Obspogon
Recent Activity
MelosHanTani
finished
DoDonPachi Resurrection
I got DDP Resurrection because I watched a review for a switch release of DDP DOJ, and then bought the wrong game. This game feels so WILD, you're pushed to be super aggressive, something the generous auto-bomb system seems to hint at... in the few stages I tried to learn (just 1-1 and 1-2) it felt like you had to be really preventative, like quickly managing all the escalating risks that would fly onto the screen - on top of the actual bullet avoidance. Being able to hyper your way out of a situation or to play it safe felt really cool.
I appreciate all the thought that goes into the design, the subtle ways in which bullet patterns escalate and build on each other, the fun of learning stages and then pulling the whole thing off in the end.
Of all things, shmups remind me the most of being a kid and trying to memorize songs on the piano, working through harder sections one at a time to try and pull the whole thing off ("Playing for Survival") and then going back and actually working in personal flair/expression ("Playing for Score"). Sort of like with shmups, I never really got too much into that hobby as a 'soloist' beyond playing in orchestra/band. And I don't think shmups and playing music are really that alike, but there does seem to be something similar in how you have to train/learn at both, and the way in which stuff that feels impossible slowly becomes possible.
Actually, it's hard not to try and compare shmups to many things in life! They (like other arcade games) really distill the whole difficulty/learning thing down to some pure essence. But in particular, these bullet hell shmups feel like they're compressing that essence even further - it's an interesting design space to learn from and experience.
I appreciate all the thought that goes into the design, the subtle ways in which bullet patterns escalate and build on each other, the fun of learning stages and then pulling the whole thing off in the end.
Of all things, shmups remind me the most of being a kid and trying to memorize songs on the piano, working through harder sections one at a time to try and pull the whole thing off ("Playing for Survival") and then going back and actually working in personal flair/expression ("Playing for Score"). Sort of like with shmups, I never really got too much into that hobby as a 'soloist' beyond playing in orchestra/band. And I don't think shmups and playing music are really that alike, but there does seem to be something similar in how you have to train/learn at both, and the way in which stuff that feels impossible slowly becomes possible.
Actually, it's hard not to try and compare shmups to many things in life! They (like other arcade games) really distill the whole difficulty/learning thing down to some pure essence. But in particular, these bullet hell shmups feel like they're compressing that essence even further - it's an interesting design space to learn from and experience.
1 hr ago
MelosHanTani
liked
farawaytimes's
review of
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru: Episode 7 - Requiem of the Golden Witch
1 hr ago
shadsy
played
Doom 3: BFG Edition
4 hrs ago
GameMakersTK
played
Sensorium
19 hrs ago
MelosHanTani
completed
Animal Well
22 hrs ago
GameMakersTK
finished
Crow Country
23 hrs ago
GameMakersTK
played
Crow Country
23 hrs ago
1 day ago
Tegiminis
shelved
Lightyear Frontier
1 day ago
Tegiminis
played
Polyfury
Straightforward combination of Tempest and bullet hell games. It's quite clever, and does a lot with the premise. Your movement is constrained to a circle, and you must dodge bullet patterns and moving bosses while grazing bullets for your laser and damage powerups.
My main criticism is the controls are a little finicky. In most bullet hell games, you can hold a button (usually fire) to slow your character movement, to make weaving the patterns easier. There's none of that here, it's just raw analog stick input, which means you have to be ~extremely~ precise in your thumb movements to properly graze (which gives you bomb and score). Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but the tension in my thumb started to hurt my hand after a little bit.
Well worth it for people like me looking for a unique take on some well-trod arcade design.
My main criticism is the controls are a little finicky. In most bullet hell games, you can hold a button (usually fire) to slow your character movement, to make weaving the patterns easier. There's none of that here, it's just raw analog stick input, which means you have to be ~extremely~ precise in your thumb movements to properly graze (which gives you bomb and score). Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but the tension in my thumb started to hurt my hand after a little bit.
Well worth it for people like me looking for a unique take on some well-trod arcade design.
1 day ago
Tegiminis
completed
You Must Build A Boat
1 day ago
Tegiminis
played
Slice & Dice
Supremely clever roguelike about dice-rolling, risk management, and buildcrafting. Each character class has a unique die that you can manipualte the sides of with equipment, and upgrading classes gives them stronger (and more niche) elements to their kit. You get perfect awareness of enemy intent so planning how to defend is as important and fun as planning how to attack.
1 day ago
Tegiminis is
now playing
Slice & Dice
1 day ago
Tegiminis
shelved
Lords and Villeins
Feudal colony sim akin to Rimworld or Songs of Syx that focuses on the politics / social interrelations of feudalism.
You aren't just an omniscient ruler with perfect control over your subjects or the direction of your kingdom; you have to actually engage with establishing households, families, lineages of artisans. Your resources are taxed from the holding families rather than fully controlled, and to establish new families or improve existing ones you have to enable them to trade with each other as well as help them directly with gifts of materials.
In that respect it's particularly unique. Pretty tough to get into though, with a long tutorial that still leaves you feeling a little adrift in the main part of the game.
You aren't just an omniscient ruler with perfect control over your subjects or the direction of your kingdom; you have to actually engage with establishing households, families, lineages of artisans. Your resources are taxed from the holding families rather than fully controlled, and to establish new families or improve existing ones you have to enable them to trade with each other as well as help them directly with gifts of materials.
In that respect it's particularly unique. Pretty tough to get into though, with a long tutorial that still leaves you feeling a little adrift in the main part of the game.
1 day ago