Looking for games to LP!

[Studio Blue]

Hello! We are looking for games to do "Let's Play/First Impressions" videos.

Here is a little bit about us: Our experience is in game development (we've worked in the industry in the Houston area) and writing (Steel is a published author and Teal is an editor), and we've been working on projects since RPG Maker 2003. We've learned over the years about what does and doesn't work, and want to help others by critiquing their projects.

We will offer a straight and fair critique, with compliments on what works and advice to fix things that don't . We won't insult or degrade your game--we know what goes into creating one of those things.

If you're interested in having your work looked at by us, please contact us over this thread or PM if you wish.

We're currently up-to-date with our games and evaluate them as they come in.

Click here to see our channel update on how we're handling LPs now!

 

[lolshtar]

Try the thing l made up in a week https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/project-w-i-p-e-d.74829/ if you want but only if you are into battle systems because there is no story/mapping.

 

[Studio Blue]

@lolshtar We don't mind taking a look at it, but it won't be a very long review. We'll post something here once we've had a chance to do a first impression video.

 

[ShinNessTen]

https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/tod-the-grim-reaper-1-2.54156/ I want you guys to specifically Review the first game in this Thread. Tod the grim Reaper is also about only Gameplay, rather than story. The Story is just beat the bad guy, who needs a review for that? I would rather you guys take up on the challenge that i created in this game.

 

[Studio Blue]

@ShinNessTen Sure, but even simple stories, like beat the bad guy, can be well written well and engaging. We'll take a look at it, definitely. Who knows? Maybe what we find will help you make it even better!

 

[JapoZero]

Hi! I saw some of your videos on youtube and thought it was a good idea. A good critique can help game developers improve a lot but it seems nobody makes them anymore. It would make me very happy if you guys could make a review for my game: https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/five-nights-aerscam-mansion.72536/
Some of my friends played it and it seems to work fine, but the thing that most worries me is performance (specifically, lag, the game crashes sometimes).
Getting feedback about the game mechanics or story (there isn't too much, except cutscenes) would be very appreciated, too (I'm not a native english speaker, so the english translation may be a bit weird?? Tried to do the best I could). Thanks for all of your hard work!

 

[Studio Blue]

@JapoZero Not a problem! For our videos, we run the games on a pretty strong rig, so if it still lags, we know there's an optimization issue. Also, crashes are bad no matter what, so if you want to look into that before we get to your game--you have some time--that will only strengthen our critique of it.

 

[Zevia]

My game, Northwall, is in the final stages of project development, and I'd greatly appreciate some LP/video playtesting as part of my push to set it as a completed game. https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/northwall-now-playable-through-credits.18152/

If you're curious, there's also a little web app I built for it that lets you explore the background lore of the game - no need to showcase it on video, it's mostly just to generate interest in the game. https://http://northwall.herokuapp.com/

The game is probably about 6 hours long for a first time through, maybe longer if you're reading out all the dialogue. I've also worked extra hard on making the combat challenging, but fair, so the last couple battles of the game usually take people a couple tries - I've beaten every boss with starter gear, though, so I'm really aiming for a situation where if you lose on the first try, you've learned enough about the fight to get it on your second.

Feel free to shoot me a line if you find some time to give it a play, I'd definitely appreciate the effort of doing a video playthrough and getting some good feedback.

 

[Milennin]

More feedback always helps. I have a short, combat-focused game that can be completed within 30 minutes if you're fast. The link to the thread and download is in my signature (the big letters, can't miss it).

 

[Studio Blue]

@Zevia Checked out the post and this looks like a lot of fun. We'll definitely put it on the slate to play!

@Milennin Very unique looking, which is good. We'll give it a shot and let you know when the critique is up.

 

[Jef299]

Thank you for doing my Let's Play! I am very happy with it. I posted it in my game thread!

I know you guys did a "First Impression" and well, the game has been updated with a lot of what you guys suggested...

Maybe an "Updated Look" later on? No pressure! I'm just saying..

 

[Studio Blue]

@Jef299 We have a number of games lined up for First Impressions, but doing an updated Let's Play is possible. We'll let you know what we can do.

 

[Studio Blue]

Hey everyone, quick update. Teal and I had to take care of some real-world business that was slowing us down from getting to these critiques/LPs. We're clear enough now to get started in the order we received these requests.

We had some requests come in over private message too, so we've staggered those requests with these to be fair.

Let us know if you have any questions. As soon as we get your video up and running, we'll post the link here.

