Recent reviews by ralphyua

The controls feel good. The graphics and animations are really well done. They have a Hollow Knight feel to them for those of you who are fans of that game (I certainly am). There are a nice variety of interesting and inventive weapons. I especially like burning enemies with the flame thrower. Hitting tennis balls around at your enemies is also fun. There's a mysterious storyline. However, I haven't been able to get far enough in the game yet to uncover what it is about. Overall, a really fun shooter.

As a gamedev, I am still wondering how three guys were able to pull this off. I really like the artwork and the bug theme of the game. The combat is nothing revolutionary, but the controls are good and the battles are both interesting and satisfying. What Hollow Knight does best is create a certain atmosphere. I think those looking for a great side scroller, this would be it. I still like Shovel Knight better, but Hollow Knight is not far behind. The only complaint I really have is that the game is a little long. I would have preferred a shorter experience that would make multiple playthroughs more enjoyable. Other than that, if you are a fan of side scrollers, definitely get this game.

What can I say about Shovel Knight that hasn't been already said? The artwork is simplistic yet wonderful. The music is great. The combat and boss battles are fun. The game is challenging but not frustratingly challenging, and the pacing is just right. I never really felt bogged down for too long doing something. One of the goals of Shovel Knight was to give gamers that experience they had when they were a kid playing games on the NES. It delivers that in spades. I was hesitant to spend twenty dollars on a single game at first when so many others sold for five to ten. However, with all the extras included with the package, I feel this game is completely worth the money.

This is a pretty fun game. I play it a lot with my nephews. For those who grew up playing arcade games like TMNT and Captain Commando, they should enjoy Castle Crashers. There is nothing ground breaking, but the graphics are well done, the controls are tight, and the fights are interesting and satisfying. The developers also have their unique art style and sense of humor that adds a special touch to the game. The game isn't too long or too short. It feels about right.

This is my first review. Let me start by saying that I have played some really bad games in the past and did not leave a negative review. So why leave a negative review for Crosscode considering this game gets so many things right? Well, I will get to that later. First, let's go over the good.

The Good:
The first thing players will notice are the wonderful pixel graphics. The environments, characters, enemies, and bosses are all very well drawn and animated. The controls are fairly good with a variety of moves you can execute as you collect different elementals in your arsenal. In classic RPG style, the more you fight, the more you level up and make your character stronger. You can also buy equipment and upgrade yourself by using something the game calls circuits. You have one circuit board to begin with, but as you collect the elementals, circuit boards are added. There is a starting point to each circuit board that branches out to better upgrades. However, you have to upgrade in a path. You cannot just jump to the best upgrades possible (not a complaint, just explaining how it works). There are a good variety of enemy types. The boss battles require both strategy and reflexes. The puzzles are very well thought out. The basic storyline is okay, but I don't expect an amazing story for the type of game Crosscode is. So it sounds like this is a really great game. Why would I not recommend it if there are so many positives. Well, let's get to the bad.

The Bad:
What Crosscode mainly suffers from is pace. When I worked as an editor in the television industry we had this mantra of "Less is more". Cut out the extraneous stuff and keep the great stuff in. After I played through the first dungeon, I had an inkling this would be a problem with Crosscode. I found myself satisfied after solving the first four or five puzzles in a dungeon. Like I said before, the puzzles are very well thought out. But then I had to solve another two or three and started getting impatient. Then when I thought there couldn't be anymore puzzles, I would have to solve another five. Some of the puzzles were also downright sadistic. I remember feeling really demoralized at one point and started dreading having to do another dungeon level.

The battles suffer from something similar. Although there is a good variety of enemies, there are way too many battles where the only variation is the numbers of enemies and the combination of enemies you fight. This is fine for a few battles, but after awhile it gets repetitive and frustrating. There are also many fights where you have to face a bunch of enemies that take cheap shots at you. You block one attack, dodge another, only to have the third guy hit you in the back. This type of combat just isn't fun for me. In addition, the enemies can also defy the laws of physics. They jump into the air and can adjust where they land to hit you even though they don't have wings.

Finally, let's talk about the story. I can deal with the fact that the story line isn't amazing or that the dialogue isn't particularly interesting. The problem is that so much time is spent on it. I know you can skip the dialogue sequences, but sometimes important game related information is given, so you need to read it to understand what to do next. I found myself clicking through all of it and speed reading for just the important information. That got real old real quick.

In conclusion, it took me around sixty hours to finish Crosscode. I see the average time is around 33 hours. I did do a few of the side quests, but I guess I am bad at this game. Still, 33 hours is still too long. There were many points I just felt like I was wasting my life away. In comparison, I played Shovel Knight for 43 hours but never felt bored. Shovel Knight is a perfect example of a game that gets the pacing right. It took me around ten hours to beat it, but the experience was so gratifying I played it over and over again. If Crosscode was a fifteen to twenty hour experience for the main story, I think it would have been amazing. As it stands right now, I feel like I went through an ordeal instead of a great gaming experience. If you think this is an unfair criticism, just think about your favorite movie... then imagine that movie being ten hours long. I really liked the Godfather, but I probably wouldn't if it got drawn out past three hours. I really hope that in the future Radical Fish will take pace into account. I'm not saying don't have all those puzzles and battles in the game, just don't make so many of them mandatory to advance the story. Most other great games understand this concept and make the really hard puzzles and battles optional for the player to tackle.

As a game developer myself, I have to say that Crosscode is a HUGE achievement given the size of the team and what they were able to pull off. The programmers and artists are clearly talented, and I hope they will continue to make more games in the future. So why am I leaving this negative review when other games that I have played are much worse? Well, because this game is worth critiquing while the other ones were not worth my time. I know I am only one voice, and probably no one from Radical Fish will read this. A guy can still try, though, and I really hope their next game takes pace into consideration which would just hit it out of the ballpark.