Cat Nap

yeah, I could certainly use a cat nap right about now.

badum tish.  Ace in the hole.

Cat nap is a sluggishly paced 2D platformer that plays like it was made in one weekend with a higher-end paint software and a copy of C# for Dummies.

The game feel is nonexistent.  There's very little feedback with the environment, and as a result, the game fails to deliver that sense of flow that characterizes most platformers that aren't based around puzzles.  The framerate is almost uncanny, as it's just slow enough to cause the sensation of lurching, and it is not very easy on the eyes.

Honestly, I'd probably have a lot more to say about Cat Nap if I didn't quit so early.  As soon as I got to the first enemy, I immediately submitted myself to it because I just wanted to die in order to make something interesting happen.  To my dismay, I was teleported to the beginning of the level to complete a platforming segment that took me more than 10 tries.  The level design is sloppy and unimaginative, so I had pretty much seen enough at that point.

The length of these reviews tends to correlate to the magnitude of the impression a given game made on me.  The fact that this review is ending here might be enough of an indication that Cat Nap is probably not worth your time.  This game brings nothing to the table that you couldn't get from playing any other platformer.  

Links

another platformer, but this time with a meow: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24639

Capture the Dude

Oh, ain't this just the most creative of titles?  Before I get too worked up over this small detail, I'm going to use the (admittedly stupid) logic that this game was made in 2001, and thus I will regard it as if I were 6 years old.

HARHAR OMQ GUISE GET IT CUZ ITS CALLED CAPTURE THA DUDE HAHAHA CUZ ITS A DUDE AND YOU CAPTURE HIM HAHA ITS NOT CATPRE THE MAN OR CAPURE THE PRSON ITS CARPTURE THE DUDE HAHA YO MAN DAS SO FUNNY HAHAHA

*cough*  okay, back to reality.

capture the dude is a simple game which I like to describe as "capture the flag meets Double Dragon."  Essentially, you beat the hell out of people wearing different colored shirts than your team; then, once they've been sufficiently pulverized, you can throw them into your team's dumpster for a point.

I like the mechanic fine enough, and I can see this being a really fun multiplayer game.   Screaming at your friend to let you go as he slowly inches nearer to his base seems like it would make a great multiplayer experience.  The graphics are nice (considering when it was made) and the whole thing has a lot of charm to it.

Where Capture the Dude falls down most is in the combat mechanics.  The hit detection is so miserably off, and pretty much all you can do in terms of combat is mash buttons.  Simply put, these flaws make the core aspects of the game unappealing, and thus Capture the Dude doesn't get my seal of approval.  I'm going to end the review here for 2 reasons.
1) I've said all that needs to be said and don't feel like sacrificing concision would add anything
2) I alt+tabbed out of this review 4 hours ago and forgot about it until now.  so oops.

until next time, stay responsible

Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=555

Candela

Hey, y'all!  Before we begin, I just wanna take a moment to contemplate the progress we're making.  6 days into the second month and We're already done with 2 of the letters of the alphabet.  More than that, though, we've gone through the entirety of the first out of 9 pages in the DigiPen Game Gallery.  Thanks for sticking it out this long, and I hope the next 8/9 of our journey is an enjoyable one.

Alright, Let's jump into Candela.

Well the first thing I want to say is that as this blog has been progressing, it seems that the games have been too.  I was encountering games with fewer bugs, flaws, etc.  Most importantly, I can't remember what the last game was that didn't include a save feature...Well, now I can.

I won't spend too much time on this but this is really the worst kind of game to forget such a feature.  It's a puzzle game, and not a very easy one at that.  This game proudly displays a splash screen for DigiPen Singapore, so maybe my feeble American mind is just not suited for a Malaysian challenge, but I got stuck on the third level after the tutorial!  Puzzle games have never been my forte, but I'm at least decent enough at them to say that the challenge level is ramped up way too hard to beat this all in one go.  You could probably do it if you had a few hours free, but a game that demands you devote more than an hour at a time to it is just poorly designed in my opinion.  That's one of the things that makes Starfox: 64 my 2nd favorite game rather than my favorite (I might reveal my favorite some time later in this blog).  While the average playtime of Starfox:64's campaign is only an hour, you can't save in between levels, so if you only have 45 minutes to spare before you have to go to [insert obligatory activity here], you're out of luck.

