- Joined
- Jul 4, 2014
- Messages
- 37
- Reaction score
- 25
- First Language
- English
- Primarily Uses
I'm not great at transferring what I like into numbers, especially since I can't be sure what to hold as my standard for 5 and 0. I'm also not sure if I should be thinking of the games in a vacuum, or compared to each other in the contest, or compared to indie games in general. So what I've done is taken the lowest number I would give it and the highest, then set the rating to the center of those two with a variance. If I think the game is at worst a 3 and at best a 5, for example, I'll rate it as 4.0 +/-1.0. It's essentially a great way to justify being non-committal. XD
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Goblin Noir: Cement Shoes Are Highly Unfashionable
3.5 +/-0.3
A great idea for a game. I naturally gravitated towards the conflict system which functioned like a manual conversation. The characters were great and the world was fun to be in. There's a lot that needs touched up and perfected, but the core of the game is solid.
Exeunt Omnes
3.9 +/-0.3
I left a lengthy review of my thoughts here. Basically, a great concept worth exploring.
D is for Dungeon
3.0 +/-0.5
I'm not a big fan of dungeon crawling, but this was easy to get into and pretty easy to hold me. The premise is really my favorite part! XD It's funny, quick, and easy to digest because it works off of a common trope. The areas were a bit bland. Having "Wee Lad" (as I named him) crawl around was exciting, though, because the absurd contrast never wore off, although it might for some people. Having teammates made it even funnier. The game is about the core experience of dungeon crawling, which it accomplishes well. That alone makes it above average.
Sunken Spire
3.3 +/-0.3
This is a sweet game. The story isn't incredibly compelling, and dips the more you play. In opposition, the growth systems for the characters expand as you play. The characters are great-ish with Alma stealing the show in depth and elsa feeling fairly flat. The core of the experience is the interesting battle customization, which I think it does well. What drops the score for me is that I became less and less interested as I played, but it's still a great entry.
Ruselan
2.5 +/-0.1
I really enjoyed the atmosphere here with its great mapping and nice color palette. It has a somewhat Harvest Moon vibe to it. I'm not a big fan of the classic type of battle system, and there were moments I wondered if having battles at all were necessary for the gameplay even if the premise required it. The characters were great and the village itself has a ton of feeling to it. I liked asking questions, too. A system to somehow track that information would be nice, but it's not that hard to understand what you were just told. But, despite not having any heavy issues for me, by the end I wasn't as impressed as I could be, which makes it a solid middle-line experience.
Ars Harmonia
3.0 +/-0.5
I liked the atmosphere, the presentation, and to a good extent, the story. Having the POV switch between the protagonist and antagonist roles was refreshing and well done. The gameplay aspects were lacking and either needed to be removed or expanded on.
Oh! Ko!
3.2 +/-0.3
Great entry! Short, sweet, and utterly charming. And charming really is the key word here, because for me, that's what held the game. I wasn't excited by the pacing or the systems or the story, but somehow the charm kept me going to the end. I'm glad I got to play it.
Unraveled
3.5 +/-1.0
This game is tough to explain. I loved the graphics, the ambiance, and the concept for sure. The battles felt "injected," but I don't take issue with that. I loved the battle design, but I think it could have been improved by giving the player a numerical concept of attack power and HP rather than a filled gauge of health and the concept that a harder to access move used in conjunction to the State is just better somehow. But I kind of drop the score in that I didn't finish it. The jungle was beautiful, but it got me lost. Somehow being un-entertained in that one area was enough to overrule the other great aspects and make me turn off the game.
Oneshot
3.7 +/-0.6
So far one of my favorite entries. It starts somewhat slow, then I became invested. I think the cool tricks were gimmicky in a way that appealed to me but also made me hope that it's not what's made this game so popular. I think the world that was crafted, the art style, the gorgeous music, and the simplicity in progression are what made it a good game, but I have a fear that the ability of the game to know my name and never play for me again are what people are going to focus on. In any case, if you can make it to the end (or an end), you'll probably have a good time of it, even if the game is designed to discourage you from getting there.
Eden
3.7 +/-0.2
Innovative. That's a big plus for my personal biases. I like a game that sticks out a little in a non-gimmicky way. The design of this puzzle game isn't a very good hook (which might lend to being a gimmick), but is still new and fresh (which lends to innovative). The learning curve isn't nice, and the teaching mechanics are sloppy. It kind of looks "eh," too--the text box on the left, specifically. But still a great game worth trying out.
