great game a defiant time waster but i have one thought how do you do the extra hard puzzle on chapter 3 the office
Reviews for "Fixation"
FreeAsANerd responds:
It's an obscure mechanic that you probably haven't noticed yet. Tough to give a hint without spoiling it, though...
Thanks for the reviewâEU"glad you had fun!
Oh wow. Oh wow.
Okay, so, I frequently cite The Company of Myself as my favorite flash game. I was horribly excited when I saw there was a prequel. I forgot how moving your games are.
Okay, so, I like the art style, but at first, it sort of bugged me. I like it though. The smoke thing seemed pretty unique, but timing the smoke rings was a bit difficult and annoying. The music fits perfectly, and I nearly died at the ending, because I knew what was going to happen. I feel as though it would have been almost horribly cruel if you had played the music from TCOM, yet I almost wish you had.
And the ending, how he just walks away, thinking it's a good day. I feel as though Jack in that moment was a smug bastard, I hated him for several moments.
I feel as though I'm missing a lot of things about the game, though. I guess I should replay it.
@ Anyone who didn't understand the ending: Play The Company of Myself.
FreeAsANerd responds:
Yeah, you'll most likely understand a lot more of the little conversations after you've played it already. And we didn't want to directly use the original music, but the new soundtrack gradually picks up more and more similarities to it.
Thanks for writing!
I enjoyed beating the game thoroughly, as the puzzles were hard without being frustrating. I quite enjoyed the tingly feeling of beating the upstairs level of the office too, which was a nice touch for those of us who wanted to figure it out.
I probably would have kept the smoking bar thing on the side throughout the game, as it was only there for one screen and many people seem to have issues with the timing on the smoke rings, which becomes pretty key on some levels. That said, I don't think it's unreasonably difficult to get the timing down, and by the end of the game muscle memory pretty much took care of it. (Perhaps a option/cheat to display the smoke bar instead?)
Of course, that feedback may be of limited use if you use a different mechanic for a 3rd installment of this storyline, but you seem to know what you're doing in any case so I'm not too worried. Well done on coming up with interesting dialogue to read, although I imagine that was even more tolerable because you could be doing the puzzle while in conversation, rather then being locked in place (well, other then the very first conversation).
Anyway, great job. I hope you'll make a third.
FreeAsANerd responds:
Thanks for the review!
I'm not sure if I'll make a third or not, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see about that.
The smoke ring bar was a weird thing because it would have to be manually placed in each level, since there's no set rule for which parts of the screen are available for HUD elements. It probably should have stayed visible for more than one level, though...
Excellent game, only at 2-2, since I can't get the timing for the smoke rings, I wish you were able to go back a level. :C
FreeAsANerd responds:
Thanks for writing!
If you want to go back to a previous level, you can pause (P or Esc) and return to the main menu to access the level select screen.
Great game, loved the gameplay mechanics (smoke, etc)...
I found it somewhat challenging a few times and had to check the YouTube (like the jumping one), but got through most of them, somehow even wondering HOW the heck I did it!
Only thing I was slightly disappointed with was the ending. In your first game, the turning point, the mental twist was in the death of his lover (Kathryn) as well as the meaning of the green box. That had a big impact and the idea to bring that character back and create a story around it was made perfectly, I found it very fitting and well made.
I liked how you switched to Jack's perspective at the end, but found the last two screens rather down-letting and would've loved if you played more with the "mental sting" (the part that gave you the chills).
He asking himself "did I meet anyone?" seemed rather unnatural and cheap. Also, Jack's character seems rather unsympathetic to me, like a lepricon of some sort.. but that's a personal view, can be dismissed.
Also, another point that could've played a HUGE role for us players would be the sudden appearance of the "green box" in the latter scenes of the game. It's an extremely powerful symbol that you could've used to enhance the emotional factor.
And finally a question - if Jack didn't remember who he met, how come he remembers it in Company of Myself? I'll assume these "drugs" influence short term memory ;).
Great game otherwise and hope you open a new series with similar gameplay, storytelling!
Respect to you Sirs!
Andi