Alright, that's enough on the visuals. Let's get to the real meat of the problem. The GUI. Oh, the GUI. This is the textbook definition of sensory overload. I'm almost at a loss for words. Just getting through the tutorial text takes like 5 minutes of mindless left-clicking, but you need to go through with it because otherwise you'll know what 0% of what's happening on the screen means instead of the required 5%. Even after the instructions are spoon-fed to you, everything is conveyed so, so poorly. This game would give Egoraptor a heart attack.
You know what? I can't even go into detail about how poorly everything is conveyed in this game. Play it for yourself and experience how truly clueless a game can leave you.
The only positive purposes I can ever see this game serving are as follows:
1) for some reason, you really want to deter someone from the video gaming medium as a whole, so you show them this game and they never look back.
2) you use it as a learning experience. A what-not-to-do guide if you will.
That's all I got for now. This game tired me out. Until next time, stay organized.
Links
adfhgaikjafadf what?: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25112
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