RichGrunkleDuck's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Naya's Quest]

The checkpoint and lives system is pointless and just adds more frustration to the game than is necessary, especially considering you can continue endlessly. Sending the player back a room is just aggravating, especially when it happens after so few tries and just as I was starting to suss out a solution. The scanner is also hard to figure out, its never explained how its useful, the player is just told it is.

I like whats there a lot! It has the same quality that I liked about VVVVVV (taking a simple concept and remixing it over and over again) but the above issues keep me from wanting to complete it.

[Eastward Quest]

Managed to eek out a win on the final boss when the game finally decided to be kind and spawn health potions on a fairly regular basis instead of pounding me with enemies. Concept is fun, but the execution is woefully unbalanced. There should never be a point where the player is forced to take damage, yet the arrows/fireballs flying in from off screen and the various pits all but guarantee this. Its also silly that the leveling up mechanic means its easier to survive at lower levels than higher ones.

Would look to see this game fleshed out more, at least with a more thoughtful level up mechanic.

[Clockwork Cat]

Very well done, very cute game. Wouldn't mind seeing the idea expanded into a full level set.

[Fireworks]

Earned enough fairly early on to buy the shotgun, which made the game way too easy. By the time I was able to afford the professional fireworks I was already on the final level. And then I got what I assume was a game over in the final level with no explanation what I did wrong. Not fun and the game being as unbalanced as it is does not want me having to try again.

[Human Chop]

When I can't begin to intuit how a puzzle element will react in a game then it stops being fun. I feel like every level with the glasses guys is luck based.

[Mechanic Watermelon]

Game developers need to learn the difference between a genuine challenge and trial and error gameplay. Calling it a "rager" doesn't make it any less of a cop out.

[Steel Novella 2083]

Ends way too fast for the player to get immersed in anything. Graphics are nice but its just a really average, straight forward platformer otherwise.

[Seven Jumps]

Stopped being fun by the final level. None of the platforms move in a predictable enough pattern to make progress possible at a reasonable rate. The enemy placement also makes the very indie mistake of assuming that choking the player with obstacles makes for a reasonable challenge. Its incredibly frustrating to start making progress finally, only to end up back at the bottom in a few seconds because of one mistimed jump or getting constantly hit by enemies.

This has the makings of a nice fun and tense puzzle platformer, so its kind of a shame that it went for a few levels with very forced difficulty instead of fleshing things out better.

[Super Mario POWPOWPOW]

The challenge (especially in the later stages) comes from simply throwing too much stuff for the player to handle at them. And the unlockables have too high a price for a game that stops being fun so quickly.

[Call of 'Doody']

Cute idea. Some kind of indication of when a car was coming would be nice.

Sabtastic responds:

Yeah, I agree. Right now the only indication is the sound, and even that's tough to time.