Thetageist's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[RECURSION]

I can't help but feel like this game is about something more. The title, the distressed face on the player square and the presence of a happy square far away from it in the brief intro image, the melancholy music that seems to go on without end, the heart-shaped objective that you eventually can't reach, the ending with more happy squares that you are being separated from, and the display of a broken heart when you try to reach them. It all seems to point to an emotional message as well as being a regular puzzle game.

Gameplay-wise, this definitely made me think outside the box! I learned a lot of new strategies that allowed me to beat tougher levels, like the one where you're trapped in a grid with bouncing balls. The addition of having two buttons down to move diagonally while keeping things the same color was a really clever one!

Back to the subject of meaning, as someone struggling with mental health issues, this game seemed to capture the type of feeling I get sometimes when I have the time to sit with my thoughts. Alone, overwhelmed, with no idea what to do and at most a faint glimmer of hope that I'll ever find happiness or love - that I'll ever be like the other people who I see getting to enjoy those things. I get a warped sense of time and space at those points sometimes, kinda like what you do with the visuals and soundtrack there. So, I guess, in case you're struggling with that too, just know you aren't the only one.

[Emo Maker 2000]

The WebGL loader froze my browser, but I really want to play it once you can get that fixed!

[Cthulhu Merge]

This is a cool Suikalike and I hope Alpharad finds it! I love the silly theming and the devolve mechanic - it's definitely been both helpful and capable of screwing me over.

Just wish some of the sounds weren't so loud in comparison to the others. That's a small fix, though.

[Chef Quest]

I love this lil wholesome game. It's such a cool hybrid between genres! Would love to see it revisited later!

[SPLAT!]

The one thing I wish would be tweaked is how big the player is in comparison to the little corridors it has to get through. It's really easy to bump my head and fall into the spike I was trying to get over. I enjoyed the rest of it, though - even for something made in one day, the level design and graphics were pretty solid! Hope you had fun with this!

STATICOdev responds:

I did have fun with this, and im glad you enjoyed it too!

[Knight Escape]

Good God, your games are brutal. I love them, though! (Also hey I know that second composer! :D)

This one in particular might not be my favorite, but it's easy to understand and difficult to master - a good recipe for replay value! Looking forward to playing through more of these and possibly beating Pixel Mania for real!

blit-blat responds:

Haha, yeah on reflection this game does need a bit more polish (like being able to jump as others have suggested). And yeah, I love the sound track for this one - NG has so many great composers!

[Toybox Christmas Puzzle]

Oh shit, I clicked the link in your news post and realized that I was playing this exact game on Coolmath two minutes ago. So I guess I've got a headstart on beating these levels! Haha!

My only complaint so far has been that the pickup and drop sounds are a bit loud and grating compared to the rest. Definitely going to try and beat this whole thing, though!

Steinberg responds:

Oh cool, guess coolmathgames is still really popular!

I was surprised when they contacted me to license my game for their website cause i didnt knew they were still around.

And you playing it there and then commenting here was a huge coincidence so it means they have a big playerbase still. Glad its reaching more people.

Thank you very much for playing and thanks for the feedback! Will definetly tweak the sounds a bit if i ever release a new version or update.

[Looping Larceny]

Holy shit, I finally beat this.

Definitely a fun game, it's one of a few titles I know where the name of the game is strategizing and memorizing exactly where you're going to make any progress before time runs out. Every power-up leads into each other very well.

bluswimmer responds:

Thank you!

[MODE GAL]

I love this aesthetic so much, wish there was more! More modes, levels with multiple modes, etc!

Tiny nitpicks: I didn't have the idea until later that I could jump on the enemies, and also struggled with finding all the shiny gem things.

[Dress the Spunch]

Enjoying the dress-up! It's simple but well-implemented all around, and has a lot of options. Good art quality, you nailed the art style.

n4lgames responds:

Thanks!