Garden-Stater's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Cedarville]

So simple, yet so fascinating. Huge replay value as well. Apparently while you only have two choices, the outcomes change even if you choose the same choice. I feel like players would benefit from knowing that when reading the description, rather than thinking you can choose 6 options once, 6 opposite options the second time and think you've discovered all there is, when in fact there's so much more. It'd be great if you made more like this. :)

[Colors Around Me]

Very original and fairly difficult. I wish I knew what the tan and yellow one was. :( You're right, iot woudl be good to play in groups. I hope to see more like this. :)

abhishek007 responds:

Hint :

Tan and yellow one : Adobe's . . . . . . . . . . .

[AL Project]

Great artwork, compelling story, interesting camera angles. I loved pretty much everything about it. I really enjoyed watching the story play out, and playing it for myself.

A few points that can be improved:
I think the gameplay, while good, could have been a little better. In a situation where you're shooting other armed guys, it would be nice to be able to take cover, instead of having to stand exposed. The safe combination was a little counter intuitive, and frustration until I figured it out. Also, I think moving from one action scene to another could have been presented better in the graphic novel style the story was in, rather than from bird's eye view. Also, I think there should be a hint or prompt that lets the player know you're supposed to check the downed enemies for items, rather than having to figure it out when it's not necessarily obvious.

Still, those were mostly minor things. Once again, this was a lot of fun and I EAGERLY await the next chapter. Thanks for making this. :)

[Traumata]

I enjoyed this game very much. It took a while to play, but kept me drawn in the entire time. Here's a breakdown of specifics:

- I liked the music, and I like how it changed depending on the state he was in. I think something that could've made it better is if the music became creepier as you get higher in the building.

- I liked the clues that were scattered throughout the game, it kept me interested in where the story was going. Unfortunately, it got to the point where the clues were kind of beating the player over the head, making puzzle meanings, or the overall story a little too obvious. Be that as it may, I can understand making sure the player "gets it" before Adam does, as he has a REALLY bad case of cognitive dissonance (ex: he looks at a picture the player KNOWS is him and his father, and Adam's reaction is "This is a picture of ... I don't need to know). I liked that element

- I liked the tension created by knowing the killer could be around every corner, and I liked trying to figure out just what his eventual role will be the bigger picture. I see that some people thought getting away from him was hard, or being caught was a "cheap death", but I found avoiding him really easy. On the entire 13 floors, I think he killed me maybe three times. The following isn't a criticism, only an idea. I think the killer could have been better used if he appeared in different forms throughout the game. For example, showing up with his arm raised instead of just holding the knife, or being a little more visible on the higher floors. Just something to change things up so his presence didn't become monotonous.

- I know this has been mentioned before, but I think Adam should have found more objects interesting. I understand if an old photo we've seen on 7 other floors isn't interesting, but there were plenty of colorful paintings and photos that grabbed my attention that I think should've grabbed the main character's too. Even if they weren't relevant to the story, it could have provided some false leads, obscuring where the clues led a little bit.

I'm sorry to say that I was a little disappointed in the ending(s). The game had a great story, gave a good sense of mystery, the last room emotionally gripping, and I even liked the ability to see the photo that was obscured in the game over screen (depending on which one of two endings you get), but the monologue after that room was a bit of a let down. I was expecting some huge revelation or some kind of closure. I don't know what to suggest to make it better, as it was your intention to leave it as a cliff hanger, but I think there's a way to leave the audience wanting more, while resolving the story we enjoyed seeing play out in front of us.

I hope my criticisms haven't been to harsh because overall, I really enjoyed the game. As a person who enjoys adventure games like this, I had a lot of fun. As someone who hopes to one day make one, I learned a lot from your game.

Good luck on the next, and thanks for making this one. :)

[MANUNT]

Ok: total side note: The game took forever for me to load (problem on my end, not yours, slow internet) and I forgot it was loading. Then the multiple gunshot intro scared me half to death!!!

Anyway, neat game. Its best features are, it is fun, it has a compelling story, all with some humor thrown in. Still, it definitely could be better. The graphics were simple, which I guess can work, but this time I think things like the simple text and hand drawn numbers got in the way of the experience. I agree with an earlier reviewer, keyboard actions would have been better than mouse actions. I thought it was fine at first, but soon it became clear that the placement of the next click on the screen was sometimes counter intuitive. How is the player supposed to know to keep their mouse in position to click "Go" when running from the mall guard, or know to prepare to move the mouse to the top of the screen when leaving the mall? Maybe the mouse could work as an option if the clickable spots were more predictable. Another thing that can use improvement, I think the helicopter scene should have a target cursor, instead of an image that appears once you hover over the right thing you're shooting at. It's just something players are more used to. I hope I haven't been to critical. While I believe these changes would make this better, I still had a lot of fun, enjoyed the humor, and felt satisfied once the game was done. :)

harlequinteepo responds:

Hey thanks for the imput, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. :v

[.Loneliness.]

I didn't like it that much. Generally I love games with a message that take a risk and attempt to pull at your emotions, but I just didn't feel it in this game. I liked "Why This" a little better, but this story just seemed too dry and (no offense Semaphone) but the music was a little cliche. Or unfitting. The story definitely has potential, I want to feel for Walter, but there were too many things that got in the way of my attempt to connect to the main character's state of mind. Also, the few text lines that were normal, and not pixel art were confusing.

Maybe it just wasn't for me. Either way, do keep trying, there'a definitely potential here.

[Why this?]

I thought it was pretty ok. I liked the loss of memory storyline and the plot twist. The music was fitting. I felt a little forced when I couldn't walk left once I passed the house, but I guess that if I wasn't forced, the ending couldn't take place. Coild be better , but still pretty good.

[Deadly Facility]

I like the concept and the art was good. My only issue is, I agree with a lot of others who've written reviews, the story is a little confusing. You begin by controlling the monsters/bad guys and end up controlling the humans/good guys. The other confusing thing, was in the second level (scenario, whatever) if you do the wrong thing and die, you fail, but in the other levels, the successful outcome is dying. I'd prefer more consistency, nevertheless, it was a fun game and I look forward to more like it.

[One and One Story]

I liked it a lot

I usually don't finish puzzle/art games in one sitting. I'll usually check them out try a few levels and then return later, but this one held me there capturing my curiosity and imagination. Thank you for sharing this with the world.

[Jugar Con Pirulo]

Interesting

Looks pretty good. I've always been a fan of interactive movies. I'd suggest allowing more time in the beginning to press the right buttons. Also, I think a lot of players would benefit from a subtitle option so everyone knows what's going on. Some icons of the keys you're supposed to press would help too.