FutureCopLGF's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Office Spaced]

Hmm, I really like where this is going, and I feel like it has all of the engine components necessary to create a good beat-em-up, but unfortunately the execution is very lacking and the game just felt very bland to me. Yes, it makes sense considering it is just a game jam game, and in a way you can consider this a victory already since it does show promise for future development, but what can I say: beat-me-ups are my favorite genre so I'm a real stickler when it comes to them!

The big problem I have right now is that the player moveset is very boring as the enemies don't provide enough variety to facilitate any sort of strategy. For example, right now there's no reason to use the dodge roll as its too easy to just walk around bullets or kill enemies before they can fire, and there's no reason to use the keyboard smack over the mouse whip since it's just so much safer for a slight decrease in damage/knockback.

Therefore, what I'd love is more cooler moves and more diverse enemies that force you to use those moves strategically. For example, perhaps the mouse whip doesn't do any damage, but is more like a Zelda boomerang in that it stuns enemies: that way it serves an alternate crowd control purpose, and you could also gussy it up by perhaps making them take more damage or drop resources when you keyboard smack them while they're stunned. Another idea is maybe you could have enemies with shields that require you to get close and use a keyboard smack to knock them away as the mouse whip isn't powerful enough to open them up. Stuff like this would add a lot more flavor!

I notice a lot of people also talking about how you can smack the chair into people and it's very fun: that's a good sign for something else that should be building upon, as lord knows I know a game with a cool telekenesis mechanic like Half-Life 2 or Dead Space!

Again, right now I'm not that impressed with the execution, but I am impressed with the skeleton you've constructed: you've got all of the nouns and verbs that could be used to make a great beat-em-up where you rampage through an office, first wrecking weak employees, then defeating strong bosses, then facing off against security detail and finally defeating the CEO in his penthouse...I'd love to see it!

R083RT responds:

Thank you so much for the detailed review! I also watched your youtube video and I appreciate the honest feedback. I liked a lot of your ideas and your criticisms were very fair. I'm working on some new projects so I don't have any *current* plans to expand upon this game atm, but this is still super useful feedback :)

[Help Me Clean My Room!]

Huh, this was quite the weird, but funny little experience!

From utter confusion on what the heck I'm supposed to be doing, to slowly learning the little rules like you don't want the person in the room with the ball during or after since they'll either get hit or choke on dust, you don't want the window in the room with the ball since it'll get smashed, you need a turn after the window for it to open and vent, and so on, to eventually putting it all together and determining the final desired order for maximum cleanliness: what a journey! In a way, it's like one of those weird logic tests where friend A is older than friend B, and friend B is twins with friend E who doesn't blah blah blah. I also liked the subtle touches like the music buildup as you get closer to victory!

While it was amusing to figure it all out, it wasn't all roses and sunshine. For one, while some of the elements had some manner of logic to them, some of the others, like the box and cylinder order and why an extra turn is needed to open the window for no reason, were very weird and made no sense, leading it to feeling like trial and error instead of an intuitive investigation. Also, I was rather disappointed to see that the game was just one level and that once you figure it out, you're done: I know it's a game jam game but still.

In a way, the game reminds me a lot of McPixel where you need to figure out what to do with a lot of the logic being completely absurd. This game has a lot of potential be something like that, but it falls a bit short by having the failures not be funny and intricate sequences, and only having one level. Still, a cute experience while it lasted!

[Rahul In The Sewer]

Hmm this one is a bit of an odd duck. I really want to like it due to all of the goofy energy it is bringing, but something about the gameplay just really rubbed me the wrong way despite my best efforts.

Again, I'm really impressed with the charm this game oozes. The progression of difficulty feels nice due to so many types of enemies with their own patterns to catch you off guard, the game is very juicy with how it rewards you for combos and how it has little voice quips and idle animations and such. For the most part, it feels like a really cool Burger Time-esque arcade game, and I did have a decent amount of fun once I got used to it.

