So, you think you're pretty smart, huh? do ya, punk? Well I'm about to prove you wrong. Ready for it?
Cubed.
This game is pretty easy to explain: It's Tetris on steroids. The premise is simple: place Tetris bricks anywhere on a Cartesian grid to try and form 3x3 blocks. Once you form a 3x3 (or larger) block, it will disappear. The goal is to form those blocks using pre-placed "bug" blocks. Once you get rid of all the bugs, you win.
As the brief intro alluded to, this game is tough with a capital "WTF." I've never been the best at puzzle games, but I can usually hold my own against anything less challenging than a rubik's cube. Cubed, however, put me right in my place. And that's just in the 2D game. This game also comes with a 3D mode, which I won't even begin to describe. Try and survive that one. I dare you.
Surprisingly enough, that's all I have to say about this game. The only outstanding feature is the challenge, but you know what? That's enough for me. All a game really has to do to earn my seal of approval is accomplish what it appears to set out to do. This game seems to have been made for the purpose of delivering a quick, fun challenge. It certainly does that, so this game gets my seal of approval
Until next time, stay crafty
Links
It hurts: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=500
Monday, February 25, 2013
Cub3
Alright, school's back in session, which means the reviews are back with twice the angst in half the length.
Cub3 reminds me of a less advanced Black Hole. Both games utilize the same basic control scheme, which is good because now I can just tell you all to read my Black Hole review instead of recounting the controls here. I love it when I already do my job for me.
unlike Black Hole, however, in Cub3, there is one main objective: kill anything that happens to have four blue triangles all pointing to it. This kind of setup makes the game somewhat mindless, as all you ever really need to be thinking is "there's the target, bang bang."
It's not a bad mindless space shooter, mind you. you can clearly hear the bullets make contact with the targets, making the game feel good in general. That is, once you get the feel of the game, which I'll admit is a bit frustrating at first. Once you get the controls down, however, the game becomes everything you'd expect from a space shooter with a one-track mind.
Before I go on, a quick disclaimer: I usually only give myself 20-30 minutes with these games, and then another 20-30 to write the review. That said, There are a lot of games that I don't finish. This is one of them. For all I know, Cub3 could introduce really cool various missions as well. I'm only going based on what I experienced.
That said, there are a few flaws that I don't think the game would remedy as levels whizz by. First, crashing into anything, and I mean ANYTHING, kills you instantly. This might not be too bad if you had more than one life to complete a mission in, but nope. You only get one. That means you can flawlessly clear out 90% of your objectives and then get blindsided by an asteroid that looked dodgeable and have to start all over again. The hit detection on your ship is also a bit too generous. Just because you can see an asteroid shouldn't mean you are guaranteed to hit it. The deaths don't always feel deserved, which is an easy way to make your game frustrating.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay sensitive.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24670
Cub3 reminds me of a less advanced Black Hole. Both games utilize the same basic control scheme, which is good because now I can just tell you all to read my Black Hole review instead of recounting the controls here. I love it when I already do my job for me.
unlike Black Hole, however, in Cub3, there is one main objective: kill anything that happens to have four blue triangles all pointing to it. This kind of setup makes the game somewhat mindless, as all you ever really need to be thinking is "there's the target, bang bang."
It's not a bad mindless space shooter, mind you. you can clearly hear the bullets make contact with the targets, making the game feel good in general. That is, once you get the feel of the game, which I'll admit is a bit frustrating at first. Once you get the controls down, however, the game becomes everything you'd expect from a space shooter with a one-track mind.
Before I go on, a quick disclaimer: I usually only give myself 20-30 minutes with these games, and then another 20-30 to write the review. That said, There are a lot of games that I don't finish. This is one of them. For all I know, Cub3 could introduce really cool various missions as well. I'm only going based on what I experienced.
