PART I
The spoilers are in part II, mostly, though this is a hard game to spoil. I should note that the main draw of the game is learning about African culture; if that's not your cup of tea, you probably will not enjoy it. It is an interesting idea that was unfortunately put together with little sense of proper game design.
The developer want to create a game drawing from African culture and such. That's cool. He also wanted to include educational bits. That's fine too, provided they're handled well (hit and miss). All of this was to be wrapped up in a game that, presumably, benefited from and framed the educational bits.
Foremost, let me say that I -really- respect this goal. Games are a great medium for education or just learning bits about things by playing through them, especially when it has to do with cultures. For example, I wouldn't have ever found out I was interested in Norse mythology had it not been for Age of Mythology. I wouldn't be as well-versed in geography with Where in the World is Carmen San Diego board games. I can't even begin to sum up the benefits I reaped from the JumpStart series of educational games...but all of those games were fun to play as a game first, with education as a backdrop. A spoonful of sugar, so to speak. This game aspires to the same, but does not reach it yet.
If the dev wants to achieve this goal, he's going to have to learn how to make a game, starting with the basics. I should go ahead and say that this review is going to sound really mean, but, there's not really a nice way to say that I enjoyed little of that experience except a few of the educational bits...that I could have learned more easily with google. Rather than leave it at that, I want to offer specifics so that if he does decide to improve, he has some pointers.
I can say, at least, that the art on the title screen is pretty. The graphics within the game itself are functional too, though it is sometimes hard to tell objects I need to interact with from enemies.
Beyond that...The maps are huge. Often, two or three objects will be repeated for loooong periods of walking. To some degree, this does relay the feel of a savannah, though it makes it difficult to find one's bearings. The player is given a map, which is an IMMENSE help, but there's no 'You Are Here' feature and the sheer size of everything can make it a bit tricky to make sense of at first.
The enemies are...well, African stuff I guess. They don't look all that enemy-ish since they move around at random or in set paths ceaselessly. It's like running through an enchanted broom closet. Due to the lack of planning in their movement, the player often ends up in situations where they just have to soak up the damage. They may also have to wait for extended periods since there's no pattern to the movement that they can discern to move ahead safely. It's clear the the dev is familar with at least some game design concepts, like introducing mechanics in harmless areas before they are needed. Unfortunately, those mechanics are only sometimes useful when it comes to dealing with the presented problems. Many of the challenges boil down to navigating a glut of chaos with just your arrow keys.
The story is not super involved, but the setting is easily the game's strong point. The moments I enjoyed were mostly when exploring the setting unhindered by the game itself. I mean, I got to talk to purple crocodile, and it made total sense. Suffice to say that the setting is why I want to see this project pull through, despite its shortcomings.
There also a few puzzles. They are sometimes ok. They are also sometimes mind-numbingly simple, tedious or hopelessly obtuse. Perhaps some mix of all three. The worst offenders, that I encountered, are as follows.
Seed Spreading Puzzle: In this one, the player has to walk over an area of dirt to spread seeds. They must cover the whole area in under a minute. That's it.
The first one is way too easy as it just involves moving back and forth for ~40 seconds. The second one is a little harder to pull off as it involves separate islands of planting area, but is still tedious. Despite this, the second one is almost fun...perhaps if it shrank to a 15 second challenge then it would be, but such a simple gameplay premise shouldn't be stretched out so long. The first one should be remodeled to be more like the second and shrunken to ~15s as well. It doesn't have to be hard, but it should require a bit of thought.
Flower Toggle Puzzle: In this one, flowers can be one of two colors. Toggling one changes its color and the color of all adjacent flowers. I'm not certain exactly what the goal for the player was, but if it was to get them all the same color, then I'm pretty sure it's all but impossible. Check out what google has to say about the 'Lights Off' puzzle to make sure that its feasible.
Any Puzzle With Tons of Enemies: Since the mobs are so random, they're nigh unmanageable in large numbers. There's a nice amount of variety that is well executed, but some of the enemies have no discernible pattern and other times, due to event collision, the patterns get messed up. This makes dealing with mobs the least enjoyable part of the game, especially since the player can't directly interact with them in any way, up to the point I've played to.
Immersion is still a bit fumbled, but is better than on my first play through. If the Developer Commentary statues were replaced with NPCs that said basically the same thing, it would be in a serviceable place.
