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(OLD REVIEW OF AN OLD VERSION OF THE GAME)A shallow minigame that could be fleshed out into something great

NOTE: THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE GAME THAT WAS THE VERSION BEFORE IT WAS CALLED BY ITS NEW NAME. IT CONSIDERS AN OLDER VERSION AND IS THUS MOSTLY INVALID. I KEEP IT HERE, HOWEVER, FOR COMPLETENESS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MAKERSCORE. LOVE YOU.

Game Name: BRAIN IN FLAME
Length: <5mins
Engine: RPG Maker VX Ace




With an option of being in Portuguese or English, BRAIN IN FLAME is a game where you control two characters at once: a yellow character with WASD, and a blue character with Arrow Keys. They can pass through each other. They perform on narrow white bridges to get from start to finish, for each respective character to end on the colour that their suit is. It's a game of cooperation between both hands, thinking about how to move both characters in cooperating directions at the same time.

The main menu was laggy for me, with unnecessarily flash menus that looked nice but weren't smooth. Perhaps it's because I'm on a legacy PC, but the controls seemed a little unresponsive when using the Main Menu. In-game, however, this lag did not exist.

You are tasked with controlling two characters at the same time - one blue, one yellow - to get to their respective coloured squares. This requires some level of coordination that provides a thrill. The graphics are cute and custom and they're well-fitting with each other. It's a nice pixelated space style, with a scrolling parallax background. The game has a nice transition between each level.

The major issue I have with this is that there could have been more elements included than just thin paths. There could have been spikes, other interesting tiles that would spice gameplay up... as it is, gameplay is very limited. There was only an arrow tile but that was barely used to its best potential. Design of the levels could have utilized one way streets to trap their players, to force them to think, a whole array of different things. It's an interesting time trial experiment but with more gameplay mechanics, it could've been so much more. It just needed time to mature.

The fact that the yellow guy goes slower than the blue guy (probably due to event logic) is inconsistent - they should move the same speed. If they were, it'd feel better to navigate them both. Adding mechanics such as having to use SPACE BAR/another action key to interact with objects would further increase the complexity that this game so desperately needs. With more maturity it could have been a great game. But instead, before it even gets the chance to warm up, it ends, sadly.

I got 161 seconds but I didn't want to continue.

This is an interesting mind bending minigame that could have been fleshed out into something more. As it stands, it's something that can divert your attention for up to 5 minutes but nothing more. An interesting experiment nonetheless.

For its lack of scope, I give BRAIN IN FLAME a 2.5/5.

Posts

Pages: 1
CashmereCat
Self-proclaimed Puzzle Snob
11638
See top of review for a message. Thought I'd make this score n/a seeing as it considers a version from which this new product has much changed (i assume). Much love, CASH
Pages: 1