Very cool game. I like puzzle platformers that show some originality.
Reviews for "Lectrovolt"
VFHolloway responds:
Chris, that means a lot, and it's really appreciated, thank you! Have a look at some other comments, I want to create something gamers would love to play; saying this has originality is a real win for me :) thank you for the support!
It looks like a very good beta right now. The only sizeable bug I ran into at one point was after I used C to charge-jump, the guy kept charge-jumping after that even when I used a regular jump. It was after I had been trying to charge jump a few times but the charge-jumps weren't working because I was right next to a wall, so I was sorta mashing C for a little bit. And it went back to normal after I used the X charge. A minor bug is that charge-jumps didn't work when I was up against a wall.
Aside from those little things, the controls seemed very responsive and the puzzling was fair. Puzzle difficulty could probably be expanded upon in future levels even without adding new mechanics like enemies or timers on the switches or portals or anything, but if you'd like to add any of those it'd be rad. This is just a personal preference, but I'd recommend making a Metroidvania type giant world rather than individual discrete levels in the full game (which you might have been planning all along anyway); that somehow makes games stand out as more memorable to me. Also I might recommend going easy on using / abusing boundaries of the rooms' camera views to add difficulty (some of the buttons were deliberately obscured from view because of where the boundaries lie or came immediately after a room transition); I felt like it was fair game to do, but I imagine some players would consider it to be a cheap way of making the game difficult. Other minor things would be to make a restart key and save/respawn points in case the guy gets stuck somehow like Zylofan mentioned, and WASD-JK controls for people who use their hands backwards from us (or customizable keys for those crazy European AZERTY keyboards).
Anyway, 4/5 only because it's a short beta and I'll probably have a 5/5 for ya when the full game's posted.
VFHolloway responds:
3p0ch, thanks for the help, I'm really happy you left such a constructive review! Some of the contact points are a little out of line (Honestly, I'm more of a game designer than a coder, I love figuring out how to create the best experience for a gamer than coding the game itself) and the bug report is appreciated. I've written a review for DamonandSky's review above, and it really goes into what I'm aiming for.
Thanks for the review, and please follow me! I love how in-depth you've gone with helping me improve the game; I am a firm believer in games being something someone should enjoy, not an ego-fest by someone who wants to be seen, and I think the game should be ALL about what the gamer enjoys. I would love if you followed me and gave such a fantastic review to the next attempt, with a new level map :) thanks for all the help!
Great. Nice music. Good puzzles. I liked it.
VFHolloway responds:
Thanks, i'd love to put something more ambitious online in the same vein; some larger levels, a map function and some more moves :) appreciate the review, thanks again!
I discovered a bug where if you press c whilst falling you'll actually change your normal jump height to that of the C button. Other than that it's a good game with a good soundtrack!
VFHolloway responds:
Hey man, thanks for the bug report :) i'm not gonna fix this version, but I'll be uploading a new level set with updated physics in a couple of months; sort of an informal 'Level 2' :p read my response to DamonandSky's review, I go into it in more detail :)
And yeah, the soundtrack is Ketsa, he's a London based Music Artist, check out the website in the credits section, he's really talented :)
Man, let me just start by stating that it has been a long time since I've decided to look at Newgrounds. I got home from work, slept off my fatigue, and then realized I'm sick with whooping cough and immediately became fatigued again. None of my games felt appealing, so I just so happen to check Newgrounds without realizing it's one of my favorite times to review games: Ludum Dare.
Keeping in mind that Ludum Dare was just around the corner, this in itself almost feels as if though it were an entry into the event, or was meant to be one, even if I don't see the theme rolling into this as "unconventional weapon". After reading the description I realize that this is somewhat of a prototype. Something you are working on, but not in the mood to release a fully realized title without community feedback. Which is perfect in my book. The reason I enjoy Ludum Dare is because of the unfinished and unrefined nature of the games that are more or less "built" by the end of the competition, meaning you get to be cruel with your critique, but feel like your cruelty is going more or less to what could be a revisited project rather than simply reviewing a finished one.
So concept-wise, I'd say this is nothing particularly new. The game/prototype ends very expectantly and I feel as though if you wanted a better test run on the community a larger game should have at least been built with a few more added mechanics to let others know where this is going. The lightning based abilities seem more to be theme in essence rather than vital to any sort of game mechanic or role. The platforms you charge up and the buttons you can press sum up to any old regular switch and trap setup. I feel this could easily be improved upon by having some more electrical-current themed puzzles to do things like magnetize objects towards or away from you or to change the voltage or recharge ca (cranking amps) on a battery when considering building a more final product. We need more of a feeling that the electric aspect of the game exists more so than the average platforming, otherwise it just feels like a generic platformer with generic upgrades. Just a thought, but a unique addition of needing a ground and hot wire to keep currents in flow would be awesome. I couldn't explain how to make it a game mechanic as I feel it would be easier if I could just program it myself to provide a visual, but I have no skills regarding that. Using stuff like breakers and fuses, just all the works that are involved in electricity. That being said, the game itself is decent enough. Puzzles aren't particularly hard, but that's probably for the best considering getting stuck too long on a puzzle, especially for a beta, makes the game less atmospheric and more frustrating. Only real bugbear I found was that light platforms aren't instantaneous, meaning if you slide from a button directly into one you would get stuck and have to restart. Stupid me got stuck inside one of those three times in the exact same spot, even when I knew to avoid it. Silly me.
So overall this is a definite 2 and 1/2 stars. But for anyone who reads this you should remember that it's the review that matters the most and not the score. I'm always reluctant to put a score on anything since it feels arbitrary. My thoughts and feelings aren't defined well in numerals.
(Good luck with your project! I hope you consider this review well and I have only good will to send your way. All games can be fun and interesting with some love put into them. Hope you decide this is worth it!)
VFHolloway responds:
First of all, a HUGE thank you, DamonandSky, for such an in depth review. I wasn't too thrilled with the 3 stars, It's bumped me down to the aether of average games where I won't get many views or critiques, but I want to say, thank you for the long in depth review.
I put this (admittedly buggy) first draft on newgrounds for the comments, and you going above and beyond to give me a detailed review is more than I could have hoped for; it's hugely appreciated, and I will definitely work on everything you've said. I want to design a more ambitious, hopefully money-worthy version of this game, but I don't want to build it on flawed technology. If some of the dynamics of the game are faulty, then yeah, a couple of tweaks to the coding is a few days work, but it's reception, functionality and playability are something that can't be fixed by code.
I'd love to shoot ahead and start writing more detailed stuff, but after reading your great ( I mean, GREAT) review, I'd love to stick a second working on newgrounds. More levels, some HUD stuff, still as minimalistic as I can make it without it being too read-and-repeat, if you know what I mean. I'm planning on creating a 'Level 2', of sorts, with some more ambitious level design and a reworking of the underlying plot and possibly a twist, if I can handle it, (and I'm thinking of adding a Castlevania-style mapping platform) so if you would start following me, I would absolutely love as great a critique on the next one as on this!