Review of Down

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snowyowl

Down Review
By snowyowl on 08 February 2010


Pros: -Addictive -Bug-free

Cons: -Ripped sounds -Badly-drawn graphics

DOWN... and out

Graphics: I'm sure you'll agree that the graphics are far from ideal. All drawn in the built-in sprite editor, with few special effects added, other than on the unstable orange blocks. I give you 2 stars instead of 1 because despite that, the graphics are reasonably iconic, and you didn't use default resources.
Sound: Likewise, sound is basic and comes straight from the resources packs. However, in this case it's better than nothing (and you get extra credit because I love that song). So... 2 and a half stars, rounded up to 3.
Gameplay: You might think it odd, but the gameplay is surprisingly addictive. This game tricked me several times on the matter of which tokens are collectible and which ones aren't. It plays like a puzzle platformer - a very unforgiving one, since any mistake you make sends you back to the start. I didn't have the patience to play through the entire thing more than 3 times, a feeling which was not helped by the way that some levels felt copy-and-pasted from others. Still, the introduction of new puzzles periodically and the promise of some sort of ending was enough to keep me going until I got 155 points. A checkpoint system would have given me the patience to beat the game. 5 stars, since I'm in a good mood.
Story: None, but it wasn't missed. 3 stars is my standard rating for abstract puzzle games like this.
Interface: No bugs or control issues that I found, barring the possibility to jump when there is a ceiling above you, which opened short-cuts from time to time. Since you don't notice a system that works perfectly, 5 stars.

Overall: 4. The game is quite long for an arcade game, and I think that with the addition of checkpoints and some extra gameplay objects, it could be excellent. If you're looking to kill fifteen minutes, this is a good find. Otherwise... well, that's why it's only 4.

  1. diddyking

    diddyking said over 2 years ago

    its an arcade highscore type game.

  2. snowyowl

    snowyowl said over 2 years ago

    But they would make it more fun. It's long enough as it is; having to replay the same level over again more than twice is boring.

  3. diddyking

    diddyking said over 2 years ago

    i think checkpoints would really kill its premise :P

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