Thetageist's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[KINSPLANT]

I love the concept a lot! The lack of instructions, as well, makes it feel more... introspective, I guess, as the player is left to find things on their own.

However, I think that various indicators would help improve the experience. I see that people have already mentioned a map and a points counter (that would be especially helpful given that when I first saw the graves, I thought I'd need to destroy one to get the artifact). I think a clock indicator (probably something that has a sun that rises and sets, to keep the immersion) would be a good way to tell how long you have left before you have to set up camp again. I actually spent more than a day trying to find somewhere to bury the artifact, so I don't know whether that time limit is really implemented in game or not.

More fleshing out the world would also be pretty cool - insides of buildings, various decorations or items that hint at the lore, etc. - though I think the minimalism of art style definitely sets a tone for the game that I wouldn't want to change.

AwkwardSilenceGames responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I agree with everything you've said.

Interestingly, the in-game shadows actually function at a clock, with the end and start of the day being when they're pointing directly up.

[Of Ice and Deer]

Really cool concept! I’ll playtest more if needed.

I’m playing it on Brave Browser on mobile, and the cards aren’t always moving where my finger is. I got stuck at one of the events and it didn’t give me a new card, so I dragged it back onto the emotion token and it wouldn’t let me do anything after that point.

[The Egg Thief]

Pretty good RPG platformer!

I also think the ending was a little bit anticlimactic. I was expecting a final battle or at least actually getting to see the egg in person. Gameplay is pretty fun, character and environment designs were great, and backtracking is easy to understand, instead of being really confusing like in some other games!

Sound design could use a little as well - if I have the volume up loud enough to really enjoy the music, the battle intro noise is way too loud. On top of that, I'm not sure why the music resets when you die and respawn, it seems to mess with the immersion a little bit. It did take me a while to get used to the sudden transition from traditional Middle Eastern to metal music as well.

[A Normal Game]

Nice Scary Maze Game remake! I wish there was more put into this "game", though. There's a lot of excellent horror games based on the same concept of a labyrinth that you could take inspiration from!

Also, by the way, please credit the music you use in all of your games.

Edit: If it was, then say so.

ChalTheChalkyOne responds:

boi the music was literally all made by me

[Roll And Die]

I love the atmosphere a lot, especially in the second battle! Feels rather like Inscryption, and I love that.

I wish there was more stuff in this demo, though. Maybe allow the player to beat the tutorial boss, and add ending cutscenes at the point where you beat both bosses? More importantly, perhaps the game can be balanced, and rely less on random chance, by giving the player an option to affect the dice rolls somehow? Maybe even give them an equivalent to the evil dice face (or whatever it is) so that they don't start off at a disadvantage? Either way, I can see the vision you had with this game and I'd love to see it grow!

[Skatezz (UPDATE 0.2)]

I really love how this is so far! It's got a lot of stuff that could make it popular once it's finished! I just think this demo needs a little bit more content. Maybe work on a couple more levels and then post it again?

ChalTheChalkyOne responds:

i do plan on making 30 levels for a full demo and a interesting story for more content, i also do plan to add alot of secrets so it'll be more fun to play the game

[Mine Your Way Out]

I like where this is going, but I think the pixels should be bigger, or the cursor smaller, to make aiming easier. The controls also move the player too fast, so it's hard to aim for those 1-bock openings you create.

Mining speed, range, levels of durability should be made more apparent to the player at the beginning as well, via a cooldown bar for mining, a visual indicator of range (like a lit up area of pixels around the player), and some kind of message if the player can't mine something.

Overall, this could be really interesting, and your gifs definitely show some cool stuff happening, but there's just a few barriers for new players at this point.

[Creature Collab 2022]

Bug report: Pyrite's X button doesn't work.

I had a lot of fun doing this collab, and it's great to see everyone's creations together! Great job everyone!

MSGhero responds:

It's the same X button for everyone, and it worked for me just now. If you have more details, you can send them to me, especially if you can reproduce it each time

[Le Chat Fonce: Gnome Cafe]

Hey, you're the person who made Le Chat Foncé? These games are so charming, and I love them!

Movement and navigation can be a bit of a challenge, and I personally think the sound design is a bit too loud/grating at times, but otherwise, I love the extra additions to the same exploratory plaformer gameplay!

xinelu responds:

Yeah that's me :) thank you for the feedback and I'm glad you like it!

[Star Trek: Collective Mischief]

This is insane in more ways than one! Difficulty ramps up pretty quick, but it's forgiving in that you restart from the same level. I love the graphics so much, it's got so much charm in it!

Tiny critiques:
- I wish the level start sound was shorter, it's a bit long to wait for it.
- I think there should be a "back to menu" button if you die - I want to see if I can beat the boss with the faster ship even if I can't with the Enterprise.

picochaz responds:

Since it is partially a game jam game I wanted it to be easy to see all the content but beating it in one life with the Enterprise should be a challenge!

You're right about the menu option. I'm working with limitations in the Pico 8 so the best way there is just to reset the system like you would an NES.