That said, there are a few flaws that I don't think the game would remedy as levels whizz by. First, crashing into anything, and I mean ANYTHING, kills you instantly. This might not be too bad if you had more than one life to complete a mission in, but nope. You only get one. That means you can flawlessly clear out 90% of your objectives and then get blindsided by an asteroid that looked dodgeable and have to start all over again. The hit detection on your ship is also a bit too generous. Just because you can see an asteroid shouldn't mean you are guaranteed to hit it. The deaths don't always feel deserved, which is an easy way to make your game frustrating.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay sensitive.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24670
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Crystaline
I've got severe last-day-of-vacation blues. It was fun while it lasted, but all good things must come to an end. Anyways, let's get this review done.
Crystaline is a first-person 3D platformer that requires you to manipulate your environment and activate switches to progress through the levels. It reminds me a lot of Portal, but without the portals.
You traverse the levels by either moving yourself to an object with LMB or moving an object toward you with RMB. The puzzles get gradually harder and eventually, you're introduced to robots that shoot you if you enter their field of vision. I think there's a word for that...oh yeah, turrets!
Crystaline is a first-person 3D platformer that requires you to manipulate your environment and activate switches to progress through the levels. It reminds me a lot of Portal, but without the portals.
You traverse the levels by either moving yourself to an object with LMB or moving an object toward you with RMB. The puzzles get gradually harder and eventually, you're introduced to robots that shoot you if you enter their field of vision. I think there's a word for that...oh yeah, turrets!
alright, I'm done with that.
Anyways, this is another game with no save feature and no level select, so I felt no need to finish the whole thing. You already know how much I despise games that make you beat em in one go, so I'm gonna move on.
I'm having a lot of trouble thinking of things to say about this game because everything is so drastically okay. There are minor frustrations, like not being able to stop once you launch yourself to a platform or not being able to tell from where you're getting shot at because there are no bullet sparks when the robots shoot you. Then again, there are some real perks like genuinely challenging but fun puzzles.
As short as this was, I think I gotta end it here. I would probably give this game my seal of approval if it didn't forget the save feature. Other than that, it's kinda forgettable, but certainly not a bad game. Give it a shot if you are in the mood for some indie fun, but still want to maintain your rep as a graphics whore,
Until next time, stay dextrous
Links
hurry, hurry! https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25912
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Crystal Nebula
Hey look, a blog post! Yeah, I got rained out of my snowboarding trip, which is a huge bummer, but at least I get to play more DigiPen games. Let's see what's in store for me today.
Crystal Nebula is one of those games with big ideas and little results. You can definitely tell that the creators of this game were trying to be revolutionary and certainly could have been if they carried on until the game was done. I get the sense that somewhere along the line, someone said "screw it, it's good enough." I know this feeling all too well. When you start a project, there's this little glimmer in your eye...a glimmer of hope and joy that slowly fades into darkness as your beloved project takes its toll on your sanity...
*ahem* right, back to the game.
In Crystal Nebula, you play as a little yellow circle whose objective is to get all the stars around him to stop pestering him. You do that by blowing them to smithereens. Your primary weapon is asteroids that are strewn about the levels. If a star and an asteroid are in the same vicinity, you use LMB to suck the asteroid into orbit and launch it at the star. The game then tells you to suck up the star's remains in order to grow stronger (hey, this is starting to remind me of Critical Mass...). Of course, the game never tells you how to do that. I had Critical Mass on the brain, so I tried RMB to no avail. It was only after madly pounding randomly on my keyboard that I discovered that the magical button is SPACE. Why was it okay to tell us how to shoot asteroids but not okay to tell us how to suck up star essence? Whatever...
This game's main flaw is how unfinished it seems. At first, I thought the game consisted of only the tutorial level because the prophesied teleporter that was supposed to take me to the next level never came. It was only after thoroughly scouring the level that I found a blue octagon that looked a bit like a deformed star. Out of sheer curiosity, I touched it and was zapped to the next level. Even past that, there are a lot of aspects about the game that don't seem to make sense. Until the third level, I was under the impression that enemies couldn't damage you. Then I got to level 3 and was almost immediately greeted by a "you lose" screen. I still have no idea what I did wrong, but I have a perfect idea of what this game did wrong. Nothing is conveyed properly.
