Prid-Outing's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Duck Spray]

Cute aesthetics and funky gameplay, but it was really hard knowing what to do at the very beginning bc the money was hidden away in the mailbox, and that wasn't so obvious, so I wasn't able to enjoy the beginning very much. And then when I did find the money and got to buy some spray paint, finding all the graffiti to spray over wasn't easy, and exploring the train station endlessly only to fall off and never recover unfortunately ran out my patience 😅

But I see now that you say it's unfinished bc you lost the files. Really sorry to hear that. It was a charming start :) Hope life is good and you're blessed with the best. Grew up with your games here on Newgrounds 😇

[Bullet Bill 3]

It's a fun game with a single, enjoyable objective -- destroying things at a fast pace! The levels are clever and diverse in themes (and full of secrets as well), the selection of characters is creative and unlocking them is rewarding, and the fact that you made a whole level editor and added tons of quirky and fun elements is really impressive!

Having said all that, the bosses killed the fun for me :/ They're horribly balanced! I was having fun blasting through the first world with ease when I had to face the first boss battle, and I can't believe how insanely difficult it was :( naturally, as a completionist, I like to unlock characters and collect all things, so I had to get the key as well, but the key + the boss, despite being the first one following an easy world, had to be one of the most unfair combos I've ever seen :/

I died like 50 times and thought multiple times about giving up, until I finally managed to get accustomed to the boss's pattern + Phantos's pattern. The boss shoots those rings extremely fast after landing, giving you almost no time to react, and on top of that, you have the homing Phantos who's insanely difficult to evade. Combine those two things together, with a moving stage platform that also kills you, and you have an almost indestructible duo of a first boss battle...

I can understand the pattern being easily recognizable to the programmer as it's evident for him what will happen and what algorithms the Phantos and the boss are bound by. But for someone who's playing it for the first time, and after going through the easy levels of the first world, having a boss battle like that is very unbalanced. It didn't even help using the slow mo ability as Phantos was unaffected by it. Eventually, I learned how to evade Phantos and I learned the patterns of the boss, and I actually found a way to beat him.

But I should also keep in mind that this is a Flash game from 2011, and I can't really expect the same balancing as from retail games ^^; Sorry, that first boss battle annoyed me, and I'm sorry to have to rant about it here, but it's otherwise a good game :)

[Castle Crashing the Beard HD]

Great effort, but unfortunately it lacks the charm of the original game!

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I applaud your efforts in remaking this classic gem. I've been patiently waiting for this for a loong time now, and the pixel graphics are nice, the 2-player mode is a HUGE welcome, the "pet" buffs twist is a nice addition for replay value, and the new level-ups were a pleasant surprise :) There are also a bunch of improvements like better-positioned platforms, more variety in the boss pattern, and easier-to-perform aerial combos!

Having said that, this "enhanced" game comes short of its original inspiration when it comes to charm, enjoyment, soundtrack, and feel. The new art style is too "cutesy" (I mean, even the skull isn't daunting anymore), the graphics and gameplay lack that "oomph" impact (not sure if it's bc of linear FBF animation or 60FPS, or both), there isn't much of a difference between the level-ups (all feel more or less the same function-wise but with varying pace and speed, except the last lvl. compare the "Fish" level in this game with the "Golden Staff" level in the original) and they lack personality, something that I personally loved about the original game (each lvl having its distinct special attack and weapon feel), and lastly, the soundtrack in this game just doesn't fit the gameplay and is lacking imho.

I feel like this game doesn't know how to position itself and is experiencing an identity crisis -- you're using "pixel art", yet the art style is round and cute, something that would've benefitted far more from non-pixel and smooth art, and so while some things look nice in pixel format (bgs, blocks, ground) other things are totally out of place like the mellow and jelly-like art and animations of the Boss (the Skull's art style reminded of Cuphead). It's like a clash of different art styles with poor results, and no disrespect to Luis' pixel art skills 😅 The "Mario"-like coin blocks don't really add anything to the gameplay and were just annoying imo -- and they just didn't fit in the game (hearing the SFX felt weird and out of place). The grinding mechanism in the original with combo-ing the gravestones was far more enjoyable imo. And the music doesn't fit in either, which kills half of the charm of this game as compared to the original one :/

Because at the end of the day, we have to compare this to the original as it's an "HD" version of it. While there have been some nice additions (pets, more details in graphics, 2-player mode, QoL improvements), the overal pace of the game and the graphical "impact" is severely lacking in this game as compared to the original game. Not to mention the pain-stakingly slow "transition" periods where the boss cannot be attacked (e.g. Tom Fulp when shooting lasers, and the Skull swirling slowly into position to shoot fireballs), and the "Level Up" transitions that last too long and interrupt the flow of the game (especially when you're in the midst of a combo and doing lots of damage, only to be interrupted by the long "Level Up" transition that lasts way too long and doesn't pause the game, so by the time you've leveled up the boss is back to an "invincible" state...). A lot of these hurdles kill the flow and make pet "buffs" useless at times.

