Delicious FruitLatest Reviews
Steingar
For: I wanna be the Boshy
For: I wanna be the Boshy
Boshy kills me. It's an absolutely stunning game overflowing with unique ideas, interesting gameplay, compelling aesthetics, and epic moments. The amount of secrets and additional content on top of an already long game is frankly insane. It is undeniably one of the most iconic fangames of all time and pivotal to the history and enduring popularity of the community.
So why the low score? Because for all the amazing aspects it is a seriously unbalanced game. The difficulty spikes are ridiculous. I personally bounced after wasting several hours not getting better at the Sonic boss. I remember Boshy speedrunner Witwix said that that is where most casual gamers give up, so I'm not ashamed to admit that. It points to an underlying excess and lack of constraint that ruins a lot of the fun. Case in point; the Ryu fight is one of my favourite bosses in all of fangaming, with an incredible soundtrack and compelling setup. Solgryn really has a feel for creating "epic" moments beyond what most fangame creators are capable of. However, he can't help himself...he just had to put in a ridiculous button mashing section in the Ryu fight that was completely unnecessary and adds no enjoyment to it at all. This defines "IWBTB" well actually; technically incredible, but ruined by a lack of restraint.
Beyond that, some of the gimmicks are childish and unenjoyable (spinning screens for instance), and a lot of the humour is meme-based and has really not aged well at all.
It's almost an insult to the wild vision of its creator to suggest that this game needs editing, but it really does. Its excesses are just too severe to be remotely enjoyable. There is a near perfect game here lying underneath a some shockingly poor gameplay choices and excessive difficulty. The best fangame to watch other people play, but not fun to play itself. To quote Witwix: "Boshy is an amazing game; 10/10, don't play it."
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So why the low score? Because for all the amazing aspects it is a seriously unbalanced game. The difficulty spikes are ridiculous. I personally bounced after wasting several hours not getting better at the Sonic boss. I remember Boshy speedrunner Witwix said that that is where most casual gamers give up, so I'm not ashamed to admit that. It points to an underlying excess and lack of constraint that ruins a lot of the fun. Case in point; the Ryu fight is one of my favourite bosses in all of fangaming, with an incredible soundtrack and compelling setup. Solgryn really has a feel for creating "epic" moments beyond what most fangame creators are capable of. However, he can't help himself...he just had to put in a ridiculous button mashing section in the Ryu fight that was completely unnecessary and adds no enjoyment to it at all. This defines "IWBTB" well actually; technically incredible, but ruined by a lack of restraint.
Beyond that, some of the gimmicks are childish and unenjoyable (spinning screens for instance), and a lot of the humour is meme-based and has really not aged well at all.
It's almost an insult to the wild vision of its creator to suggest that this game needs editing, but it really does. Its excesses are just too severe to be remotely enjoyable. There is a near perfect game here lying underneath a some shockingly poor gameplay choices and excessive difficulty. The best fangame to watch other people play, but not fun to play itself. To quote Witwix: "Boshy is an amazing game; 10/10, don't play it."
Rating: 5.4 54
Difficulty: 72 72
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I Wanna Save the Ship
For: I Wanna Save the Ship
There's no doubt this is a classic colab game. Basically an anthology with a bunch of different styles emulating various famous game franchises (Metroid, Kirby, etc.). The narrative, framing and voice work is such a treasure, and exactly what I want to be seeing from high quality fangames. Despite that, this game will only be as enjoyable as the individual segments, and my experience was mixed. The Kirby stage was pretty boring and the Metroid game was frustrating. Still, it can't dampen a compelling overall experience. Recommended.
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Rating: 8.6 86
Difficulty: 44 44
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I wanna play Kiduija
For: I wanna play Kiduija
Another MattinJ classic. Has a horror theme which I find to be an extremely underrated genre in the fangame landscape. Also features one of my favourite bosses; a bizarre long-necked creature that attacks you out of the background.
It's not that difficult to beat, but is supremely impressive and memorable. The game is short and its "fear" mechanic isn't really implemented well enough to justify it's existence, but still an excellent game in the MattinJ oeuvre.
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It's not that difficult to beat, but is supremely impressive and memorable. The game is short and its "fear" mechanic isn't really implemented well enough to justify it's existence, but still an excellent game in the MattinJ oeuvre.