The big, revolutionary idea that the creators were trying to support through all this bad game design isn't even a very good one. Attacking with the environment only works if the environment is generous enough with ammo. Remember the gravity gun from Half-Life 2? Remember how fun that was? That's because everywhere you looked, there was a saw blade or an exploding barrel to throw. In Crystal Nebula, there's no variety: only asteroids; the asteroids are not as common as they should be, leading to many cases where you are sure to find yourself trying to escape an onslaught of enemy fire, desperately searching for an asteroid that you'll probably waste anyway because of how poor the aim assist is.
All in all, I didn't have fun with Crystal Nebula. I say give it a miss, but that's just me. Until next time, stay functional.
Links
Crystal Methbula: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1647
Crystal Nebula is one of those games with big ideas and little results. You can definitely tell that the creators of this game were trying to be revolutionary and certainly could have been if they carried on until the game was done. I get the sense that somewhere along the line, someone said "screw it, it's good enough." I know this feeling all too well. When you start a project, there's this little glimmer in your eye...a glimmer of hope and joy that slowly fades into darkness as your beloved project takes its toll on your sanity...
*ahem* right, back to the game.
In Crystal Nebula, you play as a little yellow circle whose objective is to get all the stars around him to stop pestering him. You do that by blowing them to smithereens. Your primary weapon is asteroids that are strewn about the levels. If a star and an asteroid are in the same vicinity, you use LMB to suck the asteroid into orbit and launch it at the star. The game then tells you to suck up the star's remains in order to grow stronger (hey, this is starting to remind me of Critical Mass...). Of course, the game never tells you how to do that. I had Critical Mass on the brain, so I tried RMB to no avail. It was only after madly pounding randomly on my keyboard that I discovered that the magical button is SPACE. Why was it okay to tell us how to shoot asteroids but not okay to tell us how to suck up star essence? Whatever...
This game's main flaw is how unfinished it seems. At first, I thought the game consisted of only the tutorial level because the prophesied teleporter that was supposed to take me to the next level never came. It was only after thoroughly scouring the level that I found a blue octagon that looked a bit like a deformed star. Out of sheer curiosity, I touched it and was zapped to the next level. Even past that, there are a lot of aspects about the game that don't seem to make sense. Until the third level, I was under the impression that enemies couldn't damage you. Then I got to level 3 and was almost immediately greeted by a "you lose" screen. I still have no idea what I did wrong, but I have a perfect idea of what this game did wrong. Nothing is conveyed properly.
The big, revolutionary idea that the creators were trying to support through all this bad game design isn't even a very good one. Attacking with the environment only works if the environment is generous enough with ammo. Remember the gravity gun from Half-Life 2? Remember how fun that was? That's because everywhere you looked, there was a saw blade or an exploding barrel to throw. In Crystal Nebula, there's no variety: only asteroids; the asteroids are not as common as they should be, leading to many cases where you are sure to find yourself trying to escape an onslaught of enemy fire, desperately searching for an asteroid that you'll probably waste anyway because of how poor the aim assist is.
All in all, I didn't have fun with Crystal Nebula. I say give it a miss, but that's just me. Until next time, stay functional.
Links
Crystal Methbula: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1647
Friday, February 22, 2013
Critical Mass
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/
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/
Crazy Cross
Hey guys. I'm sorry I wasn't as prolific as I said I was going to be this week. To make matters worse, there's a good chance I won't be able to post anything for the next 2 days. Don't worry, though. I still fully intend to meet my deadline and play every game by the end of the year. Maybe this mini vacation is just what I need. I'll be going snowboarding over the weekend so maybe getting back to the great outdoors will clear my head enough to leave me with a burning desire to get back behind my glowing rectangle.
