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Mirror Man.

So I finally got off my lazy bum and started a review for this game. This has been on my "to-review" list for more than half a year! Well, let's get crackin'

Introduction:
Mirror Boy is a puzzle-adventure game of sorts where you play as a young boy going out on his quest to defeat the evil witch, wielding the most frivolous of weapons: a mirror. It did soon prove to be capable enough to do the job, but still... a mirror? Kinda makes you question his, er... manliness.

Story and Execution: 2.5/5
The story is subtle, providing ample depth to an otherwise one-dimensional game. Consisting of but a few screens of words, I couldn't really say much about it. It does make me feel like I'm living a short story taken straight from a book, but it also makes me think that more could have been done in this aspect. Well it *is* a short game, so I suppose there wasn't enough room for a larger story to begin with.

Art and Music: 3/5
The retro-style custom graphics used on this game is great. It is quite pleasant to look at, unlike most of the "retro" art nowadays which tend to be over-saturated neon blobs. I especially love the lava tile. A good example of how simplicity, functionality, and beauty could be blended into a single piece.

I don't have much comment on the music, though. Not that I don't like it, but it served it's purpose as ambience. That's about it.

Gameplay: 4/5
I found the system in the game to be rather innovative and fun. In the game, you utilize a mirror to deflect projectiles and push back enemies to clear your path towards the next level.

There's neither a score-tracker or a "lives" system implemented, so you can basically replay a level no matter how many times you want; all without consequence. This point knocked down the score a bit since it removed most of the challenge and thrill that could've been derived from the game. It basically turned into a "replay-until-you-drop" kind of thing, which doesn't really appeal much to me.

I also think that maybe an extra ability or two would've spiced things up enough to make up for the previous point. The ability to "store" a projectile for a certain period perhaps? This will probably require a re-design of a couple of levels though.

Finally, this isn't really much of an issue but, I find it strange that projectiles aren't properly deflected and instead fly towards the cursor; regardless of shot angle and mirror tilt and what-not. Though I guess properly replicating the reflection isn't exactly easy, so it's fine.

Overall: 3.5/5
This game has quite a lot of potential for expansion. As it is right now, it still is fairly enjoyable, and definitely not a waste of your time. It's fast, small, and fully capable of livening up those dull moments at home/office/school/wherever-your-rump-is-at.

Posts

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slash
APATHY IS FOR COWARDS
4158
Thanks so much for the review, karins! You definitely hit on some of the weaker areas - there's a story there, but it's told pretty quickly and IMO, poorly. Some of the quirks like reflection aiming was one of those choices I made early and stuck with, and something I'd revisit if I ever work on the game again.

I had a lot of fun doing the art for it. It's mostly inspired by the older game boy Zelda games, and relatively easy to do in the short time frame I had for the game.

Anyway, thanks again :D I'm glad you liked it!
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