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So far I've had a legitimately good time with every entry I've played, which makes me a bit lucky. The numerical scores I've given might not be the most flattering, but a lot of these scores have room to breathe because I know the 30-day development time is a choker, and it wouldn't make sense to rate one of these games a 5 when I know that a few more months of development would essentially transform it into something better than a 5, destroying the system and breaking the universe...
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Goblin Noir: Cement Shoes Are Highly Unfashionable
3.5 +/-0.3
A great idea for a game. I naturally gravitated towards the conflict system which functioned like a manual conversation. The characters were great and the world was fun to be in. There's a lot that needs touched up and perfected, but the core of the game is solid.
Exeunt Omnes
3.9 +/-0.3
I left a lengthy review of my thoughts here. Basically, a great concept worth exploring.
D is for Dungeon
3.0 +/-0.5
I'm not a big fan of dungeon crawling, but this was easy to get into and pretty easy to hold me. The premise is really my favorite part! XD It's funny, quick, and easy to digest because it works off of a common trope. The areas were a bit bland. Having "Wee Lad" (as I named him) crawl around was exciting, though, because the absurd contrast never wore off, although it might for some people. Having teammates made it even funnier. The game is about the core experience of dungeon crawling, which it accomplishes well. That alone makes it above average.
Sunken Spire
3.3 +/-0.3
This is a sweet game. The story isn't incredibly compelling, and dips the more you play. In opposition, the growth systems for the characters expand as you play. The characters are great-ish with Alma stealing the show in depth and elsa feeling fairly flat. The core of the experience is the interesting battle customization, which I think it does well. What drops the score for me is that I became less and less interested as I played, but it's still a great entry.
Ruselan
2.5 +/-0.1
I really enjoyed the atmosphere here with its great mapping and nice color palette. It has a somewhat Harvest Moon vibe to it. I'm not a big fan of the classic type of battle system, and there were moments I wondered if having battles at all were necessary for the gameplay even if the premise required it. The characters were great and the village itself has a ton of feeling to it. I liked asking questions, too. A system to somehow track that information would be nice, but it's not that hard to understand what you were just told. But, despite not having any heavy issues for me, by the end I wasn't as impressed as I could be, which makes it a solid middle-line experience.
Ars Harmonia
3.0 +/-0.5
I liked the atmosphere, the presentation, and to a good extent, the story. Having the POV switch between the protagonist and antagonist roles was refreshing and well done. The gameplay aspects were lacking and either needed to be removed or expanded on.
Oh! Ko!
3.2 +/-0.3
Great entry! Short, sweet, and utterly charming. And charming really is the key word here, because for me, that's what held the game. I wasn't excited by the pacing or the systems or the story, but somehow the charm kept me going to the end. I'm glad I got to play it.
Unraveled
3.5 +/-1.0
This game is tough to explain. I loved the graphics, the ambiance, and the concept for sure. The battles felt "injected," but I don't take issue with that. I loved the battle design, but I think it could have been improved by giving the player a numerical concept of attack power and HP rather than a filled gauge of health and the concept that a harder to access move used in conjunction to the State is just better somehow. But I kind of drop the score in that I didn't finish it. The jungle was beautiful, but it got me lost. Somehow being un-entertained in that one area was enough to overrule the other great aspects and make me turn off the game.
Oneshot
3.7 +/-0.6
So far one of my favorite entries. It starts somewhat slow, then I became invested. I think the cool tricks were gimmicky in a way that appealed to me but also made me hope that it's not what's made this game so popular. I think the world that was crafted, the art style, the gorgeous music, and the simplicity in progression are what made it a good game, but I have a fear that the ability of the game to know my name and never play for me again are what people are going to focus on. In any case, if you can make it to the end (or an end), you'll probably have a good time of it, even if the game is designed to discourage you from getting there.
Eden
3.7 +/-0.2
Innovative. That's a big plus for my personal biases. I like a game that sticks out a little in a non-gimmicky way. The design of this puzzle game isn't a very good hook (which might lend to being a gimmick), but is still new and fresh (which lends to innovative). The learning curve isn't nice, and the teaching mechanics are sloppy. It kind of looks "eh," too--the text box on the left, specifically. But still a great game worth trying out.
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So far I've had a legitimately good time with every entry I've played, which makes me a bit lucky. The numerical scores I've given might not be the most flattering, but a lot of these scores have room to breathe because I know the 30-day development time is a choker, and it wouldn't make sense to rate one of these games a 5 when I know that a few more months of development would essentially transform it into something better than a 5, destroying the system and breaking the universe...
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