Kolter's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Color/Shift demo]

Pretty simple game. Not extremely challenging, but enjoyable nonetheless. It was funny how it often told me I needed to reset even though there was a way out. Quite a good concept you have going. It felt kind of lacking though. Perhaps it needed a greater degree of difficulty or more levels.

jacobalbano responds:

More levels are definitely on the way! I'm hoping to turn this into a commercial release of some sort, but I wanted to see what people thought of it first.

The reset button is finicky. I need to make it smarter.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[Guradamajack!]

This is a relatively decent shoot-em-up game. However, I do have some problems with it. One main problem would be the sensitivity of the box pick-up/put down mechanism. It was quite flimsy at times, and if you were just a little bit imprecise with your timing, you would end up a block before or after the spot you intended to drop the block. This might add to the challenge, but it was not a fun sort of challenge, it was an annoying sort of challenge. This was especially annoying in the last stage where precise timing was essential to finish the level.
I also noticed one other bug. In levels 17 and 18, there would sometimes be an infinite death respawn. Because of this, people may have to restart the page just to play through the entire thing again just because of the death respawn at a particular stage. Now, this game has no save points (I have no problem with that aspect actually) and so if a player is met with the infinite death respawn bug at the last stage, they'd have to start from the beginning of the game if they intend to finish it.
Now the positives. There really isn't much to be honest. It works fine for the most part. The game puzzles were not mentally stimulating enough however, and the zombie concept is kind of overrepresented in the video game world already. Overall, this is a decent game to play, but it is not above average. It is fair for a game that was made in 72 hours.

[Seven Jumps]

Firstly, if you have not played past level 2, you are not qualified to review. If you are going to review a game you need to have played it first before you could even try to begin forming an opinion about it. Really, you are not qualified to comment on a game if you haven't played all of it. Likewise, you are not qualified to comment on a movie before you've even seen it.

Now, on to the review. This game is conceptually interesting, but is practically annoying! But before we get to the latter part, I should point out some positive things - things I liked about the game. For one, I quite enjoyed the original soundtrack; It fit very well with the mood of the game and it enhanced the gaming experience. Additionally, the homage to old NES and SEGA platformers is executed nicely, with fitting music and graphics for each level. The enemies looked like threatening 8-bit entities of evil intent, and the pixels really make for a genuine 8-bit experience.
However, there are more things I don't like than I like, and forgive me for being critical, but I am only voicing an opinion. You may or may not agree with it, but nonetheless, here is what I think.
In a good game, there is an even balance of fun and difficulty. This game did not have that. It seemed like the difficulty was notched up too much. Actually, what I mean to say is that the game is actually more annoyingly difficult than challengingly difficult. Now, before you say: "OMG, ur just 2 n00b 2 finish da game!" I've actually finished the game twice prior to writing this review, so yes, I was able to finish the game so trash that argument. Anyway, back on topic. The game relied on the simple principle of jumping up onto platforms and reaching the top. It's kind of like a mixture of Mario, Donkey Kong and Snakes & Ladders. There's a difference though, Donkey Kong and Mario are challenging but not excruciatingly difficult, and even if they could be, there was a point to it all. When you think about it, some of the best games ever created have an ultimate goal, and a destination. For example, in Mario, your goal was to save Princess Peach; in Zelda, it is to save Princess Zelda; in Donkey Kong you also have to save a princess; in Portal, you get the promise of cake and in Portal 2 there is a continuous unfolding of the storyline and occasional revelations which maintain your interest; in Fallout 3 there are various quests you can undertake and there are also main quests which lead somewhere. Other than this, good games can also be good puzzlers, such as Tetris, or can promote communal interaction, like the previously mentioned Snakes & Ladders. This game didn't engage in either of those two, which it should have been focusing on. While, yes, it was an interesting concept: getting up to the top level, it kind of felt like it had no direction at all. Why was the man doing that? What was the point to it? That was probably why you lost a lot of people at the second level, there really is nowhere to go here. It just gets increasingly more annoying, and indeed I say annoying, not challenging, because this game is far more frustrating than enjoyably difficult.
People did mention something about feeling a sense of accomplishment after finishing it, but after having finished it twice, I really wanted something more from it. The ending didn't feel like an ending at all - it didn't explain why the things were happening in the game, nor did it add to the feeling of accomplishment I felt. It was kind of just an absolutely disappointing ending, I would say *SPOILERS* but there really is nothing to spoil. The ending is not so special. Yes, there are good games that are not really about the finish but about the sense of accomplishment that can be gained by it. However, the frustration far outweighs any sense of accomplishment that can be exhumed from this game. The ending really is anti-climatic, and it felt like all the jumping was for nothing. And to add to the insult, the jumping across platforms stopped being fun after two levels. It just felt repetitive and obligatory, like I just had to finish the game, not because I was considerably enjoying it, but because I just had to.
In hindsight, maybe that was your intention, to test the limits of the people playing your game. Nonetheless, I wish the game was a bit more complex than it was, concept-wise. It just felt like a surface game. I think if you were going to make a game which seems totally pointless, like this game, it would be wiser to make it a high-score game. That way people would have a reason to try your game again. Because I tried your game twice and I had the same feeling of dread each time. It was really not that fun at all. It was at first, but when you introduce the disappearing and materialising platforms, it becomes needlessly annoying. But then again, maybe it was your intention to torture gamers for no reason at all.
Now, while my opinion might be more negative than positive, I do think this game has potential and some tweaking might improve its quality. Perhaps changing the levels around, adding more components, more levels, more variety. It really was just too much of the same thing, and that's probably part of the reason why I'm more easily frustrated by it. However, I do commend you on creating a different atmosphere for each stage with the music. Main problems in summary: not fun enough, not enough variety, lacks a goal/purpose, does not offer challenging puzzles but instead relies on really frustrating game mechanics conspiring against the player, and does not have an engaging storyline. Anyway, that's about it. Don't stop making games. I hope to see you take on future projects. Please don't be discouraged by my review. I'm not hating on your game. I just think it's an imperfect piece of work, and I'd rather be honest with my opinion than just rate it 5 stars, say "awesome game! and leave it at that. I'd prefer to tell you what I think so that I could help, hopefully. :)

