Score: 7

"Completely accurate Troll sim."

submission: Troll's Rage

date: September 1, 2009

...in the sense that trolls are stupid, have no control, and never do what you tell them, this game succeeds in being the ultimate troll brawler. Basically it suffers from the same design problems that plague every 2.5d beat 'em up-- vertical movement and attack collision are stacked against the player.

Presumably this is because when they tried testing the game with reasonably wide player attacks, it was "too easy," so they artificially increased the difficulty level by making your attacks never hit when it looks like they should, adding a delay to all your attacks, and giving the AI ranged attacks. The result is a constant struggle, not against intriguing tactical combinations of enemies (though it has those,) but against the game's own internal stupid bullshit.

Maybe I'm being too hard on the big blue Trogg. After all, he has plenty of health, an omnipresent healing mechanic, a variety of attack moves which fill different roles, gorgeous (if delightfully brutish) graphics, a hilarious special attack, plenty of variety as you make your way from left to right, an unobtrusive built-in tutorial, and a perfectly consistent look & feel.

Despite all these good points, though, the muscles in the back of my neck tightened up from the constant frustration of my attacks missing, being too far from the enemy when my attack when off, being too CLOSE to the enemy when my attack went off, having my attack animations canceled by enemy attacks, archers and shamans harassing me with their CHEAP TRICKS while I was trying to EAT...

...

Huh. Maybe the poor control really IS an attempt to make the player feel like a brutish, enraged troll. Frustrating control for artistic reasons? I'm not sure I buy it. Even if that's the case, though, it detracted from my enjoyment of the game, didn't add to it, so I'm not going to reward the developer for it.

Intentional attempt at immersion or not, it just doesn't do it for me. There are better ways to achieve Troll Immersion than by tying one arm behind my back and forcing me to fumble in the dirt, trying to crush fire ants with my awkward, clublike fingers.

Overall, good game, with great production values, but slightly frustrating when it comes to the core mechanics. It gives you a troll's blunted tools, and then asks you to engage in a dance which rewards finesse and fine control. You just don't have what you need to manage the game's environment. I'm sure it's probably beatable, I just don't feel like getting constantly webbed and pelted in the back of the head with arrows for the next five levels to find out.

Score: 9

"2D game, 1D graphics."

submission: One Dimensional Quest

date: August 18, 2009

Very intriguing experimental game. However, I would argue that the "jumping" constitutes a simulation of a second axis of movement, just at a very low resolution. I've pondered something like this before, but it turned out better than I ever had any reason to expect it would. Nice job!

Score: 10

"That was AMAZING!"

submission: The Impossible Magic Tric

date: August 10, 2009

Holy shit! I couldn't believe my eyes when the movie finished loading and it knew I was logged in as WarpZone! That was incredible! I've never seen anything like it. I know a magician doesn't reveal his secrets, but I'd really love to see the code for this. Simply incredible. Easily the best trick I've ever seen on Newgrounds!

Oh, and there was some card stuff after it...

Score: 10

"Awesome loop, reminds me of Parasite Eve 1."

submission: -- Acidn'Bass --

date: November 7, 2008

...and frankly, that's all it takes to please me. :) Great job.

Score: 8

"Great happy NG fodder. :)"

submission: X.-Hyperlogic-.

date: August 14, 2008

Nice. :) I like the melody, and the way you wove it into a larger work. The techno mumbo-jumbo that kicks in around 1:10 is nice and smooth because it's just what's expected. The same goes for the sudden quiet purity around 1:45. 2:00's almost a little too slow, but then it picks up again and the beat is great from there on out. All things considered, a nice perky techno song with some cheerful acoustic piano. Great for the credits in one of those epic clock crew blockbusters they release once in a while, or just a shiny pick-me-up on your playlist.

Score: 7

"I needle the artist a bit, but it scales well. :P"

submission: B0UNC3 remix - Snakeman - MM3

date: August 14, 2008

I love me some video game remixes. This isn't quite as pure as my favorite SnakeMan aural experience, Disco Dan's incredible Get Down SnakeMan, but it covers all the bases eventually. I wasn't a huge fan of the soft lead-in, nor the rough noise, and the improv in general is a little rave-y, kinda trying to turn the song into something it's not. But I guess you gotta let the artist have fun somewhere. I did actually enjoy it when the bass came into the foreground around 1:20. Overall, this is a decent cover of a classic, on par with most of what you'd find over at Overclocked, and it's gotten me intrigued as to the artist's original music.