Hahha, I catually think that this is a pretty cool game, although simple. At first I had no idea of what was going on though, so I think you should've had clearer instructions.
Also, I love the graphics. Hoever, I fot bored pretty quickly.
Oh well, good job!
Thank you for trying it, I appreciate your time.
You're absolutely right about needing instructions, I plan on taking it further after the jam is finished. I just started on the 24th and I really didn't give myself enough time to do anything but the bare minimum.
Thanks again!
Aright. I finished the game, with three stars on all levels. As you can see from my score, I ejoyed the game. However, there's a few things I want to mention.
Since this game has so much potential, I would have considered making the first levels... No.. Actually adding a few levels before your first levels, apart from the tutorial, that would be slightly easier. I too made a game for this Stencyl Jam (thanks for playing it, btw), and I know that other people won't be as used to the physics/gravity as you, as the developer are. So a few more introductionary levels would have been nice. Also, If possible, I'd have liked if the levels restarted slightly faster after you fly off screen, since at least for me, this happened often. That is just a personal preference though.
You did a really good job with the medals in this game, btw!
Most of the level design was pretty good, although I would have changed the order of some of the levels. However, I've got no examples of such levels anymore; it's not a real issue.
The grafics, are perfect.
I, again, personally, would have liked it if the gravity switched slightly faster when you press one of the 'wads' buttons. As of now, you sometimes had to be very exact, so I'm thankful for my fast reflexes.
Finally, and this is something I almost never say, I think you should have chosen a nother song for this game. Don't take me wrong, I enjoyed the song at first. The issue I have is that the loop is kinda short, and above that, it's extremely repetitive. Also, I would've liked seeing who made the music, or if you made it yourself. Good choice for including a mute button though.
Thanks for a fun gaming experience, and I wish you luck in the contest!
Sorry for not writing a longer review!
However, this game is pretty awesome. I like the art style, and even if I've seen more original gameplay, I must say that this was a very enjoyable game, and it was addicting for a litle while, at least 'til I beat the game normally.
People have probably mentioned these things already, since I haven't read the other comments, but...
- Some of the enemies will kill themself randomly by jumping of roofs.
- When you're precisely on the corner of a building, you'll character will shake a bit, as will the enemies (they somtimes get stuck there too).
- I can't point out where, but at the end of one level I couldn't progress to the next one, until I backed a bit to the left and tried switching to the new scene again, when it worked. This might not be a common issue.
Good luck in the contest!
Alright. Let me begin by saying that the only real reason that this submission only gets 4.5 stars, is becuase this is a more serious review. You're not on the same level as most of the other contestants, so since I'm comparing you to greater creaters of games, you can consider my 4.5 stars as 7/5, were this just another Stencyl Jam game. But since I'll take this review more seriously, I'll also criticise your game more harshly.
ALZ was one of the very first games in the Stencyl Jam 2014 contest, and now this, Pine, is one of the very last ones (although it was posted after the deadline, I'm happy you managed to enter!).
I liked ALZ, and I definitely like this even more! I remember watching your animation around the same theme, late last year, so I recognized you immediately when I saw the title :')
When I kept playing the game, I realized that my final chances of getting a spot among the three winners is wiped out, hahha! I'm happy you uploaded this game though, I enjoyed playing it, and I think you have a good shot att hitting one of the prize pedestals! Good luck!
So... For the actual review...
First, there's the theme, which is pretty interesting. What I mostly like about it, is that it lays the base for a mysterious athmosphere. Which brings me to the music... Precisely as in ALZ, broove really is a perfect choice for you game. I am a musician myself (at least self labeled, haha).
Now, to the art. most of the art is really good, in my opinion, which makes sense, considering you're an animator. However, there's one thing I think you could still improve. Most of the tiles are fine, and I really like the background, and characters (+ other sprites such as gems, power ups, etc.).
But you know that one tile that is just a brown box? nothing fuzzy around the edges/corners, no white dots, just brown boxes. It's fine when you use them in the middle, but when they are edge pieces they simply look slitghtly unfinished to me, but maybe it really is only me :p
However, I shouldn't be complaining about the art, since my art is far inferior to yours!