Back to Candela, though.  I think this game has a lot of potential.  I love how it goes about conveying the mechanics to the player, I love the (somewhat) innovative puzzle mechanics, I like the level design, I like the atmosphere, and I like the aesthetic.  It would be really enjoyable if I could put it down after completing a puzzle.  That's one of the things I liked most about Braid: after straining your mind to surmount a challenge, you can take a break and cool off without having to redo all the puzzles you've solved up to that point.

In short, simple design flaw ruins an otherwise charming little puzzle game.  Until next time, stay shiny

Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25116

Bump

I almost forgot about you guys today!  Let's just say it's another busy week, so don't look forward to any more review binges till at least the start of Winter Break.

Anyways, let's talk Bump.

It's a charming little bumper cars/capture the flag kind of game.  The basic premise is that you have to collect starballs and get them into your goal before the other team (and by that I mean every NPC) gets them in theirs.

The main problem with this game is that it functions in pretty much the opposite way as Buggy X.  Whereas that game gave you too much control over your momentum, this game doesn't give you enough.  The booster doesn't work in midair, meaning if you're sent flying because some numbskull careened into you, there's nothing you can do to get back on the stage.  You just have to wait and watch your demise.  In addition, the movement is just too slippery.  This is extra frustrating when you have to navigate sharp turns.  So many times I would be carefully proceeding on until either I slipped off the side (and had no way to fix my situation) or was bumped into by an enemy and sent flying.

In a word, this is infuriating.

Other than that, though, the aesthetic is charming and the game feel isn't as broken as one might expect from a game with the control issues I mentioned above.

It's still a far way from getting my seal of approval because of it's slippery control, but if you can turn your brain off for a bit and laugh your way through the bugs, you might have a fun time.

Links
Bumper cars with balls that are stars: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1476

Buggy X

Not gonna lie, I was really hoping this game was going to be one of those barely functional, bug-riddled games.  If that were the case, I would have had a field day with the puns.  Unfortunately, all we're left with is a game that's designed to be frustrating rather than a game that's just not very well designed.

Aesthetically, the game is quite similar to 0xCELERATOR, which was one of the least aesthetically pleasing games on this list.  Actually, though, Buggy X isn't that hard on the eyes.  It's presented in a kind of blueprint style that takes me back to the good ol days of playing Spy Fox where they had that mysterious blueberry flavored blueprint stuff...man, I should replay that game...

Where was I?  ah, yes.  Buggy X really wanted to test my patience, it seems.  The game is unforgiving to say the least.  I swear there are certain levels that you will fail straight away if you aren't perfect.  And when I say perfect, I mean perfect.  One nanosecond of delay can mean the difference between life and death in certain stages (*cough* level 7 *cough*).  This is mostly because of the absolutely asinine braking mechanic.  I get that the designers were trying to do something new, and yes, the levels are designed around the braking mechanic, but when would it ever seem like a good idea to have a simple press of the down arrow key instantaneously cancel all momentum?  This should have been some kind of secondary function, not the main method for braking.  It works in the air, too, which just defies the natural human urge to follow the laws of physics.  Often I found myself braking in anticipation only to have my car stop moving midair and gracefully fall into the void.

Maybe I'm just being a baby about this.  Maybe this game is only meant for true hardcore gamers who can conquer any challenge.  But you know what?  I've been gaming for 17 years (literally my entire life).  I should be able to at least stand a chance, or I'm sorry, but your game is just not very well designed.  I have no problem with unrelenting difficulty if it actually feels rewarding to carry on, but in Buggy X, the only part that feels good is actually making it to the finish line.