ax23w4 responds:

Thank you for suck a long reply!

About gameplay and experience. I wanted the game to be pretty short and finite. So I limited myself with a small game screen, only 7 levels and a very few gameplay rules. If this game had to contain more stuff, I probably wouldn't complete it because of my short attention span :). And since it's so short I tried to not remove the difficulty it had, keeping it short but challenging. I named levels backwards (from 7 to 0) with a purpose, so player could see a progression towards the end and would know exactly how much there's left. I suppose the idea was that player would see the goal: to complete this countdown. And gameplay by itself is really basic but I tried to perfect every detail of it and I honestly can say that I really like it. Of course I'd like it more with bigger levels, better graphics, more enemies, and maybe some power-ups... But that wouldn't allow me to complete this game in a week. And that would be a very different game.

About difficulty. I've played this game so much while I was making it that I'm beating it in less then 5 minutes every time now. I've heard that all game developers have this problem. Before posting this game to Newgrounds I've tested it for a bit on another site and got feedback that it was too hard so I simplified it :) It really looks pretty fun to me. I don't want to say that people are wrong about difficulty. They're right! But I do want to keep this game as it is. 7 levels, simple rules, and a challenge to get to the top.

And about the reward. For a game this short, i think that ending is just fine. Plus, when you beat the game, you can download a soundtrack. If only other games developers would do so... I love game music. So I thought it's a good reward.

For me - this game is almost perfect for what it is. It's simple and honest. It doesn't tries to be anything else.

And thanks again for your response. I really hope I'll be able to complete few more games in the future.

[People]

Moral of the game is: "Bitches steal all your friends." So get your friends away from those bitches and you'd never be alone with a bitch forever.

Okay, now on a serious note. This was not a great game. While the minimalism was quite attractive, the message was way too saccharine. What was the message? Everyone gets someone, and they're not complete unless they had someone else? The second time around playing this, I tried to avoid those cheering people, but there was no way the game was going to continue unless I let the black people get together with the grey people. While I can see that there is a potentially positive message that is being communicated here, it is one that is way too overrepresented in the NGverse:"You will find a soulmate, you will find true love." Yes, I can see that's the message you're trying to send, but it's been hammered in so many times that it's not interesting anymore.
All in all, this game tried too hard to be artsy. And why is there such a great preoccupation with this "soulmate" message? Playing the game, the main character gradually lost friends until he was all by himself. Actually, maybe that is the message; that everybody leaves and gets with their soulmate and never reconnects with you again as soon as they find someone else.
Is that really healthy? You can't be friends with anyone else anymore after finding your "soulmate"? Why should you lose your friends just because they found someone else? Does that mean, in reality, that even though you have your soulmate, you really are alone?