Anyways, Crazy Cross is a sequel to some other game I haven't played yet, but the use of "Cross" to indicate sequelage (if only that were a word) makes me think of Chrono Cross and thinking of that game fills me with anger. Hopefully Crazy Cross doesn't take the Chrono route and completely uproot and destroy the storyline of the original game. Even if it does, though, I haven't played the original so I guess it won't matter anyway.
The above was written before I attempted to download the game. Upon going to the DigiPen download link, I was greeted by a file that called itself "Not Real EXE.exe" and took up a whopping 0kb. Somethin ain't right here. I'm going to see if I can find a different dowload link somewhere. This game was an IGF showcase finalist after all, so it's safe to say it's relatively prestigious.
I googled it and followed a bunch of links, but they all took me to 404 pages. What happened to this game? I did manage to find an instruction manual for the game, but I can't really write a review based on that. I like to think I have at least a little bit of integrity. Gotta say, though, these screenshots are really whetting my appetite for this game. Apparently it's a 500MB package, meaning this is a monster I couldn't play in one day anyway (probably).
After like 10 minutes (or 98 internet years) of searching, I finally found a .zip file that looks promising.it's taking a while to download, though, so I'm gonna pass the time by reading that instruction manual...mmm....
Wow-ee! That was something. So, as predicted, this game is an absolute monster that's going to take me a lot longer to play, but I think I got the basic gist from what I've played so far. If you like RPGs and humor, this game is definitely for you. It's structured exactly like Chrono Cross. I mean, they weren't even trying to hide the fact that this game is essentially a carbon copy of Chrono Cross. However, remember a few paragraphs ago when I exclaimed how putrid the story was in the professionally made game? Well the story is pretty much the only thing these guys changed, and I love it. They have such a deliberate sense of self-parody that it just brings a smile to my face.
I know this wasn't really a review as much as it was a recounting of my experience with the game, but whatever. My blog, my rules. This game certainly gets my seal of approval, but I can only recommend it if you have a lot of spare time. Those 500MB weren't for nothing, I assure you.
Links
oh look not a DigiPen link: http://www.fileplanet.com/148139/140000/fileinfo/Crazy-Cross---Full-Version
Anyways, Crazy Cross is a sequel to some other game I haven't played yet, but the use of "Cross" to indicate sequelage (if only that were a word) makes me think of Chrono Cross and thinking of that game fills me with anger. Hopefully Crazy Cross doesn't take the Chrono route and completely uproot and destroy the storyline of the original game. Even if it does, though, I haven't played the original so I guess it won't matter anyway.
The above was written before I attempted to download the game. Upon going to the DigiPen download link, I was greeted by a file that called itself "Not Real EXE.exe" and took up a whopping 0kb. Somethin ain't right here. I'm going to see if I can find a different dowload link somewhere. This game was an IGF showcase finalist after all, so it's safe to say it's relatively prestigious.
I googled it and followed a bunch of links, but they all took me to 404 pages. What happened to this game? I did manage to find an instruction manual for the game, but I can't really write a review based on that. I like to think I have at least a little bit of integrity. Gotta say, though, these screenshots are really whetting my appetite for this game. Apparently it's a 500MB package, meaning this is a monster I couldn't play in one day anyway (probably).
After like 10 minutes (or 98 internet years) of searching, I finally found a .zip file that looks promising.it's taking a while to download, though, so I'm gonna pass the time by reading that instruction manual...mmm....
Wow-ee! That was something. So, as predicted, this game is an absolute monster that's going to take me a lot longer to play, but I think I got the basic gist from what I've played so far. If you like RPGs and humor, this game is definitely for you. It's structured exactly like Chrono Cross. I mean, they weren't even trying to hide the fact that this game is essentially a carbon copy of Chrono Cross. However, remember a few paragraphs ago when I exclaimed how putrid the story was in the professionally made game? Well the story is pretty much the only thing these guys changed, and I love it. They have such a deliberate sense of self-parody that it just brings a smile to my face.
