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Bring Your Trigger Finger
Sviel- 07/07/2014 04:05 AM
- 372 views
Part I
tl;dr If you're a fan of the genre, check it out. It has nice graphics, a totally custom interface and game area and plenty of bullets. It's difficult to tell that it was made in RPG Maker, honestly. However, there's basically no information conveyed to the player and the levels are very long, so it is not new player friendly. The game seems like a throwback to the era of must-read manuals, but w/o a manual.
This review will weigh Gameplay and Presentation only, since Plot is basically non-existent.
GAMEPLAY (20/50): It's a standard shooter set-up, really. A side-scroller where you shoot lots of bullets and try to avoid other bullets and collisions. No surprises there. Then again, there is some sort of shielding system and your stats drop when you take damage (which regenerates over time), but none of that is ever explained so good luck making any meaningful decisions with it. By the time you figure it out, the game is over.
There are a bunch of different ships that get unlocked when you beat stuff, probably, but don't expect any notice when this happens. They are seem pretty similar in their ne'er explained stats, so, you may as well decide on looks. Hit boxes seem to vary, so sleek is likely better.
Over the course of the game, though, you'll be able to get one ship to level 4, assuming you don't grind in Survival mode. If you switch at any point, you'll be level 2 or 3. At no point will the ship you switch to be stronger than you would have been had you not switched, so...I don't see the point? It's also possible that I'm wrong here, but there just isn't enough information to know one way or the other. Also, there are different weapon and shield types, but who knows what those are all about.
You can also enhance your ships. The difference seems significant and you get one point per level, including level one. So, you start off with a point, which will make your life easier than mine.
Once you're actually in the game, you'll note that the levels take very long to complete. This is probably because there are only three of them. I should note that moving forward makes the level go by faster, which is essential. It's the difference between taking 3 minutes and 10+ minutes on level one, and ~3 times that on level 3. Failing the level will send you back to the start screen, so, you're not going to want that to happen when you're 20 minutes into level three because you were playing it safe and crawling along.
Besides, that probably wouldn't be too interesting as the enemies are not all that entertaining. To be fair, I kept the enemies on the default 'noob' setting, so they might be less boring if you change that. However, it would be nice if the levels were shortened to match the lower engagement level of the enemies...in addition to just being shortened in general.
Also, if one can shoot fast enough, sitting in one place and firing at top speed will get you through most of the game. If it stops working, just slow down a bit.
PRESENTATION (30/40): There are some contrast issues with the UI. The light blue bullets blend into the sky blue sky and the progress meter is inexplicably always the same shade as the rest of the UI. Simple recolors would solve both of those problems quite easily.
The music also seems to fade in and out during the level, though it's fine when it is there. Nothing memorable, but certainly appropriate. It sets the mood well, when present.
OVERALL (Adjustment +10): Design issues aside, the game is impressive both on the graphical and coding ends.
However, largely due to the veil of confusion, it is tough to enjoy if you don't already know what you're doing. Things like putting a +10 exp on enemy death and/or some sort of post-level breakdown of what happened would go a long way. Also, even a text description of what stuff is would help. Really, I'd settle for a README text file in the game folder. This is especially needed since the game makes no attempt to tell the player anything...they're just dropped into the action and it ends before they know what hit them.
TOTAL: 50/100. 2.5/5 Stars.
Part II
-The opening screen is quite appropriate and styled well enough. The music is super slow to start, but feels appropriate. It sets a definite tone; one that I hope is reinforced by the rest of the game.
-Z and SPACEBAR do nothing, so I try C.
-Still nothing.
-ENTER works, at least.
-I read the GUIDE which explains the keys. Z, SPACEBAR and C are not in use. I don't understand why their functionality was removed, then. Same for X.
-I'm dropped into the first level and start playing right off. All is going well until an enemy that seems to look the same as all the rest tanks over twice as many shots? I DIE and RESTART.
-RESTART the game, that is. It doesn't just take me to the beginning of the level or give an option to RETRY. The extra layers this adds to getting back into the game are dangerous.
-I see now that there is a PROGRESS METER at the top of the screen. It's DARK RED whereas the UI is RED. Thus, it is hard to see at a glance. This is going to become an issue if the gameplay requires full attention, which it probably will.