The changes from the first version are an improvement, though the reasons behind those changes didn't seem to carry through the rest of the game. It's enough to warrant a half-star increase in rating, though.
I'm a bit more optimistic about salvaging this project now since I got a clearer look on its stronger points this second time. It's definitely a work-in-progress, though, which is fine.
I'm still sold on the idea of giving African culture (or any culture) more exposure via games, but, it has to be a game that is at least on par.
What follows are the notes I took while playing the game.
PART II
-The title screen is very, very red. It is also quite custom, though, and features some solid artwork. Perhaps, just a bit more contrast between the red box framing the menu items and the red background is in order.
-Apparently, 'Z' isn't the 'OK' button in this game. 'Enter' works, though, and I move on. I wonder what the benefit of that business is.
-The game transitions directly to a screen with a proverb about a MUDFISH. It's not obtuse, and is rather amusing. 'Z' still does nothing.
-I find my 'enter' key again and keep moving. I'm treated to a panning view of a land that does a surprisingly good job of appearing 3D while exposition is dumped politely at the bottom of the screen. It doesn't last too long, however, and the information is all interesting. There is a bit of a grammatical gaff, but nothing too heinous. It was in the line with the dancing, but I do not remember it.
-Suddenly, we're introduced to the characters. This is a good suddenly, by the way. As in, a seamless transition.
-I press 'Z' again. Doh. My left hand is feeling pretty left out at this point, no pun intended.
-I find myself on an ACID TRIP, or something. It is quite visually pleasing, though. It seems I've been dropped into the middle of the story, which is great, because beginnings rarely make for good places to start.
-ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
-Ok, now that I'm out of the opening cutscene, it seems Z makes my character, wave her arms a little. Not yet sure what it does, but, ole lefty is nearly crying with joy.
-I encounter some MYSTERIOUS SAND that can't be walked on, for some reason. My ANIMAL COMPANION suggests checking out a nearby strange statue, though there are two nearby strange statues, and he/she/it was talking about the less obvious one.
-Or maybe he/she/it wasn't. Neither of the statues react to me punching...them...wait...I bet the interaction button is ENTER, not Z. FFFFFFF.
-I run around pressing SPACE as I have little idea of what to do next. I find a CHAMELEON. Must be a pretty terrible CHAMELEON. He's lucky I'm not hungry.
-Seems saving is disabled, though I haven't seen a savepoint yet.
-I'm told to hold the R button while moving to SLIDE. I press R, A and S while moving, and while they all seem to do something (except R), it is certainly not SLIDING. I check the configuration and discover that W is R. I -think- that's standard. It works, at least.
-I find myself on a path that gets progressively more rainy. Then, I'm on a grassy place with conveniently places trees/SMALL ROCKS that usher me along a pre-determined path.
-I find an ORANGE ALIEN DEVICE which turns out to be a SAVE POINT. Graciously, it offers other options, like use item. My choices are: Milk and Blood, Milk Offering and Blood Sacrifice. I am confused and weirded out all at once. Without context, I can't really appreciate whatever AFRICAN thing that's coming from. The author should take care to ease his audience in more gently lest they recoil.
-I continue along the sprawling map of trees and SMALL ROCKS. The path opens up a bit, but I still don't know where this 'nearby village' is. I saw a THING aways back, but could not interact with it.
-I come across a GIANT CHOCOLATE PANCAKE or something that blocks access to a path. There is no feedback when interacting with it, or, trying to interact with it, rather.
-I try the RED THING nearby and CLUA, the ANIMAL COMPANION, asks 'What do you supoose this thing is?' LANOA responds 'No idea.' and that's that.
-This is also a DEAD END.
-I head back and several GREEN THINGS fall behind me, blocking my retreat as I am attacked by an ORANGE PANCAKE. After LANOA remarks that I must find another way out, I engage the PANCAKE.
-SOMETHING happens.
-I thought I was winning, but it seems I was wrong. Thankfully, the PANCAKE is not very intelligent, so I simply RUN AWAY.
-Lots of WEIRD THINGS are moving about very quickly. I feel like I'm trapped in TIM BURTON'S daydream. I guess these are those MAS...MASH?...EVIL SPIRITS that were mentioned earlier.
-I find a TREASURE CHEST? inside of a house. I'm told to check out a STATUE (again) and am treated to some information on a certain AFRICAN people. It's not really integrated into the game world, though. Sure, the village is based off of one of theirs except for some pretty major differences (next to a lake VS landlocked), but the delivery comes from a STATUE that isn't even a TALKING STATUE. The hint to check it out is done in-character, but the info-drop destroys any immersion instantly.
