Octoraffe's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Subcon Introspection]

While I can see where you tried to touch on some pretty deep and complex themes here, I find the game in general to be lacking both on a thoughtful level and on an interest level. I think the themes you tried to convey are simply too untouchable for the setting you put them in. This game, I feel, does not explore what your description claims it is made to explore. Instead, it merely glosses over them, almost just kissing them as it passes by, unscathed. There could have been more here.. something more than a commentary on the banality of some "art" games, on the metaphysical exploration that many indie games slog through these days. You cite inspiration such as Sartre and Kafka, but I cannot see that inspiration here. Your quest to simplify the ideas of the writing you mention has diluted them to the point where they are neither effective themes or useful game elements.

I wanted to like this game, but it seems more like a parody or a spoof than anything else. I'll give you 2.5 stars. The programming and art style are good, but not great. The overall theme is tired and simplistic, saying everything while saying nothing at all. The three-act style is effective and strong, and does well to keep the player's interest, despite disappointing gameplay.

Thanks for making the game! I know my opinion of it isn't terribly positive, but I appreciate the work you put into it.

squidly responds:

Alright, first off, thank you for this.

As for the idea of this being a parody - simply put, it is not a parody. I was just anticipating that people would consider this "another stupid indie art game." And lo' and behold, it happened. Truth is, I'm sick of parodies, 2 of my last 4 games could be considered a parody, parodies are simply unoriginal.

Now, this game definitely did have the ideas of the aforementioned authors. In a lot of cases, it was subtle, and you would have had to have the conversations done in a proper English class to understand the allusions in some cases, but it's there.

As for the theme, perhaps it is tired, perhaps it is not. I'm not saying nothing, that's the issue. It's certainly not nothing. I made this game with a something, I always do. The thing is, I can't control what that something is, I learned that from Second Wind. I tried to make something so specific, that every detail had attention paid to it.

There are choices in this game, they are there. You can always choose to do something, the game is always saying and showing something different. I wrote an entire paper to go along with this that I think you might have an interest in. I would certainly like you to PM me so we can continue this conversation.

[GRINDSTAR]

This game seems broken in Firefox, as no matter what I click nothing happens.

failnaut responds:

I'm sorry to hear that! I tested it thoroughly in Chrome, but I'll take a look at the Firefox issues.

[Swords and Potions]

There is absolutely no reason to charge any kind of money or to force people to stop playing. On a mobile app it could work, but on a free flash-game site? I played this game on Kongregate as well, which is another free flash-game site. Pay-to-play is not a clever or honest gameplay model, and your popularity will suffer. If you had left your profiteering out of this, this might have become one of the most beloved games on Newgrounds because it is so unique and entertaining. I am fairly disappointed that you chose to go the route of making players throw money at you to continue their game.

The gameplay itself is wonderful and refreshing. Running an item shop in an RPG is a really fun new take on the lemonade stand/business tycoon game model. But due to the complaints above, this review gives your game a 1/5 and I voted 3/5, totaling 4/10.

[Harvey's New Eyes]

I knew it! You guys put out Deponia! Honestly, that game was one of my favorite point and clicks ever (and I have played many, many, many of them), so I know this is going to be good. Your adventure games are so good, I am always impressed. Thanks!

[Jacksmith]

Great game but when I logged in again to keep playing my progress was not saved and I had to restart. Make sure your savegame system works!

[Infectonator 2]

The game is great, just as the first one. You took an addictive and entertaining premise and turned it into something even better. A few features are tightened and the game is a bit less racist, which is really good. I just wish you hadn't piled so much self-advertising into the game. I know you want people to purchase your new app, but it's annoying to be asked to like the same facebook pages or follow the same twitter accounts so much in one game.

I find it's missing an "overall" bar for the zombie traits. Each new upgrade tells me a certain percentage will be added but it doesn't tell me what it currently stands at. It would be easier to see where best to spend my money that way.

Anyway, this is a great sequel, and good luck on your app. 4/5.

[Dead Pixel]

There were a few instances where I clicked on the pixel off-center and it took away a life. The hitbox should be the whole pixel, not the middle.

Otherwise, a great and challenging little game. Simple in premise, difficult in practice. It's very rewarding to finally spot that dead pixel!

[Astravoid]

Okay, the momentum in this game is awesome. I love that you sorta skid about... really adds a new dimension of challenge. This game is really fun and I like the minimal, "classic" look to it. The difficulty curve is perfect. 4.5 stars because sometimes stars would spawn inside/on top of asteroids.

[Mysterious Mayhem]

I love the concept, and the 8-bit feel. However, this could use some work. The firing rate is really slow, and the movement is really "loose"... Mikey tends to drift and slide quite a bit, which makes this game kind of a pain in the butt to play. Also, while the arrow keys are great, you chose a very strange setup for interact/shoot/powerup. X and C are normal, but G? If you needed three keys why not use the WASD interface for that instead? G is awkward to hit when my fingers are on Z, X, and C already. Also, the music is super loud and grating! I think some tweaking could make this a really fun, addicting shooter. I love Dr. Mysterious and Dr. Mayhem.

I think my least favorite thing about it is the "stages". In a game like this, where you are trying to save your sister, it would make more sense to travel in a linear path through a city, town, or suburb to reach your final destination. Why am I choosing stages instead of fighting my way to my kid sister?

Like I said, a few tweaks here and there and you have a great game. This review is giving you 3 out of 5 stars, and my submission rating is also 3 out of 5. 6/10.

[Countdown]

Is this... a game? There's no challenge, nothing interesting about it... I got bored after about 10 seconds of pressing my space key. There is absolutely no incentive to keep the timer from running out. There is, again, no challenge whatsoever... I don't have to press my spacebar insanely fast, or time it right. I only need to press it about 2 times a second to keep the timer up. To any even moderately-regular gamer, this is really more of a time-waster than a game. No reason to play this for more than 5 seconds at all.