Delicious FruitLatest Reviews
Chris
For: I wanna start crying 1
For: I wanna start crying 1
game
Tagged as: Needle
[1] Like
Rating: 5.5 55
Difficulty: 40 40
Feb 5, 2024
KingSlendy
For: I Wanna Be 1 in 100
For: I Wanna Be 1 in 100
So... yeah, I don't even know where to start with this one.
I'm gonna start with the visuals, most of the visuals are just... mediocre at best, most of the backgrounds are just a plain solid color, with tiles that are... I mean not bad but not amazing either, the only visually appealing stages were, the one where you push the boxes, the second to last stage, and the hand-drawn stage, all of them had really nice visuals.
The gimmicks are... fine I guess, and the level design was mostly fine. I just found it incredibly boring, I just beat the game like a couple minutes ago and I can barely remember anything about the game, it's just so incredibly forgettable for me.
Another lackluster part of the game, is the SFX department, there's barely any outside of the obvious ones. It makes the game seem dull, bosses' attacks have little to no SFX, and it makes the bosses feel devoid of life, and some boss hit sounds are non-existent as well, making hitting bosses feel whatever.
And now... the worst offender for me, are precisely the bosses... my god the bosses... they are just... bad, they seem like bosses you would make watching "Fangame tutorial: How to make a boss", something that if you know how to code, you can make them in like 15 minutes, even more so the first half of the bosses. And the other half are just annoying or not interesting at all. Most lack of HP bars as well, or any visual tells for whenever you're hitting it or not.
Overall I just didn't have a fun time with this game, and I'm disappointed because I know Wonderful can make better games, and has made better games.
[4] Likes
I'm gonna start with the visuals, most of the visuals are just... mediocre at best, most of the backgrounds are just a plain solid color, with tiles that are... I mean not bad but not amazing either, the only visually appealing stages were, the one where you push the boxes, the second to last stage, and the hand-drawn stage, all of them had really nice visuals.
The gimmicks are... fine I guess, and the level design was mostly fine. I just found it incredibly boring, I just beat the game like a couple minutes ago and I can barely remember anything about the game, it's just so incredibly forgettable for me.
Another lackluster part of the game, is the SFX department, there's barely any outside of the obvious ones. It makes the game seem dull, bosses' attacks have little to no SFX, and it makes the bosses feel devoid of life, and some boss hit sounds are non-existent as well, making hitting bosses feel whatever.
And now... the worst offender for me, are precisely the bosses... my god the bosses... they are just... bad, they seem like bosses you would make watching "Fangame tutorial: How to make a boss", something that if you know how to code, you can make them in like 15 minutes, even more so the first half of the bosses. And the other half are just annoying or not interesting at all. Most lack of HP bars as well, or any visual tells for whenever you're hitting it or not.
Overall I just didn't have a fun time with this game, and I'm disappointed because I know Wonderful can make better games, and has made better games.
Rating: 3.5 35
Difficulty: 60 60
Feb 5, 2024
quadstuffed
For: XIFT
For: XIFT
10/10 atmosphere, a game with fully realized artistic vision. The platforming is arguably uninteresting with many "hallways" and short hops that are become trivialized with jump cancel tech, but I'd argue this game shows that a great needle game doesn't need to be mechanically mind blowing, or have never before seen techniques and movements.
[0] Likes
Rating: 8.8 88
Difficulty: 60 60
Feb 5, 2024
bereavement
For: I Wanna beat 30 Floors
For: I Wanna beat 30 Floors
You can find the v1.6 possible version on the archive.
I have taken it upon myself to modify the current version to make it possible. As Derpy mentioned, there is an impossible part on floor 20 - I modified it by moving the relevant structure half a block to the right. I've also checked and tested everything past that point to make sure that it is possible to beat this and I fully cleared everything myself. It's actually insane that the game is on version 1.6 and the creator still hasn't played his own game.
Moving on to the actual game design, everything looks nice and clean. However, the same can't be said for the needle design and save balance. For the most part, the first 15 floors are decent to good, but when you get to the green stage you can say goodbye to fun. Very uncomfortable jumps, questionable vine jumps - actually, for some reason, the worst jumps in this game always had something to do with vines, makes me think that the creator either didn't test this game (100% didn't) or magically his vines worked different. While you can slog through most of the screens, prepare your fucking ass for floor 25. I uploaded a screenshot of it, it's the mountainy area. It only contains two saves, first one is free, the second one I got stuck for 3 fucking hours. It has the single most bullshit vine jump I have ever had the displeasure of playing and it almost made me quit the game. Doesn't help that after that there's a choke drop almost right after. Past that, the game becomes easier, ending with a solid consistency screen.