Well, now for the gameplay. Although I think the gameplay is good, I'd say it's the weakest link in your game; I'll try to explain why.
Firstly, as you've already stated, a map would be nice, but I know you're already working on that.
And I know it can feel a bit dumb, but if you're aiming for higer ratings, I recommend writing out the controls as if you were to try explaining them to a tree, or someone with the same amount of IQ, at least (or lower). People won't care in a bad way if you write them out, but not doing so can result in some low votes, as we've clearly seen. Same thing with the mute button (which I know you said you'll add). Although I love the music, and it helps build the mood, I know that there are inevitably some that will want to listen to other stuff, or nothing, while playing. If you wan't people to have the full experience, you can 'not' add a mute button. But if you're looking for higher scores, a mute button is always a good idea.
Now, as we all know, this was inspired by games such as Endeavor. This is by concequence wery similar to similar games, like Level Up, and many other ones (Not to speak of the winner of Stencyl Jam 2012, which was in the sam style, but if I dare say it, superior to this one). The issue is, as somebody already mentioned, that in terms of gameplay, this game doesn't really add anything that could top them. Now, I realize that Stencyl is limited, and that you didn't have any more time than the rest of us, so I won't complain too much.
Still, I like how you still manage to add some puzzle-ish things every here and there! And that you manage to build such a large game; I'm very impressed. Sometimes, so large that you get lost, haha :3
The controls work fine for the most part, and I haven't found any real bugs either.
And as has already been said, you should probably include some medals. Examplewise, give medals for the power ups, and make a number game attribute, that counts gems. Every five gems could give 10 points, or something like that. Medals; badges; rewards, are simply things that gamers appreciate.
I could say some other things, but probably nothing that would be all that helpful.
I really enjoyed the game, and I'll continue tomorrow, since I'm not quite finished yet, which is why I haven't commented on any ending, which there probably is. I still think that my score and review would be pretty much the same though. I'm getting really tired, so I'm sorry if my review is full of gibberish and spelling errors.
Once again, good luck in the contest!
Ps. It might be a good idea to make the music drop in volume when the game is paused, or diminish completely :p
Thanks for the review!
as far as your critique goes, I definitely agree with most of it. That one tile you mentioned is essentially a placeholder tile that I never had time to polish. Since the rooms are so big it can take hours to clean up just one of them, and I just didn't have the time in the end.
I also agree that the gameplay is pretty weak. I would have honestly liked to do a smaller game like ALZ, but I felt that stencyl jam would be the best opportunity to push myself to learn how to create something larger. Since gaming is one of the biggest career paths for animators, I felt it important to learn what all goes into creating something that's more than just a press-right-a-thon, hence the Endeavor influence.
Definitely needs some medals. I feel they might make some of the game's goals more clear. For example, right now I don't think it's at all clear that there are multiple endings, so a medal for each one could clear things up.
Thanks again for the review, and good luck in the jam!
Yup. One can tell that you're a more experienced game maker than most of the other contestants :D
I think you might very well win one of the prices :p
Good job, and good luck, Wiesi!
Surprisingly entertaining...
Love this. I wonder why this got such a low score, compared to the other games in the series... I gave this the score I think it deserves ;)
Well, this was thought provoking. I liked how you made it so that you had to play a while before you realized what the title of the game stands for.
I found a minor bug: The second time you see the tree, where the character only says something along the lines of "a beatiful tree". In that scene, if you turn back midway, and walk all the way to the left, and then try to walk to the right again, you're stuck. I tried this twice, so I'm sure ;)
Anyhow, great story, although short, and good choise of music!
Thanks a ton for noting the problem, should be fixed now, and thanks for the kind words, as well!
Alright, here's a review.
It's a fun game, and it is indeed addicting. The graphics were appealing, and the music was fitting.
The gameplay was entertaining, although difficult at some parts. As many have mentioned, the sliding made some things difficult, even if I think it was a good element. I think the problem is that you have to be quite nitpicky with your jumps at times, and the sliding makes that even more challenging.
