Arzztt - A Minimal Adventure -

What looks like a minimal and simple adventure game at its core, shows to be much more than that the longer the player progresses through. Stage one is a simple introduction with similarly simple gimmicks like jump toggle spikes and moving spikes, and while it is a bit simple it terms of how they are used, it doesn't go overboard in its design and works well. Stage 2 is a VVVVVV stage and is the highlight of the game for me. The design, while wobbly in difficulty at times, is never too much to where its not doable in a few tries which is always good for an adventure game of this type. The gimmick used in this stage is the one you would expect too see, that being the gravity switching on jumping, and the level design chosen in this game compliments this gimmick really well. Stage 3, the final and most difficulty stage of the game, I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, the bullet bill type gimmick with needle works really well and a lot of neat cycles can be made but on the other hand, that is the problem in itself; it turns more into a needle game at this point than an adventure game. If I was rating it as a gimmick needle game, it would be great, but in terms of an adventure, its hard to say the same, later in the stage, the NANG star gimmick comes into play which turns it more into a adventure game, but still feels like I am playing a different genre of fangame. The final screen before the end remixes all the gimmicks used into one screen, and surprisingly all the gimmicks work really well together and never felt too over the top or clustered together.

Overall I would say this is a great little adventure game, minus the gripes I have against stage 3. Arzztt has shown he knows how to make unique level design and I hope that carries over in his future games.

Lovey01 - BlackMist -

An interesting take on adventure game that uses a-lot of trigger platforming and for the most part, it does it pretty well. The things I liked most like the platforming and gimmicks I really liked, but the things I disliked like the noisy and flashy visuals early game, I really disliked and had to actually take a small break in between the game to readjust, though that might just be a me issue.

I am not going to go into massive details because I don't have much to say, but the game is decent, the atmosphere is really well put together, if a little loud at times, and overall it was a fun experience. Considering this is also the first adventure game you have made, with such a unique theme, I think you nailed it and can't wait to see more.

Tralexium - Endless Mirage -

I was expecting something amazing, knowing Tralexium and his previous works, but I didn't expect this much visual polish all in a month with a mostly changed engine and minus a few bugs like enemies sometimes just stopping in place, the game does what it sets out to do and it does it well.

The main thing to say about this game, even minus the actual designs of the stage, is the visuals. Considering this was made in a single month, it really is amazing what was done and the amount of effort that went into it on top of that. While I think the visuals do drag on for a little bit in terms of variation, I don't think it hinders the game, I just wish there was a tiny bit more. The end boss for me in particular was spectacular and I like the fact that charging the gun actually helps against it.

The only issue I really have against the game as a whole is some of the puzzles. This is mostly a me problem, so take it with a grain of salt, but I feel some of the puzzles can be a bit of a drag, especially if you die and have to restart them all over again.

Overall, considering this was made in a month, and is only a demo, a crazy amount of work has been put into this and I hope the game goes well when it publicly releases because this was a great and memorable experience.

Denferoks:

Endless Mirage

This is the kind of fangame I'm just dying to see more of, something that dares to step outside of what fangames normally are and manage to be its own thing. The game is short, but focuses on quality over quantity, which is what the shortventure contest is all about. I can imagine there will be complaints about the engine feeling different but personally I couldn't care less. The character controls feel right, and that's all that matters.

The gameplay is tight and I love that you focused more on combat rather than jumping around, the game realizes what it wants to be and succeeds on that end, there's no sudden needle that feels out of place. Though I will admit the puzzle near the end did feel a bit out of place, but as someone who enjoys puzzles this was no problem for me.

The difficulty curve felt a bit random, I found myself breezing through the majority of the game but there were a couple of segments where I actually got stuck for some time. The boss was also a bit harder than I would've liked, the third attack in particular gave me a lot of trouble.

Atmosphere was the easiest rating of my life, absolutely stellar production value from start to finish, even in the menus. Not only is the game very appealing to look at, but something that deserves additional praise is the consistency of your style. Fantastic job with everything regarding production value, including sound effects and audio.

Tralexium is one of those makers that pretty much popped out of nowhere and churns out extremely impressive games, especially when it comes to production value. Can't wait to see what you'll come up with in the future.

