Great stuff.
This is an excellent game. Definitely one of my favorites on Newgrounds.
I must admit, I was a little hesitant when I saw people complaining of unresponsive controls, finicky hitboxes, and annoying ads. I am very glad that I pushed those nagging thoughts aside and just tried the game.
And I was astounded by what I was playing.
First of all, I didn't experience a single problem with the controls. Each key did what it was supposed to, when it was supposed to. And I have a pretty standard keyboard/computer, so I can't imagine why people are blaming the game or their keyboards for unresponsive controls that don't exist.
Another common complaint seems to be the hitboxes. To my surprise, I again did not experience any troubles with this. My computer, again, is pretty standard, and this doesn't seem to be an overly demanding game, in terms of computer power. Anyway, you hit something on the head, it dies. Hit its weapon, you die. Why are people so angrily worked up about a simple and logical mechanic that has been a staple of sidescrolling platformers since the early days of the NES and earlier?
What can I say about the graphics, really? They were perfect for what this game was, and I am a fan of "old-school" graphics to begin with, so I can't fault you there at all. Much love.
The sound effects, while sparse, are also nice, simple, and clean. They are just what you'd expect from a game of this technological power. One thing that I found strange was no music. I definitely would have loved hearing some 8bit sound playing in the background. Famous platformers like Mario are far and around known for their memorable music. Who hasn't been caught humming the World 1-1 stage music? No one, that's who. All that aside, the lack of music is not a gameplay flaw, obviously. It is an artistic choice, and I can not truly critique that.
Besides the gameplay, the overall style is probably my favorite part of all. The odd story of the Beetle King reminds me of the hastily thrown together stories of old-school games. They give you some motivation, but overall the story is really just an aside. Perfect emulation of old school.
The box art... oh god, it is so beautiful. I remember old Megaman cartridges with the just ridiculous faces and hilarious parodies of actual game characters and situations. It just oozes style.
And you even put a cherry on top by including a little instruction book. I read it, and I quite thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought back memories of Super Mario Land on the old Gameboy.
But the most important aspect of it all, the gameplay, is obviously the real draw to any game. And it is perfect in every way. Simple to understand and play, with the level designs and enemy placements just right to keep you seeing that Game Over screen, while not requiring ultrahuman reactions to pass through. It's all about pattern memorization. That, and a pinch of luck. Just as it should be.
The only real, and in my mind, valid complain I can make over this game is it's difficulty. You see, while I did find myself dying quite often, I felt slightly cheated when I passed an area after only my 20th or 30th death there. I wanted more.
So my only real suggestion is this: Give the player less room for error! This game is far too easy!
Where at first you placed five platform blocks to land on, place four! Or three! Or even one! One would be ideal.
Add more missile blocks.
More enemies.
More difficulty!
Make.
The.
Player.
Cry.
And I believe that is all I have to say.
I know it's cliche, but: Keep up the good work.
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10/10
5/5