With all these bumps and an "HD" version that lacks visual identity, the end result is something that has a lot of potential and an interesting direction, but fails to live up to its former shell. Should've called it a "reimagining" instead of an "HD" version, imho.

And I'm not sure if it's my nostalgia speaking, having grown up, or these actually being my unbiased feelings about this game, as the original is one of my all-time fav Flash games! Either way, that's how I feel right now, but maybe my opinion will change over time, who knows? ;)

A tip: placing the combos atop or close to the character would add much better visual impact than simply placing them in a corner where they're not noticed :(

BoMToons responds:

I disagree with a lot of what you wrote. I do concede that the "feel" of the attacks between levels was more unique in the original, and the "settling in" for certain boss attacks can be annoying in this one.

However, I love the art, sfx, and music in this one (it's much more consistent and cohesive than the original imo). In the original, I did the menus and bgs, Luis did the character animations, and Coaly did the boss... so the art is REALLY inconsistent there.

I really don't understand how an objective observer of both would say that the original is "more consistent" identity-wise than this one... this one is waaaaayyyy tighter in art direction, sound design, music, and gameplay (ie: identity).

But I get that nostalgia is strong, and this one does take a LOT of liberties in re-imagining the original in very fundamental ways. It does feel like a brand new game. It's good they both still exist and we can enjoy both forever more!

[FireBlob]

Cute, short, fun and creative game. Thanks for making it :)

[SKIM THAT PROFILE!]

This was a short, simple, fun idea with some stupidly hilarious graphics and funny texts, that I sort of liked it haha :)

[Get Kisses, Assimilate]

Great graphics, funny faces, and nice characters. I don't know what I played, it was random and funny, and the drawings were really good. I'm simply in love with them expression :3 Well done!

[Threads]

GORGEOUS graphics and an interesting plot packed in what reminded me of GTA 1/2 style :)

Well thought-out name, "Threads", like seriously it's clever *slow clap*! I like how everyone is going on about their lives in society, yet they're all somehow connected (although that doesn't get across as well). The gameplay is simple with some really nice graphics. Although, maybe it's a bit too simple, which is why it gets boring and repetitive after a while, especially after spending 20-30 seconds riding that train, haha.

What kept me going were the small stories that had personality and charm to them -- well done on that aspect as well! The story of the truck driver hit my heart, but what really struck me like a mind-blowing plot twist to a great movie, is the ending... like, did what I think happen really happen? The two cars at the end of the track were gone when the train was going off with its "freedom", so I can't say for sure, but if the intention was that those two cars were really supposed to be there, then SPLENDID work, my friend! That's what I thought would happen and I felt that shock throughout my body.

Would love to see the gameplay get a bit more interesting, as everything else was a pretty good experience. Some better driving controls with drifting and turbo, and less agonizing train levels would be great :)

[No No Solo]

Nice concept and fun graphics. Wish you'd at least added sounds or something as well :)

[Party Land]

Lovely characters, lovely story, and nice gameplay :) Finally a non-pixel art submission ^^

You made the animations yourself as well? Wow, I really loved the smoothness and artstyle of the characters, especially the dad! I bet you used Flash for the animations, or? Would love to know your secrets behind it because I've been sort of struggling with animations in HaxeFlixel -- it just feel a bit more tedious than in Flash.

Anyhow, I must confess that the controls felt a bit awkward. Having to move with WASD and use SPACE as jump key just didn't feel comfortable. You should made W the jump as an option as well :) Other than that, I felt the game was a bit too simplistic, like there was no real challenge to it or the enemies, so I'd love to see an update or a sequel of some sort that carries over the sweet artstyle and animations and incorporates a bit more to the game :)

catproX responds:

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I did the character design and animation for the game. I used procreate to do all of the art assets, Tiled map editor for the map, and Texture Packer to create spritesheets.

Agree regarding the keyboard controls. It was orginally designed for an X-box style controller. Also agree about the levels and the boss encounter. It was my first step into HaxeFlixel and kept it simple. I'm doing a bit of "research" now on making a better platform level, hopefully this will translate in a more enjoyable (challenging) level.

[Convergence]

Oh God the walking alien can JUMP!!!! That really got me good!

I loved the eerie atmosphere you manage to nail in the graphics, soundtrack and gameplay. Well done!

I'd like to complain about the controls, because they're not as responsive as I thought they'd be. One small mistake, either too far to the right or left, or bumping into an enemy, or jumping too high, and you're most likely dead and have to start over again from the last checkpoint :/

But like I said, I loved the feel, I liked the story, it kinda reminded me of Halo or other alien games, and the ending was sort of sweet. :)