Overall - 9/10
Theme - 7/10
Level design - 9/10
Atmosphere - 10/10
Audio - 10/10

FictioN - I Don't Wanna Hide When Its Dark Outside

This is a great little game, it really is. Going into it, not knowing too much about the creator, I was pleasantly surprised. I love the art direction of the game and while I am not 100% sure on what the premise of the whole game was nor what the sprites are based off, it works well and the platforming compliments it nicely. The main issue I have with the game saying that is the actual platforming . In general, the game doesn't have a base difficulty, or it doesn't seem like anyway and while it never gets anywhere near hard, some saves near the end of the game are drawn out too much, or too little. Overall, this is a cute little adventure game, and I am finally proud to say I know what the save sound is saying, after much internal thought and help from Kurath.

Lss - I Wanna Be the Graverobber

What starts out with a scary narrative actually ends as a really fun adventure game about... digging graves? The kid is in debt with his land-lord and the the only way he will make enough money is to go to the graveyard and open up all the graves, with enough courage to do so of course.

Overall, the game sticks to the theme well, and while some of the audio decisions aren't what I would have picked, it doesn't take away from the final product. The only issue I have is that I think the difficulty is over what was intended for the contest in some places, but again, its not a huge issue, just a bit of a nitpick. This is a great game that stuck to the theme, I just wish there was a couple of nerfs in some places.

Asza - I Wanna Enjoy My Yellow Shoes 2

I don't know what I was expecting going into this, considering I don't know much at all about the creator, nor what his style is, but I was pleasantly surprised. The game has a multitude of stages, with most of them being made in a very interesting way with gimmicks that suit the style of said stages. The main issue I have with the game as a whole is the early stages. The first two stages feel a lot like pure needle with a few gimmicks thrown in; it didn't give me that feeling that an adventure game should of this type. Looking past that though, the rest of the game in terms of the adventure genre, is done really well and there are a lot of memorable moments, especially the final boss which I enjoyed a lot. Overall, I like what was made here, and can't wait for more.

ArthurTheGuy - I Wanna Escape the Mansion

What a great little adventure game. The first thing that hits you when you enter the game, is the voice acting which is not something most fangame players do, but Arthur did. I think the voice acting alone makes this game so much more memorable and I think more people should think outside the box and do things like this in their games, as it not only makes the game better, but adds to the creativity.

In terms of the game, its quite short, but in this case, it doesn't really matter. Arthur had a style of game, and he went with it and kept it consistent throughout all the game which is much harder to do than people give credit for. The main issue is the balancing of the final boss, and while I didn't really have an issue in this regard, I know some other people did, but that was just down to bad RNG although a little more tweaking could of been done. Overall, I really enjoyed this and it didn't drag on for too long.

Neos - I Wanna Get Freedom

Like most of the games released in this contest, I see a theme of very clean visuals, and this game is no different. I liked most if not all of the animations, and they work well in the context of the theme.

The main issue I have with the game is that it is a bit open with not much in said space. The actual platforming that was there was good, and I have no real gripes with it, but I wish the plentiful open space in the down time would have had something there. I like that the stage are simple, and don't over complicate things too much. I liked both bosses, although the second one feels unfinished (I am guessing because of time restraints) and I am sure it will be finished by release.

Overall I think this is a decent game, and even with the gripes I have, I never felt like it was too much or too little, and I think that balance is really hard to find nowadays, but it was done well in this game.

Haegoe - I Wanna Phobophobia

This is a strange game, but that is not saying much when Haegoe is involved. While most of the game has the atmosphere and audio to compliment it, most other things just feel a little lackluster. The platforming (while definitely very Haegoe), feels very samey from your other games, and while I get that its your style, I wish you tried a new style every once and a while. The bosses also felt out of place from the stages and was confused why I was fighting Sonic to begin with. Overall, other than the problems I have already mentioned, the tone of the game is definitely there and that is shown from the tileset and audio, I just wish a little bit more was done in the other aspects.


WetWookie - Under the Stairs

What did I just play... I don't know if I should be impressed or scared for Wookie's mental state. This game is great and it nails the theme very well, and that goes for atmosphere too. I am going to keep this short because I think this is the type of game that needs to be played, and then spoken about, instead of reading a review second hand.

While the game may seem barebones in terms of platforming, and to an extent it is, I see what Wookie was going for, and I think he pulled off the subtly creepy and just downright weird vibe perfectly. Overall, this fits in super well with the lore Wookie has been going for in his games, and for me, is a welcome addition to his ever growing collection of games.