it´s very good, a bit difficult but good
Reviews for "Convergence"
There are so many things I like about the game… the tutorial is great (brief, and to the point), shooting enemies is fun, the white/green colour contrast, the final battle with all your comrades.
However, I'm not sure about the story… it feels like I'm missing something. The dialogue at the beginning made it seem like there's a mystery to uncover – but in the end, it's just ‘kill the big bad guy’. The reason might as well be running out of time because of the game jam… but I wouldn't exactly call the ending ‘a satisfactory conclusion’. But the gameplay is pretty good nevertheless.
Edit:
Thank you for clarifying the story. I got that pandemic analogy and the importance of team effort in the end, but as for the rest… I think the main thing which undermines the "alone, hopeless" feel is the radio communication throughout the game. You're constantly talking to an authority figure who is comforting you – so you're feeling neither completely alone nor hopeless.
Imagine this: the main character doesn't have anyone to talk to, the radio is silent (in truth, you're too deep underground to get any signal). He fears he might be the last person on Earth. In hopes of leaving at least some legacy, he records his thoughts on tape (so you can basically keep saying the same things which he already says in the game).
He goes further, but there's no improvement, the enemies only get stronger. Then he runs into "the main boss" and thinks he's done for, but suddenly, reinforcements appear and you defeat it together.
At least that's how I'd go about it if I wanted to make the player feel lonely or depressed until the very end.
VascoF responds:
Thanks for the review, glad you liked it.
I guess my idea for the story didn't really end up being very clear. The idea was that you were supposed to feel alone and hopeless throughout most of the game (which originally was supposed to be longer to increase this feeling), and then at the end the player discovers that there were many teammates in the same situation, and you all came together in the end, and this would be an exciting, happy end. This was all supposed to be analogous to the pandemic situation we're facing now, it's kind of how I feel about it.
Edit: Thank you for the clarification, it's very helpful. I see what you mean; the feeling of loneliness/despair could be stronger. I wanted the radio to tell some parts of the story (and it's also a better analogy to what's happening now), but didn't have time to make a long enough game to space out the radio transmissions more, and have the player play through various days.
Wow, amazing game. I love the enemies, the concept, design, the vibe and over all feel of this game. Now this is an arcade game that is classic but yet still modern for this new decade. Crtls were simple and easy to explain. The tutorial was also easy to understand and instantly get the player comfortable playing and use to. I read some of the comments on here and theres seems to be mixed reviews and feelings of this game. I do understand, that this game has a simple base theme and level and was aiming for this look and feel of older arcade bit design game, but I do agree that maybe, if they're are "levels" of this game, to have different colored ones to make it feel like we're going in deeper deeper and deeper into this mysterious world this solider is lost in. I also feel that it is somewhat of a challenge like trying not to get killed by the spike areas of the game, but also smooth as well to get through. I do like the story tho, It is plain, or generic, but it fits this. I'd say you did a great job, and hope this will go places. I'll be adding this to my favs.
VascoF responds:
Thanks! If I do make a complete version of this game, I would definitely like to make a large underground world with different areas that have different "vibes", perhaps by changing the colors among other things. The story would also be better developed, since I didn't have much time for that in the jam. Glad you liked it!
Short little time killer. Pretty good. Wish there was a bit more explained story wise.
challenging but achievable.