[Water Buboy]

"Proud Pinoy" as being the only comment on some of the "useful reviews" are unjustified. The reviews do not provide commentary on the gameplay, story or entertainment value of the game, nor do they give an accurate rating. It appears that people can't make reviews without being affected by nationalistic tendencies. It's really appalling how people could consider those reviews useful because they harbor undying patriotism for their country.
I would like to present to the table some objectivity. This is hardly anything original. It's one of those physics puzzle games where you have some sort of objective. I disagree with Kenmoor's review about all games needing to involve some sort of story. A lot of puzzle games do not require an elaborate story behind it. The volcano setting things on fire in this instance is sufficient. It's not an RPG or an adventure game, it's a physics puzzle game.
However, I do have some concerns with this game.
A good puzzle game should be challenging or fun, and this game isn't entirely challenging or too much fun. Much of it has to do with trial and error, the puzzles are very simple and easy to figure out. Sure, the game has its moments, but it gets boring easily.
Other than that, the physics in this game is not accurate. Sometimes the burning houses would be immersed in water. In reality the fire would have been put out by then. Another thing that's problematic for this game is the consistency of the water. The water seems more like a semi-solid substance rather than a liquid with its blob-like composition. Additionally, the blobs have a propensity to bounce off each other and go in whichever direction. Whether a fire is put out or not in this game depends on the amount of water blobs which hit the fire, and not on how powerful or constant the stream of water is. This is not the case in real life. It is well known that fire is easier put out by a strong and constant stream of water. If you only periodically drop buckets of water on fire (not constantly), it would give the fire a chance to flare up again.
Don't get me wrong, the game is not entirely a let-down. The gameplay is at least passable, though undeniably unoriginal. It is not, in all respects, bad/ It is entertaining for a short while. Despite its flaws it could be considered a mediocre time-waster. Don't expect anything innovative, new or amazing in this game - it won't offer you those things. It is just short mindless fun.
I guess the enjoyment you can derive from this game could be comparable to the burning houses in the game. You can only take so much until you get put off of it.

[Madness: Will It Slice?]

Your game is bad and you should feel bad.

[Collect]

A considerably great concept but terribly executed. The idea was fine, and the gameplay for most part was good. My two main peeves about this game are
1.) It does not allow you to save, so it makes it inconvenient if you have to stop playing to go do something important. It does not matter if you are level 20 on all the Distance, Bouncing and Learning Skills, it will reset back to the original stats if you quit.
2.) The repetition gets extremely tedious and takes the fun out of the game. Games are not supposed to be chores. Real life exists for those chores. However when you have to repeat every single level from the beginning every time you die in a game, it is not fun anymore, it just gets boring, and unnecessarily demanding.

Concept-wise, it is lacking. It seems you had the general idea of collecting crosses and evolving, but for what reason? There is no purpose. Maybe if there was a purpose for all that repetition then it would have been bearable. Checkpoints would indeed be useful in this game, it will further improve the concept.

This game is not good as it is. It is extremely lacking. The lack of a mute button is also a problem. The music could get annoying repeatedly playing over and over.

On the plus side, the graphics were good, and fitting for the simplistic concept of the game. Overall, the game is just a shambles. It's a concept that's not fully-realised. When I saw the 1-star reviews I thought the game could not be that bad. Well, it was not that bad, but it was not so good either.

[Traitor]

Very fun and addictive game.
I'll have to admit it started off quite challenging, but as you get more and more upgrades, it gets increasingly easier, that even "Hard" levels are a piece of cake.
Overall, a great game with a difficulty that's not so hard that it's frustrating. It's got an equitable amount of difficulty, which is manageable. Great controls, fantastic upgrade system. It would've been nice though if the upgrades were actually visible.
The story line is kind of derivative but it doesn't take away from the experience of the game.
Great game overall, not a disappointment at all.

[Hungry Gamers]

Good April Fool's joke.
Especially with the medals making you expect there's something more. Otherwise I don't think people would wish to continue playing. But by giving them an imaginary goal, which is impossible to reach, you've created anticipation that will never be satiated.
I'm rating this on potential - it could be a good game if it weren't April Fool's.

[Bang, Boom, Splat!]

R.I.P. Edd
Unfortunately you can't respawn D: