Recent reviews by ∩∩4r|<

I could have nominated this game/developer for the Labor of Love-award instead! I haven't been able to get a Multiplayer session started — Discord seems a must ... — but 1 comment in particular over here made me want to write this non-existent review now 👊

I guess this is what you get when you drink vodka during game development ... Oh yeah, especially that last part that took me > 1 hour is to be considered Psychological H🅾️rr🅾️r❗Mocking aside, this is a game with potential, as the Design part is good, but the unreliable and sometimes non-existent physics feat. momentum-based movement, awful collision detection and not-so-solid grounds?! An F for Development ... I also really needed 3 hours here, but I got all 3 time-achievements while reaching the 🏁 = another bug!

If you don't want to be limited by poor development and a bear who defies gravity far too easy — and unnoticeably at times — but by (game/level) design, go play Balancelot instead! I'm easily feeling 'homesick' now.

4.3/10 — Better with fr🍻ends!

I had no plans to recommend this game due to this and stayed at a Neutral verdict, but if you leave the technical (a)side, this quite huge game for a tiny niche market is a hidden gem! Seeing so many awards on other Store pages — (subjective, but) undeserved at times — the hand-drawn creations deserve an award on their own already 🏆

So much to say, but only a few of you will be interested in this punishing, unforgiving game and I could quote a lot from said (linked) thread 💡

89 (avg. heart rate while :playing) / 100

Suggested by a friend — who has a keen eye when it comes to my game tastes. Apart from the not-so-neutral background story and references + the game title that should probably be "Why, God?" (mind the difference while adding the comma), purely gameplay-wise it's a lot of fun. However, currently — game has just released — playing with WSAD + Space bar + buttons was not what I had in mind when grappling & swinging is done a lot! I had fun climbing and figuring out that boss (eventually), but remapping should be the minimum in any game; I dón't want to go with the workaround to remap externally ...

6.66/10 — A lot more potential, so have just hit Follow! Wanted to play some in Arcade Mode, but I rather wait/look out for more control options 🤞

Cinematic beauty, but it should rather stay at 'Press ▶️', as its execution is quite inelegant! I have sympathy for the fact that this is a student project, whose contributors are creative minds, but it's broken in many ways and 1 game-breaking example: it was unintentional, but I managed to let the [menace] pass me during an escape sequence, and the chase scene kept going; the Backstage level was finished successfully ...

5.49/10 — Would have bought you guys a ☕ in case of a more polished product

A game that only really started to become engaging from chapter (read: act) 3 - Fin! There, I was reminded of the excellent Puzzle/Platformer Closure and its Circus environment. On top of that, literally, twisted game design! Of course, been there done that, but uniquely designed with the 2D 🔁 3D transitions, and overall very creative with the puzzle elements — albeit some repetiti😉n when it comes to puzzles overall.
Furthermore, an effectively calming Ambient/Chilltronic OST, only make for Focus Entertainment/puzzling.

The biggest con for me? The origamis: while most aren't collected but rather gained while solving extra puzzles or doing some > average jumps, going with that during the first half of the game, it felt unrewarding in the end while I came to the conclusion there were also origamis a la HOG style and off camera/out of sight?! As a result, I couldn't really bother with them anymore, and increased the pace where possible.

🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌑🌑 — Satisfying for the Mind; bright for the Soul; relaxing for the Body (sunny part of me)

Let's just say that, after reading most of ⚠️ The Lore of The End Is Nigh ⚠️, I can place all the missing 🧩🧩, and understand McMillen's full motivation for his cathartic project that brought him from the Dark World to the Light World ... My point is: I have nothing to complain here, and respect his decision to nót always make it as much of a satisfying game as SMB for instance. On top of that, I may be very confident with Platformer games, I'm probably still < average when it comes to time pressure, and while you will be pressured a lot as a player here, it's Ed(m)u(nd)cation in a way as well! ;-)

Not done with the game yet, but surely recommended! Only con so far: locking me out of a hidden area, because I hadn't collected enough '7um0R5' ... Doesn't seem worth it for me to collect more, because I'll end up like a sweaty 🕵️‍♂️ or I must look up stuff in a guide, which will be a no-go + boredomzzz

~Nighne/10

Tequila Works to G.Y.L.T.?! N🧠 way! ;-)
7.215/10 — Wondering why nobody bought the soundtrack and considering a purchase myself, I had to calculate the sound quality, which is (full stereo) 320 kb/s ...

Satisfying Retro Platformer, but only when you ninja through the levels, which the game is designed around anyway. Carefully scroll through the levels while aiming for collectibles and most of you will get bored, even with the fine (short) level length. However, my only complaint with this game is, that hazards & enemies blend in all too well with the environment, and so, most of the damage taken is to be considered 'cheap'. In the end, it doesn't really matter, as at least in the Redimensioned mode, the game is quite forgiving with its checkpoints and ❣️-recovery!

Furthermore, the game offers cool bosses and some more challenging ones near the end that are never unfair either. Last but not least, some appealing mysteries to uncover and fine challenges hidden within the achievements, which are make for an even more satisfying experience 🕵️‍♂️

8/10 — 'Fast Platformer Food' in between

My voice won't be able to help the developer anymore, so I'll keep it short: I don't need to mirror Dr. Fetus' notorious gesture and can leave that finger behind, except for when talking about A+'ing levels maybe, which I attempted a bit, but will force you to go @full tilt many times ≠ synergizing with the patience, required to successfully chain while avoiding reckless attempts 🥵

Meaty score: 🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🍖