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43 Reviews
Wahfuu
For: VoVoVo
For: VoVoVo
At this point I think if anyone wants to make a V6 inspired stage in their fangame, they should just get arzztt to do it.
My only real complaints were I didn't really feel like the hub was anything more than a reference to CN3, it's not really large scale enough to provide the feeling of a 'hub', and I wasn't super into the last 2 stages. Apart from that, pure, complete banger.
[0] Likes
My only real complaints were I didn't really feel like the hub was anything more than a reference to CN3, it's not really large scale enough to provide the feeling of a 'hub', and I wasn't super into the last 2 stages. Apart from that, pure, complete banger.
Rating: 8.5
Difficulty: 55
Aug 13, 2020
Wahfuu
For: Phonotransmitter
For: Phonotransmitter
Pretty much the best needle game I've played as of writing this. Great use of killblocks, all the types of water... etc. Really no complaints what so ever. Even the saves are really well balanced across the whole game without any terrifying spikes in any of the stages. It's really hard to make a game challenging and fun but this hit it perfectly. Great job.
[1] Like
Rating: 9.0
Difficulty: 79
Aug 2, 2020
Wahfuu
For: I wanna get my daily recommended amount of fiber
For: I wanna get my daily recommended amount of fiber
It's that GOOD shit.
I think I preferred some of the longer saves more often than not, but it was a really fun game to derust with. Has a host of the normal gimmicks (water, vines, some refreshers) with some creative and challenging design. Fun times!
[0] Likes
I think I preferred some of the longer saves more often than not, but it was a really fun game to derust with. Has a host of the normal gimmicks (water, vines, some refreshers) with some creative and challenging design. Fun times!
Rating: 8.0
Difficulty: 75
Jul 16, 2020
Wahfuu
For: I wanna best the 100 floors
For: I wanna best the 100 floors
Revised this. Felt like I was being too harsh on it just for adding some floors extra. Makedounias style is pretty chill and there's a lot of it here. I do think it does kind of overstay its welcome without really changing much about the overall style: It's like 2 or 3 best the needle games stacked up on eachother. But that's not a bad thing.
[0] Likes
Rating: 7.0
Difficulty: 70
Jul 2, 2020
Wahfuu
For: I Wanna Eclipse
For: I Wanna Eclipse
A nice game with extraordinary amounts of polish.
It can't really be understated the amount of hard work that clearly went into this game. It's already known that GayWiz took several leaps that most would consider unreasonable or unneeded for a fangame in order to give the game the freshest coat of paint you could find. The game just for that reason alone is pretty commendable.
I find, however, that the gameplay never really goes beyond 'kind of enjoyable, I guess'. I played this on release and after playing through a couple stages, I turned it off and never turned it back on again until recently. It's not because the game was bad, but it's honestly so easy and 'accessible' that I find the gameplay lacks any real personality. The gimmicks aren't bad but aren't pushed and just feel like a lot of different ways to make traveling feel different without changing gameplay much.
This is a similar feeling I get with a lot of highly polished adventure games from the western sphere; Endless amounts of effort into aesthetics to polish an average game. This isn't a game I can really see myself going back to or replaying, and even sitting here typing this I couldn't really tell you any memorable screen of platforming. My time playing this ended up being a 5 hour long journey of 'It isn't bad, I guess.' Nothing annoyed me or I found unfun, but at the end of the day, I think it's a game that has a lot of form but no substance.
I did quite enjoy the final boss though.
[10] Likes
It can't really be understated the amount of hard work that clearly went into this game. It's already known that GayWiz took several leaps that most would consider unreasonable or unneeded for a fangame in order to give the game the freshest coat of paint you could find. The game just for that reason alone is pretty commendable.
I find, however, that the gameplay never really goes beyond 'kind of enjoyable, I guess'. I played this on release and after playing through a couple stages, I turned it off and never turned it back on again until recently. It's not because the game was bad, but it's honestly so easy and 'accessible' that I find the gameplay lacks any real personality. The gimmicks aren't bad but aren't pushed and just feel like a lot of different ways to make traveling feel different without changing gameplay much.
This is a similar feeling I get with a lot of highly polished adventure games from the western sphere; Endless amounts of effort into aesthetics to polish an average game. This isn't a game I can really see myself going back to or replaying, and even sitting here typing this I couldn't really tell you any memorable screen of platforming. My time playing this ended up being a 5 hour long journey of 'It isn't bad, I guess.' Nothing annoyed me or I found unfun, but at the end of the day, I think it's a game that has a lot of form but no substance.
