I can't get the game to start but it seems interesting. D:
Reviews for "Man Who Sold The World"
krangGAMES responds:
Oh no! If you can PM me your browser and system info I'll look into that, maybe try updating your Flash player or using a different browser?
If, by chance, you're using Internet Explorer, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DOWNLOAD GOOGLE CHROME.
this game sux
Let me first clarify I don't think this game deserves zero stars, I just decided to abstain from voting because I didn't finish the game, and it doesn't seem fair to do so without playing the whole thing.
To me personally this just feels like, to be painfully blunt, "baby's first 'art' game." It's comes off as just another pseudo-intellectual attempt to seem deep, much like many of the hipster definitions of what an "art" game is. All the things it lead me to think about just felt like Existentialism 101, the most basic of things people contemplate the first time they ever think about this stuff. As for the gameplay itself, I'll admit, I simply couldn't make it through. It was just too boring to play. If there's one thing I've learned it's that a good platformer is a lot harder to make than you'd think.
Graphically I understand you weren't going for making it amazing, and I'm not someone who needs mind-blowing graphics in a game, but I would suggest keeping the background and foreground elements of the same type. Having what looks like pixelated characters against a non-pixel background didn't look right, rather than creating a feeling just looked like you were inexperienced in creating art. It also felt like it hindered gameplay, making it difficult to properly gauge the limits of the surroundings, such as when climbing the vines.
The whole tribes-people for the spirit portion felt a bit like a cop-out. Like you could have done something new and put an interesting spin on the idea had you given it a bit more thought, but instead you just went with the same old tired stereotype.
All in all it just felt like the same game I'd played a million times, most often getting bored and/or being disappointed by, because it just seems like a poor imitation at worst and only a half-hearted attempt at best.
HOWEVER, that being said, if you were genuine in wanting to get people thinking I believe with a bit of work in some places, some polishing of smaller things here or there, and if you really want it enough - most importantly in striving to be different from everything else you've seen - you could probably create something pretty great, as what really matters is the intention behind it. If you make a game just to seem edgy, cool or deep, and create it in a specific way that means you can chalk everything up to being "art" and "too deep for you," then the final product is always going to be lacking any real meaning. But if you really do want to stimulate peoples' minds, then as long as you keep working on it I think you can do it.
tl;dr: Good idea, just poor execution. Practise makes perfect.
krangGAMES responds:
This is the best review for this game I've seen yet. Honest criticism, but not wanton cruelty. All your points are well made, and the fact is that this game was cobbled together in a short amount of time. Ultimately there were a lot of design elements that didn't necessarily gel together (like the art style), which you've touched on nicely. There's nothing in your review I disagree with, except for the "half-hearted attempt" - call it a "light-hearted attempt", and here's why.
It is definitely an introductory "art" game, in that the points it brings up are simple to get and on the surface - it's meant to be a pretty simple experience, not overwhelming or deep. (Which is better - love, spirit, daring or wisdom? Now THINK.) But I'd shown it to a number of people (online, not friends and family) who said they'd enjoyed it, and PC Gamer even wrote a little thing about it awhile back. (Plus, not to gloat but above all I'm reeeally proud of the music I made hurr hurr hurr.) In the end I decided to release it, and Newgrounds was awesome enough to sponsor it.
Lots of people have enjoyed for their own reasons, and lots of other people have hated it - that's kosher. But people have played it, and more importantly people like you are reviewing it, and taking it apart critically.
Plus, I notice one of your favorites on Newgrounds is "endeavor", which shows you have good taste. Do a review blog, yo.