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Cthaere
For: Needle Hatena
For: Needle Hatena
Disclaimer: I was a tester for this game, and my review is undoubtedly affected by it. This review applies to 100%; any% would probably be a 55 to 60 difficulty.
Needle Hatena is a needle collab which achieves what every collab strives for: Variety. No two stages are quite alike, with many stages establishing their own unique niche as well as a few that are grounded in more traditional design. All of the stages are short enough and mostly easy enough to never drag on for too long, and overall the game feels like more than the sum of its parts. With that in mind, let's delve into the individual stages:
PrinceOfLight: A unique stage revolving around catharsis water, which uses lines for blocks and curved lines for spikes. Contains some interesting pathing and long catharsis water drops. Personally I enjoyed it quite a lot, and I wish it had at least another screen.
Shign: A modern approach to needle, with heavy use of water, platforms, vines and jump refreshers, which are used for both pathing and long sequences of jumps without touching the ground. One of my favorite stages, as I very much enjoy that style of needle. Hopefully we'll see more standalone needle games in this style.
Egg: A stage that focuses on interesting jumps and maneuvers that aren't too precise and are generally performed using intuition rather than exact frame inputs, with a sprinkle of catharsis water thrown in. Worth noting is that this stage has a very unique atmosphere, one which I sadly find impossible to describe but should definitely be experienced for oneself. One of the better stages in my opinion.
Lemon: A stage with very long saves but relatively easy jumps, which manages to avoid making generic corridor needle despite many parts being limited in height and verticality. Stationed inside a cave, with a spotlight gimmick (that doesn't really affect the platforming) and fitting music, this stage has one of the more cohesive atmospheres out there. Overall a very good stage.
JPEG: A stage with mostly generic needle, however it is also very much far off from your corner/diagonal/gate spam you see everywhere, and is still fairly enjoyable.
Kittygame: The easiest stage, and fairly short too. The needle isn't very special, but it's still good. A very chill stage, and I had a good time with it.
Chrisay: One of the more interesting takes I've seen on cycles, which contains every aspect of them you can want: The fast cycle, the learny cycles, and the search for a safespot to stand in and evaluate your next step. Another favorite of mine, although personally it was more fun to replay than play for the first time to figure out all of the cycles.
Artimax: An experimental stage, with a bizarre atmosphere and a central theme of conserving your double jump throughout a water level by using vines, with every surface you might want to stand on being covered with spikes. Unfortunately, while the concept is neat, the gameplay suffers a bit for it, as you have to hold down the shift key for extended periods of time and generally do maneuvers that deviate away from normal fangame gameplay where jump height is key. A very polarizing stage for sure, however one I'm glad is included, as it's definitely interesting.
Starzor: One of the more traditional stages, consisting of mostly corridor needle that tries to change the formula a bit. The changes definitely help freshen it out a bit, and coupled with Mario-themed visuals and a banger song elevate it from the relatively poor stage it might have been into a fairly fun experience, even if in my eyes it can't compete with some of the other stages.
Credits: Easy and short, with a small focus on slopes. Has a few generic jumps especially in the corridor section, but as short and easy as it is, I can't really complain. The slopes are definitely the best part though.
Prince 2: Similar to prince 1, except with no ground to rest on, only one save per screen, and a bunch of gravity flippers to compensate. It's also a bit more precise in places compared to prince 1. Due to the difficulty increase and longer saves, this acts as a "stronger" version of prince 1, and combined with the confusion and learniness inherent to gravity flipping this could be a somewhat controversial stage, although I enjoyed it a lot.
Kittygame 2: A mix of generic needle and not so generic needle, but this time it's actually not easy. Has some nonlinear pathing and a few fun drops. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of this one, but it's still decent, and also contains a surprise.
Egg 2: My absolute favorite stage, but also the hardest one, this stage revolves around hard trigger needle, and utilizes water 1 as well as a handful of vines. The triggers are all marked, and even the ones that can be real scamps feel like they contribute to the stage. The flow is consistently very good, which is important in this needle style, especially when the path abruptly changes due to a trigger. Has a vibrant and upbeat atmosphere which contrasts egg 1 which fits very well with the theme of the stage. Overall some of my favorite trigger needle, and I'd like to play more.
Starzor 2: Short and relatively simple, with a focus on vertical play (mostly drops) and a bit of gravity flipping, which is handled very well. Surprisingly very much enjoyable, despite the simplicity, and I'm curious how a few more screens of this would have turned out.
That about wraps it up. As a whole, I would definitely recommend this game, and I've had a very good experience with it even on the stages I didn't like as much. I feel like anyone can find a few stages they will enjoy and cherish, even if they may not like everything.
[2] Likes
Needle Hatena is a needle collab which achieves what every collab strives for: Variety. No two stages are quite alike, with many stages establishing their own unique niche as well as a few that are grounded in more traditional design. All of the stages are short enough and mostly easy enough to never drag on for too long, and overall the game feels like more than the sum of its parts. With that in mind, let's delve into the individual stages:
PrinceOfLight: A unique stage revolving around catharsis water, which uses lines for blocks and curved lines for spikes. Contains some interesting pathing and long catharsis water drops. Personally I enjoyed it quite a lot, and I wish it had at least another screen.
Shign: A modern approach to needle, with heavy use of water, platforms, vines and jump refreshers, which are used for both pathing and long sequences of jumps without touching the ground. One of my favorite stages, as I very much enjoy that style of needle. Hopefully we'll see more standalone needle games in this style.