But again, despite my efforts, the game just felt kind of annoying. I kind of get what it's trying to do, where you are dragging and dropping items around to build up big combos for points, but since the items are random and enemies are getting in the way, you kind of need to improvise, sometimes sacrificing an item you wanted to make a combo with to kill an enemy in the way and such. I think it's that for most of my playthrough, despite my best efforts, it felt like it was too much up to luck, and that bothered me.

It starts out pretty easy so you'd think I'd like the challenge that happens later on, but that bothered me because the screen gets so crowded with enemies that its such a pain, especially due to the combination of random items and the fact that killing enemies doesn't buy you any leeway since they respawn instantly to always guarantee a certain amount on screen. Just feels like you stall out with no way to make progress: you're waiting forever for an item to drop so you can make a big combo you've been setting up, but by the time it comes you've either already given up from waiting and been trying to make something else, or you had to chuck it at an enemy which, as discussed, comes right back to haunt you, and so on. I also had a good run end because enemies spawned outta nowhere right to the sides of me, pinning me in and killing me with no way out: like, how was I supposed to plan around that in any way?

I'd call it style over substance, but I think that's a bit too harsh: I think it has something cool in there and it is rather charming, it maybe just isn't for me. Perhaps if it had some sort of system to help it feel less like luck, such as item spawn previews, or enemy spawn cooldowns and previews of where they will spawn, and maybe nice quality-of-life like being able to swap items if you place an item you're carrying in a spot already with an item placed there.

[NG Fishing Collab]

Hey, pretty cool collab! I like the creativity on display at making you collect the artwork through a fun fishing minigame: very appropriate and much more interesting and high-effort than your typical slideshow! Also love that there is easy access to the artist's profile when viewing their art too. All in all solid stuff: I even love the crudely drawn buttons and such as they are a bit charming in a goofy way.

If I had it my way, I'd love if the fishing minigame was a bit more involved, like maybe instead of the RNG slot machine it is where you just need to hope the missing fish you want finally wanders by, it'd be nice if all of the fish just inhabit certain depths or need certain bait to lure out and you need to dunk the hook low enough while dodging obstacles or whatever. I dunno, just something a big more complex and allows you to guarantee getting fish through skill instead of luck. But thinking about it, the casual setup you have is pretty fun in its goofiness and probably fits better: I'm just overcomplicating things. And to be fair, you do get birds and bombs in later on: not quite what I'm looking for but interesting.

If I had any other feedback, I'd love if the fishes being viewed in the gallery would bob up-and-down a bit to make it seem like they're floating in water. Even more so, it'd be great if the gallery was a big aquarium with all the fish swimming around and you could click on them to zoom in and bring up their info. But again, that might just be me overcomplicating it as it might make it difficult to find certain pieces, haha!

Ok, for real feedback this time! I wish the fish that you feel bait to would just continually grow larger and larger as it gains levels, instead of growing big and then shrinking back down for each level: I think that way would feel more natural for a sense of progression.

[plumer quest !]

Hah, pretty goofy and fun game! It's always a bit tricky judging these personal joke games: on one hand, if I was to be critical about it, I was pretty frustrated with a lot of aspects like the trial and error traps (like the chips that led to a death pit and the dead-end routes during the freddy chase) and the UFO boss fight, and it is pretty dumb and low-effort and reliant on memes, but the game was, in its own dumb way, charming enough in its goofiness and actually had a nice variety of activities to keep things fresh, along with all of its fun gags (like the secret chip that is so high you can't reach it) that I found myself sticking with it and having a good time. I even came back and conquered the UFO boss fight after rage quitting, so it's gotta be good if it has that kinda pull, haha!

So yeah, it's dumb, but it's dumb fun. And damn you, big bouncing splatoon ass! Next time!

[Underage Driving]

Wow, what a heck of an experience! I was already on-board with a game where you need to recklessly drive fast for points while weaving through traffic to some great bumping tunes like Spy Hunter, but the reveal that the game transitions you to other driving games like some sort of Warioware minigame sequence was awesome! The vibes and energy that the game were putting down were marvelous and I had so much bloody fun! Also loved noticing all the references to other driving games like Outrun, and even some of the more subtle ones, like I'm sure I saw a Zaibatsu car from GTA2, haha!

