00:00
00:00
Newgrounds Background Image Theme

MovementalStudio just joined the crew!

We need you on the team, too.

Support Newgrounds and get tons of perks for just $2.99!

Create a Free Account and then..

Become a Supporter!

Search For Light

Share Collapse

Author Comments

You are a maintenance robot that has been called on to turn the lights back on. You must guide the robot through dark corridors, avoid toxic sludge, and sometimes make a leap of faith in order to find the terminal in the basement that controls the lights.

Log in / sign up to vote & review!

aww, i hit the first glitch ;'-'; i died twice on level 2 and couldn't respawn.

In any case, for your first game, this is nice. Controls work well, the story was very mysterious and added to the gameplay. (nice!)
For your FIRST GAME?! Good work! keep it up man!

I'm sorry no one has yet to comment on your game. It definitely isn't bad, but it does need things. I go through the good and bad.

Good:
- I've found no glitches so far.
- The game has a beginning and end for each level I've played.
- The graphic are pretty good and interesting. They remind me of a third person shooter made back in the 90's (That's good in my back).
- the controls are tight and work well and the character interacts well with the environment (meaning that what should be solid is solid and what I should be able to do in the game, I'm able to do in the game, like jump from one platform to another).
- The sounds were a good touch though I'll have something to say about some of them below.
- When the robot first ran into a dead end, I was confused. I thought it said "Data" instead of "Dang it". It became clear when he growled at another dead end. I'm not sure how you managed to program that, but that's pretty good.

Bad:
- I should point out that part of the reason you probably haven't gotten as much attention is because of the thumbnail. It's not just to indicate what the game is, it also needs to draw the person's attention to it and make them think, "Hey. This looks interesting". There are 1000's of platformers on the web. The thumbnail shows them why they should play yours over the others.
- The game feels kind of empty without music or background sounds (adding in leaking pipes echo, rats running, the echo of you jumping and landing, the bubbling of the ooze, these are all things that make the game seem real and make it more entertaining for the player. Games are just like television: details and authenticness are crucial to drawing someone in.
- I'd suggest reducing the volume on the character's grunt when they jump. Without background sound or music, it does get slightly annoying though I did get used to it.
- The character design, I feel, is the worst in the entire game. It looks more like a rock man then a machine. A few more details could have remedied this. Think about it, the player's going to be looking at that character design for the entire game so you want to make sure it is really good.
- Other than getting from point A to point B, the game really isn't offering much in challenge. None of the jumps are difficult to make though easy to mess up (the black and yellow marks on the platform tell me when a ledge is coming up, which is both smart design, but decreases the difficulty in now the player doesn't have to be as careful), there are no enemies, no time limit, and ultimately, no reward (I know a lot of games don't have "rewards" for beating levels, but the reward I'm speaking of comes from beating the level. If you beat a level then you feel good because you conquered the obstacles. In this game, there are no obstacles: just trial and error and fighting your own carelessness or clumsiness in maneuvering. Games also offer reward through story telling, which I feel this game could have had, revealing a part of the story each time you beat a level or having to find hidden documents through the building, perhaps explaining why the lights are off, what is this place, and what do the owners do?
- Dead ends aren't inherently bad, but in a large building or area, I want to feel like I can find something other than just the door. Not necessary. This one may be me.
- I consider that a game that implements "leaps of fate" should be more forgiving for the player since leaps of faith are practical gambles and having to start from the beginning of the level each time you die just get annoying.
- I didn't finish the game, partly because I'm pressed for time as it is nighttime right now and because I didn't find the game stimulating enough. This game could have very easily been a horror game; it already has the visual effects of one. All it would need is the sounds and music.

Sorry if I sound like I'm being a jerk, but when I find a game creator like yourself that has talent in art and/or story among other areas of game design, I feel compelled to give my opinion. It's possible I'm wrong about all my advice and this game might become pretty popular. It's still early on. Still, I hope you'll be making more games in the future and let me know if you need them tested or need any voice acting done for them. Good luck.

Vajra777 responds:

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed review.

This is the first game that I've made - And, everything you suggested in the bad was originally meant to be implemented (especially having interesting things in the dead ends), but my programming skills just aren't strong enough yet. This project was all about proving to myself that I could actually FINISH a video game. Having abandoned a few projects over the years...

It's all about learning - Thank you SO much for the feedback.

I think once I've figured out all the programming issues, I'll get started on releasing a sequel for this game. :)

Credits & Info

Views
2,117
Faves:
1
Votes
2
Score
3.75 / 5.00

Uploaded
Aug 22, 2014
4:20 PM EDT