Also, those blocks you could move were at times annoying; if you don't know exactly how much force to apply, they might end up in the wrong place, causing you to have to restart.
You probably already know this, but at the part with the two bats, where you can get the Gingerbread Man, there are a few bugs/glitches. As you mentioned in the description, one can get trapped in tiles. Well, I had two similar things happen to me. 1: I was suddenly inside a tile, but could jump out with ease. 2: I fell trhough the wall at the right, all the way down to the lava where I died. I don't know what's causing this, so I can't help you fix this.
Speaking of falling...
I'm guessing you based the checkpoints on the height of the screen at which the character was located when it died/restart was pressed? If so, I have a suggestion (nothing you have to do):
You see, at several occasions I accidentally fell down almost all the way to the bottom. This, as you probably know, also resets some checkpoints, which could be quite irritating.
My suggestion is that you make it so that when a checkpoint is reached, one can not go back to a previous checkpoint. Of course, you could still manually go down, but if lets say, you die or restart is pressed, you go back to the highest checkpoint. This should be somewhat easy to do, if you use a number based game attribute (or a normal attribute, since this seems to be only one big scene).
It's just a suggestion though :D
Lastly, I have a few questions XD
I'm also currently trying to make a game on Stencyl, and I'm about halfway through. I noticed that you still had the Stencyl spash screen, which suggests that you're not using the "pro" version (or are you?). I also noticed that you had the Newgrounds play button, and with adds. I would be very grateful if you told me how to set up Newgrouds adds, and whether or not one has to have the payed version of Stencyl to do so, or if you have to be sponsored by Newgrounds?
I'm also having a though time trying to understand how you set up badges in the game, but I'll probably be able to figure that out myself :p
Anyhow, I'd be happy if you replied!
This was an entertaining game, and it's definitely the best one that has been submitted for the Stencyl Jam 2014 so far, imo!
Alright, I played the first 5 levels of this game (AND I BEAT THEM ALL WITH A MOUSEPAD).
I might return for the rest later.
It's definitely not a bad game.
The graphics are of course not the best, but they are quite cute, so you can definitely enjoy the game nonetheless. (Got to love how those bird-enemies look. Btw, the enemies were the most dangerous creatures in this universe; I died like a million times.... Don't play this with a mousepad...).
The music however, is the best. Step is the very reason I came here in the first place :p
Gameplaywise, I'd say this is a pretty difficult game; it takes practise to 'master' the ball's movement. Mainly, this game was very smooth. However, at some parts things became a bit nitpicky, imo.
Even the puzzles were challenging at some points, which is a good thing. I also liked the way you introduce a new item, and thus a new game element in every new level.
This was without a question a pretty original game, so I liked that as well. Of course, since it's a ball/platform game, it bears some resemblance to the pretty old game wOne, if you've heard of it (especially in level 3). Then there's level four, where "Automation" is featured. I think that its structure actually is pretty similar to that of "Slippery Climb" from the Crash Bandicoot game :p
I could go on for ever in this review if I wanted to be picky, but there's no need for that.
Overall this was a good game, and good job winning that award ;)
Thanks. The difficulty was one thing I would have liked to tweak, but the guy I had some plans to work with on that vanished. I spent most time on physics/AI/designing levels with NURBS curves so I was happy enough the be able to include the difficult challenges I wanted, what's needed though is a lot more easy content before starting with the challening stuff, but it would be a bit boring without more interesting visuals etc. The judge of the competition said with some more graphics design it could release commercially and whatnot, but it's not very graphically optimized and the guy I mentioned who disappeared was going to make graphics, so for now I just released like this. I might expand on this later but I am also busy with university and I will probably make easier game (easier to make) before looking into this again.
I exist. That'd pretty much be it. Pictures made on Paint.NET (getpaint.net) and Apophysis 7X.
Age 29, Male
A bit of everything
As a teacher
Finland
Joined on 12/23/13
Herald Of Nyarlathotep 
Gravity Den 
Yakuza Rising 
Pine 
Super Frisco Frenzy 
CookieClickerJam2014 
Pretentious Game 4 
ALZ 
Think Up 
Lost Ball 
