Score: 6
"Addictive but with a few fatal flaws"
date: February 21, 2007
Graphics: The Graphics are simple and don't seem to scream out. It fits the subject of the game. I like the little animations of the levels that seem to make it appear to be alive. While the level design is definitely creative, it somewhat ruins the pacing of the game is inconsistent. One moment you're flying from gear to gear, the next your patiently sitting there waiting for the platform to come down. The background looks more like a factory than a nuclear plant. Actually, I think it would be more fitting it were placed in an old factory rather than a nuclear powerplant, since I know for a fact that nuclear powerplants don't have gears the size of people.
Style: There's no denying it, this game has style. It has a very dark, somber style to it and it makes for a unique appearance.
Sound: Besides the clanging of the factory (fitting as it is), there's nothing noteworthy. Actually, there's nothing. And since it's a nuclear powerplant, why is there factory clanging going on?
Interactivity: Ok, here's where the game both excels and falls flat on it's face. The controls are simple enough that there is no need to remember what does what and what goes where. The game itself is simple in it's gameplay and highly addictive. HOWEVER, while the concepts are good, the execution is flawed. I'm going to long-winded about this, but hear me out.
Many others have comlained about this and I will re-iterate: Turtle-death is not cool! I can understand that one has to avoid landing on the roof. I can even understand how this can lead to damage. However, I would much rather want the damage to be from impact and not just contact. Calculate the mean velocity from the change in the X and Y coordinates and make it so that when you hit an object above a certain velocity, it causes a certain amoung of damage calculated from the velocity. Also, I would like it if the jump feature could help me get out of a Turtle-death situation.
The credit system is a little retarded. This has been mentioned before and I'll repeat is again. Why would I spent money on repairs if I lose a continue by doing so? Rather, I would prefer if continues were separate from the the credits or rather, that a continue didn't cost exactly half of my credits.
The physics behind the vehicle was good, but again, there were some notable flaws. If the vehicle fell too far, it hits the ground and flips on it's back, even if the angle of decent is straight down. This is potential for Turtle-death. Also, if the vehicle flies off of a ramp too fast, it lands and does a flip. This can be solved with just a few tweaks. Also, the vehicle is way too easy to flip with Turtle-death being eminent. Personally, I would either like to see the threat of Turtle-death minimized or the vehicle made more stable.
Overall: I think the concept of this game is great and would make the groundworks for the game to be incredible. But, it's the flaws in coding and level design that seem to doom the game to just being an exercise in frustration. Should you decide to make a sequel to this game (please do!), I highly recommend you take these suggestions at heart. Do that and the game will be perfect.