I did quite enjoy the final boss though.
Rating: 7.0
Difficulty: 58
Nov 29, 2019
Wahfuu
For: I wanna Night Circus
For: I wanna Night Circus
Brilliantly presented, fantastic song, great balance between RNG and pattern. Just a great avoidance all around.
So, I am a huge sucker for avoidance presentation that matches its music. And Night Circus is no different. The avoidance uses mostly lots and lots of varied fruit colors and lighting to bring the atmosphere and lyrics of 夜のサーカス to life. The several background changes and spotlights you will see either in the background or pointing at you also contribute to the big 'showtime' feeling the avoidance tries to capture from the song. T
There's also a segment where the lyrics talk about being dumped in water, and being unable to find the lyrics again. You get thrown into a very brief segment with water during this before the final segment of the avoidance.
Avoidances referencing the song itself gets me off, if you haven't figured that out by now.
There is a quite bit of screen flashing though. Nothing during any busy or hard segments, but it should be mentioned.
Gameplay wise, it's a fast paced affair. There's a couple slower parts during down tempo beats of the song to catch your breath a bit, but for the most part the attacks come frequently. There's a steady supply of various RNG and patterns interchanged.
The RNG parts are focused on very short but fast bursts. You don't ever have to deal with a single attack of RNG until the final 2 attacks. There is one part during the third verse, Lunatic Time, where you will have to deal with 3 back to back fast RNG attacks, though. Outside of 1 specific attack that feels like it can just kind of screw you with little reacting to it, before the first chorus hits, there's nothing unfair either once you adjust to the speed and timing of when they start. That attack also doesn't really screw you often either, I didn't even notice it could do that for awhile. There can be one attack where bullets spawn a bit too close to you just as it starts but it's also rare. So you'll be fine on that front.
Pattern wise it's varied. Though, in my opinion, the hardest pattern in the whole avoidance happens extremely early, a quick left-right motion when jumping. It feels a bit... oddly placed, especially since the readme does state that the avoidance is intended to get harder the further deeper in the song you go, but this was way harder than anything in the 2nd verse in my eyes.
But you'll be dealing with a lot of different patterns. Infinite jump stuff, doing a drop through a bunch of fruit, slower stuff like just dodging over a couple overlapping rings, etc. There's a number of things here. There's nothing quite as satisfying to do as other avoidances I've done outside of the earlier mentioned left-right motion, but the rapid pace they come at make up for it.
So the only reason I don't have this rated as high as I could is just because of a couple strange oddities, that feel kind of unintended. During a part where all the apples drop vertically, you sometimes have 1 that just... wont, and will go diagonally instead. This is rarely a problem but sometimes it just tries to clothesline you. There's another part where after an arena transition it'll drop you onto a block that just... kills you by the pattern around you hitting you in the head by just a bit. You dodge this by just... tapping left on the block just as you spawn in, and it's not really very satisfying or feels very intended at all. It feels like an oversight.
But beyond that, it's a fantastic avoidance. Anyone who likes blends of both pattern and RNG should check it out if the first 20 seconds of the song won't drive you crazy.
[1] Like
So, I am a huge sucker for avoidance presentation that matches its music. And Night Circus is no different. The avoidance uses mostly lots and lots of varied fruit colors and lighting to bring the atmosphere and lyrics of 夜のサーカス to life. The several background changes and spotlights you will see either in the background or pointing at you also contribute to the big 'showtime' feeling the avoidance tries to capture from the song. T
There's also a segment where the lyrics talk about being dumped in water, and being unable to find the lyrics again. You get thrown into a very brief segment with water during this before the final segment of the avoidance.
Avoidances referencing the song itself gets me off, if you haven't figured that out by now.
There is a quite bit of screen flashing though. Nothing during any busy or hard segments, but it should be mentioned.
Gameplay wise, it's a fast paced affair. There's a couple slower parts during down tempo beats of the song to catch your breath a bit, but for the most part the attacks come frequently. There's a steady supply of various RNG and patterns interchanged.
