Circular Peg in a Square Hole

Circle Rider is one of those games that abandon formula and invent a whole new way to play. It's all the rage these days in the indie market, where developers are motivated to make something that nobody else does to stand out. This particular game is a good example of this approach done rather well, introducing a new way to play in a familiar genre: the maze game.

Circle Rider's unique invention is the way you navigate: you ride a circle with a fixed center, with the ability to change the circle's radius and your directional position about the circle. You navigate the levels by expanding and contracting the circle and swinging about. It presents a fresh mental challenge with a good learning curve: not too easy, but nowhere near impossible. It poses an interesting new task to navigate about a world built out of rectangles using only tangential and radial movement. The new strategies you develop to approach old problems found in familiar maze games are consistently fresh. I applaud Spydog's ability to make a deep game with a simple idea.

The presentation is well above-average, but there are a few things that I can nitpick. This game was obviously made by someone who prefers level design and programming to graphic design (which I can honestly sympathize with), so the art style is very simple. That's not inherently a problem, especially since at least the art style is consistent. The visual style tells you what you need to know, but it won't wow you. A nice little touch I really appreciate is that when you crash into a block, that block turns red before you respawn, so you can review exactly what killed you and perhaps plan to correct yourself the next time. The music is excellent, but I hate the death sound. It's too abrupt and loud, and it startles me.

The level design is very inspired, but there are only 19 levels! And they're all pretty short. I can think of a number of cool challenges that could be made with the Circle Rider navigation mechanic that weren't used in the game, so it feels as though the game's potential isn't fully realized. The small number of levels also means that the learning curve is a bit steep, so it gets hard fast. I felt like sometimes the game was getting too hard to soon, only to find out that I was actually almost at the end, even though it felt like I was getting started. However, I can at least partly forgive this. The levels that are there are very well-put together, and whatever (minor) complaints I have about the grade of the learning curve are mitigated by its smoothness. I just felt that the game ended too soon; that there was so much more potential to be explored with this concept.

The story follows that of an alien inventor trying to get his ship back from a space monster, who (spoilers! not really) just saw it lying around and thought it was abandoned. The story is extremely simple, but a game like this doesn't need a deep story. In fact, I believe the simplicity of the story actually benefits the game, which is why I rate the story 5/5, as a great setup for a game about progressing forward.

Ultimately, my biggest complaint about the game (besides the small number of levels) is that your tangential motion is way too fast. There are some constrictive corners that you have to navigate, and the character's tough-to-handle speed make these segments a chore to clear. I wish that either the character would not move as fast around the circle, or perhaps accelerate towards that speed smoothly when you press the left or right arrow keys.

There are a couple things about the interface that don't really make sense to me (why "x" to use the flip block? It feels really arbitrary), but these really are nitpicks. The game tells you what button does what, so there is no problem figuring out how to play or navigate menus. It just feels unintuitive to use "x" to flip and press buttons in the menu and then use the space bar to go back.

Don't let the tiny quibbles I have persuade you not to try this game out. Play it. Now. It's a great example of a really original idea executed in a simple, yet compelling game. Even though there aren't as many levels as I would have liked, the levels that are there are well-built, both fun to play and educational for aspiring level designers trying to learn from other games. I recommend this game to anyone who likes new ideas combined with the nostalgic retro feel, and will even go as far to say that this game may convert those who don't like new ideas with the nostalgic retro feel. Thank you, Spydog, for delivering a solid and original game!

But I still want more levels.