Bits in Review - A Return?

Please Read Before Posting!

Hi all! There may or may not be an over saturation of these "review" type threads nowadays, but I really enjoy seeing other people's work and helping to make it better by providing a sort of place to receive feed back so I'm gonna do it anyway. Please note that if you do post a game I will try to be as honest and polite as I can be. (So do not take any criticism as a personal attack I understand that making games is hard too!) Also, if you would like me to review your game, but want me to keep it a secret just message me with the link instead and I will be happy to review it there!

The grades:

I will grade off of these six criteria on a 1-10 scale and respond with notes if I feel like something needs saying. I will also include an average score of all elements of a game to see how good your game is overall. Game play: The concepts, pillars, and mechanics behind the game Game feel: How it actually feels to play the game (Things like stability and polishing) Art: Art assets and sticking to a cohesive style Sound: Sound effects, music choice, volume, etc. Originality: How unique is it compared to other games and what does it bring to a genre? Story: How compelling is a narrative and does it compliment the game play? (I will only grade a game on story if one is present, otherwise, it will not be graded and not used in the average)
I hope to see many cool and interesting games! Don't feel shy about posting your game either and feel free to remind me to review your game after a couple days if I haven't! (Also please avoid sending largely unfinished games; the game could be the next Minecraft or Hollow Knight, but if it doesn't have a lot of content or is obviously missing important features, then grade could tank a bit!) One last thing. The reason I am able to do this at all right now is due to the time given to me thanks to the unfortunate circumstances of Covid-19. If my time runs shorter or I have to slow down I will let you all know via an edit of this post.

Thank you all, you’re an amazing community!

5 Likes

Hello @“BitWit”, can you review my game Pixel Sports? Thanks!

Review of Pixel Sports
Created by @Superstargames


Grading: Game play: 8 Game feel: 6 Art: 3 Sound: 8 Originality: 10 Story: 7

Average: 7/10


Notes First off, I would like to say this game completely caught me by surprise! It's surprisingly fun to play, has a lot of content with more seemingly on the way, and everything is so unique too. The simple yet fun game play is really intriguing. One other thing is that while I tried to get as far as I could naturally I did rummage through the game code and assets to try and see all the game has to offer in order to grade it more fairly. Now onto why I graded each grade as I did. Game play: As previously stated the game play was fun, yet simple with rising elements of complexity concerning traps and shields when used properly. Some minor nitpicks here is that overtime with the bombs and the portals seems to happen too early on in the match making it hard to last long without a bomb blasting the ball from your hands. Also, the boss fight is mostly luck hoping bombs hit him while you get stuck in a horde of enemy boxes. One thing that was pretty impressive though, was the enemy AI which was much better than I thought it would be! (One suggestion I have is maybe adding a multiplayer game mode this game feels perfect for it) Game feel: The game feel in this game is good. It feels fairly tuned yet has some hiccoughs along the way. A common issue in most Flowlab games and present here is the issue of wall holding. This game suffers particularly bad (not as bad as platformers though) due to the ability to throw a wall anywhere which can also trap you until it disappears. Sometimes too, the different sports objects e.g. the soccer balls and hockey pucks are too hard to hit because of their small size. (One last thing is that the Hero upgrade feels fairly under powered considering the time it takes to get, but this is a minor part of the game and also a minor complaint in general.) Ignoring those, the game feels very good compared to most games that can be found on Flowlab. Art: Unfortunately the lowest category for this game, art assets are rough and fairly bland. The UI too suffers from this as it makes it hard to tell what each button does in particular. I do have to give the game points for a fairly consistent style and for not burning my eyes out with harsh colors and pixel art scribble, however. Sound: The sound quality is very good! Although they're not original assets and pull from Flowlab and good ol' Eric Matyas, the sound control and choices for music and effects fit right in and get me pumped and feel good about shooting a virtual ball into a virtual goal with virtual boxes! Originality: This game is super creative! With an odd yet interesting story, and game play I've hardly seen anywhere else let alone Flowlab, I can't wait to see what happens next! Story: A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one; this game has a quirky yet interesting story. The only complaint here is that it doesn't tie that well into the game play, but with time I'm sure the story can be expanded and leave off on an interesting note!
Good luck on future endeavors and thank you for the submission!
P.S. To future developers who want a review it may or may not be as long as this one I just felt like I had a lot to about Pixel Sports

Ay, another review thread! Been a while since I saw a new one come up. I’d appreciate my game, A-Box (2019), being reviewed. It’s been featured for a while now, and I’d like to have more reviews to see if there’s any suggestions I can take in for the game (within the restrictions of a free account, of course). I always enjoy opinions for the game and trying to fix it, since the only reason why I decide to do something with the game is when someone suggests it, which I then go down a rabbit hole of updates XD

So, much appreciated,

A-Box (2019): https://flowlab.io/game/play/1148793

Thanks man! Trying to keep reviews alive!

https://flowlab.io/game/play/1322208
Lol like we didnt see this coming

Alright, thanks @“BitWit”! I’ll see what I can do for some of your suggestions. Overall, I’m happy that you enjoyed Pixel Sports!

https://flowlab.io/game/play/1400806
My game is called Morph Trials (only the first level i finished)

can u review my game bo adventures
https://flowlab.io/game/play/1308234

@BitWit could u review mines? ^

Hey @BitWit Could you possibly review my game A Tale of Light And Darkness? It’s mainly complete but needs some… fixes…
https://flowlab.io/game/play/1318390

@rcreger if you use spawn blocks to generate the world you can bypass the block limit.

Update, I’m still working on everyone’s reviews don’t worry! I just got a little busy yesterday, but I should have all if not all then most done today!

