Delicious FruitLatest Reviews
Wolsk
For: I Wanna Madness
For: I Wanna Madness
The avoidance seems all right, but the camera makes it very unfun to play.
Tagged as: Visual_Challenge
[1] Like
Rating: 5.8 58
Difficulty: N/A
Nov 24, 2021
phgQED
For: I wanna follow it
For: I wanna follow it
The needle portion of this hack was fun and quite challenging. The aesthetic is mystical and eye-catching without taking focus away from the platforming. Several specific jumps were particularly difficult, but the generous saves made it so none of the individual screens were too challenging.
I'm relatively new to fangames, and as such, almost completely new to the individual subgenres of games. I have played mostly needle games so far because they are what I've enjoyed the most, but also being a Touhou/Super Hexagon fan, I thought it would be good to check out a healthy selection of avoidance games too.
The patterns and aesthetics of the bullets/attacks are wonderful and fit the mystical theme. I feel like I've come to the conclusion through this game and several others, however, that avoidance in fangames is simply not for me. I don't enjoy the kid's moveset for navigating 2D space in the context of avoiding projectiles, and would much rather play Touhou or something else with a life/continue system instead. I feel that if lives/checkpoints were implemented in this avoidance it would be much more enjoyable. It is not too hard, but I don't enjoy the amount of wait time between attempts. Sorry.
[0] Likes
I'm relatively new to fangames, and as such, almost completely new to the individual subgenres of games. I have played mostly needle games so far because they are what I've enjoyed the most, but also being a Touhou/Super Hexagon fan, I thought it would be good to check out a healthy selection of avoidance games too.
The patterns and aesthetics of the bullets/attacks are wonderful and fit the mystical theme. I feel like I've come to the conclusion through this game and several others, however, that avoidance in fangames is simply not for me. I don't enjoy the kid's moveset for navigating 2D space in the context of avoiding projectiles, and would much rather play Touhou or something else with a life/continue system instead. I feel that if lives/checkpoints were implemented in this avoidance it would be much more enjoyable. It is not too hard, but I don't enjoy the amount of wait time between attempts. Sorry.
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: 40 40
Nov 24, 2021
cLOUDDEAD
For: YoYoYo Engine (RBN Edition)
For: YoYoYo Engine (RBN Edition)
I have mostly used the older version of RBN engine so some of what I say here may not be 100% accurate, but I think the general sentiment still applies. Feel free to correct anything incorrect here.
RBN engine is somewhere between NANE and YoYoYo studio, being a feature heavy engine with lots of pre-made gimmicks and assets. I think the main edge this engine has is the lack of resource tree clutter; it's far easier to find an object I need compared to NANE, where every non-YoYoYo gimmick is stuffed into a cluttered 'new' folder. as others have pointed out, the trigger system is a huge improvement over YoYoYo, and honestly the best trigger system I have seen, although I would have preferred the init being inside a universally usable script, so any object could be activated by triggers out of the box, rather than needing to use trigger spikes and do object-parent shenanigans for anything else. Another great addition is the new god-mode in debug, which has a visual and auditory indicator for when you would have died, which makes testing far more streamlined and its probably my most loved part of this engine. It seriously makes testing so much easier.
It still comes with its quirks, though. The sprite skin system uses a script to draw the spike/fruit/etc sprites for each room which can make simpler visuals easier to achieve if you have a very standard stage-based game. This comes at the cost of being able to easily implement more advanced/varied visuals within a room, and also familiarity. For the average person making a simple needle game, this isn't a real issue.
The biggest issue with the engine, for me, is how much of a headache it can be to change any engine-default assets. The blame isn't entirely on RBN engine here, a lot of it is on YoYoYo engine (5 seperate objects just to handle the title screen + menus, why?), but it still comes into play if you use this engine. Lots of small inconsistencies here and there that make any bigger project somewhat of a pain to manage.
