General Gaming Snap judging pixel art indies: Spooky month 🕸

[Derek]

I don't know why, but I'm waiting for some more terrible ones!

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, Derek said:

I don't know why, but I'm waiting for some more terrible ones!

I’ve got a shorter list of ones I’ve tried already.  It takes a lot to be so actively bad or mundane it’s unbearable in a first sitting  (like Elliot Quest).  There’s a lot more that feel underwhelming to me, disappointingly so.  I’ll have a hot take or two.

 

But to give you something, Mother Russia Bleeds is the complete opposite of my jam.  It’s not a great beat’em up to begin with, and edgy violence just seems dumb to me in pixel art form.  Mentioning it now because I’m booting up most of the ones I’ve tried before so I can remember how they play.  But honestly I’m unlikely to return to that one.

[crispy4000]

By request for @Derek, one of the worst looking at first glance.

 

 

Time Spent: ~20 min

Rating: *½

 

Rogue-like zombie survival RTS game.  If you're confused about it looking at that screenshot, so am I playing at 4k.  Listen, I love Syndicate, so controlling a squad to scavenge and get the heck out sounds alright.  But it's such an eyesore that I can't deal with it.  The UI is atrocious, there's an awful macroblocked fog of war, and auto-attacking mechanics are done much better elsewhere and don't work well with how they split your squad.

 

Giving it that extra ½ point just because there might be something more to like here with time invested.  And it runs smooth, after the loading screens, lol.  No idea how this got "very positive" reviews on Steam.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~30 min

Rating: ***

 

Lite-RPG with a bullet hell focus.  It’s not really a Zelda-like, but does share certain elements with dungeons and towns.  It takes a lot of inspiration from Gungeon it seems, especially the dodge roll.  But there’s also checkpoints, its refreshing to have a game like this where progress isn’t lost.  The maps are procedurally generated, but progression is fairly linear.  Overall, it’s as good/bad as it sounds on paper, no better, no worse.

 

 

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~45 min

Rating: **** /4

 

Wow, I did not expect to like this game this much.  Instead of yet another invulnerable dodge roll (ugh), you have a jump like Roc's Feather in Link's Awakening, and you can chain bounce off enemies to stun then.  It feels great, and prevents it from getting too circle-strafey.  The roguelike mechanics also seem fair and respectful of your time, including warps to every room on the map.  Bosses attack you sporadically in zones, not just at the end of them.

 

It's weird looking, which can be offputting, but the style fits with the oddness of the power-ups.  I can't say I've seen another game that animates quite like it.  It might be doing the pixel cel-shading thing, but creates its own look that elevates it above others in the genre.  It may not be Hades, nothing is, but this is going to end up near the top of my gotta-try-it-again list.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~2 hours

Rating: *** /4

 

It's been a while for this one, I can recall beating the first two bosses.  Its a boss gauntlet game where one sold hit kills you or whatever weak spot of what you're fighting.  I think there's something here, but the concept trips over itself out of necessity, by making your arrow shot so important that you have to recover it.  Or stand in place and slowly warp the arrow back to you.

 

It's good they didn't revisit the concept for Death Door, which is a better game for it.

[crispy4000]

 

ime Spent: ~30 min

Rating: ** /4

 

Tries to emulate the feel of a DOS platformer action game.  Jumping feels quick and unpolished, in an endearing sort of way. Shooting stops you in place, ammo is unlimited.  You’re forced to go prone to hit some enemies, either that or shoot near the top of a ladder.  Diagonal and upward aiming only works on the ground, which is a baffling design decision.  I don't think the aesthetic works blown up to a modern display, the character sprites are too small which makes going up ladders more troubling than it should be.

 

Overall, a fun little arcade game if you want to relive a bit of that era.  But I wouldn't look into it otherwise.