The RNG parts are focused on very short but fast bursts. You don't ever have to deal with a single attack of RNG until the final 2 attacks. There is one part during the third verse, Lunatic Time, where you will have to deal with 3 back to back fast RNG attacks, though. Outside of 1 specific attack that feels like it can just kind of screw you with little reacting to it, before the first chorus hits, there's nothing unfair either once you adjust to the speed and timing of when they start. That attack also doesn't really screw you often either, I didn't even notice it could do that for awhile. There can be one attack where bullets spawn a bit too close to you just as it starts but it's also rare. So you'll be fine on that front.
Pattern wise it's varied. Though, in my opinion, the hardest pattern in the whole avoidance happens extremely early, a quick left-right motion when jumping. It feels a bit... oddly placed, especially since the readme does state that the avoidance is intended to get harder the further deeper in the song you go, but this was way harder than anything in the 2nd verse in my eyes.
But you'll be dealing with a lot of different patterns. Infinite jump stuff, doing a drop through a bunch of fruit, slower stuff like just dodging over a couple overlapping rings, etc. There's a number of things here. There's nothing quite as satisfying to do as other avoidances I've done outside of the earlier mentioned left-right motion, but the rapid pace they come at make up for it.
So the only reason I don't have this rated as high as I could is just because of a couple strange oddities, that feel kind of unintended. During a part where all the apples drop vertically, you sometimes have 1 that just... wont, and will go diagonally instead. This is rarely a problem but sometimes it just tries to clothesline you. There's another part where after an arena transition it'll drop you onto a block that just... kills you by the pattern around you hitting you in the head by just a bit. You dodge this by just... tapping left on the block just as you spawn in, and it's not really very satisfying or feels very intended at all. It feels like an oversight.
But beyond that, it's a fantastic avoidance. Anyone who likes blends of both pattern and RNG should check it out if the first 20 seconds of the song won't drive you crazy.
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: 78 78
Aug 21, 2019
Wahfuu
For: I wanna take the Timemachine 2
For: I wanna take the Timemachine 2
(Rating based on Normal. Will update if I play it on Lunatic in the future)
Take the Time Machine 2 is an oddity, as it gets closer to being more of a game inspired by fangames than it is a fangame in itself. But for the most part, it succeeds at this, as long as you can get past the initial whiplash of the different physics and hitbox.
For the most part it's nothing too radically changed in terms of format. 5 worlds, 3 acts per world, and a final boss. And a hell of a lot of extra content, like bosses from the first Timemachine game.
The platforming is a bit strange and hard to get used to initially. There's a mix of... "needle", I guess? With standard spike jumps that you see with some unique stuff such as... riding a helicopter, dodging baby dinosaurs, 'leveling' to go through spikes. It's weird. But it's fun, since for the most part it never gets too hard so you don't really have to feel too uncomfortable with the different physics. Unless you really want to and move onto Lunatic, but thats a different story.
Theres a boss in each act, and most are heavily scripted, pattern affairs. They aren't too ganky, but most do have an attack that will probably kill you a few times until you grasp whats going on. Fairly easy all around though, none took me more than a half an hour except for the last one.
Which deserves a special mention. The last boss, Veilac, gets a bad rep because it is way, way more difficult than any of the other bosses, platforming, or combination of both. Indeed, it took me about 56 minutes or so, just under an hour, to beat him. Nothing else even came close. And i'm not gonna say hes perfect, since he includes some wonky control warping and introduces some crazy attacks late into the fight, but I think he was by far the most satisfying to learn and figure out. He's not a pushover like most of the bosses and he tests you in ways the rest of the bosses have trained you up to. Fitting finale, imo.
Anyways, this is a pretty chill and short romp unless you pursue the extra content. I haven't as of writing this, but if I do, I'll include the 2nd part of the review below this talking about Lunatic and the extra bosses. But for now, not bad!
[0] Likes
Take the Time Machine 2 is an oddity, as it gets closer to being more of a game inspired by fangames than it is a fangame in itself. But for the most part, it succeeds at this, as long as you can get past the initial whiplash of the different physics and hitbox.
For the most part it's nothing too radically changed in terms of format. 5 worlds, 3 acts per world, and a final boss. And a hell of a lot of extra content, like bosses from the first Timemachine game.
