FutureCopLGF's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Windowz 98 NetTowns Edition]

Pretty fun little toybox to play around with! Even though it doesn't necessarily have an investigative plot like Hypnospace Outlaw to give it a sense of purpose, this psuedo-OS is nevertheless amusing to poke around in, laughing at the gags, playing the games, checking out all the goofy webpages, and even spotting little hidden goodies like the Abandonwear link.

If I were to have any complaints, it'd be that I can't find a way to reverse the colors back after click on AoE2, necessitating a complete restart, and that'd it be nice if it had a save system so I don't need to go through the whole internet connection process again every time I wanna check out the web. Oh, and I hit tab to switch input fields by instinct when entering info on the internet connection, only to be called a cheater: it's a false conviction! Otherwise, nice work!

Kolumbo responds:

ayy thanks for playing!

there is a way to revert to normal colors, it's the Overlay setting inside Display Properties. or you can start Solitaire which gets rid of all customization effects.

as for everything else, good points! there was supposed to be a site that requires a password which can be found by browsing NetTowns - that should hopefully incentivize the player to click through - but it's stuck in the .fla file as i can't seem to export a .swf

[Spider Cave Offensive]

Hey, this is a pretty fun short-n-sweet arcade experience! It was a bit confusing at first to learn what all the different crystals do, especially when you pick up something and it makes a different gauge glitter for some reason, but I liked the fast-paced strategic nature of trying to dig up resources to fight back while keeping away from the boss and all the other enemies! Overall the game had a great sense of energy to it thanks to the great audiovisual design and all the subtle factors that keep you on your toes, and while it was short, boy was it sweet! Nice work, and the bonus of a hard mode was a great reward!

[Riddle of the Rainbow Rune]

Huh, interesting game! It's a bit overwhelming and weird at first, but the core primary loop of building up your army of wizards however you like and then watching the little buggers shoot off their fireworks can be very strategic, experimental, addictive and all-around fun, as autobattlers go!

Unfortunately, it is also very, very repetitive! I was having fun at first, but the loop of the same three screens of fighting a single enemy wizard, purchasing items from the shop, and the weird item-dispensing fairy, are now burned into my retinas. I was begging for something exciting to happen, like maybe we'd start fighting against two or three wizards now, or a boss fight, or the main villain would appear and drop some sort of hint at what the story is and whether we're getting closer to the ending. My kingdom for a hint of progress or a goal to strive for, as well as a worthy opponent to build around!

So yeah, it's got a good core to it that I enjoy, but without some sort of long-term goal or greater purpose, it starts to feel like I'm just faffing about for no reason. I imagine for some people it won't be a bother, but for me, it's quite the sticking point!

NOTE: Ok, I came back and played for a bit more and finally ran into a fight against not one, but TWO enemy wizards. So there is some sort of progression to this, but jeez, it took so long to get there!

[Fun Home: Part 1]

Pretty neat horror game! The vibes and feel of the game were quite strong and the general gameplay loop of gathering items while evading a stalker was solid!

I enjoyed myself while playing this...for the short time it lasted. Yes, while it is very cool, damn was it small in all regards: small house, small amount of interactions, just a single enemy, no tricks or new mechanics being introduced as you get farther, and quite the lackluster ending. It's a bit unsatisfying, but I'll still say that as a proof-of-concept or prototype, it's very promising and I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves in the second part! Leaving me hungry is a bit bad, but also a bit of a compliment!

Some small notes of feedback:

*I can't say I've encountered a control scheme like this before, where the arrow keys are used as buttons instead of for movement. I got used to it, but it was definitely rather confusing: perhaps you could use a more universally accepted control scheme instead in future.

*Certain goofy aspects like the clown's general attitude, as well as the iconic Ganon laugh on death, while amusing, did kinda kick me out of experience and made it less immersive and scary. It's fine if that's the kinda vibe you're going for, but I figured I should mention it just in case.

*It'd be nice if it created a special checkpoint right before the start of the first chase sequence so if you die, you can start off right there instead of having to go through and mash skip to get through their introduction all over again.

deathink responds:

Thank you very much for your in-depth comment.
Yeah, the game is very small right now, but as you mentioned, it is a proof of concept to people and it looks like the kickstarter is going to go through so I will be able to expand on it!!
The controls is a constant thorn in my side with any 2D/keyboard games. I have controller support running on steam already, but I'm still looking into options and trying to lean how to implement them better.
The bathroom should have an auto save right before that first chase sequence. I'll look into it and check if there is a bug.
Lastly, the goofy stuff. This is a little tricky, as I have far some far goofier things planned int he future. But I also have some startlingly darker stuff too. I kinda wanted to remind people they were playing a game, and it will make sense in the future. The fact that you knew that laugh means you are the type of person this game was meant for. While new gamers can I hope enjoy it, there will be kind of a secret conversation us retro gamers will be having. I just hope any of this makes sense when I fully implement the game.

[PSYCHExFUSE]

Wow, this one surprised me! These kinda games aren't really in my wheelhouse as I don't typically get into these surreal horror adventures that much, but this game did a lot to win me over and before you know it, I kept wanting to play more and more! Reminds me a lot of other games I've gotten to in the past, such as Ib.

A few aspects that stood out to me that I enjoyed:

*Obviously what comes to mind first and foremost is the surreal and mysterious vibes that the game has through the weird characters and abstract world. The vague plot, trippy art design, subtle sounds and so on all come together to create a cool and intriguing atmosphere that is far removed from that typical RPG Maker look and feel!