[crispy4000]

Time Spent: ~30 min

Rating: **½

 

Adventure of Lolo like push block puzzle game.  The twist is that you can destroy blocks or throw them a set distance away.  You've probably played something like it before.  The music is very annoying, which in my mind is the deal breaker.  But otherwise it's competent, and the puzzles ease you in with their difficulty.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~30 min

Rating: ***

 

I'm conflicted about this one.  On one hand, the pixel art and animation is stunning, one of the best I've seen so far on the list.  The vibe of it is very SNK, and there's multiple different character classes to start with.  As a twin stick shooter it feels pretty good, not tethered to 8-directions like other retro inspired games might be tempted to be.  But the checkpoint system is bad, restarting you with next to no life if you saved with low health.  Your limbs can be torn off, which costs currency you'd use for upgrades to fix.  And I get the nagging feeling that the enemies aren't really fun to kill, unlike SNK games like Shock Troopers 2.  Its the same age-old circle strafing problem that other bullet hell games resort to.

 

It's a game I might be wanting to return to regardless, to try more classes and see more of the art, so three stars.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~5 hours

Rating: ***½

 

Indie Advanced Wars, with an added focus on commanders being units on the battlefield.  Sadly, that's probably the thing that keeps it from being quite as good: the need to rely on an overpowered but must-be-protected unit.  Animations and the art are great, but the story is forgettable.  One of the coolest touches is the neat looking border they put around smaller maps, it really shows care and attention paid to those playing on larger screens.  I'd like to get back to this at some point (it's a game I played previously).

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~12 hours

Rating: ****

Completed

 

You already heard you should play it.  No, it's not the Best Game Ever, and there are cringe bits.  But its still better than most of its inspirations, and that's the reason to give it a go.  I remember one of the final bosses best, for being nutso in ways I think only Inside can hang with.

[stepee]

6 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

Time Spent: ~12 hours

Rating: ****

 

You already heard you should play it.  No, it's not the Best Game Ever, and there are cringe bits.  But its still better than most of its inspirations, and that's the reason give it a go.  I remember one of the final bosses best, for being nutso in ways I think only Inside can hang with.

 

Lives up to its reputation, fantastic game. I think the end boss blows Inside’s away.

[TheLeon]

I need to give Undertale another shot some day. I bounced off it pretty quickly, something about its tone was annoying to me. Maybe I just having a bad day. 

[crispy4000]

4 hours ago, TheLeon said:

I need to give Undertale another shot some day. I bounced off it pretty quickly, something about its tone was annoying to me. Maybe I just having a bad day. 

 

I fully admit the tone can be annoying, and will only get worse in parts.  But its a memorable game regardless.

 

You might appreciate the humor a bit more in places if you've played FF6, oddly enough.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~20 minutes

Rating: ***

 

Another surprisingly decent game I expected less from.  Highly approachable shump where it takes multiple hits to lose power-ups and a life.  Your power-ups and life are set by meters, and you earn currency with bonus streaks for use on more upgrades between levels.  You can flip directions to scroll the other direction a la Defender to kill any enemies you missed.   My gripes are it feels a little too slow, your character's hitbox is weirdly only the knight part, and the sound design and music are a bit lacking compared to the art.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~20 minutes

Rating: *½

 

Pokemon gameboy redux.  It's basically those games, sans the visual charm of throwing pokeballs or the fun to the fantasy of it. (they're just called "monsters")  Walking/running somehow feels worse than in those old Pokemon games, and there's some combat balance issues from the onset.  The UI is also not intuitive and ugly, my text is offset slightly different than in the above screenshot.  On the positive, you can see monsters in the field before you encounter them.

 

There's probably a decent game here, but I'd rather play a Pokemon proper than spend hours on a second rate clone.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~1 hour

Rating: ***½

 

Okay, this game is legit cool.  It's got politicking & resource management, decisions on which of your subjects to appease, character development based on your decisions, and some Oregon Trail-like consequences.  The last bit is its best and worst aspect.  You never know if the choices you make will pan out for the best; the consequences of each moral choice feel directed as the designers dictate.  Supposedly the game has a fail state, meaning you can actually lose the game if your resources deplete, which I think is neat for a short, not run-based game.  The art is very Lucas Arts, and while I don't love that you can't make out the faces, the backdrops are a highlight.

