Reviews for Dustrider EX

[DoomRater]

What if getting out of the tank in Blaster Master had a purpose besides sidetracking? That's pretty much what this felt like. Same healing mechanism is in this game as Blaster Master for the guy- entering fills health instantly. But having to get out of the mech to fix the mech by shooting things was a bit interesting, forcing a risk/reward system for whether to use the mech for everything or try and conserve power by jumping out as soon as entering a new room with it. I didn't get the mechanism at first and foolishly ran to the boss without getting any power for the mech.

The controls are still weird in my hands. I want to remap them to buttons on a controller at some point and see if they feel more natural.

[Supaserrin]

The game is amazing. But I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

- Can you find powerups or something in the rooms, as a reward for exploring? Because if there is nothing, best thing to do is rush for the yellow square to the boss xd.

- Is the game infinite? If not, how many levels are there to beat?

Stebdub responds:

Hey supaserrin, 1. There aren't powerups in the current build, its definitely on my list for future updates. 2. As of now there are 4 levels in total. I may add to this/make it infinite if I continue to get interested players. Thanks for playing!

[Arkoan]

-great gameplay.
-great controls.
-cool music.
deserves hours of playing.

Stebdub responds:

Wow thanks Arkoan! Glad you like it.

[xXBillNyeXx]

Great aesthetics and controls. I like the pilot's face in the bottom left corner, it gives the game more personality.

I don't think the random layouts really work for this kind of game, personally. Considering it's an action platformer, the usual feeling a player wants to feel going into the game is learning, and, eventually, mastery. But since the layout is random, the player can be forced into bad situations because of some bad enemy spawns (which I imagine you could fix, but I thought it should be mentioned), and, as a designer, you can't give the player more specific challenges or craft a proper interest curve. It would also be nice if the non-essential rooms had some value, because otherwise they just make the game feel empty.

The whole mech thing is a cool idea conceptually, and cool to play, but it would be nice if you implemented a real difference in gameplay. The mech is just objectively better than being on foot. If there were smaller areas or enemies that could only be killed with the lance, or something of that nature, I think this game could go from good to great.

Still though, the graphics, music, and shooting are all very well done and makes the game feel great to play. Keep it up!

Stebdub responds:

Thanks for your detailed response. I had someone else suggest small areas or gated zones specifically for the pilot, and I really like this idea. I will be making updates for this game at some point, that, along with improved enemy placement and the possibility of earning powerups are high on my list. Glad you enjoyed the art and music!

[DoctorStrongbad]

You can tell that this game was influenced by all the metroidvania games of the past. Graphics are looking good, and I enjoyed the gameplay. If you added a way to remap the controls that would be helpful.