Overall, if you want to make gimmick needle, this is the better place to start over NANE or YoYoYo, but if you
already have a good grasp on gamemaker and want to do something bigger, or maybe just want to learn to use gamemaker better through programming stuff yourself, try a more barebones engine.
no rating because I don't want engines in my ratings, but I'd give it an 8.5/10
[0] Likes
RBN engine is somewhere between NANE and YoYoYo studio, being a feature heavy engine with lots of pre-made gimmicks and assets. I think the main edge this engine has is the lack of resource tree clutter; it's far easier to find an object I need compared to NANE, where every non-YoYoYo gimmick is stuffed into a cluttered 'new' folder. as others have pointed out, the trigger system is a huge improvement over YoYoYo, and honestly the best trigger system I have seen, although I would have preferred the init being inside a universally usable script, so any object could be activated by triggers out of the box, rather than needing to use trigger spikes and do object-parent shenanigans for anything else. Another great addition is the new god-mode in debug, which has a visual and auditory indicator for when you would have died, which makes testing far more streamlined and its probably my most loved part of this engine. It seriously makes testing so much easier.
It still comes with its quirks, though. The sprite skin system uses a script to draw the spike/fruit/etc sprites for each room which can make simpler visuals easier to achieve if you have a very standard stage-based game. This comes at the cost of being able to easily implement more advanced/varied visuals within a room, and also familiarity. For the average person making a simple needle game, this isn't a real issue.
The biggest issue with the engine, for me, is how much of a headache it can be to change any engine-default assets. The blame isn't entirely on RBN engine here, a lot of it is on YoYoYo engine (5 seperate objects just to handle the title screen + menus, why?), but it still comes into play if you use this engine. Lots of small inconsistencies here and there that make any bigger project somewhat of a pain to manage.
Overall, if you want to make gimmick needle, this is the better place to start over NANE or YoYoYo, but if you
already have a good grasp on gamemaker and want to do something bigger, or maybe just want to learn to use gamemaker better through programming stuff yourself, try a more barebones engine.
no rating because I don't want engines in my ratings, but I'd give it an 8.5/10
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: N/A
Nov 24, 2021
phgQED
For: I wanna eat the lemon
For: I wanna eat the lemon
A fun needle game with moderate challenge and a charming aesthetic. The music selection was calming and complemented the level design/gameplay well. Gimmickless except for one screen near the very end. I wasn't a fan of the gimmick, but it was definitely well implemented, and felt super satisfying to clear. Highly recommended for needle newcomers.
Plus, you get a delicious lemon~.
Time: ~35 Min
Deaths: 554
[0] Likes
Plus, you get a delicious lemon~.
Time: ~35 Min
Deaths: 554
Rating: 8.2 82
Difficulty: 30 30
Nov 23, 2021
DerpyHoovesIWBTG
For: I wanna be the base
For: I wanna be the base
Tagged as: Boss
[0] Likes
Rating: 1.0 10
Difficulty: 60 60
Nov 23, 2021
TheChiekurs
For: I wanna Kill The Tasute 2
For: I wanna Kill The Tasute 2
Tagged as: Avoidance
[0] Likes
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: N/A
Nov 23, 2021
phgQED
For: Iwanna Glacial
For: Iwanna Glacial
This was a nice challenge for a beginner to needle games. The music choices were decent and they changed a few times w/ the aesthetic, which was nice. Some of the aesthetic details were a little confusing but not overall. Difficulty ramps up a bit towards the end, including some jumps that felt impossible until we realized we were missing the intended route. Cute and fun game overall.
The more I play fangames, the more I am hoping my sense of what 'difficulty' is will emerge. Ostensibly there are only a few measurable metrics that make something 'easy' or 'hard'—how precise the frame and pixel windows are, how specific the technique is, how hard they are to read, how many challenges in a row before a save point etc.. What also emerges, tho, is a kind of 'flavour', for lack of a better word—the creator's own sensibilities as to what is and isn't 'fun' and/or 'difficult'.
In Iwanna Glacial, it might only have felt like the difficulty was inconsistent in places because of that 'flavour'—what strikes the creator as innately challenging may not be so to other people. Maybe a very hard save for everyone else was easy for them. To that end, the interesting part here, to me, anyway, was how the seemingly 'classic' elements of needle games emerge in a broader sense as the game goes on. Screens become more cramped, navigation becomes more circular, spikes are used multiple times instead of just once, and saves become more specific to individual jumps or technique—more intentional, with a sense that each challenge was one arranged in a sequence just so due to its perfect place in the ramp of difficulty.
