Amereep's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Uddercover]

This is ridiculous.

After all these years, since this game first came out, I still can't get that 'Moo' medal. I tried Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, nothing is giving me that medal. I'm suppose to wait after the credits, right? That's when I'm seeing the medal appear, so why does it hate me?

*Sigh* ...but I shouldn't let my frustration alter the overall game, that being Perry the Platypus shenanigans with a cow. For 72 hours, this was nicely made. After playing through it 5 times in the past hour, this game isn't very challenging. The ball helped a little to the 'stealth', but it's more about patience with this game.

...patience that I've placed into trying to obtain that medal for FAR TOO LONG!

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EDIT: OKAY... after placing some thought into it, I considered on something and tried it with the Newgrounds Player. And it gave me the medal.

That player has really been opening a lot of locked doors since I got it.

Rooster responds:

I'm sorry

[Lower Lower]

I have climbed through the elaborate caverns, endured the treacherous mechanics, experienced a hundred lives, and I met the elusive albino grinch, gaining its respect after it pulled a GLaDOS.

A folly claim you say? Well as far as you know, it could have been... because I'm lacking proof due to the fact that the medals didn't go off.

It appeared in the game, but after a certain point, it stopped. Granted, I did leave the page a few times to give myself a break from it, but I don't think it has anything to do with that.

That cavern atmosphere is met with this game and the mechanic are nice too, but only at first as it gets under your skin after a while. I guess it fits with the game, but trying to perform perfect jumps off of walls are difficult. Throwing the anchor mid flight is tolerable (if not, a bit tricky), but making these leaps of faith is ridiculous as you need to make your best judgement of when to dethatch the anchor or even if you think you're going the right direction.

The game is still good, hardcore players would probably have more fun with this than casual players. It has a mid-high range in difficulty, and it increases in leaps and bounds the higher up you go.

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Interesting thing I need to note though, pressing the 'R' key resets the entire game and doesn't reset you to the last campfire. This could lead to some furious players if they accidently push it.

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EDIT: Well say that I'm a glutton for punishment, but I went through it again. Used prior experience to zip though the place, saw some of the changes you made, cursed the heavens for the added obstacle in the secret path, and somehow met up with the white devil again. I checked to see if the medal activated, it did (yays), and as I clicked the screen to reestablish control to begin my escape, the game goes black. ...oy vey.

bokononyossarian responds:

Congrats on making it to the end! And sorry about the medals. We have another report of the Grinch's Path medal (and I guess the secret medals after that) not showing up in people's profiles, but popping up in the game. I just logged into my individual account and confirmed that I was able to unlock the Grinch's Path medal and have it show up in my profile (so now the only medal owners are myself personally and the dev team account, whoops).

This is our first game with medals so I'm still trying to reproduce the issue. I will probably have to keep making dummy accounts to try and figure out the conditions under which the medal is awarded or not. The only thing I can try to do is reproduce it and see if anything notable shows up in the developer console. Again, sorry you missed your medal- you'd be one of the first to have it if it were working.

Thanks for the report though- we are very impressed you made it that far. The difficulty ramp-up was intended- finding an albino grinch is not for everything. We had to try and strike a balance with not making things too frustrating by sprinkling in bonfires for the player to spawn at.

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EDIT: We upgraded the game to force reinitialize the connection to the NG backend if the window loses focus. We don't know for certain that was causing the issues with the medals not showing up but hopefully that will do the trick for players who make it all the way to the secret rooms.

[Rat Game: Roaming of the Wretched Rat]

The best way to describe this game, is that it's ambitious.

It switches between strategy and luck as its core mechanic. Using strategy to conserve equipment and health, hope luck will grant 'that' item within the chests, and then tempt luck with a potion or plan a strategy with equipment before you repeat the process. It's a game that relies on RNG quite heavily, and it only gets more intense the further it goes.

Not in a playthrough, but the entire game itself.

Proceeding through the game unlocks achievements and an item to add to that RNG, making it that much more harder to get that one item that could save you from a tight situation you're in now or later on (such as a shield). It also makes it harder to unlock certain achievements (which could be a good thing to prevent another item being added to the RNG list, but I'll get back to this in a moment).

I've read in these reviews that you guys (or at least, Levi) took inspiration from 'The Binding of Isaac' to make this game. I have the game, never played it, but I do know the basic structure of it being very customizable. Having Nips choosing between what items and actions to make defiantly lives up to that inspiration, but as I compare the two games, Isaac is more unbounded (ironically) from the RNG as you don't really need all the customization in order to finish the game. But in this game, you need the RNG on your side in order to stay strong and ready. If the chest order is Dagger, HP Down Potion, Magic Herb, Dagger, Dagger, Arcane Up Potion, Evil Eye... you'd be screwed before reaching the third Dagger.

So I have a suggestion that might help Nips to break free from his own binds the RNG has on him. How about you give the player the choice on what item they'll find in chests before starting a playthrough. It'll still be random upon reaching a chest, and you could add mandatory restrictions that need to be met before starting a run (such as needing so many amount of weapons and only one super weapon allowed as examples).