Wouldn't recommend, play this creator's newer games.
AND I FUCKING OVERWROTE MY FUCKING SAVE FUCK THIS GAME
[1] Like
I have taken it upon myself to modify the current version to make it possible. As Derpy mentioned, there is an impossible part on floor 20 - I modified it by moving the relevant structure half a block to the right. I've also checked and tested everything past that point to make sure that it is possible to beat this and I fully cleared everything myself. It's actually insane that the game is on version 1.6 and the creator still hasn't played his own game.
Moving on to the actual game design, everything looks nice and clean. However, the same can't be said for the needle design and save balance. For the most part, the first 15 floors are decent to good, but when you get to the green stage you can say goodbye to fun. Very uncomfortable jumps, questionable vine jumps - actually, for some reason, the worst jumps in this game always had something to do with vines, makes me think that the creator either didn't test this game (100% didn't) or magically his vines worked different. While you can slog through most of the screens, prepare your fucking ass for floor 25. I uploaded a screenshot of it, it's the mountainy area. It only contains two saves, first one is free, the second one I got stuck for 3 fucking hours. It has the single most bullshit vine jump I have ever had the displeasure of playing and it almost made me quit the game. Doesn't help that after that there's a choke drop almost right after. Past that, the game becomes easier, ending with a solid consistency screen.
Wouldn't recommend, play this creator's newer games.
AND I FUCKING OVERWROTE MY FUCKING SAVE FUCK THIS GAME
Rating: 4.5 45
Difficulty: 70 70
Feb 5, 2024
Rainydays
For: I Wanna beat 30 Floors
For: I Wanna beat 30 Floors
precise needle game, first save point in 20f is shit
[0] Likes
Rating: 2.5 25
Difficulty: N/A
Feb 5, 2024
DerpyHoovesIWBTG
For: i wanna engazer
For: i wanna engazer
Tagged as: Avoidance
[0] Likes
Rating: 4.2 42
Difficulty: 60 60
Feb 5, 2024
LaFy_
For: I wanna Kardia
For: I wanna Kardia
Tagged as: Avoidance
[0] Likes
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: N/A
Feb 5, 2024
Cthaere
For: I Wanna Escape Into My Mind
For: I Wanna Escape Into My Mind
And yet again I am forced to break my own self imposed rule. I generally do not give games that I did not have an immediate connection with 9+, however this game deserves it (and honestly, it deserves higher, but at that point I'd be dishonest to myself).
I doubt there's much I can say that has not been said already, however there are a few points I would like to add and accentuate. First of all, I agree with most of what marc and derf were saying, and I am glad that we're starting to take steps towards having games with well executed narratives. Too often, even when games do try to have a narrative, they tend to be either personal to the maker to the point of being near-unrecognizable to anyone else, so vague as to feel like the author only wanted the player to FEEL like there's a narrative where there isn't one, or the "narrative" is just some plot to give the kid an excuse to be where they are, without any real significance or commentary on anything. Many of them also feel very flat, where once you figure them out you can only go "was that it? is that all?". This game, in contrast, has multiple layers that make the existence of a narrative obvious, as well as its general shape, while not revealing all the cards immediately, which I wish more games would do. Many parts are also much more broadly open to interpretation, which I also appreciate.
As far as executing the concept, it is very well done and feels both direct and purposefully designed, with the final result coming together as a well made, cohesive and rich experience. I do feel like there are a few nitpicks. First, I have a personal hangup regarding high energy songs that are coupled with relatively static vfx. This shows up a few times and in nearly all of them I would have liked seeing new vfx styles and strong effects, something that I want and burnmind do well but feels a bit missing here. Final stage also feels overly long and has some big frustrating moments. The choice to bring all the gimmicks back together also felt not quite fleshed out to me; while one can very easily make the reading of the game being a journey of facing and overcoming one's anxieties, and thus the final stage could be an allusion to either having a panic attack or taking the final step to overcome them all, the final stage still doesn't sit right with me in this context (or any similar one), as it feels that either the concept can be portrayed in the abstract with minimal unpleasantness, or that the unpleasantness must be experienced whole in which case I would have preferred it to be made more explicit and turned even higher.
