Agh.
Cool game, neat concept - but I have to ask why we don't get weapons.
A lot of early sidescrolling puzzle games, such as Out of this World or Flashback, had no problem letting you use a weapon, and they were awesome. So why not this one? Seriously, too many Puzzle/Platformer type games these days deny you weapons when there's no in-universe justification for it.
"I have tried beating them with sticks, shoving them off into the pits, and even jumping on their heads, but there seems to be no physical way to hurt these creatures. Their howls echo loudly in my skull, leaving me a little less willing to continue on each time. Did that shadowy man sick them on me? Are they like him? What is he even? For now I will just have to avoid them, and see if I can make my way through this strange place."
There's plenty of items and abilities we have in reality that aren't available in any game out there without in-universe justification. I think too many games try to emulate as much of reality as possible and I rather enjoy old school games where you have to play by their rules, not the other way around. That's where my inspiration is from, and in this game I wanted a somewhat casual game of exploration and puzzle solving more than straight action. I understand this isn't for everyone though, and some people just want more action.
I am planning to make a platformer with combat in it in the future though.
I can't enjoy it
While the graphics look very pretty, i just can't enjoy this game. I usually love puzzle games and all that jazz, but this game just isn't enjoyable.
One of the big things for me is, you respawn right in front of the hole you just fell into. This is kind of a problem because it gets annoying. I take one more step and boom i just died from where i previously died before.
Another thing, is sometimes your character jumps shorter, i don't know if this was intended because i tried to only tap the jump key and he still jumps max, so i'm guessing it is a bug. Also, the jumping feels awkward and unnatural.
Don't get me wrong, the graphics are very superb, but the game play just doesn't have what it takes in my eyes.
It was a very good concept, but i think it was just poorly executed. Another thing is, while it may be repetitive, it just seems like i'm doing the same things over and over. The unlocking and locking of doors gets really boring, really fast.
As for the respawning thing, maybe you can respawn the person in a safer spot rather than where they just fell in. Because i noticed that in some places you get trapped by monsters and you get hit even if you jump over them, which is frustrating.
In short, good graphics, but poorly executed game play.
I appreciate the thorough review Aero. Yeah, you definitely can't use an arrow right from where you respawned or you'll be right back in the hole. You have to step back or immediately jump. I agree that it would have been nice to have him respawn a few steps back like most games do, but there weren't enough holes in the game to justify that effort for me.
Jump height is constant regardless of how long the button is held, though ideally I would have made it dependent. However, if you hit your head on anything, then his jump will not go much higher if at all so you have to avoid hitting your head. When you hit your head you will not fall immediately though, and you will glide in the air for about as long as you would have stayed in the air with a max height jump just without ascending any further. It is working as expected, but I agree that occassionally it isn't extremely obvious that you've hit your head. Also, when getting blown by a fan up in the air there is a condition that can cause you to not reach your max jump peak, but it doesn't happen often.
Sorry to hear it didn't jive for you.
Very weird but fun :P
It was very good, animation and controls were very nice! :)
Weird can be good. I worked hard on getting the controls just right, so I'm happy it paid off.
Nature, Science, and the Paranormal. MIND RAPE.
I really did love the animation, and the controls were smooth. The music is excellent, and it was a good concept. But some nagging disappointment remains...I was expecting adifferent game mechanic and atmosphere. Maybe I've played too much Time Fcuk, or it needs time to grow on me...either way, excellent game!
Can't figure out if you're saying it's too similar to Time Fcuk, or that this game didn't have enough uniqueness/atmosphere as compared to Time Fcuk. TF definitely has a lot of atmosphere and we definitely had the intention of keeping PE light-hearted from the onset. Glad you liked it overall. :)
Good!
I like it a lot. The controls are awesome, original as heck and beautiful!
Only one problem. When you need to go down you can't see if it is a pit, and you gonna die, or if it is the way you need to go.
But 9 out of 10 stars xD
Girlie, thank you, thank you! You can hold the down arrow to move the camera down a bit. I know even with that you can't see everything below you, but in most cases you are safe to drop down as there's only a few pits in the game.