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Going back to unlocking achievements, I have been trying and trying to get that blasted 'Enchanted Staff" one. Choosing the class with the highest starting Arcana stats (Mage), I'm given 7 chances to get at least 3 potions that could increase my Arcane stats. If I ever went past 4 or got a potion that decreased my Arcane, I try to get Nips killed to return back to the start and try again.

Having a way for me to reset mid run would've been nice to have.

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The last thing I wanna talk about are Items in general. I can grasp which ones are the strong weapons, and I understood what items did after use, but giving a description would really help. When I saw the 'Big Cheese' for example, I thought it was a 'Cookie'. It served the same expectation I thought it would, but the 'Magic Herb', I haven't the slightest clue on what it does.

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Never the less, effort was placed into this game. It can take a few plays to figure out, but because of the ambition it has, it seems to have overlooked some elements that could've made it more easier on the player to follow and enjoy.

LeviRamirez responds:

genuinely a great read regaurding the game, thank you for writing this!

I definitely see where you are coming from, this game IS heavily reliant on RNG and for the most part I plan to keep it that way, the reason I give the player so many items is cause I wanted them to change up how they play on the fly. It's definitely not the best designed rouge-like game out there, not even on this site, but I wanted to try out something different in regaurds to my other game.

However! In a planned update that will be overhauling a lot of the game's issues along with adding more content, I'm hoping that some of these issues will be fixed! Some of these are just "hard-coded" problems that you and many others might not like about the game, but I find enjoyable. Trust me, Even when I was making this I assumed most people would think the exact same thing you're thinking and this game wasn't gonna do to hot. Now that peeps like it, I gotta actually make it playable ig lol.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback!

[Drop Cannon]

A reflex game, huh?

I tend to lose my cool and mix buttons up the longer these games go, so the little periods where we have to deal with intruders is welcoming. Though, I seem to have some problems when I get to Denver during these moments.

Basically, there are a few of those buzzards that park themselves just outside the game boundaries. Twice it has happened to me during the last invasion, and they parked off the right end of the screen. Not sure if this is a bug, an oversight, or that I'm just too slow for something that may have been intended.

Outside of that, I don't really have any issues with it. Good drawings, smooth animation, distinct presentation, and a simple concept with a bit of a twist.

P.S. The issue people seem to point out that the last medal has zero points. I've noticed that sometimes medals that haven't been obtained by anyone will usually have 0 points until someone obtains it. At least, that's how it went for me when I got the last medal in 'Island Destroyer'.

TomFulp responds:

The bugs parking outside is a bug I need to solve.

I'm hoping the last medal will show points once someone unlocks it and we should probably change how the site handles that in the page.

[Enter into Darkness 2]

Oh boy, this game is a mess.

- The password system doesn't work.
- The 'Enter' key doesn't work upon death (meaning no returning to a bookmark).
- Enemies and obstacles can get past by without the necessary class or item.
- When the mummy appears, it drains hearts if I stall (it makes sense, but since this is the only enemy that I've encountered that does this, I'm assuming that this is a bug).
- I don't think any of the items in the beginning have a point as I never got a moment to use any.
- I can still recover hearts by pressing space without a Heart Crystal.
- On the 7th floor (Warthog Power Circle) when I take the ladder to go up, it says that I've traveled up two floors; but instead of the text telling me I'm on the 9th floor, it says I'm on the 8th floor.
- On the 11th floor (Terroritory Camp Site), if I choose to ignore the view and head on to the exit, I'm being told that I'm checking the craft bar.
- On floor 15 (Natural Crossing Way), if I choose on heading to the right tunnel, I find myself on floor 3 after gaining a heart.
- 20th floor (Gallow Sinn Empire Crossing), chose C, and the 'Enter' key is replaced with the 'Space Bar'. This issue stays with floor 21 after choosing B.
- And Vamprica. Once I go past floor 22, no matter which path I take, all the paths lead up to her. This wouldn't be a big deal, but the issue here is that none of the keys are assigned to anything. I can't use the keyboard to pick 'A', I can't click with the mouse to choose 'B', nothing works and my only option is to end the game.

This game has potential, but it was never tested from start to finish as it seems to get worse the further I get into it.

And while I got your attention, I tried playing the first game to this one... and it doesn't work. While this game allows me to play it using the Newgrounds Player, the other just says 'Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported'. I don't know why this one works over the other, but the point stands that these games are broken.

Newshield responds:

The game is not broken, none of them are. This game was suppose to be updated but, other things have come up since the Covid situation. Nothing has been updated. None of the games, not this one or others.

All are currently being switched over so that they can be played here and that's going to take some time because the codes have to be rewritten and tested. So, the reason you've had such problems with this game and the others is because you're playing a very outdated, never update version.

[ZS Dead Detective - Pumpkin Head]

A headless guy is part of the hunting association... he's a head(less)hunter... cute.