Egg: A stage that focuses on interesting jumps and maneuvers that aren't too precise and are generally performed using intuition rather than exact frame inputs, with a sprinkle of catharsis water thrown in. Worth noting is that this stage has a very unique atmosphere, one which I sadly find impossible to describe but should definitely be experienced for oneself. One of the better stages in my opinion.
Lemon: A stage with very long saves but relatively easy jumps, which manages to avoid making generic corridor needle despite many parts being limited in height and verticality. Stationed inside a cave, with a spotlight gimmick (that doesn't really affect the platforming) and fitting music, this stage has one of the more cohesive atmospheres out there. Overall a very good stage.
JPEG: A stage with mostly generic needle, however it is also very much far off from your corner/diagonal/gate spam you see everywhere, and is still fairly enjoyable.
Kittygame: The easiest stage, and fairly short too. The needle isn't very special, but it's still good. A very chill stage, and I had a good time with it.
Chrisay: One of the more interesting takes I've seen on cycles, which contains every aspect of them you can want: The fast cycle, the learny cycles, and the search for a safespot to stand in and evaluate your next step. Another favorite of mine, although personally it was more fun to replay than play for the first time to figure out all of the cycles.
Artimax: An experimental stage, with a bizarre atmosphere and a central theme of conserving your double jump throughout a water level by using vines, with every surface you might want to stand on being covered with spikes. Unfortunately, while the concept is neat, the gameplay suffers a bit for it, as you have to hold down the shift key for extended periods of time and generally do maneuvers that deviate away from normal fangame gameplay where jump height is key. A very polarizing stage for sure, however one I'm glad is included, as it's definitely interesting.
Starzor: One of the more traditional stages, consisting of mostly corridor needle that tries to change the formula a bit. The changes definitely help freshen it out a bit, and coupled with Mario-themed visuals and a banger song elevate it from the relatively poor stage it might have been into a fairly fun experience, even if in my eyes it can't compete with some of the other stages.
Credits: Easy and short, with a small focus on slopes. Has a few generic jumps especially in the corridor section, but as short and easy as it is, I can't really complain. The slopes are definitely the best part though.
Prince 2: Similar to prince 1, except with no ground to rest on, only one save per screen, and a bunch of gravity flippers to compensate. It's also a bit more precise in places compared to prince 1. Due to the difficulty increase and longer saves, this acts as a "stronger" version of prince 1, and combined with the confusion and learniness inherent to gravity flipping this could be a somewhat controversial stage, although I enjoyed it a lot.
Kittygame 2: A mix of generic needle and not so generic needle, but this time it's actually not easy. Has some nonlinear pathing and a few fun drops. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of this one, but it's still decent, and also contains a surprise.
Egg 2: My absolute favorite stage, but also the hardest one, this stage revolves around hard trigger needle, and utilizes water 1 as well as a handful of vines. The triggers are all marked, and even the ones that can be real scamps feel like they contribute to the stage. The flow is consistently very good, which is important in this needle style, especially when the path abruptly changes due to a trigger. Has a vibrant and upbeat atmosphere which contrasts egg 1 which fits very well with the theme of the stage. Overall some of my favorite trigger needle, and I'd like to play more.
Starzor 2: Short and relatively simple, with a focus on vertical play (mostly drops) and a bit of gravity flipping, which is handled very well. Surprisingly very much enjoyable, despite the simplicity, and I'm curious how a few more screens of this would have turned out.
That about wraps it up. As a whole, I would definitely recommend this game, and I've had a very good experience with it even on the stages I didn't like as much. I feel like anyone can find a few stages they will enjoy and cherish, even if they may not like everything.
Rating: 8.9 89
Difficulty: 68 68
Jul 14, 2020
CanusAntonius
For: I wanna grow Game
For: I wanna grow Game
Very short, should only take a few minutes for even a novice. Not that memorable.
[0] Likes
Rating: 4.0 40
Difficulty: 20 20
Jul 14, 2020
CanusAntonius
For: Is The Order An I wanna ?
For: Is The Order An I wanna ?
Four stages needle game in which the difficulty of the third and fourth seem to be a sudden jump from that of the first two.
[0] Likes
Rating: 5.0 50
Difficulty: 35 35
Jul 14, 2020
theTics
For: I wanna be the KS
For: I wanna be the KS
Tagged as: Trap
[0] Likes
Rating: 5.0 50
Difficulty: 40 40
Jul 14, 2020
aliceNobodi
For: I Wanna Kill The Awsl
For: I Wanna Kill The Awsl
One of the best medley games to come out in recent history. Plus, it's recieving constant updates so it can theoretically only get better. My rating is after clearing v0.3
Edit: (╥﹏╥)
[0] Likes
Edit: (╥﹏╥)
Rating: 7.5 75
Difficulty: 58 58
Jul 14, 2020
CanusAntonius
For: Chill Needle
For: Chill Needle
Short needle game with a chill atmosphere (as the title implies). As a more beginner needle player, I enjoyed the challenge that some of the jumps gave in it, slight movements with heavy satisfaction upon completion.
[0] Likes
Rating: 7.5 75
Difficulty: 40 40
Jul 14, 2020
Mister_Fox202
For: I wanna be the Chokochoko
For: I wanna be the Chokochoko
Pepega?
Tagged as: Short
[0] Likes
Rating: 1.9 19
Difficulty: 0 0
Jul 14, 2020