 

I felt a little bit of the tedium setting in by the end of an hour, checking in on the castle grounds each in-game week.  But overall, I really enjoyed my time with this one so far.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~30 min

Rating: ***½

 

Someone really liked Link to the Past: wake up from sleep, go kill rats under the castle, defeat the evil wizard taking over the world with his dark forces, etc.  But something about the polish on display here elevates it, in a way that other games like Archvalle don't reach.  The 3 hit sword combo has you swinging like an unstoppable maniac, and its twist on the lunge attack is cool.  The visuals greatly benefit from the subtle bloom effects applied everywhere.  As a tribute game, it feels close to Shovel Knight's level, but lacks that little twist that pushes it beyond clone status.  Music is a cross between 8-bit and 16-bit, it slightly clashes with the visuals.

[stepee]

On 12/20/2023 at 9:03 AM, crispy4000 said:

 

Time Spent: ~45 min

Rating: **** /4

 

Wow, I did not expect to like this game this much.  Instead of yet another invulnerable dodge roll (ugh), you have a jump like Roc's Feather in Link's Awakening, and you can chain bounce off enemies to stun then.  It feels great, and prevents it from getting too circle-strafey.  The roguelike mechanics also seem fair and respectful of your time, including warps to every room on the map.  Bosses attack you sporadically in zones, not just at the end of them.

 

It's weird looking, which can be offputting, but the style fits with the oddness of the power-ups.  I can't say I've seen another game that animates quite like it.  It might be doing the pixel cel-shading thing, but creates its own look that elevates it above others in the genre.  It may not be Hades, nothing is, but this is going to end up near the top of my gotta-try-it-again list.

 

This is one of the games I got in my xmas steam haul due to these impressions, especially about how it animates, and the strange look of it. It really does seem very cool, I will check it out more for sure. It’s a very strange looking game in a good way in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s cell shaded per se but I think it’s polygon characters on pixel art backgrounds? Or something. It looks really cool.

 

And it has difficulty settings! Definitely seems like one of the very few rogue lites I can get into. The power ups seem very interesting and it also seems to have pretty high production values for a smaller game with some voice nararation even. I love when a game really goes out and does its own thing within an established genre like this.

[crispy4000]

12 hours ago, stepee said:

 

This is one of the games I got in my xmas steam haul due to these impressions, especially about how it animates, and the strange look of it. It really does seem very cool, I will check it out more for sure. It’s a very strange looking game in a good way in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s cell shaded per se but I think it’s polygon characters on pixel art backgrounds? Or something. It looks really cool.

 

And it has difficulty settings! Definitely seems like one of the very few rogue lites I can get into. The power ups seem very interesting and it also seems to have pretty high production values for a smaller game with some voice nararation even. I love when a game really goes out and does its own thing within an established genre like this.

 

I looked a bit more into it, they're using a 2d skeletal animation program then running it through a pixel art filter they developed.

 

 

Never seen a game that moves quite like it. It's absolutely bonkers.

[stepee]

13 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

 

I looked a bit more into it, they're using a 2d skeletal animation program then running it through a pixel art filter they developed.

 

 

Never seen a game that moves quite like it. It's absolutely bonkers.

 

Very interesting! Definitely a cool as hell style. Surprised I never heard of this until your mention.

[stepee]

 

Time Spent: ~25 minutes

Rating: ***
 

I was reminded I had this when I went to install some of the epic winter games on my deck. I think it was free earlier this year. I had actually wanted to check it out a few times on the oled deck due to its color palette but never pulled the trigger since I already had it free here. Seeing it now, I was right and it does really pop on an oled display.

 

For whatever reason this entire time I thought it was a hotline miami type thing but it’s not at all and it’s a side scrolling run and shoot metroidvania. I appreciate that it has difficulty options so I was able to actually progress a bit. It looks like it had a lot of permanent upgrades you can get, and that it won’t be too difficult to achieve them. You can have new types of rooms open up like hades. Gameplay and controls feel tight. I’m curious what other movement type options it might have to unlock.

