Enigma0's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Grey Story]

Very poignant.

This game is so simple aesthetically - dull in fact, when talking about gameplay, in truth. But I personally like that fact. Because that means the creator has thought so much about the content; the story and message of this piece of work.

Now while I would expect games of today to excel in both of these aspects, it has become more and more apparent to me that most games of today lack heavily in their stories and messages. This is a true shame, because to me, the games that do so well altogether are more moving than the most genius pieces of music or film. So because of this, it is so, so refreshing for me to see a clear thought out message in a game. I thank you for that alone.

...But there's a little more to this one.

The simplicity of the design makes the true intended message unclear to the player, and because of this vagueness it leaves the player to surmise its meaning themselves. But of course, that is the true intention of the creator.

My idea? I liken this game to Final Fantasy X, albeit an extremely shortened version (obviously, haha). My reason is because I believe the story is pretty much the same. Our hero in Grey Story (Tidus) is trapped in a desolate world with a girl he is fascinated with (Yuna), of whom is too preoccupied with whatever else to take real notice of him. But as he realises he can make a difference to the world, he fades as he fixes it. His action of fixing the world around her attracts the attention of the female and makes her much happier, but before the two can enjoy the world after it has been rid of the dullness, it is too late - he is gone. So the girl is left to live in the fixed world by herself.

That's just me. Anyway, back to my review. In short, I thought it was fantastic. The score suited the game well and there were no problems with whatever gameplay there was. The artwork was simple yet clever with the colour co-ordination. You deserve a pat on the back, my friend, well done.

Enigma0.

[Warp Game]

A slight disappointment.

This game was so promising from the beginning. So, so promising.

But unfortunately, it just did not live up to my initial expectations.

I'll start from the beginning. From the moment this game loaded up, I fell in love with the art style. it was smooth, modern, and simplistic - not a bad word to say about it. My first though was "if the gameplay is as good as the artwork this game could be really good". And do you know what, it was.

The physics were well designed, and the ability to warp from one side of the field to the other was, while not original, a good way of allowing a wide variety of puzzles and level designs. Throw in of course, the carefully and slowly integrated power-ups and different types of obstacle and enemy and there you have it - a wide, diverse setup for a highly enjoyable game. Honestly, what could possibly go wrong?

And so, we come to the game's one and only fatal flaw...level design.

In the words of the honorable JC Denton - what a shame.

The game was just simply too easy. Somehow, 30 levels weren't enough. It seems the first 5 levels were used up explaining the basic controls (which could have been covered by a simple 'Controls' button on the main menu), and most of the rest of the levels were simple levels in which you couldn't actually fail in order to introduce a new feature or enemy. I personally found difficulty only slightly in level 29 - out of 30 - level 29! The idea of a learning curve is to introduce new features whilst remaining to proceed to a higher difficulty.

In all, I am genuinely saddened by how this game turned out. If you were to improve the level design and republish this game I strongly feel you would receive much better feedback. But of course, please allow me to re-iterate that besides this failing the rest of the game is very well done, it just requires one improvement!

I wish you the best of luck in your future projects.

Enigma0.

[Jumping Jim]

A balanced mixture of moods.

This game hit me by surprise. I looked at the new uploads sidebar as i do every so often, and i saw the name 'Jumping Jim'. My first thought was "oh, another sprite platformer, may as well give it a go."

...But i was so, so wrong.

This game was a lovely surprise. From it's addictive simple gameplay yet with physics measured to perfection, to it's pleasingly simple art style, this game is something you can load up and get immersed into within seconds. And by that, i mean as soon as the first level starts.

Looking at the title screen, you wouldn't be expecting the level design and art style that pops up and smacks you in the face when you click start game - let alone the stunning piano score that commences. The whole mood of the game suddenly shifts, and you genuinely start to wonder where this man is, why is he here, where is he going. But then you reach the end of the game, where you are then transported back to the laid back attitude, where our hero who we have just traversed through 3 different terrains with is slouching on his sofa watching the telly, with 'BJ' on his ballsack. Yet this is as pleasant a mood switch as any, and you laugh not only at what is on the screen, but also at yourself for thinking thew game had taken a serious turn, and being fooled by yourself.

All in all, the game had it's own unique charm and gameplay that i would happily see again in another game. It ran smoothly throughout and despite what others say, I did not have to tolerate any sort of frame rate drop at any point in the game.

I wish you success in your next ventures in game development and hope to see another installment from your team soon.

Enigma0.

NobodyHome responds:

Thanks for the amazing review. I can't really say much else. You pretty much put to rest any initial fears we had about the game not living up to what we believed it could.

