Great game a bit too short though
Reviews for "Tiny Airships"
I found myself coming back to this game in spite of myself, mostly because of the steampunk elements that caught my imagination. It's a good enough sh'mup game on its own, good variety in enemies and some levels are just this side of Bullet Hell in terms of challenge.
I agree with previous comments that this game deserves a story, maybe some cutscenes. The overarching goal of "escape the city" is good at first, but it needs more to keep me interested. Doesn't have to be a Pulitzer prize winning script, just something to give the player short term goals they achieve, which propel them on to other bigger goals.
For example, levels 1-5 are "Escape the City". After you beat the first boss, you get a cutscene where your airship is refueling in a free port or something. A mysterious stranger approaches the airship captain with a stolen letter that tells him friendly forces are regrouping in XYZ, but the airspace between here and there is heavily patrolled by enemy forces.
Levels 6 - 10 see you fighting your way to the regrouped army. There, you're given a special mission to help cripple the enemy's supply line and make their defenses vulnerable, allowing the army to recapture their city.
It's a simple idea, but something like that... a story that keeps the player interested enough to play the next five levels to find out what's going to happen, and then push them into the next five levels, would make a huge difference in getting players interested, and keeping them interested.
Otherwise it's solid. Keep on making fun games, man.
Very Nice game! This type of shooter isn't really my thing, but the retro game boy look had me playing for awhile. Hell, I've bought Gameboy games that weren't this well put together! (Robocop, anyone? or Fist of the North Star?*) The little things really brought it out: That instant old school soundtrack, background ships attacking, clever enemy ships that don't repeat too much, but do come back around. make it 10 times longer, add some cut sences, and travel back to 1992: This bad boy would get MAD sales. Great job!
*Has there ever been a good Fist of the North Star video game? I've played 3 on 3 systems and they all suck Hard....
Very stylish, I like the little details (like how some of the bad guys first appear in the background before moving into the foreground, as well as the background action). And I can understand why you did the color scheme (even if I never had a gameboy myself). But even with the bullet visibility the lack of contrast makes it harder than it has to be, and therefore less fun than it could be. Maybe you could have made the enemies bullets a different shade than your own?
Also...red-green color blindness (ie, green and red appear indistinguishable). It affects somewhere between 5 and 10% of Caucasian males. You will be able to identify them because they're the ones asking "how come bullet visibility doesn't do anything?".
4/5 Would be 4.5 but you missed a few Factors
PROS
1- Should have made the Game 2colors, At-least a different shading for the enemies, yes i did notice the bullet visibility, but should have added enemy visibility as well, early in game you look almost alike as an enemy, Thus *Making the game 2 colors brakes its beauty* so adding the option of color was great
2- No auto-attack. Shame My keyword was in pain, should have put auto-attack shortcut, since retro-shooting games are so smashingly on keys
3- No sense of direction, just shoot and go, when to stop? yea find out at end of game
PROS!
1- Greatly polished, Not gameboy color graphics people, color wishes it was this well looking back then.
2- love the emphasis on the background, and the fact the airships come from the background as well
3- Amazing amazing retro music, well made +5 on music
4- great physics, you can crash into buildings for a sense of more depth
TIPS!
Every developer, merely knows the key to keep a player playing, Its not just to put achievements, that should be added for a sense of goal at end of games to add Replay-value to games, not playing longer.
Adding UPGRADES every so often, putting stats and obtaining gear,( shop, dungeon trough game etc) Is the way to keep us playing longer
As well as gameplay mechanics. ( keep in mind it must be a fluid game, we don't want to screw up the gameplay, or how the mechanics work, such keys, movement etc IT must be fluid or it WILL get annoying no matter what.
Adding a glossary of items that could be gotten, classes, spells etc is a great way to let the player know what he is missing out on, on the menu a glossary etc would be great, that way we know what we want to go for, and an idea of how to get it would be great.
GREAT GAME Overall(: