Thank you for making this
Reviews for "Forgotten Dungeon"
HapPie responds:
Thank YOU for playing!
It’s been a long time since I started planning to get back to writing reviews, although I actually never wrote anything in the past except for one game which if I guess right you might like (“A small talk” by @scriptwelder, feel free to check it out from my profile); I had spotted a game that I wanted to comment, but it didn’t have the strength it takes to push me to do so. Your game, instead, succeeded.
When I first read its title while looking for medals, I got tickled by the lovely perspective of a nice looting and leveling adventure. But when I stumbled into the first medal’s name, my face must have turned pale. Deep in my memory, those words were resonating with something I once used to know. Scrolling over the medals I also found Gregory, and then the game finished loading. I immediately knew I was about to experience something unique.
What’s the pleasant sensation you feel when revisiting some abandoned place you’ve inhabited long ago? I bet you know very well. Maybe it’s called nostalgia or maybe it’s something more, but the full “Submachine” series by @Mateusz-Skutnik is permeated with it. The Miyazaki-like atmosphere of the opening scene, recalling “Spirited away”, did the trick and I was on my way.
You’re right: there’s little or nothing to do inside. The enemies are mostly just shadows slowly slipping in circles through the empty rooms, some of them raise compassion, some others are even cute. Legacy of the good old times, like the spoilt chests that still appear on the map – but the treasure’s another one, as we’re about to discover. The games are indeed hidden, lost, forgotten gems, and a lot more of those come to my mind which I’d like to tell you about; for example there once was a tiny series which I believe was called “The forest”, but in no way I could find any trace of it anywhere.
The words you wrote in the description about the works and authors that left a mark on you, sound like they could have come out of my mouth. Flash games can communicate a lot, they can teach and help you grow up, they’re even works of art as witnessed in the designated section here on Newgrounds. I can’t help feeling some sort of brotherhood with you based on what we both felt in front of those works, and it’s comforting to know that somewhere in the world, even if on the opposite side of the planet, there’s someone who can understand me. Luckily, distances can be easily reduced to zero thanks to the quickness of communications.
I have a list of favorite games, and the one you created is a new entry on it after very long. There’s more: your game deserves to be a honorary member in the hall of fame of the best Flash games ever, due to the importance of celebrating Flash games and the originality of holding them inside as game elements themselves.
As you may have understood I tend to procrastinate a lot, my life lingers on many big projects that I never finish – but I promise that when I feel ready to download the Newgrounds player I’ll try the games you mention and which I don’t know or don’t recall. When I saw more clearly the image on the medal, I also recognised the reference to the couple of memorable “Gateway” games. By the way, the medal design is also exquisitely well finished: the kind of badges a gamer like me loves to collect.
A note about the statue. It reminded me of an image in the masterpiece “Alight (in dreams)” by @twofoldsecret, and specifically the protagonist’s mother which you can spot on that game’s last medal: the figure of a standing woman in a cold color, holding something red in her hands. I don’t know if the similarity was intended, but that game meant so much to me.
It hurts a little to think back of the years when, more or less unconsciously, we were playing lightheartedly in those rooms that now are empty and dismissed. Luckily, some of the authors still keep working by other means nowadays, and hopefully they’re all still alive at least.
From a technical point of view, your game is good: fine pixel graphics and ambient music are the perfect background to a short, quiet adventure. Maybe the transition between the rooms should be improved, so that the enemies can’t follow you when you cross the door; also, a glitch allows to see the nearby rooms in some places of the rightmost section, and the map is inexact in some spots where doors are supposed to be while there’s none. The fighting technique should be revised a little since it doesn’t always grant perfect results, although this is a game you almost can’t lose. I didn’t understand if not being able to go back to a certain area after pulling a specific lever is meant or not, and I would love to know if there’s a special ending if you do something particular like for example collecting all the relics and then staying inside the dungeon instead of escaping it after visiting the boss.
Finally, I need to mention that the boss’ speech gave me shivers, the same ones as those caused to me by the last word in “Small worlds” by David Shute; I’m afraid you won’t find this game on here though, but I can tell you the word if you’re curious. I actually have a feeling that we could have a wonderful conversation about our beloved Flash games from the past, I might even show you pictures of my old Game Boy and tell you about the list of favorites I had started to post on Facebook.
Although not everybody may be able to gather the spirit and the purpose of your work, the world community will forever be thankful to you for sharing this evidence of devotion.
HapPie responds:
Wow, now that's what I call I review. Seriously, I really appreciate your thoughts on my game and thank you for sharing them. If there is a reason anyone ever creates something and then puts it out in the world, responses like this are that reason, thank you.
I made this with a very faint hope that people like me find it and enjoy it, I'm glad you found it and enjoyed it. It goes to show that no matter where we are and how weird or out of place we might feel there are people out there in the world that do get you and understand, that we are not alone.
I played some of the things that you mentioned and really enjoyed them. Small worlds was very interesting and I also started playing the submachine games but those will take a good while to finish. I absolutely love the eerie dreamy/nightmarish atmosphere they got going and I can't believe I had never heard of those game before, thank you for sharing them. Also I'm down to chat whenever you want.
cool game. but for some weird reason i get taken by a invisbile force that wants me to fucking disappear whenever i press s
pretty good. noticed a glitch where occasionally when opening the map the player character disappears, softlocking the game. it'd be nice if there was a way to unlock the gate on the right path but I haven't found one in my couple of runthroughs.
Me gusta, el problema está en teléfonos, que los controles son muy pequeños, intenta hacerlos más grandes please😍