Score: 8
"Well made game"
date: September 25, 2007
Not many games keep my attention for more than a minute, but I enjoyed this for a while. Although the gameplay itself isn't entirely original, I felt this had quite a unique feel to it.
Graphically it was good, not up there with the best but it didn't need to be. The only tiny thing I would improve is the powerups - the coloured blobs looked a bit amateur. The rest was fine though.
Pretty good choice of music, created atmosphere and a sense of excitement without being too overpowering. SFX were simple but functional.
I've played games with controls like these that frustrate me by sending my character off with a small mouse press, but this one seemed responsive and accurate. I only found them to be not precise enough when a powerup was located at the very top of the screen, which leads on to my main criticism of the game.
Energy bars might be done to death, but the one-hit kill system here got annoying. Getting hit near the end of a level and sent back to the start was what made me stop playing. I think either the plane should respawn where it's hit, or some kind of energy bar should be added.
The levels also got a bit repetitive. Games like RaidenX are so successful because of the constantly changing situation, this game will struggle to keep a players attention when they're dodging the same kind of enemy for long periods of time. There was good variation between the levels which is more than a lot of games, but still room for improvement.
The two powerups gave added interest, but the system wasn't developed enough to really improve the gameplay. For sheilds, when one is equipped it became unnecessary to concentrate on dodging enemies at all, I think a one-hit protection sheild would have been preferable. The laser powerup was also overpowered, a charging time between each shot would require more skillful usage of it. For a really great game, a range of weapons (possibly an upgrade system) would work well here.
Hope I haven't come across as too critical here, I thought it was a very fun game to play and have fived it, could make front page if you're lucky. Lots of potential for a brilliant game and I hope my suggestions are of some use to you if you decide to make a sequel.
September 25, 2007
Author's Response:
Thanks for the review and it was definitely not too critical. It's long critical reviews like this, good or bad..or both, that authors love to receive. I appreciate all your suggestions and critique and should help me improve on any of my future projects.
I agree with most of the stuff you said, and will most likely take those suggestions into consideration if I do decide to make a sequel.
