Reviews
37
This mechanic is also skillfully used throughout the game when encountering different environmental obstacles, such as an electrical beam. The chiptune soundtrack is perfect at providing the feeling of a futuristic, almost dystopian Soviet Russia as you and fellow freedom fighters battle against the government. It helps to lay down the foundations for an immersive experience, and will stick in your head for hours after you’ve stopped playing the game.
In execution, Oquonie is a compelling game that murmurs to its players in hopes that they’re listening. It’s perfectly novel, yet inspired, and it may frustrate at times and intrigue at others, but to those who listen and take time in its ambiguities, Oquonie is incomparable.
Graphically, Ether One is very pretty, but the blurring motion and “flatness” of some objects as compared to others created a disorienting effect. The sounds are very well done, and there are optional radios you can turn on in levels to provide ambiance. Sound cues – such as whispering when you’re close to a fragment – are very helpful and placed very effectively.
The major upgrade from Escape Goat to Escape Goat 2 is the aesthetics. Everything from the music, art style and writing hits the mark with flying colors. Ian Stocker provides a soundtrack perfect for a puzzle platformer, one where the songs never get tiring and fit the themes of each unique world. A great combination of art design and music composition escalate the atmosphere surrounding the platforming mechanics.
The surface of Windforge is appealing – making an overused theme seem new thanks to the graphics – and the music fits the mystical, mysterious world, but there is not enough underneath. The game brings new ideas to this forming genre, and the intention is palpable, but falls short on execution.
There is some depth to it, but it’s too watered down by the unexciting perks and badges, and the weird frequency of drops, along with the poor placement of many turrets. It’s perplexing to discover that rooms are entirely skippable, and defeating the enemies is actually optional. Obviously, this is detrimental early on, but once you’re buffed up, you can speedrun easily.
Nevertheless, Out There is an impressive game that blurs the line between game and emotional experience, which is a union that works in its favour. Whether exploring stars, planets or solar systems, heading to an unknown artefact or learning an alien language, there’s always going to be something to do on your journey home, and some of it will be as surprising as it is beautifully lonely.
10 Second Ninja is great game for playing in either short or long sittings. I found myself playing for extended periods of time when unlocking new stages and shorter amounts of time when I was just looking to beat my personal record in a stage or two. 10 Second Ninja is fast-paced and highly-addicting with a great sense of humor from the very start.
I still haven’t gotten through the whole game — it is wonderfully long — but I’ve played it long enough to know that even I want to buy this game. Speaking of which, the game is currently sitting at two dollars (USD) for either the iPhone or iPad version; though this is apparently half off, meaning if the idea of mini-golf in space excites you — as well it should — then you should pick the game up now.
No title screen, no tutorials, nothing telling me what buttons do or how to change anything. After some clicking around, I was able to figure out how to change songs and instruments, but it was more of an egg hunt than it was of me understanding the program. Hovering my mouse over the icons told me nothing of what they did, and the pictures on them weren’t intuitive enough to understand without any context.