That said, the info was interesting, at least, and I LEARNED something, so mission accomplished there. Just, this is a far less effective way to LEARN than GOOGLE or WIKIPEDIA and, thus far, not a whole lot more interesting.
-I find an HERB that says it restores a small amount of life. 'Small' being 50% of my hp. It would be better to just say the number and let me decide if it's small or not, since it varies over the course of the game.
-I find a path after going over areas again and follow it. There's plenty of WEIRD THINGS flying about everywhere and I lose lots of life. They're not super difficult to avoid, in theory, but the sheer volume and seemingly random placement make it easy to get into a situation where you're boxed in. That, and I'm not really engaged enough to put any effort into dodging.
-I try to cross a BRIDGE and get attacked from both ends, resulting in a GAME OVER. I think my desire to play died as well, but I have 22 MINUTES left set aside for this tonight so I RELOAD.
-The way the events collide with each other means that a predicatable pattern can change on a whim. What was a safe spot a moment ago is now a death trap. It's clear that very little thought went into this enemy design...
-16 MINUTES left and I'm...well, I bulldoze my way through the enemies by just tanking hits in the more cluttered parts. I have little choice, since I am not psychic. I reach another house with HUMANS in it.
-The most exciting story development yet comes when CLUA states he/she/it can't enter a building and I found out shortly thereafter that the MAS****TANI or EVIL SPIRITS can't enter. HMMM.
-I am offered YAM FUFU, w/e that is.
-I get to watch a fully animated EATING SCENE that restores my health, then am pointed to a GREEN HATCH that leads to the BASEMENT. Hold on...this HUT has a BASEMENT? Is that a real thing?
-There is a SAVE POINT and some MODERATELY USEFUL NPC banter. There is also another statue. Since my immersion is just about perma-dead and the info-dumps are the best part of this game, I check it out.
-I LEARN about a building where men discuss IMPORTANT MATTERS. The ceiling is built low so that they cannot use VIOLENCE due to difficulty standing up. That's a pretty FUN FACT.
-I step on the GREEN HATCH and it opens like some kind of SPACESHIP thing. I'm dropped into a 'BASEMENT' with pipes, fans, and LAVA. I don't...huh?
-I somehow step on a bridge that's floating over a pipe but flush with the ground...?
-Apparently, it's...ok, it's some machine built by this LAB COAT GUY's ancestors long ago for reasons unknown and they ward off EVIL SPIRITS somehow and why is there LAVA and what the hell is going on here?!
-I INTERACT with an ORANGE THING which is apparently a key to one of those machines. All of the EVIL SPIRITS are banished instantly. Too bad no one thought to do that while they were SLAUGHTERING the villagers.
-I return to the place with the CHOCOLATE PANCAKE OBSTRUCTION. I activate the EVIL SPIRIT BE-GONE but the ORANGE PANCAKE that is meandering nearby does not seem to notice. I still can't proceed down the path, though.
-I've been around the available map twice, now, but don't see how to proceed. All signs point to OLE CHOCOLATE needing to go, but...how?
-It seems interacting with the SPIRIT MACHINE KEY a second time causes OLE CHOCOLATE to lift up for a bit. I slide under, and he begins to MURDER me.
-I find another informational statue.
-I find the 'great savannah,' which is a vast expanse of almost nothing at all. There are some cool trees and a small GIRAFFE, but it's mostly empty.
-After crossing the bridge I encounter a COTTON CANDY TREE? that apparently isn't natural and has a hole that leads to a realm that only spirits can enter. Thus, I am now playing as CLUA.
-It seems I share HEALTH with LANOA. Also, there are more 'enemies' in here that are basically just naughtily gyrating sprites jiggling around. I seem to be able to go through/above things.
-The screen is tinting random colors, which would create an atmosphere if I was invested in the game at all.
-I find SPRING WATER. Not sure why I needed it, or what I need, but w/e.
-I encounter a passage blocked by a GUARDIAN who says that none shall pass unless authorized to do so. Inside, a TURTLE? says something about making a garden bloom with magic pollen?
-I'm supposed to spread pollen SOMEHOW. A TIMER starts. I find the DARK SOIL which seems to be the same as any other soil and discover that the pollen spreads automatically. It seems I have to walk over every square to POLLINATE it before time runs out.
