Complicated
The controls is so complicated it becomes so frustrating. A simple mouse control for the grappling hook should do it.
Author Comments
(First game I've uploaded to Newgrounds! Hi everyone!)
I wanted to make a game which had a hero with a big moustache, a unicycle, a grappling hook and a propeller hat. This didn't leave me much design space, although I did manage to squeeze a few killer robots in!
Joking apart, the idea behind the Unicyclist project was to try out some radically different platforming mechanics. Indeed, the end result barely feels like a platformer at all. The gameplay ended up surprisingly deep and I had to force myself to stop making levels and release the thing.
Taking my I-am-so-awesome hat off for a moment (it too has a propeller), the game's one weakness is the learning curve for its control system. Some playtesters took to it like a duck to water. Others took to it like a brick to water. Your mileage may vary. ;-)
I'll be interested to see how people with winning medals. Difficulty curves are tricky beasts and I'm regularly terrified by how good some people seem to be at games!
bateleur responds:
It may or may not be apparent, but doing that would massively increase the power of the hook. If you're trying to do long or precise shots with it on a particular puzzle I would recommend looking for alternative approaches.
Hard...
Nice game, new ideas and cool gadgets... but hard to handle the hook and the propeller... pretty much about the right balance.
But still a nice game with fresh ideas.
O__o
Nice stuff.... but how about "wind up the grapple", "wind down the grapple" or "swing" ?
bateleur responds:
Could be fun, certainly, but would make most of the levels way too easy!
Maybe worth considering for a sequel, though...
Frustrating
Maybe it's just because I don't get it, but I've been trying and trying, but my conclusion is this game's simply frustrating.
The physics are wonky, the propeller is ridiculously weak, and the grappling hook is too hard to aim for its own good.
This game has promise, but in its current state, it's just frustrating.
bateleur responds:
Any chance I could ask for more detail on where the physics is off? If there are problems there I'd like to play with alternative solutions.
(The propeller is intentionally weak since if you could actually fly around with it the levels would be far too easy! Of course, still not good that you find it annoying, but I thought it worth mentioning...)