The platforming is a bit strange and hard to get used to initially. There's a mix of... "needle", I guess? With standard spike jumps that you see with some unique stuff such as... riding a helicopter, dodging baby dinosaurs, 'leveling' to go through spikes. It's weird. But it's fun, since for the most part it never gets too hard so you don't really have to feel too uncomfortable with the different physics. Unless you really want to and move onto Lunatic, but thats a different story.
Theres a boss in each act, and most are heavily scripted, pattern affairs. They aren't too ganky, but most do have an attack that will probably kill you a few times until you grasp whats going on. Fairly easy all around though, none took me more than a half an hour except for the last one.
Which deserves a special mention. The last boss, Veilac, gets a bad rep because it is way, way more difficult than any of the other bosses, platforming, or combination of both. Indeed, it took me about 56 minutes or so, just under an hour, to beat him. Nothing else even came close. And i'm not gonna say hes perfect, since he includes some wonky control warping and introduces some crazy attacks late into the fight, but I think he was by far the most satisfying to learn and figure out. He's not a pushover like most of the bosses and he tests you in ways the rest of the bosses have trained you up to. Fitting finale, imo.
Anyways, this is a pretty chill and short romp unless you pursue the extra content. I haven't as of writing this, but if I do, I'll include the 2nd part of the review below this talking about Lunatic and the extra bosses. But for now, not bad!
Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 50 50
Jul 25, 2019
Wahfuu
For: I wanna be the Justice Guy
For: I wanna be the Justice Guy
Content completed: 100%, Including a couple no-hit Exceeds just for the fun of it.
As of now, this is the golden standard for every boss-focused game, fangame or otherwise, for myself.
So, there are two initial things to get out of the way when Justice Guy is brought up in review: The production values and the platforming. The former is stellar, there's pretty much nothing else like it fangame wise. I think there was an art team of... 6 people? It's a shame that because of the borrowed music it can't be monetized, since all of the assets are completely original. It's the only thing that makes it impossible.
The platforming gets a bad reputation, and honestly I think it's a little undeserved. It's not fantastic, mind, and if you go into the game expecting something traditional to either Fangame platforming or typical Run'n'Gun platforming you'll probably be disappointed. Personally I think they should have leaned harder into the latter with some proper mini bosses, instead of just... the slugs. The actual precise 'jumps' just feel awkward to do and unfitting for the pace the game seems to want. I know it wanted to be a fangame Run'N'Gun hybrid, but the traditional platforming gets in the way. Less IWBTG, more Super Contra or Metal Slug.
If you try and do it normally, anyway.
Because amusingly the platformign REALLY starts to shine if you try and speedrun them, to the point where it almost feels designed intentionally for it. S-Ranking the levels is extremely satisfying, learning how to optimize damage every way and seeing what you can get away with. Saves deleting all previous enemies encounters leads to the whole speed to the next save idea. Some work a little better for this (the aforementioned slug, for example, does not lend itself to this in any way) but there's a compactness that makes it fun to do. Either way, I don't think the platforming is bad enough to warrant the reputation.
But even if it was, the platforming is certainly not what most people come to the game for, and not what they spend most of their time on, especially if you do the extra content. Justice Guy lives and dies on its identity as a boss game. It has mostly simple mechanics, but they all blend together to create a rather fluid player character that has a lot of optimization available to it. And you'll want to explore it, because some of the bosses will kick your teeth in if you don't.
Justice Guy's bosses operate on a faster pace than most games you'll see, especially since Influcca and Gustav took 'final part of the fight being the most intense' to a whole new level. Most of the bosses have an enrage or desperation phase that makes every clear feel a hundred times more satisfying, and if they don't it's normally because their phase 2 is insane enough by itself to create tension up until the final gun shots. This could lead some to feel weary getting to the ending each time, and if you don't find improving consistency or the simple act of optimizing damage in Justice Guy, that will certainly be an issue for some. Personally, just the normal gameplay simplicity of seeing tells and reacting them accordingly and finding new ways to exploit it for damage is fun in itself.
The only unfortunate part of this part of the game I say is the balance. The game starts off pretty normally, even easy, until boss 4, where you're greeted by X-1 and X-2, who will brute force you into understanding the game. I was stuck here for a number of hours, and it came as a complete shock since there's almost no reason to think that you'd be thrown into a difficult boss this early. Hell, X-1 and X-2 normal ended up taking me longer than literally anything else in the game, post game and all, except for the normal end boss.