-There are upwards of 160 squares there and no real strategy to traversing them. No obstacles or anything besides the ever-present GAME END button in the menu.
-I am taught the spell INUA, w/e that is. How do I even use spells? Is it just from the menu? Checking the spell in the menu tells me. It seems that it restores life, but...w/e, that's fine.
-That was apparently all there was to do in that tree. For a mandatory event, that was odd...
-LANOA decides to set up camp now. CLUA decides it is story time. Apparently, CLUA is my DEAD AUNTIE. Wha? That's cool, but...what? No build-up or anything, just SUDDENLY DEAD AUNT. Had that been delivered well, it would have been pretty cool.
-I'm given the option to skip it, but decide to indulge because why not. It's an interesting tale. The characters discuss it a little afterward until LANOA is felled by a sudden attack of NARCOLEPSY.
-Apparently LANOA is a MOTHER. I thought she was like, twelve. Other than that, the FLASHBACK doesn't say much new.
-New day (in game) and the sun is out. The SAVANNAH looks even more bare. I wander around until I find an exit where CLUA doesn't turn me back.
-I meet another STATUE that says that the rest of the STATUES I meet are giving me hints, even if it doesn't seem like it. I also get some tips about sliding under enemies, but, honestly, who cares about enemies? With no immersion or engagement and their slapped together design, I can't bring myself to.
-In this area, straying from the path takes you to the starting point. This makes avoiding the enemies rather SUPER DIFFICULT. Since they're haphazard random paths, though, there's no guarantee of being able to pass if I make no mistakes. Sure, I can slide under floating enemies, but the non-floaters and literally move back and forth on the only path I am allowed to walk are much more difficult to deal with. If I crouch and slide, I have to uncrouch to slide again, but the enemies will all congregate over my head (so it isn't random?!) and sit there until I uncrouch.
-The path, which is almost totally a straight line, suddenly has curves thrown in that can be hidden by enemies. I find some thing but have no idea what it is except that it is not the end of this horrendous puzzle. Back to the start again.
-At some point, I hit lvl 2 and lvl 3. I wasn't aware that I was getting experience.
-A STATUE tells me about the AFRICAN origins of the game's sound effects, which I cannot hear (not an issue with the game.) Apparently, there is a sound effect for leveling up.
-I manage to leave the area. There were some bits I didn't explore, but TO HELL WITH THAT.
-A STATUE warns me to flee this place then tells me all about his FAMILY PROBLEMS.
-I find an EGG that tries to kill me with...sparkles? It starts MOVING. Must be an EVIL SPIRIT?
-I find a STATUE that speaks nonsense and another that says nothing, as predicted. I don't know if this is some sort of puzzle, but all the SPAZZING SPIRITS make it difficult to even talk to the things.
-I return to the place with the JEALOUS PATH. I note that at some point, I got 30 more COWRIES.
-Seems I have to solve this STATUE FAMILY puzzle. I put on my THINKING CAP.
-It must be that on each screen, one direction will move me forward and the rest will take me back to the start of the map. The WHINING the first statue does must be giving me clues as to which direction to go, though it seems fairly incomprehensible.
-The correct path is EAST - EAST - SOUTH...and I get cornered by EGGS and SLAUGHTERED.
-Alright, that's enough of this...
-UPDATE: Did a second run on request, so more notes.
-The opening screen uses black/white coloring and is mainly informational, though some of it is information that doesn't pertain directly to the game. Since it is relatively low key, though, it keeps the 'first impression' seal intact.
-The confirm button is C, as per the default, but is also mapped to C on the keyboard, whereas I normally encounter it on Z/Space/Enter. However, since it tells me this and tells me how to customize my controls on the opening screen, I don't mind it.
-I still keep pressing Z though q_q.
-The initial area serves as a light tutorial. Someone who knows the ropes already would be able to skip right through it, though, which is ideal.
-I encounter a blocked off bridge. There is a THING blocking my path. When I inspect the thing, it HURTS me. A simple sound effect would probably be enough there. It is a dangerous thing to punish the player for curiosity.
-After getting past the CHOCOLATE PANCAKE, I find an item that triggers a little animation, though, I'm not told what it is or what it does.
-I reach the SAVANNAH and commandeer a GIRAFFE. I soon find out that this is a POOR IDEA. It dumps me within view of a BASKET.
