• Add Review
  • Subscribe
  • Nominate
  • Submit Media
  • RSS

It's all just...hmm...maybe you're not ready for the truth...

  • pianotm
  • 02/10/2019 06:58 AM
  • 1284 views
Name: Timothy and the Mysterious Forest

Developer: Macbeth (Out, damned spot! Out, I say!)

Story: This is one of two entries submitted by the developer to IGMC 2018.
Considering they both feature the same character in the same type of game, I can't imagine why they didn't just make it into a single game. You are Timothy and your grandfather has fallen gravely ill. You've heard of the legend of a magical mushroom that can cure any ill, but it's in the Mysterious Forest from which few ever leave alive. But this is your grandfather! Saving him is worth the danger, and so Timothy ventures into the mysterious forest! You can find the mushroom and save your grandfather. Or...you could get...the true ending.


Bridges are always railroad tracks, right?


Writing: The writing is quite good. I would call the story whimsical, and I guess it is. Skeletons that want to play, ghouls that want to have a dinner date, river monsters that want their necklace, and...the truth. That truth. The truth. There's not a whole lot of dialogue, per se, but there's but there is enough to be substantial, and almost every conversation you have is going to be quirky, whether it's a store owner wanting the sweet coin or a witch accusing you of cheating her (despite giving you a damned easy pop quiz and you acing it fair and square). Every conversation you have in this game is going to be a lot of fun.


Aren't I already cursed for just having seen you?


Gameplay: Very fun, actually. The game is puzzle solving, and in the tradition of classics like Shadowgate, the wrong choice means instant death--every. single. time. No battles, but there are monsters to be had. This game is strictly a puzzle game. Whether you're evading traps in a maze, or monsters in a dungeon, or lighting brazers to balance good and evil. The puzzles are by no means difficult, though the trap maze and the monster dungeons are a bit frustrating, they are imaginative and engaging. I honestly can't imagine why this game didn't get more attention during the IGMC. One bad thing I can say is that once you start solving the puzzles, starting with the maze, and getting the items you need, the game suddenly becomes quite easy, and it's not because the game gets lax, but because the learning curve just takes that sharp of a dive. Once you've got one item, you've already been through the forest enough to know what you need to do next so you start knocking out the puzzles like dominoes. In its own right, that was fun, but at the same time, disappointing, because the challenge was really engaging at the start. Anyway, I enjoyed it, even if it did start to fall flat.


Bro...I got ghosted by a ghost. Not cool, man!


Graphics: Look at them! And its seamless. I see so many games with Gameboy style graphics done on RPG Maker, and you can tell they're not quite right. They're there for the flavor, but it still looks like an RPG Maker game. Not this. It has a very unique feeling and it really feels like a game you might have found on the Gameboy. I have to say, the graphics are really the stand out aspect of this game.

Sound: The 8-bit music really fits the Gameboy style, with each dungeon getting its own, unique theme. Sound effects are really used well in this game, too. Everything about this game just hit all the right notes.

Conclusion: The game is absolutely worth checking out. It took me a little less than an hour to get through. The gamepage anticipated it would take about 2 hours. I must admit that I do wish there were a bit more to it.

Posts

Pages: 1
Hey that Shakespeare quote is really appreciated :D

I must say all you wrote down is really appreciated! Thank you for playing my game and for this good review!

We are improving the game mechanics to avoid that "falling flat" thingy you pointed out! The complete game will feature grab & throw combat system and stealth system too. That means more complex and interesting gameplay along with all those puzzle/maze things you already know. Aaaaand the complete game is going to be 4-5 hours long too.

Also the game graphics are improving! Here take a first look!


I hope you will follow the development and try the complete game :)
Oh and it was not made for IGMC 2018 :P only Timothy and the Tower of Mu Demo was made for that contest. This is a "standalone" game ;)

Thanks again for your kind words!
Pages: 1