As said by many, this is a game riddled with flaws but equally filled to the brim with heart. And (for me) if your game has a lot of charm and is mostly playable, I am willing to overlook the flaws.
Here were my 3 major issues:
1. The game is a bit on the buggy side. I came across many glitches and a lot of slow down. The hit detection is a bit wonk, with attacks either missing when it looked like it should hit and vice versa.
2. Because the game takes on a computery/digital aesthetic, there's a lot of flashing colors. I got a headache when I first played and there were many times when I had to take a step away just to rest my eyes.
3. Game concepts were half baked. Some level designs felt like randomness to the point where it was either boring or infuriating.
But in spite of these 3 issues, the soul and passion behind the game saves it.
1. The presentation... MY GOD! It's fun, exciting and so cool. Ken Sugimori's art and character designs are so awesome, unique and always a treat to see it outside of Pokemon. The sprite art and backgrounds were varied and the game has a lot of cool ways of portraying ideas, mostly in boss fights. For example, in one fight you play as Pulseman from an over the shoulder view of the main villain, looking like you are behind the villain watching him try to defeat Pulseman.
2. A lot of potential behind the game concepts. Volteccer in particular is a really great idea. Its a move that turns your into a ball of electricity and launches you diagonally. It has a short travel distance but if you hit a wall or surface, you bounce off of it and extend the distance of the move. This has a lot of versatility for movement, attacking and can serve as somewhat of a comeback move for if you miss a jump or fall down a death pit. I would really love to see this idea explored more.
Pulseman's existence represents something a bit tragic to me; that being GameFreak and it's notable figures like Tajiri, Sugimori and Masuda were a group full of ambitions and ideas, but we only ever knew them for Pokemon. So many times has the company tried to do other games but none of them ever became anything more than just attempts. I genuinely love Pokemon, but it's clear that it's shadow has grown too large for the company to escape. I hope they continue to try new things because Pulseman is a clear example that the brilliant minds at GameFreak have untapped potential.
Here were my 3 major issues:
1. The game is a bit on the buggy side. I came across many glitches and a lot of slow down. The hit detection is a bit wonk, with attacks either missing when it looked like it should hit and vice versa.
2. Because the game takes on a computery/digital aesthetic, there's a lot of flashing colors. I got a headache when I first played and there were many times when I had to take a step away just to rest my eyes.
3. Game concepts were half baked. Some level designs felt like randomness to the point where it was either boring or infuriating.
But in spite of these 3 issues, the soul and passion behind the game saves it.
1. The presentation... MY GOD! It's fun, exciting and so cool. Ken Sugimori's art and character designs are so awesome, unique and always a treat to see it outside of Pokemon. The sprite art and backgrounds were varied and the game has a lot of cool ways of portraying ideas, mostly in boss fights. For example, in one fight you play as Pulseman from an over the shoulder view of the main villain, looking like you are behind the villain watching him try to defeat Pulseman.
2. A lot of potential behind the game concepts. Volteccer in particular is a really great idea. Its a move that turns your into a ball of electricity and launches you diagonally. It has a short travel distance but if you hit a wall or surface, you bounce off of it and extend the distance of the move. This has a lot of versatility for movement, attacking and can serve as somewhat of a comeback move for if you miss a jump or fall down a death pit. I would really love to see this idea explored more.
Pulseman's existence represents something a bit tragic to me; that being GameFreak and it's notable figures like Tajiri, Sugimori and Masuda were a group full of ambitions and ideas, but we only ever knew them for Pokemon. So many times has the company tried to do other games but none of them ever became anything more than just attempts. I genuinely love Pokemon, but it's clear that it's shadow has grown too large for the company to escape. I hope they continue to try new things because Pulseman is a clear example that the brilliant minds at GameFreak have untapped potential.