-I end up in a TREE. I have to solve a RIDDLE.
-Um...
-I really....don't have any idea...I'm told it's a three letter word and then have to choose three letters. Just under thirty possibilities, though I can rule some out due to PHONICS.
-As I begin cycling through the possibilities, I quickly realize that there is basically one possible word. I'm not sure if the puzzle is too hard or not, but I manage to pass it without much trouble.
-I get inside and finish a mind-numbing 'puzzle' which is more of a drawn-out test of motor skills. I get a healing skill. I then go to leave, but CLUA says there must be something here.
-I must have forgotten to talk to the SPIRIT to get my healing spell. I don't think it would have been terrible for CLUA to have been more specific.
-I find another one of those things that has an animation when I pick it up, though, I still have no clue what it is. I try to press Z to pick it up and have to retreat due to enemies before I realize that I should have been using space. Takes a moment, each time I sit down again q_q.
-I near the edge of the area where leaving the path sends you back to the start and MIS-STEP. Fortunately, I only get sent about halfway back, an improvement over my first playthrough.
-I reach the FOREST PUZZLE. It's another RIDDLE. I'm guessing that MOTHER is west, FATHER is east, BROTHER is east? SISTER is ??????? and WIFE is north. Experimenting says SISTER is east. FATHER is south. BROTHER is south. MOTHER is west. WIFE is north. 2/5 q_q. Doesn't seem too bad, though.
-I wonder around a very large, very bare lake. I find a statue with some director's commentary. Rather makes the game feel like the sort my parents had me playing in grade school.
-I find some THINGS in/on the water that I can hop on. They look man-made due to being in a perfect quadrangle, though I'm only allowed to hop in a straight line to the other side of th e lake. There are some symbols too, though they don't seem to do anything.
-There is some MUSIC and LANOA does a DANCE. Has that been happening every time I save without my noticing? I think it's just this save point...but ok. That's a nice touch?
-I walk into a LARGE OPEN FIELD, but it slowly fades to white and becomes a PATH with large TREES and ANIMALS. The path is also made to look 3D, whereas the rest of the game is...not. Not sure how I feel about that. It'll probably work as long as there isn't tons of overlap.
-At the end of the path, there is a DOOR/TOWER/RAMP? that does nothing when I run into it. I hit SPACE and get a bit of a cutscene. I'm shown a view looking up at the tower and...nothing happens? Is something supposed to happen here? Neither LANOA nor CLUA says anything, so...well...
-I LEAVE.
-Around the other side of the lake is a BUILDING. It is also 3D inside.
-I meet someone who is apparently my apprentice, though I don't figure this out from my convo with them. Instead, I read it on a STATUE. I do learn that I had my MAGIC sealed for some reason, though I don't know why just yet. At any rate, I learn that I need to gather the CRYSTALS to unlock my POWERS to save the wor---er, my FAMILY. Not really breaking new ground, but, I wasn't playing the game for that in the first place. The setting, which was the draw, is definitely the strongest point.
-I find a STATUE that wants to remind me about basic controls. There's no option to LEAVE, though. If I go to MORE INFO, there's a NOTHING option, but it would be better to allow one-choice cancellation and to make sure that the player is aware that a cencellation option exists at first glance. Alternatively, allowing the cancel button to do the job would be concise.
-Someone offers to let me REST in their BED. I DO and have a DREAM. On one hand, it's nice to see the reason that LANOA is on this journey in the first place, but most of the DREAM is some GUY explaining the rules to a GAME in an unbroken stream of speech. It serves its purpose, but there's a lot of potential characterization left on the table.
-I meet a FAKE WITCH who talks on for a while. The information isn't totally submerged in the game world, but it's close enough. Turns out I can dance for them with a spell that I didn't realize I had until just now. Did I get it at that save point? Pretty sure it's the same dance.
-Apparently, some buildings in TANZANIA are built from coral. Not sure how they managed that, but it's pretty sweet.
-I find a SHOP. It occurs to me that, since I have not been able to fight enemies to date, all of my COWRIES come from statues or from randomly shaking down bushes. Since one item to allow myself to heal to full at a save point costs 300 COWRIES and I have 351 total, I wonder if this is going to become an issue. The other items are priced much lower, though I hold off as I'm not sure what I'm going to need and would rather not end up saving with no money and a poor item selection.