I know this wasn't really a review as much as it was a recounting of my experience with the game, but whatever. My blog, my rules. This game certainly gets my seal of approval, but I can only recommend it if you have a lot of spare time. Those 500MB weren't for nothing, I assure you.
Links
oh look not a DigiPen link: http://www.fileplanet.com/148139/140000/fileinfo/Crazy-Cross---Full-Version
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Crayon Caper Rescue
Crayon Caper Rescue is a 2D platformer where you play as a little gray crayon who must rescue imprisoned bebos from the evil forces of sharpies, paper airplanes and tape. If you don't know what a bebo is, don't worry because they don't exist.
The gimmick that makes this game "unique" is that you can draw platforms in certain areas of the map to help you get to the bebos. Personally, I don't really like this mechanic and it appears the creators of this game don't either. Half of the levels take away your ability to draw platforms; even when you are allowed to draw platforms it's in such a limited space that they may as well have put the platforms there to begin with. See, drawing your own platforms can be fun if it allows for creativity. In Crayon Caper Rescue, all you can do is place crudely drawn squares in very specific places, turning what could have been a fun little side mechanic into an necessary step separating you from your goal.
The only other mechanic that separates this from every other 2D platformer is the powerup system. Throughout the game, you'll find little glowy things that turn your crayon into a different color, each with a different powerup. Red allows you to kill enemies, green allows you to jump higher, and brown allows you to destroy certain blocks below you. Once again, it's very contextual in that you only need the powerups a second or two after you get them. In an effort to keep at least a little challenge in the game, the powerups go away after a short period of time, meaning you need to get the powerup and get from point a to point b quickly. I don't mind this too much because the time limit kind of implies "yes, this game is very context sensitive but at least we don't hide it."
Honestly I think these two mechanics are a lost cause. The only purpose they seem to serve is making the game unique, but the aesthetic already does that. How many games do you know of that have a little crayon hopping about looking for smaller crayons while a 2 year old adorably says "save the bebos?" Once the uniqueness of the game is realized, the mechanics all seem kind of counterproductive.
This certainly wasn't a bad game by any means, but I can't help thinking that it was somewhat misguided. Good effort, but I can't quite give it my seal of approval.
Until next time, stay cute
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=425
The gimmick that makes this game "unique" is that you can draw platforms in certain areas of the map to help you get to the bebos. Personally, I don't really like this mechanic and it appears the creators of this game don't either. Half of the levels take away your ability to draw platforms; even when you are allowed to draw platforms it's in such a limited space that they may as well have put the platforms there to begin with. See, drawing your own platforms can be fun if it allows for creativity. In Crayon Caper Rescue, all you can do is place crudely drawn squares in very specific places, turning what could have been a fun little side mechanic into an necessary step separating you from your goal.
The only other mechanic that separates this from every other 2D platformer is the powerup system. Throughout the game, you'll find little glowy things that turn your crayon into a different color, each with a different powerup. Red allows you to kill enemies, green allows you to jump higher, and brown allows you to destroy certain blocks below you. Once again, it's very contextual in that you only need the powerups a second or two after you get them. In an effort to keep at least a little challenge in the game, the powerups go away after a short period of time, meaning you need to get the powerup and get from point a to point b quickly. I don't mind this too much because the time limit kind of implies "yes, this game is very context sensitive but at least we don't hide it."
Honestly I think these two mechanics are a lost cause. The only purpose they seem to serve is making the game unique, but the aesthetic already does that. How many games do you know of that have a little crayon hopping about looking for smaller crayons while a 2 year old adorably says "save the bebos?" Once the uniqueness of the game is realized, the mechanics all seem kind of counterproductive.
This certainly wasn't a bad game by any means, but I can't help thinking that it was somewhat misguided. Good effort, but I can't quite give it my seal of approval.
Until next time, stay cute
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=425
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