Rating: 9.1 91
Difficulty: 30 30
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I Wanna Be The Guy Remastered
For: I Wanna Be The Guy Remastered
Takes the quality and uniqueness of the original and elevates it in virtually ever department, this is an amazing gift to the community which shows a real respect for fangaming history. Beyond fixing all the bugs, it also adds a considerable amount of easter eggs, makes the secret items actually mean something, and adds a lot of post-game content which potentially adds hours of additional gameplay to the original.
This remake allows new players in the community to rediscover an old classic, and old players like myself to rediscover our love for the game that started it all. A monumental achievement.
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This remake allows new players in the community to rediscover an old classic, and old players like myself to rediscover our love for the game that started it all. A monumental achievement.
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 48 48
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I wanna reach the Moon
For: I wanna reach the Moon
A near perfect game with difficult but not overly frustrating platforming and a considerable dose of puzzles to boot, this is a grand rollicking adventure from beginning to end. The bosses are pretty nicely put togethor as well; Ariel in particular is one of the most obnoxious, challenging, but enjoyable bosses I've ever encountered in all of fangames. The final boss(es) are also amazing in both scale and enjoyability.
My biggest critique would be that the end platforming section feels unnecessary, and there is a massive missed opportunity to tell something of a story here to suit the epic vibes. For the life of me I don't see why fangame developers don't include more stories in their works, surely it's fairly easy to do and elevates the enjoyability of the game immensely?
Either way, this is a classic and one of the best Adventure fangames ever made.
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My biggest critique would be that the end platforming section feels unnecessary, and there is a massive missed opportunity to tell something of a story here to suit the epic vibes. For the life of me I don't see why fangame developers don't include more stories in their works, surely it's fairly easy to do and elevates the enjoyability of the game immensely?
Either way, this is a classic and one of the best Adventure fangames ever made.
Rating: 9.7 97
Difficulty: 52 52
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I wanna kill the troll king
For: I wanna kill the troll king
A grand adventure of a game. Shares some gameplay similarities with MattinJ's other game 'I wanna be the Overlord' but has a much more light hearted vibe and bright style to it.
The story here is simply but nicely executed on. You live in a world that has been made dangerous by a "troll king" who has filled the world with various traps and trolls. Your job, of course, it to go kill him. Each of the world's has a distinctive and enjoyable aesthetic. Secrets are also peppered throughout, which can give important advantages for the final boss. I love the framing/rug-pull at the beginning, which fools you into thinking you've got a very different experience coming for you than you actually are. Trap/troll games have become less popular over the years, so it's always a pleasure to see high quality ones like this get released.
What really stands out, however is the bosses. Although not too difficult, the design of them is actually astounding. The Water Dragon in particular makes great use of a 2.5D aesthetic which can be a bit tricky to get used to but looks incredible. Every single one of them is pleasing to the eye and has a suitably epic soundtrack to boot.
A technically perfect game from a balancing and production level POV, my only critique would be it lacks a certain degree of length and epic-ness to justify a higher score. Still, this is an absolute gem and a must play.
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The story here is simply but nicely executed on. You live in a world that has been made dangerous by a "troll king" who has filled the world with various traps and trolls. Your job, of course, it to go kill him. Each of the world's has a distinctive and enjoyable aesthetic. Secrets are also peppered throughout, which can give important advantages for the final boss. I love the framing/rug-pull at the beginning, which fools you into thinking you've got a very different experience coming for you than you actually are. Trap/troll games have become less popular over the years, so it's always a pleasure to see high quality ones like this get released.
What really stands out, however is the bosses. Although not too difficult, the design of them is actually astounding. The Water Dragon in particular makes great use of a 2.5D aesthetic which can be a bit tricky to get used to but looks incredible. Every single one of them is pleasing to the eye and has a suitably epic soundtrack to boot.
A technically perfect game from a balancing and production level POV, my only critique would be it lacks a certain degree of length and epic-ness to justify a higher score. Still, this is an absolute gem and a must play.
Rating: 9.3 93
Difficulty: 48 48
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I wanna be the knight in shining armor
For: I wanna be the knight in shining armor
What a great game this is. Made in just one month too, this is essentially a little adventure that takes your gun away and replaces it with a variety of mostly melee weapons. A lot of the sprites are taken from 'Maple Story' which gives a cute little vibe to the whole affair. The change in weaponry opens up a lot of fun opportunities to play with the tropes and expectations from fangames.