-The shop itself is laid out on mats rather than using the default interface. This goes a long way towards building up the game's setting.
-I head to the SAVANNAH. There's a hardly noticeable ridge down the center that I can't walk over. At first, it seems like an invisible wall, but instead turns out to be an oddly placed barrier. Not really sure what is gained by cutting off any short route across the SAVANNAH, but ok.
-Despite having a MAP, I'm still rather lost on the SAVANNAH due to the sheer size of it and the lack of much sense of direction built into the environment. I wander back to the starting area, then head north and wind up in a DUNGEON of sorts.
-It's populated by BRAINDEAD spirits that wander back and forth and SAVAGELY attack me if I touch them. It doesn't feel like I'm really interacting with them so much as they just happen to be in my way. I can't do anything about them except look for patterns or dash and pray where there are none. It's not too bad, but not really engaging.
-I venture further and find a narrow passage with tons of enemies, some of which zoom in from offscreen in their mad dash to move back and forth. I get past and find a locked door, though I'm pretty sure I didn't skip any other paths so I'm not sure where the key would be. On the way back, I DIE.
-I RESTART and look in a different direction. I see a STRANGE BUSH that transports me into a CAVE. There's a single path with a row of SPIRITS? combing over it now and then. I have to DUCK under the spirits, but this makes some other BADDIE appear and do something. I DIE.
-I RESTART and try again. I DIE.
-I RESTART again. This time, I make it to the end by FACE TANKING the spirits to avoid the DUCK EATER. I find an EARTH EMBLEM? It doesn't say what it is, but w/e.
-I'm able to make better sense of the MAP now, though I really want to get this MAGICAL INSTRUMENT fixed and I don't quite remember where to get that done. A hut in the middle of the SAVANNAH, I think, so I head there.
-I find a place where there is apparently an EMBLEM split into 4 parts and hidden in the BUSHES. Shaking the bushes makes the enemies go away, so I have some agency as I can interact with them. I can also DUCK to avoid damage, but then they generally hover around my head until I get up. I end up leaving w/o the EMBLEM as my health is getting low.
-I find an ISLAND with tons of SPIRITS. I manage to make it to the orange SPIRIT-BE-GONE key, but seem to be lit on fire when I touch it, causing me to run away...and DIE. On my second attempt, I find that it scrambled my controls before I DIE again.
-I find the hunting lodge. Apparently, I can play a MINI-GAME where I shoot GIRAFFES with a BOW AND ARROW. Huh? I can then sell the MEAT for COWRIES. As of yet, this is the only form of COWRIE generation I've encountered outside of talking to STATUES or opening BASKETS.
-I quickly double my stash of COWRIES.
-Moving on, I find a TREE with a HOLE in it. Sure enough, it leads to the SPIRIT REALM and CLUA jumps inside. There is an EXPANSIVE area with seemingly no purpose, though I do find some spirit water for some reason. There is a GATE KEEPING willing to abandon his post for a BERRY, but I do not find one.
-I try to LEAVE, but CLUA says that there must be something here.
-I try a bush, but get no feedback. I try some other bush that I find and get a berry. Granted, the two did look different.
-Once inside, another SPIRIT says I must spread POLLEN to get a spell. This is slightly less mind-numbing than the first top as the area I must spread it on is more complex, but no more interesting. It's also more frustrating, as I spend a full minute just moving back and forth.
-I FAIL the first time, though the SPIRIT says I did well and call me over to learn the spell...then makes me do the POLLINATION over again. It's pretty laggy, as if every square is a PARALLEL PROCESS or such.
-I PASS and am taught a SPELL. No clue what said spell does, though.
-When I leave, CLUA says that it heals more than my previous spell. It also costs 200 mana instead of 70, though. Which is literally 100% of my mana. The controls for using it are the same as the other one, though, so I'm not sure I have a choice?
-I find the HERMIT in the DRUM HUT. He fixes the INSTRUMENT. He also make a MCDONALD'S joke.
-I bring the EARTH EMBLEM to the TOWER that I found earlier. It still does nothing.
-I do find a PURPLE TALKING CROCODILE though. It STEALS some of my COWRIES. Jerk.
-PUPIL tells me that I need 4 or more EARTH EMBLEMS. I head back to the SAVANNAH.
-I get another EARTH EMBLEM from a LION. The gameplay involved is simple, and rather impossible to figure out if not for the help of a statue, at which point it becomes very simple. It doesn't feel very satisfying as a result, but it's not tedious like the spirit seed planting or frustrating like the mobs in the dungeon. On the bright side, it does a great job of illustrating lion's pride.
