ForgottenDawn's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[NG's 20th Anniversary Collab]

Really enjoyed it, guys and gals. Good job on everything! It has been a nostalgia trip from start to end, smiled every time a character I grew up with over the years just showed up mercilessly in front of my screen.

Happy turkeyfest!

[Transmission]

It's not often that I rate a puzzle game 5 stars, but this is brilliant. It's a simple concept that works wonderfully, paired with a nice design and presentation. It never really felt like some of the puzzles were neither too easy or burdening, as it has a great learning curve and it's a gradual progress the one you're supposed to partake. Good job
//FD

[Eien]

Well, I just finished this game. First time playing, I went through the whole thing in like 10-15 minutes. I enjoyed its simplistic premise even though "I woke up and there was darkness" it's kind of cliché by nowadays standards, it would have probably been better if you didn't put any text at all, or go the other way and enrich the narrative. Other than that, the puzzles were clever, not overly difficult and they do follow a certain logic as opposed to purely trial-and-error, something I actually appreciated and enjoyed. I got in fact stuck at some point and it was because I missed a detail in a certain room. So overall it's a nice little game to play while waiting for the last Submachine chapter. If you're familiar with the game Kairo, this would be its point and click counterpart.

[Vast]

Simply a waste of art.
I don't usually write "could have been" kind of reviews, although I'm very tempted to. Let me deconstruct this product for you:
- You are supposed to retrieve items from either people/NPCs or scenery items as long as they're interactive (square bubbles with strange, geometric glyphs), and then give them to other people. There's no explanation nor implications for this rule whatsoever, nor is it explained what the bubbles are supposed to represent in the long run. Quests are very simple, but with highly vague or unknown purposes.
- Exploration could be justified if there was something to drive players scouting around leading them to a reward in any form, story-wise, symbolic or physical (inventory items). There seems to be no plot, no symbolism and no actual inventory.
- The invoked atmosphere is the only thing keeping me from giving it half a star: the sound design is minimal but it works, in that it gives a mysterious, foreign feel and the scenario is stylized, but well drawn. The monochrome makes it feel desolate and slightly mischievous.
- Controls are fairly responsive even though I'm not a fan of mouse-only controls personally, and the constant zooming in and out could be annoyance after a while.
Again, this is one of those rushed games where the notion of "Minimalism" is either badly executed or simply wasted. As a reference, I can tell you some nice games that use a similar mechanic but have a deeper storytelling and atmosphere, as I think they could probably help you envisioning and molding your concept better: Journey (PS3), Looming (NG), Flower (PS3), Coma (NG), Botanicula (Xbox360/PC), Machinarium (Xbox360/PC), Samorost (PC) and Samorost 2.

[People]

I have to admit I've had a bit of a hard time getting the goal of this experience and you can't probably lose either. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the simple mechanics behind the experiment considering the last Ludum Dare theme being "minimalism", I think it's quite fitting. If you had more time, you'd probably love to spend it in an engaging interactive story, building slowly as you try adapting to the people around you, or maybe introducing the element of struggle and social anxiety, the possibilities are endless. I liked the soundtrack, though it wasn't as immersive as the "deliver people to people" formula, in my opinion, it needed a bit more of substance. I hope some people don't interpret this game as racist because that would be miserably hilarious and it's not what the game's about for me. Rather, something along the lines of "even if you see other people loving each other, it doesn't mean you won't meet your love too in the end".
So overall, fairly simple, symbolic game with a solid but subtle theme, responsive controls, and a fairly enjoyable sound design. Looking forward to playing a bigger, better experience.

[CrateRun]

Unforgiving is the one word that comes to my mind when playing this deathfest game. It's a trend that nowadays can only grow and overflow the internet already, with all these "challenging" hop and bop platformers designed only for trial and error gameplay, to let you fail dozens of times before actually succeeding. This game is no exception to the rule, with the excruciating imprecise jumping complicating an otherwise standard level format, where having the right timing is fundamental in most - if not ALL - scenarios. Sound design is pretty minimal, and the music is definitely unremarkable as it stays in the background with its steady dance beat contributing to nothing atmosphere-wise. Overall, this game has potential, not much for casual gamers as they're continuously punished through their countless deaths, but the sloppy controls can and are an issue that clearly detracts from one's experience.

[A Rabbit Fable]

Interesting and unique game, reminding me so much of Amanita Design's creations such as Samorost, Botanicula and Machinarium. You used the same visual techniques to achieve a well executed depth and immersion, helped by a non intrusive soundtrack and complementary, though simple and unambitious sound design. The surrealism helps bringing the game a unique trait, as well as leaving to the players' imagination the circumstances surrounding the possible "plot" and meaning behind it all, but I still think it needs more to make it really a personal experience. Surely a longer, deeper and more varied sequel would be a good continuation of what you've just started to build, but keep in mind that substance and quantity need to be in symbiosis to each other. I spot very minor flaws, like somewhat sloppy screen/room transitions and that time when the rabbit grows, each step is followed by a screen shake that leaves a grey margin to the right. Other than that, it was an enjoyable half an hour. Please leave me a private message if you look forward to hearing my creations, as I am a composer.

[Vatican Quest]

Meh, I failed. Speaking of the game itself and its mechanics, it's all very simplistic and minimalist. One task only, a couple of obstacles to avoid, that's it. I expected a bit more of depth, maybe by adding more goals to the formula or simply making the game a bit more varied in content. It was probably intended as a satire (as I like to think it was), but the product itself leaves much to desire in mediocrity. On the good side, graphics are enjoyable and the sound design is quite fitting, though repetitive in the long term.

Kenney responds:

True, but due to time constraints I couldn't add more features. Glad you still liked it though!

[simian.interface]

Fantastic game. Its true potential lies in the fact that the game itself relies on something as simple and natural as motion, accompanied by sound effects, retro-styled music and steadily more articulated alignments. This game is an artistic crescendo of colors, cleverness and pixel symbiosis. Every element is so simple it "fits" to each other, it's that kind of rare minimalism that works. Very well done.

[From Nothing]

I love how the medals can translate to "Fighting for nothing". This is one of those games that seem to "talk" to the player directly while breaking any notions of fourth wall, mocking its very existence as a "game" - in a word: post-modernism. I personally view it as one of those "passing thoughts", as you say, where you think of yourself as the egocentric woobie character: you're alone, you're bullied in some ways, you feel enormous social pressure, you feel like you're manipulated by somebody/thing, etc. You always try something new, to break the loop, but you fail and instead, complicate your own life while digging your own hole further down below. I think this game is about acceptance, in the end. We can't escape Nature's ways of existing, the very framework from which we are born, but that doesn't mean we can't do nothing to solve the problems we created in the first place. Negative or positive message, that's up to you. The only cons I can spot here are the somewhat sloppy, imprecise controls (making the game a lot more challenging than what it should be), the relatively overall short length of the experience, and repetitive uninspiring music. It is however, a good experiment whose foundations lie on ideas that need to be shared more often in the video game panorama.
Well done.

lagemanngui responds:

You totally got this. No words to describe . Thank you for this awesome review!