So why is this not a 10? I hate to admit it, but I did not instantly connect with the game. I appreciate it on an intellectual level, and it is very clear what it's going for on an emotional level, however it did not work for me. It always sucks when a piece of art others love to death bounces off you, and it doubly sucks when it's a piece of art that you not only feel like you should connect with, but one that you ALSO love to death on the concept alone. But that's something you just gotta learn to cope with; this was not the first time it happened to me, and I'm certain it won't be the last.
You will also note that I avoid making a substantial and detailed reading into the game, one that I can claim full ownership of and confidently stand behind; Quite frankly, I feel unqualified to give any. My media literacy is in need of improvement, and besides this game feels like it is at least partially a personal (if not to say a cathartic/therauptic) creation, and that makes the relationship between maker and game much stickier. Besides, it's a lot better for one to form their own opinions and theories first before "getting the answer" from someone who has "figured it out", and so I feel like giving any full reading on DF would likely do more harm than good. With that said, Marc and Derf both take us in a good direction, I feel. Go read their reviews.
All in all, this is a massive step in a direction I've been waiting for fangames to go towards for a long while, and it is an exceptionally well made one to boot. Despite not having gotten as much out of it as I felt I should have, the game still gives me hope, and is an undeniable cornerstone of narrative design.
[3] Likes
I doubt there's much I can say that has not been said already, however there are a few points I would like to add and accentuate. First of all, I agree with most of what marc and derf were saying, and I am glad that we're starting to take steps towards having games with well executed narratives. Too often, even when games do try to have a narrative, they tend to be either personal to the maker to the point of being near-unrecognizable to anyone else, so vague as to feel like the author only wanted the player to FEEL like there's a narrative where there isn't one, or the "narrative" is just some plot to give the kid an excuse to be where they are, without any real significance or commentary on anything. Many of them also feel very flat, where once you figure them out you can only go "was that it? is that all?". This game, in contrast, has multiple layers that make the existence of a narrative obvious, as well as its general shape, while not revealing all the cards immediately, which I wish more games would do. Many parts are also much more broadly open to interpretation, which I also appreciate.
As far as executing the concept, it is very well done and feels both direct and purposefully designed, with the final result coming together as a well made, cohesive and rich experience. I do feel like there are a few nitpicks. First, I have a personal hangup regarding high energy songs that are coupled with relatively static vfx. This shows up a few times and in nearly all of them I would have liked seeing new vfx styles and strong effects, something that I want and burnmind do well but feels a bit missing here. Final stage also feels overly long and has some big frustrating moments. The choice to bring all the gimmicks back together also felt not quite fleshed out to me; while one can very easily make the reading of the game being a journey of facing and overcoming one's anxieties, and thus the final stage could be an allusion to either having a panic attack or taking the final step to overcome them all, the final stage still doesn't sit right with me in this context (or any similar one), as it feels that either the concept can be portrayed in the abstract with minimal unpleasantness, or that the unpleasantness must be experienced whole in which case I would have preferred it to be made more explicit and turned even higher.
So why is this not a 10? I hate to admit it, but I did not instantly connect with the game. I appreciate it on an intellectual level, and it is very clear what it's going for on an emotional level, however it did not work for me. It always sucks when a piece of art others love to death bounces off you, and it doubly sucks when it's a piece of art that you not only feel like you should connect with, but one that you ALSO love to death on the concept alone. But that's something you just gotta learn to cope with; this was not the first time it happened to me, and I'm certain it won't be the last.
You will also note that I avoid making a substantial and detailed reading into the game, one that I can claim full ownership of and confidently stand behind; Quite frankly, I feel unqualified to give any. My media literacy is in need of improvement, and besides this game feels like it is at least partially a personal (if not to say a cathartic/therauptic) creation, and that makes the relationship between maker and game much stickier. Besides, it's a lot better for one to form their own opinions and theories first before "getting the answer" from someone who has "figured it out", and so I feel like giving any full reading on DF would likely do more harm than good. With that said, Marc and Derf both take us in a good direction, I feel. Go read their reviews.
All in all, this is a massive step in a direction I've been waiting for fangames to go towards for a long while, and it is an exceptionally well made one to boot. Despite not having gotten as much out of it as I felt I should have, the game still gives me hope, and is an undeniable cornerstone of narrative design.
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: N/A
Feb 5, 2024