-I find a FISHING PLACE which is identical to the HUNTING PLACE in that I play a mini-game can get things to sell for COWRIES. I decide not to engage in it. I find a SPIRIT who shakes the EARTH. I can guide him to a place to the the shaking, but have no clue where to go. There's a lot of area that could be it...way too much for guessing. There's probably a STATUE to tell me what to do around here somewhere...
-There isn't. As far as I can tell, there's no buried treasure for him to shake out, so I lead him into the SAVANNAH. I do manage to find a WATER EMBLEM perched on the edge of a CLIFF. The SPIRIT shakes it down for me.
-I return to the place with the SPIRITS who fear BUSHES and get the emblem from there. I realize that, if I just spam shake the bush, they run further and further and further, making it much easier. It's actually rather fun.
-Also, I found a BABY HIPPO somewhere in there that I am now carrying around with me.
-I KALIMBA back to town where I rest up and buy lots of HERBS since COWRIES are suddenly very easy to get.
-I find a place with FLOWERS. They are either BLUE or RED and I can change this by interacting with them. Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest idea of what my goal is...ultimately, I want to get the flower that's apart from the pack out of the way...but I don't know how messing with the other FLOWERS will accomplish that. Each FLOWER turns a seemingly random bunch another color, depending on what state they were in before.
-The FLOWERS that change color are the one I interact with and those adjacent to it, even diagonally. The GOAL must be to turn them all BLUE like the one that is too the side.
-If it is possible, it is beyond me.
-Yeah...this type of puzzle works when only the non-diagonal adjacent set pieces are toggled, but, when diagonals are included, the math gets kind of hairy. There MAY be a solution to it, but I don't feel like messing around with LINEAR ALGEBRA whilst I play a game for FUN.
-I find a SWAMP that a STATUE says has two identical halves save for 6 differences. If I spot them, I get the EMBLEM. Unfortunately, I am ATTACKED by a MURDER OF CROWS and DIE.
-I return to the place where I was SET AFLAME in hopes of getting the final EARTH EMBLEM. Touching one of the SPIRITS scrambles my controls, though, in a very non-predictable manner. As in, not only are they scrambled, but the scramblage changes every few seconds. Perhaps MEDICINE would help, but even if it does, that's still a really TERRIBLE thing to do to a player. It's basically, you either have the item or you watch yourself die with no hope.
-Once again, I make it to the ORANGE KEY and hit it. There's a sound effect, but nothing else happens.
-A STATUE says that the 'boss' on that island has an EMBLEM, but that I must stun him to take it. I imagine that hitting the key causes the 'boss' to be stunned...but the 'boss' is also the thing that sets me on fire, and there's a laughably insane number of other gooks to avoid in the process. Even when I do manage to get the EMBLEM, I still have to avoid the WAY TOO MANY MOBS and their RIDICULOUS STATUS.
-I finally manage it and promptly stock up on MEDICINE. Normally, I can work through STATUS EFFECTS as a sort of added challenge, but that was just crazy.
-I take the EMBLEMS to the TOWER and am taken into some sort of DREAM WORLD? A KID asks to play TAG and I agree. He begins running around the in the completely EMPTY area at about 4 times my speed. He moves at random. I'm supposed to catch him, apparently, but even when I appear to make contact, nothing happens. Since the area is empty, there's no way to force him into a corner or really do anything but hope that he randomly moves into me since I can't possibly keep up.
-I endure this for 2 minutes, as it is timed. Once I FAIL, I'm asked if I want to restart. I say NO, because why would I ever want to subject myself to something like that willingly? It restarts me anyway.
-I try a few more times with no luck. Finally, when it asks me to restart, I say YES. It promptly removes me from the mini-game as if I said NO.
-I think the KID is actually a SHE, though I can't say I care much.
-It seems that I can't exit this area.
-I give it another shot. No success.
-Oh well...I think I've seen enough to write an honest review, at least. Since the high points are pretty mild and the low points are curiously painful, I don't really want to force myself to press on anymore. Even if I did, the game would still need serious work. With any luck, if changes are made due to this review, it will make reviewing that which I have yet to see more fun.
Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
Add Review
Subscribe
Nominate
Submit Media
RSS
Sviel
View playlists
Close