 

Ill probably play it more some other time.

[crispy4000]

That's one I was meaning to check it out.  I'll have my own take later, but good to know!  I'll link your summary it in the first post.

 

For the record, I've been thinking of the ratings scale like this:

 

**** - Will return to

***½ - Would like to return to

*** - Could be fun to try again

**½ - Functionally fun, not super enticing

** - Quite flawed or bland, with some redeemable qualities

*½ - Semblance of fun, but very flawed

* - Hot Garbage

 

[stepee]

14 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

That's one I was meaning to check it out.  I'll have my own take later, but good to know!  I'll link your summary it in the first post.

 

For the record, I've been thinking of the ratings scale like this:

 

**** - Will return to

***½ - Would like to return to

*** - Could be fun to try again

**½ - Functionally fun, not super enticing

** - Quite flawed or bland, with some redeemable qualities

*½ - Semblance of fun, but very flawed

* - Hot Garbage

 

 

That sounds right to me!

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: ~20 minutes

Rating: ***

 

I feel like I'm the wrong person to properly judge this.  The tactical strategy games I've enjoyed are largely melee or close-quarter focused, rather than predominately ranged.  Having to factor in huge enemy movement & firing ranges (and cover) doesn't appeal to me.  Even Mario Rabbids, the closest analog I've played, feels a bit too loose with that stuff, although that's probably what XCOM fans like about it.

 

Pathways has a Slay the Spire like map with roguelike, Oregon Trail random events, some being these turn based combat scenarios.  You can tell some thought went into your character's roles and skill upgrades, which seem to be persistent.  Graphics are quite appealing with subtle bloom and shadows, and the music has tinges of Indiana Jones.  I won't lie, I died in my first combat encounter, so that kind of sours me on returning to it.  This was free on Epic a while back, so if it's a genre you enjoy, it's probably worth checking out.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 4 hours

Rating: ****

Completed

 

Proof that 16-bit styled games can have as compelling stories as any other in the medium.  There's a part or two I found slightly cringey, and the puzzles at the end of each scenario are weak, but you're too invested for it to really matter.  I don't want to spoil any more, because the game is too short, so just go and play it if you haven't.  One of the best indie games of all time.

 

I'll be getting to the sequels at some point through this process.

 

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 45 minutes

Rating: ***

 

Puzzle platformer where you swap between puzzle adventure and platforming characters.  It's also a hard one to judge, but more on the basis of where it could ultimately land: it might be an exceptional puzzle game with Lucas Arts style humor and clever mechanic swapping between adventuring/platforming.  Or it could be a tedious genre mash up with grating dialogue and obtuse puzzles.  I can't tell within the time I played.  The platforming doesn't feel that great, the character often glitches out and warps beneath the level momentarily.  And the 'adventure' character moves slowly.  But there's enough of interest here to say it's probably worth returning to, eventually.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 2.5 hours

Rating: ***

Completed  (copying old review)

 

Very short Zelda-like with 4 small dungeons and Link's Awakening-esque trading quests.  It's a lot like Minit.  Turnip Boy is more charming and approachable, but Minit has better puzzles and a better final act.

 

The power-ups are surprisingly cool, but the basic combat sucks.  Still fun enough to play through, but I'd say buy it on a discount.

[stepee]

Might be one to add to your 32bit list @crispy4000 or anyone who likes old school beat em ups @legend

 

Fight'N Rage on Steam

STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM

---

Fight’N Rage is a brand new old-school side-scroller beat’em up. Inspired by the classics from the “golden age”, and with an art style that mimics the aesthetic from the 90's arcade gems, this game pays...

 

Found this buried in a humble bundle from 5 years ago never redeemed and tried it out yesterday. Seems very solid with great pixel art! 92% on Steam so it’s not just me.

 

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 20 minutes

Rating: ***

Going back to Warlords I, I have a soft spot for games where you explore ruins, and gamble the odds to come away with good things or totally screw yourself.  So making a game all about that should, on paper, appeal to me.  Certainly the visuals and soundtrack do.  It feels early Civilization, in a good way.

 

The issue here is that you can only hold 3 or 4 items before your inventory fills, then you become 'overburdened' and start going 'insane' (creating bad luck essentially) which ruins your run.  I haven't figured out how to expand that inventory, but it feels incredibly limited.  You can't steal artifacts from ruins without overburdening yourself.

 

I'm sure there's a way to expand your inventory.  But this is a snap judgement, and the tutorial didn't explain how to, so that's that.  I'd go back to Yes Your Grace sooner, even though I still enjoy the aesthetic here.  The sequel looks so much more ugly than the original's pixel art.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 3 hours

Rating: ***

Completed

 

I liked this one enough from the start to finish it, so that says something.  It's To the Moon if it was a puzzle based platformer, but unlike that game, the block switch puzzles are its best bits.  The pixel art is stunning, so is the animation.  The story bits tend to fall apart by the end: the basic mystery is compelling enough, but the way it wraps up is pretty contrived.

Bear with me here... this game feels like an accidental meta-commentary on indie games that crawl too far up their psuedo-intellectual buttholes.  Games like this tend to string you along, pull out stupid twists with convoluted explanations, and justify it all as being 'smart.'  Nah guys, it's just being manipulative, especially to the player.  And it's telling how much that gets downplayed at the end.

 

But hey, it's a breezy, enjoyable ride that hooked me.  So I can't fault it too much.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 20 min

Rating: **½

@Biggie's request

 

WarioWare where the mini-games are mash-ups of Atari games.  Presentation is ugly in a way that kind of reminds me of Deadly Days, with pixel art that stretches and sways out step with the aesthetic.  There's also something very screwy with the Vsync, where the screen scrolling feels 15fps but the characters move at 60fps.

Other than that, it's not as bad as it looks.  If you like the idea of its mash-up concept, its reasonably entertaining.  But I'd recommend What the Golf? over this in a heartbeat.  Its physics, overworld and mini-game ideas are much more fun.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 30 min

Rating: **½

 

Competent Zelda clone with randomly generated layouts, but lacks the polish of Blossom Tales.  The main hook is that the game will glitch out on occasion, Missingno style, and you have to fight or otherwise overcome those glitches.  There's also blood and gore when you or other NPCs die.

 

You'd probably be better served playing a Zelda clone of another flavor due to screen tearing issues.  It's unforgivable not to have vsync in a Zelda-like that scrolls like this.  The hitboxes on bosses are also very suspect.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 1 hour

Rating: ***½

 

Fantastic of what I've played so far.  You don't walk, but instead warp from point to point, aiming your trajectory with the analog stick.  The controls feel super polished, because of how the game intuits where you try to move to.  And while it's hardly the most beautiful game on the list, I get a lot of Metroid Zero Mission vibes from the art, with its own flair.  Even the music has a strong atmospheric vibe to it that gives the zones a sense of place.

 

There is one obvious downside: several rooms will twist and flip your perspective.  So even when you unlock the map of an area, you'll be scratching your head over which direction was true up, true down, etc.  It really could have used some sort of UI compass, or even better yet, a rotating map that's visible in the corner as you play.  The game can rail-guide you with the limited platforms you can warp to, but that structure isn't so different than what most Metroidvania's do anyways.

 

It seems to be a bit contentious in critic reviews.  But it clicked with me immediately, whereas several other reviews mention it didn't.  So mileage could vary?  You might have gotten it free from Epic.  It's absolutely worth a shot.

[crispy4000]

 

Time Spent: 2 hours

Rating: ***

 

Fell off this a few years ago. To quote myself from then:

 

It's both better and worse than I thought it would be.  On one hand the combat system is very unique, kind of a real time Paper Mario.  The writing is surprisingly on point for having to live under Undertale's shadow.  Platforming is straight-up boring though, and production values are a little off at times, kind of like a 90's computer game that can't decide whether its pixel art or not.