Okay, okay, that was a bit harsh.  Manipulating the braking mechanics to your advantage takes a lot of skill and pulling it off can be quite rewarding, and in all fairness, they do provide a ghost for you to follow which always completes the level perfectly, meaning you wont have to waste brainpower trying to solve some of the less fair stage puzzles.  In all honesty, it's not a bad game until you hit level 9, which made me ragequit faster than a rabbit soaked in kerosene during a forest fire.  It's one of those levels that makes you play it at its own pace.  You know, the kind where you're constantly standing still waiting for elevators and stuff.  The first 8 levels are at the very end of the "challenging but fair" spectrum, and if you're willing to put your skills as a gamer to the test, I say try it out.  Do yourself a favor and skip level 9, but check out level 10 when you're done with the first 8.  Let's just say it made me smile.  Though if any of you out there send me a video of yourselves getting a gold medal on level 10, I will personally mail you a tray of home-baked cookies.

This game was pretty close to getting my seal of approval, but it just took a few too many steps away from fairness and into frustration.  Good effort, but it doesn't quite do it for me yet.

Until next time, stay calm and don't cut yourself with the shattered remains of your keyboard.

Links
ARRRGH WHYYY: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24354

Brake n Break

I assume this is one of those games a student threw together over a weekend for extra credit or something.  It's literally just Snake.  You know, that game that's kinda like the lightbikes from Tron.  Also goes by the name Centipede...

Mind you, it's the most enjoyable version of snake I've ever played because you can press a button to speed up mid-game rather than just selecting one single speed throughout.  In addition, the power ups are nice and add a little spice to the experience, but that doesn't stop the fact that this game is just Snake

I'm not mad or anything, it's just...Snake!

If you like Snake, download it.  If not, don't.

That's all for now.  Stay shiny.

Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24630

Bounce Bounce Fun

uuughhh

Alright, I'll review this...thing in a second, but first, a brief amusing anecdote

When I woke up this morning I had a case of the sniffles, so my nose was makin all kinds of weird noises.  When I started up this game, I was greeted by a chorus of whistling that I thought was actually a well composed little tune, but then I noticed that half of it was just me.  My nose just decided to join in the chorus, and it actually worked from a musical perspective.

Alright enough beating around the bush.  Let's dive in.  Again, quick disclaimer:  I'm not a game designer.  I'm sure whoever made this game knows way more about game design than I do, but this is just a review from a consumer's perspective.  I'm not going to be nice.

Bounce Bounce Fun almost reviews itself in the title.  2 out of the three words are correct.  Can ya guess which ones?   Indeed, a more accurate name would have been "Bounce Bounce Frustration"

This is one of those games that's just completely devoid of game feel.  The amount of helpful feedback you're given is almost nil.  It was halfway through the first level that I even figured out that this game was played from a third person perspective rather than a first person perspective, and even then I had to decipher which of the bouncing things I was controlling.  Once I figured that out, I realized why it was so difficult to arrive at that conclusion.  The control is beyond awful.  You're supposed to use the mouse to turn your character any of 360 degrees, and the way he's facing would determine where he goes.  Think about this for a second: using the mouse to control rotary movement.  If your wrist works in such a way that you can turn it 360 degrees, you should spend your time in a lab being studied rather than on a computer playing Bounce Bounce Fun. If your wrist doesn't work like that, then I'm sorry, but Bounce Bounce Fun just wasn't designed for you.

Put all that together and what do you get?  A game that is simply bounce bounce unenjoyable.  It's a bit patronizing, too.  Even after I failed the first 2 levels, the game still let me progress.  I assume this is because the actual goal of a level is conveyed so poorly that they figure nobody will ever figure out what they need to do.  Thus, they just hold your hand and walk you straight on through the game regardless of how badly you screw up.

In short, I'm chalking this one up to another case of senioritis. Nothing about this game was competently executed.  The sound direction is a mess, the graphics are meh at best, the gameplay just defies human design, and it's just not a fun game to play.  Don't waste your time on this one.