Which is another sticking point against the games balance. Deus and Leina part 2 is so significantly harder than everything else in the game it's to the point of absurdity. It took me about 17 hours or so? And nothing else in the game even came close to cracking 2 digits. There is a chance you'll have to switch to angel mode (the games assist mode, which gives you +5 hp) if you aren't willing to grind this out. There's a ton of learning in it. Again, personally, Deus and Leina 2 was my absolute favorite part of the game. It was the most fun grind I've ever done, and your progression gets ostensibly better each attempt. But I understand that not everyone wants that.
I'm more forgiving of balance issues if the content that goes above the norm is as good as whats in Justice Guy, essentially.
The post-game content is a bit strange, especially to access it, what with no real hints (if you can't read korean) that there even is a post game, and running around the levels platforming, where you are then treated by >18< different secret bosses of... various qualities. It's not the games high point, but they're cute bite sized bosses that aren't hard enough to warrant issue. Except for birdman, who is a real asshole. You're completely free to change to angel mode without having to replay anything here, aswell (and you probably should for the boss after)
So what we have is definitely a game that targets a pretty specific audience. If you're the type of person who really loves boss focused games, give it a shot, and angel mode is always there if you need it. And do Exceed mode, it's definitely worth it. If Justice Guy 2 ever comes out, I'm gonna try and be the first one to play it.
Also, I wrote a huge pastebin about all the normal/exceed mode bosses, if you'd like to see opinions on every boss. I didn't want to make this review too huge:
https://pastebin.com/NYH6BTYm
[5] Likes
As of now, this is the golden standard for every boss-focused game, fangame or otherwise, for myself.
So, there are two initial things to get out of the way when Justice Guy is brought up in review: The production values and the platforming. The former is stellar, there's pretty much nothing else like it fangame wise. I think there was an art team of... 6 people? It's a shame that because of the borrowed music it can't be monetized, since all of the assets are completely original. It's the only thing that makes it impossible.
The platforming gets a bad reputation, and honestly I think it's a little undeserved. It's not fantastic, mind, and if you go into the game expecting something traditional to either Fangame platforming or typical Run'n'Gun platforming you'll probably be disappointed. Personally I think they should have leaned harder into the latter with some proper mini bosses, instead of just... the slugs. The actual precise 'jumps' just feel awkward to do and unfitting for the pace the game seems to want. I know it wanted to be a fangame Run'N'Gun hybrid, but the traditional platforming gets in the way. Less IWBTG, more Super Contra or Metal Slug.
If you try and do it normally, anyway.
Because amusingly the platformign REALLY starts to shine if you try and speedrun them, to the point where it almost feels designed intentionally for it. S-Ranking the levels is extremely satisfying, learning how to optimize damage every way and seeing what you can get away with. Saves deleting all previous enemies encounters leads to the whole speed to the next save idea. Some work a little better for this (the aforementioned slug, for example, does not lend itself to this in any way) but there's a compactness that makes it fun to do. Either way, I don't think the platforming is bad enough to warrant the reputation.
But even if it was, the platforming is certainly not what most people come to the game for, and not what they spend most of their time on, especially if you do the extra content. Justice Guy lives and dies on its identity as a boss game. It has mostly simple mechanics, but they all blend together to create a rather fluid player character that has a lot of optimization available to it. And you'll want to explore it, because some of the bosses will kick your teeth in if you don't.
Justice Guy's bosses operate on a faster pace than most games you'll see, especially since Influcca and Gustav took 'final part of the fight being the most intense' to a whole new level. Most of the bosses have an enrage or desperation phase that makes every clear feel a hundred times more satisfying, and if they don't it's normally because their phase 2 is insane enough by itself to create tension up until the final gun shots. This could lead some to feel weary getting to the ending each time, and if you don't find improving consistency or the simple act of optimizing damage in Justice Guy, that will certainly be an issue for some. Personally, just the normal gameplay simplicity of seeing tells and reacting them accordingly and finding new ways to exploit it for damage is fun in itself.
The only unfortunate part of this part of the game I say is the balance. The game starts off pretty normally, even easy, until boss 4, where you're greeted by X-1 and X-2, who will brute force you into understanding the game. I was stuck here for a number of hours, and it came as a complete shock since there's almost no reason to think that you'd be thrown into a difficult boss this early. Hell, X-1 and X-2 normal ended up taking me longer than literally anything else in the game, post game and all, except for the normal end boss.