In that degree, Iwanna Glacial is quite successful—it feels easy at the start and feels hard at the end, even though the internal difficulty curve is probably quite shallow overall. Whether this is an emergent property of fangames, needle games, or a specific subgenre of either, will hopefully be revealed over time.
Time: ~23 minutes
Deaths: 724
[0] Likes
The more I play fangames, the more I am hoping my sense of what 'difficulty' is will emerge. Ostensibly there are only a few measurable metrics that make something 'easy' or 'hard'—how precise the frame and pixel windows are, how specific the technique is, how hard they are to read, how many challenges in a row before a save point etc.. What also emerges, tho, is a kind of 'flavour', for lack of a better word—the creator's own sensibilities as to what is and isn't 'fun' and/or 'difficult'.
In Iwanna Glacial, it might only have felt like the difficulty was inconsistent in places because of that 'flavour'—what strikes the creator as innately challenging may not be so to other people. Maybe a very hard save for everyone else was easy for them. To that end, the interesting part here, to me, anyway, was how the seemingly 'classic' elements of needle games emerge in a broader sense as the game goes on. Screens become more cramped, navigation becomes more circular, spikes are used multiple times instead of just once, and saves become more specific to individual jumps or technique—more intentional, with a sense that each challenge was one arranged in a sequence just so due to its perfect place in the ramp of difficulty.
In that degree, Iwanna Glacial is quite successful—it feels easy at the start and feels hard at the end, even though the internal difficulty curve is probably quite shallow overall. Whether this is an emergent property of fangames, needle games, or a specific subgenre of either, will hopefully be revealed over time.
Time: ~23 minutes
Deaths: 724
Rating: 7.5 75
Difficulty: 32 32
Nov 23, 2021
phgQED
For: I wanna be the Kaenbyou
For: I wanna be the Kaenbyou
This was a fun and easy introduction to some basic needle concepts and jumps. In general it is possible the screens are slightly too easy, but satisfying if you are new to the genre. Game 1 has a mostly consistent difficulty and is easy to navigate. Game 2 suffers from some readability issues towards the later screens, and by this point "Corpse Voyage (Be of Good Cheer!)" had begun to grate a bit. I'm not able to give Game 3 a proper rating as I can't navigate past the first screen—it seems both a problem of readability and execution. I'm not sure if I'm trying the correct jump, and even if I am, I'm not sure how to make it. A silly stopping point to a fun series, but one that I would definitely recommend for newbies or someone looking for a chill challenge.
Specifically in regards to this designer, it felt like the fingerprint of their level arrangement ethos was really palpable as the screens went on. A drop gate is at the start of the screen more often than not, and the semi-circuitous movement around, while typical of needle games in general, felt very familiar by Game 3. I'm glad I was able to get a sense of this designer's sensibilities, and I enjoyed their games while doing so.
[0] Likes
Specifically in regards to this designer, it felt like the fingerprint of their level arrangement ethos was really palpable as the screens went on. A drop gate is at the start of the screen more often than not, and the semi-circuitous movement around, while typical of needle games in general, felt very familiar by Game 3. I'm glad I was able to get a sense of this designer's sensibilities, and I enjoyed their games while doing so.
Rating: 8.2 82
Difficulty: 20 20
Nov 23, 2021
CanusAntonius
For: I wanna be the Micromedley
For: I wanna be the Micromedley
Pretty solid game that has given me a lot of trouble in the past, but I've finally managed to beat it after all this time. I still think it has a lot of fundamental issues, such as Break the Targets being an absolute slog to have to get back to every time just to die to the last screen, or the fact that the final boss is pretty boring since more than half of it is from Kill the Guy (especially disliked the inclusion of Dj Spray which was quite annoying). There are some other issues too, mainly relating to how bosses should just have a checkpoint at them in general, but those two segments were definitely the worst parts.
I'd still recommend it though since the Warioware theme is incredibly neat and works well with fangames.
[1] Like
I'd still recommend it though since the Warioware theme is incredibly neat and works well with fangames.
Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 55 55
Nov 23, 2021