TankTheta's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Alpha_Zero]

Honestly, I think this game has potential to be greatly expanded upon into a fully fledged game.
What I really enjoy is the basic gameplay look. It's incredibly fun to run up, grab an enemy and toss them at another. And the time stop in darkness is rather distinctive and has a balancing draw back that I greatly enjoy (the void). As if he's moving so fast even light can't reach him.
And the enemies are fast and intense in a solid way. You said you were inspired by Katana Zero and Ape Out, and I see where those inspirations come from. But you could genuinely make something that would compete with both. Especially if you expanded upon the gameplay mechanics to complement this.

But, there is some serious criticism to be had. One, is enemies activating an attack after they're dead. This is a pretty big problem, that I've see multiple times. As if there's an alarm trigger activating after death. This, must be fixed. It's a really awful bug that makes it feel as if it's not your fault but the fault of said bug for a death.
Next, The menu. It's not really fitting for the game. I'd recommend something with alot more personality. Something people will remember
Thirdly, The "FIRE FIRE" voice makes the enemies look like a joke. It really pulls me out of the experience slightly. It slams right into the wall against the atmosphere the music and the rest of the sound design does well in.
Forth. Jump effects aren't placed correctly.
Fifth. The tutorial's not good at conveying the Time Stop ability. Rework that section and you're good.
Sixth. The visuals need some variety. It's just a basic silver jail. I'd like to see something with more personality.
Seventh. More enemy variety. I think the last level showed the extent of using two enemies without spicing things up. Without a bit more variety, things can quickly get a little bit dull. So definitely add more.
Eighth. The screen's REALLY far back. It can be hard to appreciate the designs of the character with it so far back. Zoom it in a bit (And hell, I'd love to see the game's sprite art maybe get more detail/ making slightly larger sprites. Though that's a suggestion there)

Overall, I honestly I really enjoyed the game. I'd really love to see it expanded upon. You should, and make an interesting story around it too. Like, why is this guy in a lab like prison at the start of the game? Maybe because he was experimented upon. Who knows. Tell a story. Anyway I hope you enjoy the criticism here :D

Frogrammer responds:

Thanks a lot for your feedback.
- Yes there's a bug about enemy still shooting after being killed
- Sadly didn't have enough time to work on menu and leaved it very rough
- Indeed, FIRE sound may had been too goofy
- Yes, main mechanic isn't quite presented
- 48 hours weren't as much to add more enemy variety add still add some polish
- Option for screen zoom could be a good solution for this, I'll keep in mind

I really may return to this one day, thanks again)

[Frog to the moon]

I find the cherry jump system to be a bit too inflexible for a platformer.

HenrySanchezNG responds:

Next will be a super turbo mode ninja pirate with like a million moves and zero cool down for all abilities.

(I'm serious)

[Nino, your grandpa is nuts!]

It's a simple but fun little game. I feel like it should be expanded upon, since you got some nice gameplay ideas (such as the white being defensive shields, even being able to be put around the player to stop them shooting), and the car boss was fairly difficult (The Grampa could of been more difficult, he was more defense than offense)

I reckon, make the patterns more complex and interesting, use more varied mechanics, improve upon the level design (It was frankly just a corridor), and make better reasons for enemies to fight you. The story was incredibly bare bones and random.
Also, I would like a no kill route, which is more difficult but rewards the player in a sense.

All in all, not bad, I would love to see this expanded upon in future. Into a much larger game with more interesting and difficult foes.

Delunado responds:

Thank you very much for playing! I agree with your ideas. It is a Game Jam game so it was made in just 7 days, lots of ideas haven't been included because of that. I'll take them into account, thank you again!

[The Hit On Hallows' Eve]

Okay, so it's a mixed bag, but a mixed bag with great amounts of potential
The main issue, which I think encapsulates the entire game, is a lack of refinement. The firing mechanic and the dash are good, various enemies aren't bad (Some are even fun, like the witch making enemies that are normally weak into unkillable obstacles. Especially the two big bosses of the game, they were quite enjoyable, Frankenstein was quite awesome indeed). But some levels are badly designed or a slog.

And the animations/art assets are frankly subpar (Presentation is important, and to be honest, most enemies look like a basic flash asset. It can immediately turn some people off. However I liked the mechanics), some sound design (especially when you pick up boosts, they are literal static) and some fight encounters need some work. (Level 1 and 2 don't even really challenge you at all)

After Halloween, take the concept and make it into an actual game. Make the animations stronger, make the actual art assets alot better (they look very bare bones), make the sound design better, clean up some of the level design, add more bosses and clean some of the bad fight encounters (and some of the weaker enemy designs).

Overall, I like the game, it just needs more refinement. I hope you take this concept and really run with it. Because it's fun.

svaerth responds:

Hey thanks a lot dude! Yeah, this was a massive rush job to try and get it out since no one wants to play a halloween game after halloween, so I think all your points are valid.

[Phase Shift: Lab Escape]

It's really rough around the edges, but I sense some heart here. Refine the concept and see how far you go next time. Really polish the gem. And give each form more to do.

Pastruvium responds:

In future games I'll have to spend more time polishing the actual gameplay loop.
Thanks for checking it out!