Which is another sticking point against the games balance. Deus and Leina part 2 is so significantly harder than everything else in the game it's to the point of absurdity. It took me about 17 hours or so? And nothing else in the game even came close to cracking 2 digits. There is a chance you'll have to switch to angel mode (the games assist mode, which gives you +5 hp) if you aren't willing to grind this out. There's a ton of learning in it. Again, personally, Deus and Leina 2 was my absolute favorite part of the game. It was the most fun grind I've ever done, and your progression gets ostensibly better each attempt. But I understand that not everyone wants that.
I'm more forgiving of balance issues if the content that goes above the norm is as good as whats in Justice Guy, essentially.
The post-game content is a bit strange, especially to access it, what with no real hints (if you can't read korean) that there even is a post game, and running around the levels platforming, where you are then treated by >18< different secret bosses of... various qualities. It's not the games high point, but they're cute bite sized bosses that aren't hard enough to warrant issue. Except for birdman, who is a real asshole. You're completely free to change to angel mode without having to replay anything here, aswell (and you probably should for the boss after)
So what we have is definitely a game that targets a pretty specific audience. If you're the type of person who really loves boss focused games, give it a shot, and angel mode is always there if you need it. And do Exceed mode, it's definitely worth it. If Justice Guy 2 ever comes out, I'm gonna try and be the first one to play it.
Also, I wrote a huge pastebin about all the normal/exceed mode bosses, if you'd like to see opinions on every boss. I didn't want to make this review too huge:
https://pastebin.com/NYH6BTYm
Rating: 9.5 95
Difficulty: 78 78
Jun 25, 2019
Wahfuu
For: I wanna explore the Mountains
For: I wanna explore the Mountains
This is probably one of the most polarizing experiences I have had playing a fangame.
I would say there's sort of 2 sides to my experience with Explore the Mountains. There's the first 60%, and then the everything else. But first let's talk about the whole package.
Explore is probably one of the most cohesive games I've ever played needle wise. It's definitely the best visually, with a distinct atmosphere you rarely find in the genre. Thanks to the lighting, the bright spikes vs the dark background and the saves being torches, there's a great feeling of truly feeling like you're exploring through uncharted, unmanned depths of a cave network. All the visual elements just work together to create something you don't see often: A comprehensive atmosphere.
What lends itself to this is the very specific design choice to include gimmicks that lend themselves to extra jumps, and letting you cross large distances with them. There's not a ton of exits to screens being close to the entrance of it and you just need to navigate around. You truly feel like you're crossing across leaps of obstacles.
And for awhile, this I felt was going to make this my favorite needle game. And for the first 60% it was. The design was creative and fresh, nothing irritated me, and I wasn't even having much of the often bemoned visual issues that plagued the game. I had a hard time even stopping at times.
Unfortunately, the last 40% of the game sharply and abruptly took the wind right out my sails, due to including a gimmick I really just don't like: Gravity flipping.
I don't blame den for including it, it fits thematically with the rest of the game and isn't a strange inclusion, but I really can't stand this gimmick. It's below conveyors and ice physics for me. Stuff that just messes with your vision and orientation is something I really at my core disagree with for needle. And it's not like the screens that include it are bad, far from it: The sequences involving them are very flowy once you figure it out, and there's great creativity, but this is a giant brick wall for me enjoying any sort of needle game with it.
Not only that, the purple stage is where I started to notice visual grievings. Saves felt like they were harder to see, spikes became far more unclear. I'm not sure if just a worse mood let me focus in on minor things I didn't notice before or what, but it started to compound everything.
The last part of the game is where, beyond just me not liking gravity flipping, I think is pretty flawed. It's a fun idea, and it's phenomenal in scale. But there's so much gross transition ganks where you just can't see where you're going without dying to it several times. It's obnoxious, especially since it is by far the hardest area of the game.
This is still probably my favorites of Den's games, showing some really great creativity and originality I would really like to see expanded on in the future. But there is some objectionable stuff, and more than a bit subjective grievings in the later half. But a good game none the less.
[2] Likes
I would say there's sort of 2 sides to my experience with Explore the Mountains. There's the first 60%, and then the everything else. But first let's talk about the whole package.
