Recent reviews by EngineerKappa

The presentation is fantastic, but I feel like I
get overwhelmed by everything happening all at once, and some of the bosses feel like they have way too much health.
Maybe I'm just bad at the game but the squid boss was really frustrating.

The controls feel great and the level design is decent for the most part, but oh my god.

The bosses suck so bad and they legitimately do not value my time.

- The bosses have long animations that play between attacks, with long drawn out cycles before you can even hit them again.
- There are a handful of bosses where if you don't hit them quick enough, you have to repeat the entire cycle.
- Most bosses take at least several hits, which means at least several cycles you have to sit through.
- Some levels don't have bosses, but the vast majority DO. This is an issue you'll deal with NEARLY EVERY LEVEL.
- I hope you like listening to a 20 second music loop on a multiple minute long fight.
- There aren't any checkpoints on some of the longer bosses, so if you die, you'll have to redo the entire fight.
- Did I mention some of the late game bosses have instant kill attacks?
- You might figure out how to do some of the bosses quicker, maybe you learn that with a double jump or some emerald powers you can cheese them and it starts to become a bit more tolerable?
NAH JUST KIDDING, THEY GET WAY MORE HEALTH IN THE POST-GAME STORY MODE

I WANT to like this game, but this is an issue that makes me dread the end of every level. It's not just one or two bosses that suck, it's the entire philosophy around them that sucks the fun out of the rest of the game. Usually I like replaying Sonic games and getting better at them with each playthrough, but the way the bosses are designed in this game makes me not want to even bother.

At least Time Attack is a thing.

Really enjoyed this one! It has a fun cast of characters that can be pretty silly, but I still found myself invested in them. I relate way too hard to the creative struggles characters in here face, and I love the weird direction the story goes in, especially by the best ending.

It's not a super long game either, so it was surprisingly easy to get all the endings. Definitely looking forward to anything else the dev cooks up.

...I would also unironically buy Lumber Lass as a standalone mobile game, I'm so sorry.

TLDR: Easily one of the most memorable and fun games I've played in a while. Definitely recommend if you don't mind some jank here and there.

Full Review:
Frebbventure is an experience.

I don't think it'll be everybody's cup of tea. It takes a bit to get used to the controls, and you'll occasionally run into a odd bug or design quirk here and there.

However, this game feels like the labor of love of a talented developer who spent around four years refining it. Despite its imperfections, you can sense the passion dripping from every aspect of the game, including the pixel art, music, level design, characters, and story.

The game has a loose feel, both in terms of the characters' momentum and how the game allows you to approach each level in a variety of ways. There are four characters in the main story, each with their unique movesets that require you to change your strategy tackling each level. Additionally, tons of items can be bought from shops in each world, providing pure buffs, buffs with a caveat, or even entirely different moves. While it can be challenging to complete a level on your first try, as you become more skilled using each character's abilities, you will feel a sense of momentum that is hard to break. Additionally, the game features numerous bosses, with almost every other level containing its own unique boss. While some may require more patience than others, they are almost all fairly balanced, and you should be able to find a reliable strategy against them.

The game is pretty meaty too, with its 40-ish levels, cutscenes, bosses, secret levels, and challenge modes having a lot to sink your teeth into. After completing the true final boss, my total playtime was around 20 hours, taking into account deaths, messing around, challenge mode, and such.

All of this isn't even getting into the story. I adore how the story of this game unfolds.

At its core, Frebbventure is a story about Frebb, a funny-looking, spiteful, self-centered cat who just wants to be left alone. Unfortunately, the alien dictator Ulcethot and his colorful cast of goons won't let him sleep with their constant noise. After Frebb's castle is blown up for trying to retaliate, he embarks on a quest for revenge. While the premise is pretty simple, it gradually escalates as you learn the true reason why Ulcethot is there, the truth about his minion Rose, and the world Frebb and his newfound "friends" inhabit. The story evolves from an excuse plot into an epic quest of galactic proportions, going even deeper as you unlock the secret levels in each world, each with its own lore.
There were parts of this story that made me genuinely hype the way something like DBZ would. After finishing it, all I could think was...

"Man.........................."

So yeah, I don't regret this purchase one bit. If you don't mind some of that solo dev indie jank, there's a fantastic experience in here. I haven't felt this way about a game in a long while, maybe since things like Mario Odyssey or Donkey Kong Country 2. It scratched a similar itch for me at a fraction of the budget and arguably 100x more charm.

Very cute little experience.
Not all too interactive, but I do appreciate games where you can just walk around around and enjoy the vibe.

Very cute, and super impressive for a student project!
It's kinda rough around the edges polish-wise, but there's a super keen eye for design here.

The running feels a bit slippery, and I'm not sure if it's intentional? It'd work if there were longer stretches of land that encouraged you to go fast, but the level design is pretty densely packed as is.

Enjoyed this one a ton! It's a nice bite sized platformer to hop around in for an hour or so. The controls are super responsive, and the levels being somewhat small means you aren't wasting as much time running between areas. The music is super chill too. Great for a quick 3D Platformer fix without the extra fluff.

My only complaint is that there's no automatic camera when you're on controller, so I just switched to WASD + Mouse.

Super Cute! A very simple game, but it does what it's trying to do very well with a neat little surprise at the very end. It absolutely nails that SNES Rare aesthetic.
Now I gotta play Kiwi 64...

A cute little way to spend half an hour!

It seems like this is a very divisive game, but I'm enjoying it

It's a dumb fun action game, and Id's really good at those. The open world is more or less just there as a way to give you more freedom in what missions you choose to tackle first.

The story isn't important either, and that's fine by me. It just feels good going to places, blowing things up, and getting upgrades to blow more things up.