Review of A-Box
Created by @rcreger


Grading: Game play: 6 Game feel: 7 Art: 7 Sound: 8 Originality: 7 Story: 9

Average: 7.3/10


Notes A-Box is a game I recall seeing on the games front page and getting lots of recognition. It's a seemingly simple platformer, but has a very interesting story backing it's game play. I really enjoyed the mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere the game was able to create with what it had. This being said onto why I graded each grade as I did. Game play: The game play is good and passable. I appreciate that it is difficult, but also fair. What made the game difficulty ramp up a little too much is that hitting an obstacle could cause you to get hurt multiple times. (I think this is caused by the player's slight bounciness?) Lastly it is just a tad boring. It has good platforming mechanics, but nothing that really gives it that spicy flare that it could have. Something like enemies could have easily made the game that much better. Game feel: I will say though that this game is very polished and suffered from very few bugs or glitches. Good work! The two things that I have to mention here though is that sometimes it is confusing on how to proceed as many obstacles can simply be jumped over completely destroying certain puzzles. And I found it slightly annoying at times if I had accidentally used a box in the wrong way it could get stuck in corner or fall in water forcing me to kill myself to start over. Something that is likely my fault for such a poor computer is the fact that the game can be very sluggish at times. (This particular issue did not factor into scoring though, don't worry) Art: Nice work! I really enjoy the graphics for this game. The 2.5D thing going on is very unique and very good looking! I would have appreciated more diverse character designs, (The main character is literally the same as the floor) but it doesn't ruin the game and I understand the thematic usage of boxes. It is called "A-Box" after all. Sound: Crunchy sound design and good music choice I like it! Sometimes sounds were a little too loud, but nothing egregious. Originality: The combination of NPCs and story really made this game stand out. Oddly enough this game gives me strong Kunai feels in atmosphere and story, but it also has its own touches that make it stand on its own in Flowlab and otherwise. Story: The story is super interesting and I really like the mileage you gain from how little there actually is to go off of. The fact that there are two endings is also really cool too! The point where it turns out *spoilers* that T.0.DD is/becomes human is a surprising twist as well. (I'm not MatPat, I'm just a humble reviewer so I won't try to stick my theories or symbols in though)
This game was really good! Don't let the fact that I brought up so many complaints deceive you, this game was absolutely worth playing. I believe the potential of this game is very high so I wanted to make sure that it could be the best it could be!
Good luck on future endeavors and thank you for the submission!

Review of Galaxy Trek
Created by @meburningslime


Grading: Game play: 6 Game feel: 4 Art: 4 Sound: 6 Originality: 7 Story: 5

Average: 5.3/10


Notes The concept for this game is really cool and I do enjoy some sci-fi. I always have to give props to meburningslime for the randomization of the galaxies, that is a great idea. This being said onto why I graded each grade as I did. Game play: The ideas and promises of this game were very high and the current mechanics are fairly inspiring too. The main complaint with the gameplay I have is that the ship is too hard to control. The addition of a full stop should not be needed, but it's addition is very appreciated. I understand that this is space, but I shouldn't build 12 parsecs worth of momentum just to make the kessel run. This is my huge complaint with this game. Not only does it make movement hard, but also escaping stars with large amounts of momentum is very difficult. It is saved by an upgrade system which with more fleshing out could be a great motivator to continue. The enemy fights are also okay. The smaller enemies flee while the big ones whoop your butt. Some diversity would be appreciated, and the inclusion of enemies seems sparse and sporadic at times. Game feel: I really thank you for making a game that is not laggy or buggy to the best of my knowledge. I would highly suggest polishing for game feel and effects. Killing enemies feels like it does nothing to the world and every time I hit an enemy I have no idea what kind of impact I'm having on them.(especially with the laser) Art: The art of this game works for what it is supposed. This sort of ties into polishing again. I think the designs work, but need some more focus. One tweak I suggest is adding background stars. These would help give a sense of much needed direction when moving and warping around. Sound: Good, but far too sparse! Where's the music? Where's the juicy effects? Please sir, more! Originality: Very original and I appreciate the way it takes a concept such as shmups and makes it fresh by adding randomization and upgrade systems. Story: Interesting story, I like where it's heading and the fact that it's a good motivator for the quest! It is extremely short though and there is no conclusion either.
I think the way this game is going is phenomenal, but it seems like it has more that needs to be told and added. Overall, just do some more polishing and add some more content and this game has a great future!
Good luck on future endeavors and thank you for the submission!

@BitWit thank you so much for the review!

I’ve been looking for a bypass for the bounciness that doesn’t do extra damage such as delays, but nothing is working as of yet. As for the movable boxes - in the description and in the help button, pressing ENTER (I think, gotta check that, might be a different button) will reset all movable boxes without restarting the game. I’ve been trying to find a way to make it more interesting Perhaps a mode? I’m thinking about a “speed” mode where there’s a large, electrical wall that moves behind you, and if you go too slow through the game, you lose health/die. But I intended the normal base game to be slower so that one doesn’t miss any lore pieces by being rushed by enemies.

But thank you for the input! I’m hoping to update the game and adding some new features to hopefully raise my score, but I have to say your reviews are very well crafted and unbiased, which I really enjoy! Thanks again!

Thanks @BitWit for the review, understand please that it was for the flowjam and I threw that together in 2 weeks!
I will definitely be polishing it. Currently it’s third on my to do list.

Ay @meburningslime , been a while!

…
I took a 1 week break
hi anyways lol

@rcreger Wow, I completely missed that in the description! I should have been reading more closely sorry about that! I’m glad you enjoyed the review good luck with your updates!

@meburningslime For a jam game this is very good! Can’t wait to see what you do with it!

Thanks! Right now i’m working on S.C.P., if you have time would you lok it over? Don’t review it it’s not done :confused: