Flashia's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[SkyFyre]

Whoa, there...OH MY-*BOOM!!!*

If I had to pick a 3rd most favorite genre (behind RPGs and Platformers), it would be 2-D shoot-em-ups (i.e. Galaga, Gradius, etc, NOT Contra, that's 2-D Shooters.). So when I heard of this game, I was very interested. Now, rarely do I explain my first-hand experiences in-depth, but I will now. But before we get to that, let's get over the other stuff first.

The story is nothing special; just the tried 'n' true generic story a 2-D Shump would have. The graphics are very attractive and pretty, not to mention they don't seem to get old. However, that can be a problem, but I'll get to that later.

The music...there's only 1 song. It's not too bad, but a variety would be very nice. I'll take 0.5 point off since there's only one song, but it isn't too bad.

Now for the gameplay, or rather, my own trip on SkyFyre. When I first played the game, I picked warrior, went through the tutorial, inserted my free 2 points (assuming you go through the tutorial and not skipping it), and booted the first level. I blasted away the first couple waves, and then 3 red monsters with helms came out, and I blasted through them. Then I had a feeling about this game; I mean, there was a fact about this 2-D shoot-em-ups that I didn't know yet. But no later than the first miniboss it dawned on me: This isn't a regular 2-D Shoot-em-up. This is A BULLET HELL SHOOTER!!!

Okay, it may be one of the more easier ones (as far as I seen), but still. I know not everyone's a fan of Bullet Hell Shooters, and so deducted points for that (One went down from a 10 to 4 due to that one reason). I however like a challenge every now and then, but I still had times where I felt like I WAS GONNA THROW THE FRIGGEN MOUSE AT THE MONITER!!! ...and screaming stuff out loud. Ouchies.

Okay, as far as the controls, go they feel great. However, lately, my mouse has been stiff with this game. I don't know why. Oh well. Anyhow, the shop is okay, there's a good variety of emenies, and oh, hiding behind the emenies won't help. 60% of the emenies are smart enough to shoot you from behind, which constantly made me go back and forth and back and forth and back and forth...until I either win, or lose. The patterns are pretty okay, too, although the emenies themselves are in a way more troublesome. There's this one wave in level 6...oh my gosh. I won't spoil it for you.

Then we have the classes. They're all relativly balanced, but I'll agree that they're more like difficulty settings. Balancing would be nice, or rather, the stats, since you can still take a wisdom path as, say, a knight. One full point will be taken off for this.

Now what else...oh yes. The distractions. I learned that things don't have to be bright to distract you. The graphics I've mentioned can be distracting. But also the money. I liked how bullets turn into money when its shooter is killed, but they can distract by pressuring you to get them while forgetting about those darn bullets. That...is impressive.

As for the good parts, well, it was fast-paced. And it was a blast buying the upgrades (albeit expensive) and owning everyone in sight (well, not everyone, but you get what I mean). And all other stuff you'd expect in a 2-D shoot-em-up. Oh yeah, and the emeny bullets are the exact same, just with the difference in damage. 0.5 taken off. Some different colors would suffice. Different Sizes are welcomed, but since this is a bullet hell shoot-em-up, bigger bullets are only gonna cause problems. So different colors. You don't need anymore than that.

I had a blast playing SkyFyre, and it provided a nice challenge. However, this Bullet Hell Shump may be too much for some, which I can understand. I would love to see the sequel with improvments, and hopefully longer. I now feel what it's like to play a Bullet Hell Shump.

I give SkyFyre an Eight out of Ten. As a result of this score, SkyFyre has earned the Silver Medal.

[Epic Battle Fantasy 2]

OH MY GOSH!!! I see a pheonix!!!

To say this was an improvment over the first Epic Battle Fantasy would be underestimating it. So many stuff that was wrong with the last game was corrected. So let's get to it.

First off are the save points. There was a few bad spots I didn't mention in the last review, like the save aspect; in the last game, there was NONE!! Boy, what torture! Thankfully, you provided us with not one, but two save spots. As for the people who think there should be one after every stage, *punches those people*. Okay, that's better.

Anyhow, you also added some sort of leveling up mechancs. I don't see any levels, but you can improve in some way depending on your actions after each wave, not stage, giving it a Final Fantasy II feeling in terms of leveling up, just without the reverse-negative part, thankfully.

I also liked how you used original stuff throughout the game, except for Power Metal. Tell me you're going to replace it with an original one in the 3rd EBF, not that it's bad, mind you. But You don't want Dragonforce up your throat, do you?

The final boss, is actually and thankfully, a little easier. Seriously, Undead Goku actually gave me a harder time than the Valkyre. Speaking of which, even the curve was improved, so that there's no real spikes before the final confrotation. If there were any, at least they weren't as pointy as those "dotty" monsters from the last EBF.

The battle system is still the same (0.5 taken off for little changes for the better, but thankfully there weren't any that were for the worse), but thankfully you added a minigame to break up the monotony. But I can't seem to get the high score intended for the medals, either because I'm a bad player or the minigame didn't gave you enough HP/Time (might be the former).

There was, however, one element that seems to be missing from my team's arsenal: Water. Some of the logs' weaknesses say water can be used. But from what I've seen, neither Matt nor Natallee can use a water-elemental attack, especially since it's my favorite element. For leaving it out, 0.5 point was taken off, leaving you with Nine so far.

There was actually some sort of story this time around, thankfully. No furhter comment, here, except that Nazi symbol on lance probably wasn't the best choice. But nontheless, I won't take point off for it.

You used original audio, this time around, and thank GOD none of them were embarassing. However, this time around, some voice acting for the duo (and Lance) would've been nice, especially Natz XD.

The graphics got a little better, it's just not obvious. Although I missed Natallee's old costume, her....errrrrrr........"pose", was kinda.......never mind. Speakinng of pose, let me bring up something I forgot to add. These..."Limit Breaks", for a lack of better term, are a nice touch, and they literally saved my life a few times.

Man, you've really gone out of your way to correct your mistakes from the last game, and it shows. There's littlebigroom (pun not intended) for additional improvment, but for now, this is really THE Epic Battle Fantasy. Would an Epic Story make it TRULY an EBF? It's up to you.

I give Epic Battle Fantasy 2 a Nine out of Ten. As a result of this score, Epic Battle Fantasy 2 has earned the Gold Medal.

matt-likes-swords responds:

Lol thanks.

There is indeed no water magic, but I gave enemies weaknesses against it just in case I added it.

I'm also surprised that no one so far has been seriously offended by the swastika.
Everyone just says "OMG that might offend someone".

I've never tried voices before and don't feel like starting now, don't really need the extra work.
Though who knows.

[Epic Battle Fantasy]

Bare Role-Playing Genes

I've played this game a few times, and I must admit, I had some fun playing this game. I thought I wouldn't like it since it was too "generic", but alas, I was somewhat wrong.

I've gotta mention the gameplay here, since story isn't a major part. This would've been a BIG no-no for an RPG, but our favorite mouse has proven us wrong. But still, a little story would've been very nice. Anyway, you basically attack/heal, wait, then attack again. This can get repetitve fast (I know that all other games has repetivitness; when reviewers say "repetitive", they mean how much fun is taken away from the repetitiveness, mind you), I mean REALLY fast, so 1 point taken off for that. The medals were nice (and in one case hilarious), which by the way was one of the few reasons I hung on.

This game is too....basic? It has most of the core elements of an RPG, with the exception of leveling up in some way shape or form, which was a surprise. But there isn't any mechanic that's too outstanding? Alright, the higher powered Players/Emenies/Spells can be one, since too many rpgs have you placed on low-level (1-10 dmg per...you know). But in this one, you start off STRONG (3000-10000 dmg minimum), at the cost of leveling mechanics.

I was going to take off 3 points for the basic genes, but one aspect lowered it to two: While most had some sort of difficulty curve, whether it be good or bad, this one was near-perfect! Seriously, the curve here is one of the best I've ever seen. There is only one spot before the final boss that was a bit spiked (god forbid those stupid Regis).

Music choice wasn't too fitting, and in some cases, espeically the 2nd stage, VERY embarrasing. I actually had to mute the 2nd stage music, and as cool as all the music choices was, with the exception of some bosses, they were quite out of place, taking off one point for embarrsement.

Is there ONE 100% good part of EBF? Yes, yes there is. And it almost more than made up for all the flaws: The graphics. They are REALLY pretty to look at; even on low, they still look outstanding. Mecha and Undead Goku in particular made me think whether or not you were human in terms of artisic skills. Maybe you should post a tutorial on how to make such great graphics? Speaking of which, the recreation of the non-original emenies were great. By the way, the thing controlling Undead Goku is Duskull, not Cubone.

Overall, this shows the bare foundation of what a RPG battle system should be. Well, maybe it isn't, since it can use some stuff to make it WAY more interesting, but hopefully you'll improve (which you will) on the sequel. It's not the best, but it isn't too too too bad.

I give Epic Battle Fantasy a Six out of Ten. Just a little more would've earned you a Bronze Medal.

matt-likes-swords responds:

Thank ye.

[Newgrounds SIM v 1.2]

Pretty much sums up the road to NG legacy

This is one of those NG based game where every point of dedication was put in. This Sim game stands out for that reason, among others. Soooo....where are those reasons? Down here, mah boy!

I can't find any set-in-stone story, but it seems that you are on your way building up the road to NG legacy. It seems to get the player to feel that way, and it succeeds. More often than not, though, you'll have to double the days of the day that you became a NG favorite.

Graphics were kinda...original in some places, but in others like the computer, they totally ripped. Nothing much to say here.

There's only 1 main music piece, and trust me, it gets repetitive. Sounds were subtle.

The gameplay of Newgrounds SIM v1.2 can get a bit boring at times, since you're pretty much doing the same thing each time. But the stickers were a fine additioin, and the reward for obtaining those was pretty generic, but unexpected at the same time. It's also somewhat long, which can be a mixed bag, if you know what I mean.

If you're wondering what it'll take to reach to Newgrounds Stardom, this is your answer. Except more often than not, you'll have to double the amount of days you'll take, from what I've seen. Overall, a simple, but somewhat original SIM game.

I give Newgrounds SIM v 1.2 an Eight out of Ten. As a result of this score, Newgrounds SIM v 1.2 has earned the Silver Medal.

[William and Sly]

Perhaps THE beautiful Flash Platformer Competitor

I've just finished playing William and Sly, and I must say, it's perhaps the TRUE competitor we've all been waiting for. If you don't get what I mean by that, that's okay. It's relativly unimportant. Anyhow, let's get the show on the road already!

The Story is nothing special. William wants you (Sly) to hunt for fairyflies to restore his runestones to get to the Storage. What is special, however, is the sharp writing. Sharp writing is rare these days in both Flash AND Official games, so major points for that.

The music is there, but not obvious until you get to the boss, which may I say that the boss music rocks. The sounds, however, was one of the strongest points of the game.

Graphically, it looks PHENOMINAL! Sly looks like he's both fully rendered and from an offical Disney Animated Movie. The backgrounds (especially the trees) are nothing less than spectacular. This is perhaps the strongest part of the game.

Now for the gameplay. It's a really nice platformer. I was glad there were no bottomless pits whatsoever. Also, Sly controlled well. The fairyflies were also in the meduim difficulty to get. However, when you teleport between runestones in a flash, there's a VERY potential danger for epiletic seizures. You might want the flashes when teleporting to be less..I don't know. Flashy? We don't want another 'Electric Solider Porygon', do you?

Unlike the game William and Sly is competiting aganist, this is one BIG BIG world, instead of a big world, connecting to other big worlds. This can be a drawback, however, as this game doesn't last a TENTH as long as the other game. It was easy to get lost at first, but that obstacle became mininized when you get the map.

Speaking of the map, let's talk about it. As I said, it pretty much prevent you from getting lost, so long as you could find the nearest runestone. Now here's what I found...not good. While thankfully the map lists where runestones are, as for the other stuff, like mushrooms and chests, they are not. I sometimes looked for them and couldn't search for them on my map! But it's not gonna take a point off since it's thankfully optional, or I would've...never mind that.

However, I didn't like how you used SHIFT to access the map. Why? Stic. Ky. Keys. They are always a niusence. Maybe something like W would work?

Also, the darklings were annoying. They were placed inconviently and more often than not, the whilte magic when you activate a runestone doesn't last long enough to dispel those annoying idiots.

What's the worst part? The boss. Simply but, he was so frustrating that I'm considering docking down a point for making him so frustrating. Hmm...to dock or not to dock a point for the boss. Eh. I won't. But it's probably a 9.55 or something.

Still, William and Sly is an outstanding game. It's almost nothing like we've ever seen before. Smooth controls, sharp writing, and excellent gameplay (except for the boss) makes this game just as exceptional as the game William and Sly is competiting aganist.

I give William and Sly a Ten out of Ten. As a result of this score, WIlliam and Sly has earned the Platinum Medal. Congraduations.

[GemCraft 0]

'I take one step forward and two steps back...'

Sorry, I'll get 'Never Turn Back' out of my head. *shakes head swiftly* There we go. That's better. Anyway, the title is self-explanitory. It's a good game, but a hindered one, unlike the last one. But how?
The graphics are a bit sharper this time around. The audio is at the same place where it was from the original. Fitting, but nothing exceptionally outstanding.
The story actually got a little spice this time around. I've yet to finish the game unlike last time, but it'll be enough.
Now for the gameplay; there were changes, of course. As for the 'positives', the traps were nice; Now my Poison Gems aren't so useless! And there's multiple modes! I like that.
Now for the ones that were for the worst, most notiably, the new experience system. It used to be that ALL the numbers were added as experience. Like If the score showwed 859,370 I'd get that much. Now, however, The first 3 digits are used, and I felt a little empty, and wrong. Like, I'll get 859 experience instead of 859,370. Sure, the curve was adjusted to fit, but seriously, not cool butchering the experience system.
The skills was also an issue. Very little of them are useless, though. What got me was the QUANTITY of the skills. In the last game, ther was just enough. Now, there's simply too much to the point my head spinned a few times.
As for the final nail in the 9 coffin, the difficulty. the last game's overall difficulty was just fine. Now it's harder, to the point where it actually frustrates me. It didn't ramp drastically, thankfully, but still.
I'll say it again: GemCraft 0 is a good game. Just not as good as the original. The afformentioned hurdles hinder the game, but not enough to make it a total disaster. Still, they ruined the game experience for me partly, and that made me poured out a number from the 10 numbers.
I give GemCraft 0 a Nine out of Ten. As a result of this score, Gemcraft 0 earns the Gold Medal.

[GemCraft]

Magical Towers=win!

I pretty much loved Gemcraft to bits. I used to be addicited to it, but thankfully completing it broke the addiction.
Gamplay is the same as any other Tower Defence Game, except there are other twists to do, like Mana Pool, and other RPG Elements, which I liked, considering I love RPGs as much as the next guy. However, there is a 'Water Temple' in this game, and no, it's not as hard as THAT Water Temple, thank godness. It's the very first Epic Boss. SImply put, he was the reason why I was stuck for weeks, despite being a level 24-25 (yeah, I'm paranoid about filling those glowing frames). And after some adjustments to my strategy, I FINALLY beat him. Gosh, he was annoying. I also liked the hidden levels. They give a nice challenge. Not to mention the variety of gems advailiable overall. Also, the difficulty was just right (except for that stupid epic boss I mentioned eariler. And maybe the final boss)
Story is nothing worth-noticing, although the end twist was unexpected.
That goes for the audio portion of Gemcraft as well. Approriate and nice; nothing too special.
The graphics are pretty sweet. From the breaks, to the details of the background in the title screen, they are the second rater in this game.
It's nice to see a tower defence game that stands out. This is one of my most favorite Flash Games EVER!
i give 'GemCraft' a Ten out of Ten. As a result of this score, 'GemCraft' has earned the Platinum medal. Congraduations.

[Youda Sushi Chef]

A nice game indeed

I have played a similar game like this a long time ago (can't remember the name though; was it something like 'Sushi-Go-Round' or something?). Now, I wonder if you created that game and this, and if so, you've improved ALOT since.
The gameplay is very similar and familiar, though the recepies can take some time to fully remember. As a person whose memory is usually very good, I find it surprising that I had to look into the cookbook to make sure that the ingreients were right on.
What I liked, however, was the undo option. In the last game, when I put in the wrong ingreient, there was NO way to put it back. In this game, you can, and I really thought it was a huge improvment, since I found myself goofing off a little.
The upgrades were nice, although you could tell that the upgrades are worth despite not actually FEELING that they were worth it. You just know it's there.
Another neat addition to get a few cash (and to up the difficulty a bit) was the 'To-Go' Option. Most games like this I've played almost forgot this option. You didn't.
The sound was appropriate and fun to listin to. No further comment on the audio department.
What improved the most, however, was the graphics. OH! MY! GOSH! I remember playing DKC in the SNES with the same exact feeling. Is that even possible in Flash? If so, gosh, you should post a tutorial on how to make such graphics.
As for things to improve..well.....there were times where the food was sent to the right person only to be sent to the person nearer to the food to appear requesting the same exact meal and take it away from him/her. This is quite frustrating at times. Is there anyway you could fix this? This is the reason why 1 point was taken away.
I didn't know this was a Demo until i read other reviews. But the 'Demo' aspect isn't enough to drop the 9 to an 8. I've played Demos before (Family Restraunt, I'm looking at you), and njoyed them as much as if they were full games.
Hopefully if you decide to make another game like this yet AGAIN you'll improve even further. Potential is in sight.
I give Youda Sushi Chef a Nine out of Ten. As a result of this score, Youda Sushi Chef has earned the Gold Medal.