-I should note that the DARK GREEN text on the BLACK background of the game page on www.rpgmaker.net is also really hard to read.
-Enemies with NEW BULLET TYPES show up, but they still look the same until they fire. There's no sign of an enemy with boosted HP, though I've taken to just spamming the fire button so it'd be hard to tell.
-The level is LONG. I DIE less than a third of the way through.
-I discover that moving the ship forward makes the level go by faster. I get about halfway through, mostly by going full speed and ignoring the enemies since I don't seem to get anything from them? This takes 1:45. The whole level, then, is probably 3.5 minutes. At the default speed, it may be 10 minutes or more. Either way, this is TOO LONG. Especially for the first level.
-I put on my PRO hat and speed through the level in 3 minutes. I kill the boss at the end in mere seconds.
-There were around 5 different enemy types in that level. Probably TOO MANY for the first level, though appropriate for a level of that length. The first level should be easy enough that people can just get a feel for the controls without visiting the Game Over screen repeatedly...or even once. Save the challenge for level two or three, and make sure to ramp it up gradually.
-I go into OPTIONS and change the HUD COLOR so that I can maybe see my meter.
-As far as I know, all I got from that level was some ASSORTED GUITAR RIFFS. I'm taken back to the MODE SELECT screen with no acknowledgement of my having done anything. Selecting CAMPAIGN again shows changes, though. I can now ENHANCE, w/e that is.
-I can CHANGE SHIPS, but, they seem to have individual levels, so...I don't really know if a new ship will have anything I want from the info I'm given, thus, I don't feel like starting over.
-The background for this level has several high contrast objects, moons or planets or such. I feel compelled to DODGE them, however.
-Also, my PROGRESS METER changed colors with the HUD, so it is still difficult to see.
-It seems that moving FORWARD or BACKWARD makes me INVINCIBLE for a moment?
-I get 3+ minutes into level 2, then die to a projectile that looks identical to the one that does basically no damage to me because ,suddenly, it kills me in two hits. There is a serious issue with how information is conveyed to the player in this game.
-I once again SMASH the boss after spending 6 minutes getting through the level. It still feels way TOO LONG and no notification is given of ANYTHING. I think I leveled up halfway through, too, with no notice.
-I ENHANCE my ship again. I can see what WEAPONS and SHIELDS are and can guess what SPEED and HP are, but there's one more that I'm clueless about since the symbol for it looks like a PAPER CLIP or a FINGERPRINT.
-I think I'm seeing that SHIELDS are not a defensive stat, but more like HALO style shields. I take damage there first and it regens if I avoid damage for a while. This would explain the inconsistent damage I experienced earlier, probably.
-It seems getting hit lowers my WEAPONS and SPEED as well, though it all regens back over time.
-I DIE 3 minutes into level 3. I was, again, less than a third of the way through. Less than a quarter, probably. SPEED is variable, but I have to slow down to avoid collisions which are auto death, so my progress is on the whole slower than before.
-I can, however, go full speed by hugging the bottom of the screen for the first bit of the level. The enemies I have to dodge don't start appearing until then.
-I go back and change my ships ENHANCEMENTS to something more WEAPONS oriented since SHIELDS aren't doing a whole lot for me. I discover that if I sit in one place and SPAM ATTACK as fast as I can, enemy ships die before getting a shot off since they either spawn directly in my line of fire or don't chase and can thus be ignored.
-I manage to best the level in 8 minutes.
-Incidentally, that seems to be the end of the game.
-Well, there are still 11 ships to unlock and the SURVIVAL mode to try, technically, but I think I'm going to call it quits. The gameplay is definitely not something I can easily enjoy, though it is not unenjoyable, but the lack of information and the brutal level length sap the potential fun quite thoroughly. This one seems best left to the hardcore fans of the genre, though they may be disappointed by the SPAM ATTACK TO VICTORY strategy.
-I try SURVIVAL anyway. It's a much faster way to level up than the CAMPAIGN mode. It is not, however, particularly interesting to me.
-Of interest, dying in SURVIVAL mode shows a GAME OVER screen then takes you to the CAMPAIGN launcher. One wonders why that isn't done with CAMPAIGN generated GAME OVERS.