I will admit, however, that I did find the actual design of the game quite lacking, once the initial novelty wore off. For example, I was really disappointed that only a few levels let you control the speed to take risks for more points, while other levels only move at a slow fixed speed: those levels just felt pretty boring and easy, missing the whole point, I felt. To further compound this, the game doesn't really progressively advance in some sort of way as it goes on, like continually speeding up similar to Warioware games: it just keeps looping over and over with the same level of difficulty, meaning that eventually you just get stuck in a holding pattern and quit out of boredom. Because of this, the game felt more like a one-and-done, instead of something I wanted to come back to to try and get a high score.

There were also some other minor complaints like the controls for the 360-degree tunnel were very unintuitive: for some reason when you reach 90 degree points suddenly the controls shift and the direction you were pressing suddenly meaning something else, and I would prefer if it stayed consistent with left rotating one way and right rotating the other way (and up and down, ideally, for speed control).

Still, what a wild and memorable experience, even if it did only last for the first time!

[Minefield]

Hmm, I'm always a bit confused at how to review these type of games. I mean, I had fun, sure, but that's because it is literally Minesweeper. Yes, it's novel that you were able to recreate it in the Pico-8 engine and I'm not saying that's easy or anything, but I'm not sure if that makes you deserving of any credit for the fun I had, especially since you didn't try to build on the original concept or offer any sort of twist or quality-of-life improvements. You didn't even really save me money or whatever: I can play Minesweeper on my computer easily for free. Don't get me wrong, the interface is nice and smooth and I like the transitions, there are no bugs and it feels solidly put-together, but beyond that...I dunno. Oh whatever, I'm thinking about this too hard.

[Gappy's Labyrinth]

It could be a decent metroid platformer, but unfortunately the world is just so interminably dry and lifeless. While it's a little fun to explore around at first and collect things, the lack of any sort of obstacles or enemies makes it an incredibly boring affair where the powerups are pointless: without any sort of danger, all you do is just walk from place to place, and even worse, there's loads of backtracking too.

There's nothing really particularly Gappy about this game either, if I have to be honest, beyond very token aspects. My pessimistic side says that you just used him as a bit of star power, a desperate attempt to make a sub-par platformer seem more exciting than it is. Gappy games always thrill me with their engaging platforming and none of that was present here.

It also commits a bunch of other minor sins like, if you press a button when the text is typing out, it closes the entire window outright instead of just finishing writing out the text like it should. Medals don't work either.

It really feels like you made an entire world but then forget to fill it in. I actually found myself trying to create my own fun: for example, when I was doing the tower climb, I found myself pretending that there was lava slowly bubbling up, kinda like the final tower of I Wanna Be The Guy, and that I needed to jump and dive quickly to make it in time and not die. It shouldn't be my job to do things like that though: that's your job! I'm not saying there needs to be enemies, per se, but jeez, a few spikes here and there, maybe a couple of saw blades? Some pits? It would go a long way.

[The Terror of Mongolia]

Pretty cool game! I really liked the high-energy vibes that this game was putting down: leaving that first tent with it now being on fire, the music coming in with the title drop, boy that was a great intro and I immediately started tearing shit up Genghis Khan-style!

Overall the gameplay was quite enjoyable: it's simple, but the slight strategy of only being able to shoot in two directions ala STD and your horse having slightly unwieldly controls and being on a timer make it an energetic experience. Found it amusing that the game was a series of 'your princess is in another castle' moments with you burning down each as you go as I best Mario wish he could've done. Loved getting more and more powerful while the enemies get more and more dense and difficult. Also surprised at some of the hidden controls, like being able to hold down the fire button and use that to move in a different direction than where you are firing (initially I just kept tap-firing).