You'll definitely be seeing more from us in the future.

Thanks again for the great review

[The Scale of the Universe]

Simple, yet immersive.

This is a fascinating flash animation. But there are many reasons as to why this is so.

Firstly, and of course most obviously, is the information and the images that are displayed within. It really makes you feel tiny in the universe - useless, futile. This in itself makes this piece a success, as that is what you, the creator, set out to achieve, and blimey did you achieve it. not only does it give every viewer a sense of perspective, but it is very well researched; I would put money on it that 99% of people who have viewed this could not honestly say they knew that every single thing featured in this existed - this shows that you also possess a high amount of knowledge of science and the universe, and for that, I respect your intelligence.

The drawing style really fits the piece well, too - you're not trying to attract viewers with some new age urban drawing concept, you're stating and displaying fact, and the drawings were very realistic and raw - just like nature - just like the true beauty of the universe.

Then we come to the interactive part of the presentation (I've chosen to refer to it as a presentation, as I personally believe that that is what it really is). This simple sliding dial, which zooms further in or out of the scale of the objects. Now not only do you deserve credit for your perfection of keeping the correlation of every single object's size throughout the dial (something that I studied thoroughly), but you also deserve acclaim for your choice of how the viewer controls this presentation. It is stationary unless the viewers decided to move it. This may seem simple to some, but that fact of the matter is you could have put everything in this into one big, slow tween and submit this as an animation, but you didn't. You gave the viewer the power to move it, essentially thrusting control of the universe into their hands. A very good technique for winning the viewer over by empowering them.

The fact of the matter is, I cannot think of one fault in the design, presentation or execution of this flash presentation. What you set out to achieve was achieved, and i feel overwhelmed every time I watch this. Congratulations.

Enigma0.

[Planet Platformer 2]

An improvement.

Having played both installments of this pair of games, i can happily say that the latter of the two is a much needed improvement from the previous.

The graphic makeover makes this game much more appealing to somebody browsing round the website, and so i believe that would attract more people to play.

The gameplay is also slightly better - jumping is easier to measure. Plus the addition of lives makes the game a little bit easier.

Overall, the game still requires a polish, but is much better than the first installment.

[Neon Guy]

Interesting.

This game, overall, is a success in my eyes.

But a slightly hollow success at best.

I praise the control scheme personally, as that is what makes the game not only a challenge, but actually what it is - a puzzle game. But the fact that your character is constantly moving proves it more difficult than it first seems, plus also adds in an action element to the game of timing as well as puzzle solving - this is very clever, well done. Add in the multiple colour tiles, and you have here a very diverse game.

The reason i classed the game as a slightly hollow success is because i believe there could be many features included with this game, and also some aspects that could maybe be improved upon; a custom level editor with an online database to share your ideas with the world, a wider variety of levels, and an improvement on the graphics to name a few.

Overall, i think this game is not only a joy to play as it is, but also one that holds potential to spawn a much better sequal or remake. Congrats.

Enigma0

[D0T]

Straight down the middle.

The fact of the matter is Newgrounds is where many, many, young and inexperienced (yet keen) animation and game makers practice and rehearse their skills so that the quality of their games get better and better. some fall at the first hurdle, but some also succeed first time with a game which oozes simplicity as it's charm. this is an example of the latter. Well done.

Enigma0

[GemCraft Labyrinth]

Pure genius.

The fact of the matter is, any tower defence game makers, no matter what acclaim they have or however famous they are, should sit down and take notes from this series of games.

They're almost flawless. Maybe even perfect.

The various game mechanics included, the different ways to customise your own battle strategy yet also the terms of every battle make this game so big that i'm honestly stunned that you're not developing games for consoles.

The original title, 'Gemcraft', did have some faults that required ironing out, but as you have progressed through the series, you have managed to do just that, and the result is this gem (pun DEFINITELY intended, haha) of a game. Kudos to you, sir, i only wish i had some spare cash to splash out on the premium addition, as i am definitely seeing this game out to its end. Well done.

Enigma0

[Ultimate Death Trap]

...

i reley don wan to say this, but i have to now. this game is so esey! all you do is press one butten! is it supposed to be pixel dudes? what if i didnt want the mana power! BLAAAAAAAAM THIS PIECE OF CRAP!

LOL jk, i liked it. just like the push space to win game, it's simple, almost parodic, but that's its charm and what makes people want to play it. well done.

P.S. the only reson i gave this a 8 is beacuase the gameplay was pretty good.........but that's it!