Explore is probably one of the most cohesive games I've ever played needle wise. It's definitely the best visually, with a distinct atmosphere you rarely find in the genre. Thanks to the lighting, the bright spikes vs the dark background and the saves being torches, there's a great feeling of truly feeling like you're exploring through uncharted, unmanned depths of a cave network. All the visual elements just work together to create something you don't see often: A comprehensive atmosphere.
What lends itself to this is the very specific design choice to include gimmicks that lend themselves to extra jumps, and letting you cross large distances with them. There's not a ton of exits to screens being close to the entrance of it and you just need to navigate around. You truly feel like you're crossing across leaps of obstacles.
And for awhile, this I felt was going to make this my favorite needle game. And for the first 60% it was. The design was creative and fresh, nothing irritated me, and I wasn't even having much of the often bemoned visual issues that plagued the game. I had a hard time even stopping at times.
Unfortunately, the last 40% of the game sharply and abruptly took the wind right out my sails, due to including a gimmick I really just don't like: Gravity flipping.
I don't blame den for including it, it fits thematically with the rest of the game and isn't a strange inclusion, but I really can't stand this gimmick. It's below conveyors and ice physics for me. Stuff that just messes with your vision and orientation is something I really at my core disagree with for needle. And it's not like the screens that include it are bad, far from it: The sequences involving them are very flowy once you figure it out, and there's great creativity, but this is a giant brick wall for me enjoying any sort of needle game with it.
Not only that, the purple stage is where I started to notice visual grievings. Saves felt like they were harder to see, spikes became far more unclear. I'm not sure if just a worse mood let me focus in on minor things I didn't notice before or what, but it started to compound everything.
The last part of the game is where, beyond just me not liking gravity flipping, I think is pretty flawed. It's a fun idea, and it's phenomenal in scale. But there's so much gross transition ganks where you just can't see where you're going without dying to it several times. It's obnoxious, especially since it is by far the hardest area of the game.
This is still probably my favorites of Den's games, showing some really great creativity and originality I would really like to see expanded on in the future. But there is some objectionable stuff, and more than a bit subjective grievings in the later half. But a good game none the less.
Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 70 70
Apr 30, 2019
Wahfuu
For: I wanna be the G Another
For: I wanna be the G Another
An expansion to I Wanna be the G, but not in a good way.
I wanna Be the G was one of my first forrays into avoidances, and I had always wanted to play the upgraded version of it, but it was a bit of a disappointment. It just... doesn't change anything about G, and then adds in just more precise versions of the same kind of attacks.
For some reason, we got an 2 new 'jump in the center' attacks but they're just trickier on timing. The 2nd of which is really obnoxious to do, since you have to jump at a pretty specific time both off the ledge and in the center. It's a chore to learn. The extra pattern besides that isn't really bad but it's also nothing really standout, besides the visual effects.
I really wish that instead of just tossing in a few more annoying attacks onto G to bridge the beginning and end, the G attacks themselves went under a bit more of a remix. The unskippable intro doesn't help along with the autopilot of 'center jumping' that is the entirety of the first 12 seconds of the avoidance, which isn't super bothersome when the avoidance is easier and doesn't take very long to clear.
So, yeah. This was a pretty big loss. I think if I hadn't played G I woulda came into this liking it a bit more, but it feels like a pretty underwhelming hard remix to a chill avoidance.
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I wanna Be the G was one of my first forrays into avoidances, and I had always wanted to play the upgraded version of it, but it was a bit of a disappointment. It just... doesn't change anything about G, and then adds in just more precise versions of the same kind of attacks.
For some reason, we got an 2 new 'jump in the center' attacks but they're just trickier on timing. The 2nd of which is really obnoxious to do, since you have to jump at a pretty specific time both off the ledge and in the center. It's a chore to learn. The extra pattern besides that isn't really bad but it's also nothing really standout, besides the visual effects.
I really wish that instead of just tossing in a few more annoying attacks onto G to bridge the beginning and end, the G attacks themselves went under a bit more of a remix. The unskippable intro doesn't help along with the autopilot of 'center jumping' that is the entirety of the first 12 seconds of the avoidance, which isn't super bothersome when the avoidance is easier and doesn't take very long to clear.
So, yeah. This was a pretty big loss. I think if I hadn't played G I woulda came into this liking it a bit more, but it feels like a pretty underwhelming hard remix to a chill avoidance.
Rating: 5.0 50
Difficulty: 69 69
Apr 29, 2019
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