If I were to have any complaints, it might be that I do wish the timer was a bit more apparent and front-and-center: I actually kind of forgot I was on a timer since it's stuffed all the way in the corner. Also it was a bit awkward that your initial horse control is so bad, seemingly for the express purpose of selling an upgrade to make it as good as it should've been at the start: just seems a bit scummy, but maybe I'm reading into it too much. Also the game seemed a bit buggy: I came back to this to play again and for some reason I got a game over screen when I tried to enter the tent despite the cutscene also playing at the same time.

History was always my worst subject in school, but now I feel like I've learned a lot. Thanks!

jacklehamster responds:

I probably should've spent time thinking more about the initial control. I was actual aware that the horse didn't play very smoothly on first play, and it's the main reason I offer the first choice between "speed" and "bow and arrow". By choosing "speed", you sacrifice initial profit but zoom to the next hut much faster. You should try that out ;-)

[Sweater: Trouble in Cottonvale DEMO]

Pretty cute game, but currently feels like its in a rough state. While it does have a lot of nice touches like the map screen and these scarf powers and does deliver some decent platforming gameplay, the gameplay was pretty basic with nothing that grabbed me, there was a lack of polish and quality-of-life features, and it was difficult to get used to the controls/physics for the world and character.

If I were to give some feedback:

*In general, I don't like the physics of the game, being these weird Kid Kool physics where you have to build up tons of momentum and it just makes it so tedious and unwieldly, like you're always on ice. If you want to stick with it as a intentional design choice, that's fine, but I found them annoying to deal with so if there's some sort of way you can improve the control while still keeping the physics you want, please do so. For example, I would've loved more levels of jump control, like being able to make even shorter hops with a tap of the button, and I'd like if you hold the jump button, it will automatically deploy the helicopter scarf without needing a second press.

*I don't feel like the foreground elements pop-out enough from the background and make grand picture a bit muddied and unclear. I don't think the background is muted enough and could stand to be blurred or desaturated a bit more, and I think the black contours should be removed so as to make only the foreground elements outlined. Speaking of contours, I find it odd that the character's contours are so thin compared to the environmental contours: it really throws off the composition since generally elements on the same layer should have the same thickness for their contours.

*There's no coyote time for jumping, leading to me trying to make a lot of jumps from the edge of platforms and it ignoring my input and sending me falling to my death.

*Speaking of falling to my death, it was very unclear at times when it was safe to fall down and when it was a death pit: would love if there was an option to peek downwards/upwards, or if the level design was improved so that it's more easily discernable (for example, some games consistently signal death pits with certain art, or perhaps floating skulls and so on).

*Game was really lacking in sound effects: perhaps its part of the demo and you are planning on putting them in, but I felt like you need more sound effects for actions like swishing your scarf, for successfully grabbing an enemy with the scarf, and then throwing them, for example. Speaking about sounds, the balance/leveling for them was really inconsistent: the sound for slamming a slime into another slime was ear-splittingly loud while others were much calmer.

*It was pretty inconsistent that the game needed to be play with keyboard yet for menus you need to switch over to mouse: would much prefer if the menus could be controlled with keyboard so you only have to use that for the entire game.

*Scoring for the levels wasn't immediately apparent and I wasn't sure how to get a better grade. Am I ranked on time? Wools gathered? Enemies killed? More clarity would be good, perhaps do a rank summation of all of the factors that help get you points on the endscreen, like 57/100 wools gathered or whatever, or have points pop-up when you do an action that gives you points like the old Duke Nukem games (the 2D ones).

*Finally, while the game is cute, I wasn't really seeing any sort of interesting mechanic or core appeal to it: at the end of the day, it just seemed like a really bog-standard platformer. Maybe as you get more scarf powers the gameplay evolves, but I wasn't seeing anything that grabbed me. I mean, it's ok to just make a standard platformer, but then you really got to make it polished and flow well, and that isn't there yet (but hopefully can be with improvments).

*Why is he called Sweater when it seems all of his power come from his scarf? Maybe the game should be called Scarf?

Hope this feedback helps!

WooltronicStudios responds:

Woah, that's a lot of feedback. Thank you for being so thorough with your review, it helps a lot and you bring up a lot of valid points!