*I love examining stuff and reading all of the flavor text that can come from it, and this game delivers that in spades. The reactions are charming while not being too verbose, and amazingly, there are parts where you can examine the same object but from a different point and get a new reaction, such as some of the big murals, and even parts where you can examine an object multiple times to see something new, like examining the tilted painting until you align it. So cool!

*A lot of these games can end up just being a whole bunch of walking around which can bore me, but this felt like it did a good job at keeping things interesting by peppering in special events: search for something here, a small puzzle there, a chase sequence, a new encounter, and so on. Basically, this has some good pacing in my opinion.

*Some nice quality-of-life features are in this, such as the generous checkpointing for chase sequences to reduce frustration from retries.

*I'm not sure if it's there, but I'm curious as to whether certain actions and choices will have some sort of influence over the ending or our character. Either way, it's nice to be able to express myself a bit here and there and not feel locked into our role.

SewingwithDaydream responds:

Lovely review! We're so glad you enjoyed :)

[You Gnome the Drill!]

Hmm, seems like a decent prototype for something that resembles the Drilldozer Escort missions in Deep Rock Galactic. In theory, the idea of having to balance scavenging for resources while making it back to protect the drill is a decent idea, but unfortunately the execution here feels a bit half-baked.

I won't waste your time pointing out the obvious issues, like how the game is very dry and plain, lacking any sort of audiovisual effects to make things like killing enemies or picking up stuff exciting. That was most likely due to jam time constraints and is very understandable that it wasn't given priority. Having said that, there were some cool touches like how the music changes at different points to signify a phase change, so that's neat!

The bigger issue is that I just didn't find the core game loop that exciting. There was just loads of dead air from a lack of enemies and tedious backtracking since the tunnels are constructed with no alternate routes, nor can you create ones through like digging. It also felt easy to get a surplus of resources, upon which I wish I could speed up the drill so I'm not just standing there waiting. I dunno, I just really wasn't feeling it.

Also this is a minor issue, but the main music loop has some sort of sound like a electrical spark or circuit breaker popping: it drove me insane!

It's a promising concept that has been proven in games like Deep Rock Galactic, but this version still needs a lot more digging before it strikes gold. Still, decent attempt!

[Sorty Fruit]

Cute little puzzle game! I ended up getting addicted to this much more than I thought I would at first, most likely due to a good onboarding process and intuitive design, so kudos on that! Starts out nice and easy where usually you just need to find the route to the exit and it all works out as a side effect of that, but later on it throws some challenging twists like needing to loop around a few times to rotate objects into position. Nice stuff!

If I were to have any feedback, it'd be that I wish the game didn't use the whole colored number/key system to indicate which fruit belongs where: it's difficult to read the board at a glance and gets even more confusing when the color is lost from the number when its a highlighted tile. Would much prefer something like just placing a tiny picture of the fruit itself where the numbers are: that way you cut out the unnecessary middleman and no longer have to decipher anything by referencing a key! You could also just color the tiles to indicate what color fruit should go where, perhaps. Speaking of, it also gets confusing when fruits share colors like apples and cherries: that should probably be avoided by using other things like purple eggplants to ensure no cross-over (I know it's not a fruit but hey, sacrifices need to be made!)

[Bounce Squad]

Nice! I love a good ol' arcade experience like Tapper or Burger Time, and this delivers that in spades, both with a wonderfully charming and energetic presentation as well as a challenging and unique gameplay concept! It's rough at first, but getting used to aiming your jumper by positioning the trampoline properly while also catching falling people/loot and so on is some real chaotic fun! The cherry on top is that this game has a lot of nice subtle touches as well, like being able to easily fast-forward/skip text, and other cool stuff like bonus levels. Nice work!

If I were to have any complaints, it's that the game can be really hard, with the levels escalating quickly to the point where anything less than perfect aim can result in people dying, and when not only is the aiming so imprecise, but you're like me and having so much difficulty remembering what side of the trampoline I need to bounce the jumper on to go right/left, it can be so frustrating! It doesn't help either that if the jumper dies, they can respawn so close to the ground that they die again immediately after! Luckily the game is so charming, and I love a challenge, so I'm willing to put in the work!

[N Step Steve: Part 2]

Oh wow, I was definitely a fan of the original game, so it's exciting to see a sequel to N Step Steve! That said, it's been so long since I played the first, nor did I have the brain power to finish it, so I'll admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed here, haha! I tried my best but I was barely able to chip away at anything, so clearly I'll have to check this out later after revisiting the first, or I just need to accept that this is for the big brain people (aka not me) and that's fine! I rarely get far enough into games to check out the DLC anyway.

If I were to have any complaints, I suppose an argument could be made to have some sort of more in-depth refresher level or codex to help bring people up to speed on all the mechanics, but I dunno if that's necessary: the game is clearly labeled part 2 so it's a reasonable expectation that you need to play part 1, and it can be nice when a game doesn't waste your time constantly backpedaling to hold your hand, and instead moves forward.

[One More Button (Demo)]

Whoa, this is quite the mind-bending sokobon puzzle game you got here! Having the controls be pushable elements that you need to work with is certainly a fresh concept I haven't encountered before, and I enjoyed reengineering my mind to think in this new way! Some of the tricks that come up as you progress, like having to rotate the blocks to get a new movement direction as the cost of losing one is crazy challenging! I doubt I'll have the brainpower to make it all the way through, but you did a great job hooking me with the way you designed the levels to teach the principles behind this in a subtle manner. Great stuff!