Score: 6

""Loosely based"? More like "Carbon copy""

submission: Squario

date: December 10, 2009

I played all the way up past the first boss, and what I can tell, the only differences between this and mario is that you can't see the difference between big and small squario, you control like you're walking on ice the entire game and you didn't bother to implement the fire flower or the exit flag bonus points. The levels are carbon copies, the game mechanics are carbon copies. Or if not carbon copies, so close that I can't tell the difference. I certainly didn't see any "more features".

Score: 5

"Lacks polish in so many ways"

submission: Arcanorum

date: December 9, 2009

This game looks like it could've been interesting if you'd done it right, but you didn't. First off controls. The fact that the ship and more specifically the weapon are frustratingly, painfully hard to control and working up a good swing is nearly impossible is probably just me not being very good, but Playing the game "right" is nearly impossible, the reaal way to win is to distance yourself from the enemy and poke them for the minimum damage when they get close rather than try to whack them with swings. Nothing wrong with that, could've been fun. Bosses do have absurd amounts of health though given how much damage you do.

Now to the actual problems. I was constantly finding myself stuck to an enemy because our weapons were interlocked. Whenever this happened, it was impossible to break the lock, nearly impossible to control my weapon and down to luck whether I would be the one who happened to take enough damage to die or he would. It also got caught on a dead enemy's discarded weapon at least once. The ship controls like it's made of molasses, without something to indicate the mouse's position you'll frequently wave it outside the game (and it won't pause if you click outside--in fact, if you then try to use the bullet time you'll scroll away from the game). The framerate drops when there's many enemies. You don't have nearly enough money buy many of those upgrades even by the end of the game without retrying a level many times, but earn so little money per kill that even that would become a grindfest. Being locked into one upgrade track defeats the purpose of having a variety of weapons. Dialogue is full of mistakes (and generally rubbish). Random powerups are massively unbalanced; I'm not aware of luck doing anything, radioactivity has a pathetic effect and doesn't even work half the time, but invincibility is such a gamebreaker that getting it almost guarantees you will beat the level (regen and rampage are overly strong too for something that drops randomly and thus might drop three times in one level or not even once). And finally, when I finally slogged through the last level of the "evil" path (thanks entirely to lucky powerups) the game failed to end the level--the friendly and both bosses had disappeared somewhere, and when I killed the last remaining enemies nothing happened. I eventually had to suicide to return to the menu.

So many things are wrong with this game. The core idea has potential, and the gameplay could've been fun, but massive bugs, terrible balance and an upgrade system that locks you in to one weapon type ruin it.

Score: 7

"It was interesting up until it stopped working"

submission: MagnetiZR

date: September 21, 2009

It was interesting through the first 15 levels, if not quite as rewarding as Auditorium, but on level 16 the game decided I was done. It started ignoring two of the color-switching magnets, even when I passed right through them, which rendered the level impossible. I probably would've stuck around to the end if the game had let me, but that's a game-ending bug..

Score: 10

"I can't find any words to describe it besides WOW"

submission: Closure.

date: May 13, 2009

Amazing. The concept behind it is entirely unique, one I am 100% certain I have never seen before. You then expanded that concept into puzzles which were GOOD--beyond a certain warming-up point almost every level challenged me to think even further outside the box but none of the solutions ever felt impossible and not one, not one puzzle was solvable by trial and error. The ones that looked like they would be were the ones you slapped yourself hardest for when you spotted the trick. You kept things fresh without having to constantly resort to new features every few levels (I could count the number of things to interact with on my fingers, and that's including all three types of torch). Some levels required speed and timing, some did not. I especially liked the consistency of torches ALWAYS retracing their paths, which ensured the absence of trial and error in the face of "arbitrary" movement paths in each level. And was the key to a large number of the puzzles.

But perhaps the most impressive thing was the atmosphere; the darkness truly felt oppressive and threatening (the level this was most effective on was the one where you had to gather a light for each of four torches on stairs and get a fifth into an elevator torch and fill the others while the elevator stalled for time), and it was all-encompassing; the writing on the walls and occasional other creepy objects added tension and made the whole experience all the more gripping despite the knowledge that the game contained no enemies and wouldn't contain any in the future. The almost unbroken silence helped, as did the strange "dark light" balls.

You took a unique and innovative concept, and you stuck to it while exploring it to its fullest. The effect on gameplay was greater than that of any other gimmick I have ever seen, and the effect on atmosphere twice that. My hat's off to you guys.

Score: 4

"Feels pointless"

submission: Magic Drop

date: November 8, 2008

If there was anything interesting in there, like the advertised "special" potions or anything resembling difficulty, it needed to appear earlier. Still not having introduced any of your interesting features by level five is too late.

Score: 10

"I loved it"

submission: Hunted Forever

date: October 29, 2008

The control scheme's perfect, the level design's good, and I've always loved the idea of haivng one persistent enemy rather than a whole bunch of stupid drones--and it's pulled off well here. But it's the commentator who really seals the deal. I was fully expecting to be betrayed at the end. . .

I think there should've been a lives limit though.

Score: 3

"Two major strikes which would each ruin it alone"

submission: Tomb Chess

date: October 28, 2008

First, the deciding factor in this game is luck, and will always be luck. For a game of this type that is unacceptable. Second, it is almost impossible to tell your own pieces from the enemy's except by clicking on each one to see if it'll let you move them. That's not very fun.

Score: 10

"My only complaint is that it's too short"

submission: < lightBot >

date: September 17, 2008

Very well made. Level 10 was probably the hardest, took me forever to notice the repeating pattern in turns. 11 was also pretty tricky. 12 was a joke though; talk about an anticlimax. Anyways, you designed a good game but it really, really could've used more levels. . . and a level select or at least saving/loading.

Score: 10

"I was blown completely away"

submission: Aladdin 3150

date: July 4, 2008

Way, way, way more impressive than anything else on the portal, that's for sure. Just amazing. I agree with A;aPigeon: Does the ending suggest a sequel? If so, PM me when you make it (Actually, PM me if you finish making anything half this impressive).

Score: 9

"Still very fun to watch"

submission: There She Is!! step3

date: June 18, 2008

I absolutely loved the first two, and while I don't think it necessarily tops them, this is most certainly a worthy successor. Sorta confusing at the part with the ragged bunny gang though, and the beginning's a bit slow.