And we'll still take more requests and fit them in the queue as they come in!

 

[Studio Blue]

All right, folks, here's our first LP video in this topic: Project W.I.P.E.D. by @lolshtar . Based around an amnesiac protagonist and throwing the player right into the action, this short game features one of the best strategy-based battle engines we have ever seen. While the game needs more hand-holding in the opening act, the story none-the-less progresses beautifully with each character having their own unique voice, and the narrative coming out as smooth as glass. Only other critical point? Check your grammar and sentence structure. Take a step back and read your sentences aloud nice and slow. If they sound clunky to you, then they need to be rewritten.

Lolshtar, you said that this project doesn't have much of a story, but that is selling this game short. We were pulled right in and enjoyed ever moment, even though we died once against the boss. ;-) Keep up the good work and we can't wait to see your next project!

 

[Studio Blue]

Here our Let's Play/First Impression of Cavern of Time, a fun game with a strong nostalgic throw back to the old D&D adventure games. This game was a lot of fun for us because of the aesthetic and gameplay, and it will please anyone who enjoyed old games like Baulder's Gate or Neverwinter Nights.

This is not to say that the game can't be better. The map design is not as finely tuned as it could be in some places, as in the critical path is not 100% clear. Also, the main character doesn't have a strong presence - even though she is a silent protagonist, more could be done to make her stand out. However, these issues are quite minor, and the overall impression of this game is very favorable.

We can't wait to see what SimProse comes out with next!

 

[Studio Blue]

Here is our first impression of TOD the Grim Reaper, a survival game by @ShinNessTen. The cutesy custom graphics aside (Teal loved that the protagonist was a duck), this game reminded us of Dark Souls in that it was difficult, strategy intensive, and punished bad decisions. And we're OK with that. The game is just balanced enough to be hard without being too hard, and even though we died in one of the latter levels, we had fun. The bosses are super-interesting and require constantly thinking on your toes.

There were just two points we felt could be improved. #1, this game needs a CTB instead of an ATB--there just isn't enough time to come up with a solid strategy. And unlike an action game like Dark Souls, an RPG should give time to consider every action. We feel the game would be considerably more enjoyable if you had that kind of battle system. #2, there are too many areas to explore that don't yield rewards, which is not the best in level design.

But don't let those two points detract from how much we enjoyed this game. The creator's tongue-and-cheek humor, especially with the enemy names in "The Fort" level, had us laughing our heads off.

Here is the entire video. Please like and subscribe if you want to see more from us:

 

[Studio Blue]

Here is our first impression of "5 Nights at Aerscam Mansion". There isn't much to say except WOW this is an amazing game that everyone needs to play. Even if survival horror isn't your thing, this game has so much going for it. We highly recommend it.

There is a problem with the interface, especially when checking a room for ghosts. The game-play is otherwise very smooth and the atmosphere is genuinely creepy. The stakes to keep playing and survive are very high and the tension is just right.

There could be a better translation of this game into English, but that is only a minor issue. Lastly, the game-play when you're free roaming between nights is kind of unguided (with no environment descriptions or added ambiance) and there's not enough direction on where to go.

Otherwise, this is a very solid game, and we look forward to playing more by this player.

Here is the review video:

 

[bokunoyuki]

Hey guys, would love for you to check out the very first RPG Maker (VX) game I made several years ago. Game is RTP graphics, with many licensed music tracks and sound effects from other games, so not sure how you'll feel about that. What I can really call my own, is the writing, and the modifications I made to the custom battle script I used. I modified an ATB System to allow the player to attack at will because their ATB Bar filled instantly. Enemies' ATB Bars filled slowly, but their attack speed was compensated with immense attack power. So the object of battle was to learn when to attack and when to defend.

From the limited reviews I got when the game came out, the battle system and the writing stuck out the most, which made me very happy. Considering my next game will be using a similar battle system, feedback for this would be greatly appreciated! Link to the game is here

 

[Studio Blue]

Game is RTP graphics, with many licensed music tracks and sound effects from other games, so not sure how you'll feel about that.

In order to avoid a copyright strike on YouTube, we'll have to play the game with the sound turned all the way off. Are you OK with that?

 

[bokunoyuki]

In order to avoid a copyright strike on YouTube, we'll have to play the game with the sound turned all the way off. Are you OK with that?

that's fine. I'm assuming you're gonna play with sound on your end, but mute the game's audio when it goes on Youtube, right?