It's clear that the game didn't have enough time to get completed to the extent that MattinJ intended, with for instance a boss that is already defeated by the time you arrive , but for what it is this an excellent little game that pushes the genre in exciting directions. A must play.
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It's clear that the game didn't have enough time to get completed to the extent that MattinJ intended, with for instance a boss that is already defeated by the time you arrive , but for what it is this an excellent little game that pushes the genre in exciting directions. A must play.
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: 30 30
Mar 18, 2024
iouhoh
For: Full Techno Jackass
For: Full Techno Jackass
pretty cool especially the poop with squidward face part
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Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 50 50
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I wanna be the Overlord
For: I wanna be the Overlord
I'm giving this a perfect 10; partly because it's my favourite fangame, and partly because its the ideal example of what the community should be expecting from the fangames being developed and released.
This is essentially a massive metroidvania style game, with multiple different routes and environments. The path taken is fairly open; if you're having trouble with one section you can always leave it and come back to it later. There's also an experience system which increases your damage output, so you can actually grind a little if a boss is giving you trouble, though I find the balancing is mostly pretty good.
The aesthetic of the game is amazing. It clearly draws from many different inspirations, including non-platformer games like the 'Dark Souls' series. The soundtrack is great too, with the music used for the 'Crypt King' being a particular highlight. Combined with an immense number of items (some of which are optional), a challenging but not unbearable difficulty, really cool bosses (the secret boss in particular is fantastic), and an enormous amount of secret levels and content, and you essentially are getting a full fledged game of at least >10 hours of gameplay for free.
Negatives would include a lack of description for items (although MattinJ does give opportunities to discover their purpose from the environment), a final boss which isn't quite as epic as he could be given the grandness of the adventure, and a lack of satisfying narrative which is sad considering how simple it would have been to integrate a few more characters and dialogues. Despite that, this is a fangame par excellence and should be held up as a standard in the community for high quality Adventure games.
(As an aside, in case it isn't clear, the 'White Snake Ring' doubles your experience gain. The final secret item, by contrast, doesn't appear to do anything. I tested it quite a bit and I'm quite sure about that.)
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This is essentially a massive metroidvania style game, with multiple different routes and environments. The path taken is fairly open; if you're having trouble with one section you can always leave it and come back to it later. There's also an experience system which increases your damage output, so you can actually grind a little if a boss is giving you trouble, though I find the balancing is mostly pretty good.
The aesthetic of the game is amazing. It clearly draws from many different inspirations, including non-platformer games like the 'Dark Souls' series. The soundtrack is great too, with the music used for the 'Crypt King' being a particular highlight. Combined with an immense number of items (some of which are optional), a challenging but not unbearable difficulty, really cool bosses (the secret boss in particular is fantastic), and an enormous amount of secret levels and content, and you essentially are getting a full fledged game of at least >10 hours of gameplay for free.
Negatives would include a lack of description for items (although MattinJ does give opportunities to discover their purpose from the environment), a final boss which isn't quite as epic as he could be given the grandness of the adventure, and a lack of satisfying narrative which is sad considering how simple it would have been to integrate a few more characters and dialogues. Despite that, this is a fangame par excellence and should be held up as a standard in the community for high quality Adventure games.
(As an aside, in case it isn't clear, the 'White Snake Ring' doubles your experience gain. The final secret item, by contrast, doesn't appear to do anything. I tested it quite a bit and I'm quite sure about that.)
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 55 55
Mar 18, 2024
Steingar
For: I wanna be the Fangame!
For: I wanna be the Fangame!
One of the first fangames, though not quite the first as some people think ('I wanna save the Kids' & 'GunDude Game' predate, it among others). That being said, it gave its name to the genre of games that would follow, so points for that.
The game itself plays very similar in style and aesthetic to the original 'IWBTG', although slightly harder, with more secrets, and a broader variety of different bosses. The overall quality and difficulty scaling is less well handled than 'IWBTG' and the final ascent of the tower at the end is rage-inducing in its finickiness. It's just fine on its own merits, but its place in fangame history makes it a must try for people new to the community.
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The game itself plays very similar in style and aesthetic to the original 'IWBTG', although slightly harder, with more secrets, and a broader variety of different bosses. The overall quality and difficulty scaling is less well handled than 'IWBTG' and the final ascent of the tower at the end is rage-inducing in its finickiness. It's just fine on its own merits, but its place in fangame history makes it a must try for people new to the community.
Rating: 6.5 65
Difficulty: 50 50
Mar 18, 2024