I'm going to miss these guys. Truth be told, I kinda took inspiration from this for a series of stories I've written called, 'The Shroomlock Holmes of Mushroom Mares'. Basically it's 'My Little Pony' X 'Monster Girls' and a mushroom pony is solving cases in a monster society with a fairy following her for support. I often reflect upon how Margh and Ghvnn work off each other and try to use that as one of the references on how the mushroom and fairy should interact between themselves (throw in a bit of a big/little sister vibe to the mix).

Anyways, I enjoyed the game, congratulations on the marriage, and good luck on your next project.

P.S.: There's also a typo with one of the evidence on the top left. 'Yeow knex exactly how to activate the gas bomb'.

Muja responds:

Thank you a lot for your very nice review, and I'm extremely glad my games have been an inspiration for another writer! Good luck with your projects, and thanks again!

[Christmas ADVENTure 2019]

AH HA!!! I was prepared for an Advent Calendar this year!

In any case, I don't know what I can say that'll be any different from last year. In fact, many of the elements from last year are still in it (like it was re-skinned). The scenery is different, but the character is the same (probably will change in the same order as last year too). Music is different, but there's still that awkward snow walking effect (even the SFX of crunching snow). The little interaction with the TV is new, but things will probably proceed the same (like the tree looking more lively over the course of the month).

But the main purpose of this isn't really the presentation rather than it really being about artists promoting their work together. Some will be cute, others will be awesome, few will be funny, and a couple will be weird. You can't really judge this as a whole because the artists will be approaching this much like last year.

Bottom line is that it's a lot like last year with a few things different but with the same purpose of helping artist to show off their work. Which is why I think it's only appropriate that I should give this the same score I gave last year's.

EDIT: In reply to GeoKureli's comment, I try to not let others push me into doing things, but I know what it's like when you put a lot of effort into something and people look over it towards one certain issue.... it was on a story called, 'CYOA: Bronytale'. I don't want to be like that guy and I won't deny that more and more things have been added over the past 6 days. So how's this, I'll give 4 stars for now and wait until everything is revealed until I consider on giving it that last star.

EDIT X-MAS DAY: Okay okay. You fixed a lot of the issues, made a little murder mystery, let us do the Timewarp. This has been a lot more interactive than last year's or even any Advent Calendar I'm familiar with. You deserve that last star.

GeoKureli responds:

no it's way different, we have a ton of plans, vote 5

Edit: told ya!

[Christmas ADVENTure 2018]

Crap, now I have to keep this game in mind for at least 355 days before I can get the medals that I missed. Which one will win? Stubbornness or forgetfulness?

*Sigh* Anyways, the idea of an advent calendar with medals and contents isn't the first time that has appeared on this site and I doubt it'll be the last. The game is very laggy and slow, the character takes forever to get anywhere (and even though you did state that the snow is deep in one of the other comments, it sounded like an excuse to be honest).

Other than the medals and the stiffness of the character's pacing, I can't harp on this game any further. It is what it is, a collaboration of artists showing off their work in a fancy outlook. While I may not be a fan of these kind of games, it would be insensitive to not consider the effort of each artist that put in some effort into this. Collabs have that wavy feeling for viewers where it follows a pattern, but the full project feels wobbly. They're nice at getting noticed, but they lack a solid structure that really hooks the viewer in (like a mixed bag of candies; you taste a sweet strawberry, but a sour lemon breaks that feeling).

ninjamuffin99 responds:

The general pacing of the character was intentional, but I do need to optimize it more to make it now slow as shit on lower end hardware.

[A Sweet Typing Thrill]

I find that the first paragraph for the Assimilation puzzle very ironic. When playing the previous game to this, I took some word or an idea and went to google to find a word that might fit the answer. After many trial and error, I would eventually find an answer and feel all the strain on my brain being rushed out and leaving me feel refreshed, it was kind of rewarding.

This game is no different. It has challenging puzzles that takes time to solve and it gives the same rewarding sensation. But as I sit here for the last five hours with the Assimilation puzzle in front of me, I began to notice at how surprisingly true that last sentience is.

These puzzles are definitely more challenging and (judging from what I've noticed and your theme for the game) elaborate.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

As for the assimilation puzzle, you've already used the keys needed to unlock the door. This door has two locks, so you'll need both keys ;)

Btw, if you or anyone else needs hints, I think absoluteDETH is fairly happy to help if you PM him :)
(You can PM me too, ofc, but I tend to be busy every now and then).

Google is definitely a useful tool, and is even recommended for beating the games :)

I believe that the more difficulty one has had with a certain puzzle, the more rewarding it probably is when one solves it. That's what I hope, at least x'D

I think that this second game is indeed more challenging, but it seems to be well received thus far! :D

Thank you for playing, and for leaving your thoughts :3

[Analytical Expedition]

It could use a bit more work.

The fights were a bit bizarre, but understandable after a few rounds of trial and error. The platforming can be very frustrating after the fourth boss as I found myself sliding down the floating slopes and apparently couldn't jump or double jump back on before my plunge.

I'll be honest, I wanted to play through this game only to hear the music. I couldn't finish the game (so I don't know if you added credits to it or not), but it would be nice to know the music source of the bosses.

IRGS responds:

The credits are at the end, maybe i'll put a secret on the control menu so that you can access it directly, maybe not ;)