[Upgrade Complete!]

Upgrade-a mai powah!!

Pretty nice game. An interesting concept. And overall, a great game. In terms of actually playing the game, it was simple but addictive, as they always say. Only 3 buttons and a mouse to master. Unfortunatly, it can get stale and empty if playing too long, so 1 point deducted from there. Also, a certain game upped my standards for fFlash Games, so...yeah. Anyway, the graphics were also interesting, going from 4-bit all the way to 16/32-bit graphics. Audio is a little spicy, ina good way. However, a story would've been nice.
I give Upgrade Complete! a 9 nine out of ten. As a result of this score, Upgrade Complete! has earned the Gold medal.

[Super Mario 63]

Who here thinks this should be a DS title?

I do.
First off, the gameplay: Simply put, excellent physics engine. Mario can run smoothly, as well as jump smoothly as well, although it can be a bit laggy at times thanks to that stupid FPS thingy. The FLUUD was also a superb addition, with the Turbo FLUDD being the best one, since I can run like a certain blue hedgehog.
The Level Editor, as far as I've played, is another bright spot in the gameplay perspective. A wide variety of goods, tools, and unlockables made it a freshing experience. I'd even say it comes close to LBP's editor (even though I haven't played LBP, sadly).
The stages, themselves are really well designed. I can jump around looking for shine sprites and star coins without getting too last, except for, of course, Hazy Maze Cave. But it's meant to make you REALLY lost in the first place, anyway, hence the word 'Maze, so no points deducted there.
The battles with Bowser are also awesome, especially the last one. I won't spoil it here; you'll have to find out yourself.
Speaking of which, I've also seen some creative/innovative ideas as well. Using bullet bills to get to somewhere? I would never have thought of that myself.
So far, I got 30 something shine sprites and I think 29 star coins. I can't wait to see what rewards are there once you get all 64 of them.
Like most people have said, the best thing about Super Mario 63 is how MASSIVE it is, even more so to games like Gemcraft and Mardek 2. I think most would've given up halfway, like someone said.
The only thing missing is the wall jump. It's probably easy to forget stuff when creating 15 MG (or 30) Flash Games. I also noticed some 'glitchy' spots, but they're only minor detractions.
But gameplay aside, let's look at the story. While it's still the same 'Save Peach from Bowser' story at it's core, as most Mario games are, the Orb of Power is a nice touch, although it can be a bit too un-Marioy. But then again, since when the main Mario games have ever been focused on story?
The soundtrack was also brillent. Carefully picked songs were used for appropriate settings, including some epic remixes like Bowser's worlds (or traps), and even some brand new ones, like the one for Boo's Mansion. Not to mention the Title Screen and File Select music. The static sound issue is understandable; it's perhaps high time to buy some new sound cards (you don't have to, though).
The graphics are also great. For some reason, the sprites used, especially Mario, reminded me of SMBZ. Anyhow, most were animated smoothly, alhtough, once again, thanks to that stupid FPS thingy, it can get really choppy, especially at the 10s or lower. It might be because of too many sprites at one time.
Overall, Super Mario 63 REALLY upped the standards for future Flash Games to come. The Massive scope will really suck you in, and you probably won't stop until you finish the game. While it's originality can be debateable, very little, if any, can deny how masterful this Flash game is. I'd say the Flash Community has found its 'Ocarina of Time'...
I give Super Mario 63 a 10 out of 10. As a result of this score, Super Mario 63 earns from me the Platinum Medal. Congraduations.