shredalex
2021
A very charming and fun game with only a couple rough edges that slightly hold it back.
The character design is really well done. Each main character is full of personality and quirk and it really makes it fun to interact with them. The story is interesting for the most part, but only truly comes together in the final stretch, making a lot of the mid-section feel a bit wandering.
But not necessarily in a bad way, as the main environments are fun to traipse through and explore (although I felt a lot of the optional upgrades were a bit too off the beaten path to make seeking out feel as natural as it could have).
The main dungeons are fun and well thought out for the most part. They never overstay their welcome, which is wonderful, but it does feel like the game hinges on combat a bit too frequently at times, undercutting the puzzle potential.
And I did feel like there was a slight difficulty spike near the end, which caused some frustration. But victory never felt out of reach, and I was able to push through the minor frustrations to finish it out. And I'm glad I did.
And I need to mention the great soundtrack. It's done by Davin Fenn, something I didn't realize until I heard a sound that instantly reminded me of another game I loved (with another amazing soundtrack) -- Moonlighter. David Fenn strikes again.
The character design is really well done. Each main character is full of personality and quirk and it really makes it fun to interact with them. The story is interesting for the most part, but only truly comes together in the final stretch, making a lot of the mid-section feel a bit wandering.
But not necessarily in a bad way, as the main environments are fun to traipse through and explore (although I felt a lot of the optional upgrades were a bit too off the beaten path to make seeking out feel as natural as it could have).
The main dungeons are fun and well thought out for the most part. They never overstay their welcome, which is wonderful, but it does feel like the game hinges on combat a bit too frequently at times, undercutting the puzzle potential.
And I did feel like there was a slight difficulty spike near the end, which caused some frustration. But victory never felt out of reach, and I was able to push through the minor frustrations to finish it out. And I'm glad I did.
And I need to mention the great soundtrack. It's done by Davin Fenn, something I didn't realize until I heard a sound that instantly reminded me of another game I loved (with another amazing soundtrack) -- Moonlighter. David Fenn strikes again.
2021
I only played one session, and it seems fun. I think I agree with much of what's been said about the game -- it doesn't seem like there's much more than what's presented to you from the outset.
But the alien flora is pretty, and there's some charm with the characters (who do talk a bit much for my tastes, but it's ok).
Might come back to it. No score yet.
But the alien flora is pretty, and there's some charm with the characters (who do talk a bit much for my tastes, but it's ok).
Might come back to it. No score yet.
I might come back to this, because I did enjoy what I played. Some interested (and kind of touching) dialogue, and a sweet story from what I can tell.
The card mechanics are very interesting, and it's fun to see how the different conversational "powers" (clarifying, chatter, etc.) fit into the gameplay and narrative. It does a cool job of reflecting actual conversation through an abstract way.
Where it lost me a little bit was when I realized that "failing" a conversation changes the story path, but there's no real consequence (that I know of, at least). This, combined with having to swap cards after ever encounter and a frustrating fatigue system, made it feel like the choices I was making weren't as tied to actual progression or strategy as I thought.
That could be wrong! It could really come together as the game progresses. But I didn't feel that from what I played. I might come back to it, so I won't score it now.
The card mechanics are very interesting, and it's fun to see how the different conversational "powers" (clarifying, chatter, etc.) fit into the gameplay and narrative. It does a cool job of reflecting actual conversation through an abstract way.
Where it lost me a little bit was when I realized that "failing" a conversation changes the story path, but there's no real consequence (that I know of, at least). This, combined with having to swap cards after ever encounter and a frustrating fatigue system, made it feel like the choices I was making weren't as tied to actual progression or strategy as I thought.
That could be wrong! It could really come together as the game progresses. But I didn't feel that from what I played. I might come back to it, so I won't score it now.
2021
A very interesting game that nearly overstays its welcome. The core gameplay loop isn't much more than "go up, then go down, then go up" again and again, but the alien landscapes coupled with a few interesting mechanical shifts (wind, water, etc.) switch things up enough to not feel stale.
The story is there, but it's told in a way that seems a bit more obtuse than it needed to be. There's a satisfying ending here, but it'll land flat if you haven't pieced together the narrative bits along the way.
The story is there, but it's told in a way that seems a bit more obtuse than it needed to be. There's a satisfying ending here, but it'll land flat if you haven't pieced together the narrative bits along the way.
2019
This is a high 3 star.
A really great, short game. Charming and sweet, stays exactly how long it should, and never runs into any frustrating roadblocks. The soundtrack is very good, too.
A very lovely little experience.
A really great, short game. Charming and sweet, stays exactly how long it should, and never runs into any frustrating roadblocks. The soundtrack is very good, too.
A very lovely little experience.
2020
Some cool ideas at play here, but overall I found it to be pretty middle-of-the-pack in terms of 8-bit throwback platformers. Which is really saying something -- if this would've come out 10 years ago, it would've been amazing, but there's just been so much in the space since.
The guard/parry is a neat idea, but I didn't find it executable reliably enough to really take advantage of it. And tying the amount of weapons you have to the difficult (in some way? I don't think it's ever really explained) is neat, but I just ended up unloading a bunch of weapons every now and then to lower the danger level.
Hopping out of the mech is a fun idea (very Blaster Master), but it's almost always forced on you, making the pilot sections less about exploring the levels and finding nooks and crannies and more about getting really de-powered for a not-so-fun stretch until you can get the mech back.
Breaking the weapons to fire off their spells is neat. Some of the music is great. The sprites are fun. But overall, I thought it was just ok.
The guard/parry is a neat idea, but I didn't find it executable reliably enough to really take advantage of it. And tying the amount of weapons you have to the difficult (in some way? I don't think it's ever really explained) is neat, but I just ended up unloading a bunch of weapons every now and then to lower the danger level.
Hopping out of the mech is a fun idea (very Blaster Master), but it's almost always forced on you, making the pilot sections less about exploring the levels and finding nooks and crannies and more about getting really de-powered for a not-so-fun stretch until you can get the mech back.
Breaking the weapons to fire off their spells is neat. Some of the music is great. The sprites are fun. But overall, I thought it was just ok.