Recent reviews by Jonochrome

Chip's Challenge holds some nostalgic value for me. I have 45+ hours on record because I was determined to finally beat it after so many years, and doing so was pretty cathartic. There's something I admire about this game; it's impressively varied and complex, considering both the time it was originally made and the fact that all the building blocks of the game are introduced in the first few levels. In a weird way, it's pretty satisfying, and I appreciate the graphics options that the Steam release provides.

That said, I absolutely do NOT recommend Chip's Challenge to most people, ha.

This game is a test of patience and a comprehensive exhibition of textbook bad game design. The bulk of its levels involve at least one of the following:
- A huge maze full of non-obvious pathways
- Mandatory trial-and-error
- Waiting for openings between hazards that move randomly and unreliably
- Dodging hazards that move predictably but require precise timing
- Pushing literal dozens of blocks in a tedious pattern

A successful run of a level could take a solid ten minutes or longer, and one misstep can mean having to start the whole thing over. There's no undo or rewind feature, no save states, no checkpoints. Only boredom, stress, and pain.

The game never even provides you access to a map, so if you want an overview of an especially mazelike or punishing level, you either have to become a cartographer or resort to the internet. I played a large chunk of levels without any guidance before I eventually swallowed my pride and looked up maps and walkthroughs for levels that would otherwise be a truly legendary waste of time.

Chip's Challenge is like an overlong uphill hike that causes every muscle in your body to ache. The few enjoyable moments along the way hardly make up for the strain of the trip, and the view at the end isn't even worth it. But if this draining slog sounds like something you want to tolerate, it might make you feel a little proud of yourself.

Even the Ocean is a game I'm gonna be thinking about for a while.
The art and sound design are beautiful, the game mechanics are utilized well, and the puzzles are simple yet satisfying. Interestingly, the power plant levels feel very much designed for speedrunning, despite the overall pace of the game being pretty relaxed, which isn't for everyone. I did sometimes yearn for more incentives to explore, like through optional collectables or bonus puzzle rooms, even though the progression is appreciably nonlinear.
The thing that impressed me the most was the story. I've played every Analgesic Productions game now, and even though I think they're all solid and hypnotic experiences, this is the first one I've played where everything made sense to me by the end. Every subplot and symbolic detail complemented the story's central message in some way, and that message is arguably more pertinent (or at least easier to process) now than it was when the game released 6 years ago.
So yeah. I like it.

As much as I love the original Yooka-Laylee, it's been a bit of a challenge for me to recommend it to people because it's fairly rough around the edges, like the Playtonic team was still finding their footing with it.

Well, they found their footing, and it is immediately apparent how much more confident The Impossible Lair is as a game. Every bit of it is finely polished and rich with fun ideas and features.

The platforming stages have tight controls, very deliberate design, and often-hidden coins to collect that usually add something to the challenge. Each level has two different states which are dictated by small changes you make in the overworld, essentially doubling the number of stages from 20 to 40, and I found that the alternate state was almost always so substantially different that it didn't feel like I was playing the same stage twice. The secrets are sometimes quite well hidden, but never unfair, making them a treat to find, even if it can be mildly irritating having to replay an already-beaten stage to the end just to earn a coin you missed. You shouldn't expect the sidescrolling action to reach the same level of spectacle as something like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but what's here is satisfying (and a lot less frustrating, even in its intense and difficult final stage).

The overworld is exceptional. I'm pretty sure I spent even more time in it than I did the levels themselves. It's the best, most fleshed-out "world map" of any game in this genre, with all kinds of puzzles to solve, hidden Play-Tonics to find, and silly quips to chuckle at. It's a great break from the action while still being compelling and fun to explore. I only wish a few of the tonics were less obscure to find.

In my eyes, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is one of the best 2D/2.5D platformers in years and currently my favorite game of 2019. Even though, as a collectathon fan, the original game holds a more special place in my heart, this spin-off is a much better showcase of what the developers are really capable of, and I have no problems recommending it. Makes me even more excited than I already was to see what else Playtonic Games has in store for the future.

Anodyne 2 maintains the spirit of the original while being something completely different. From beginning to end, it did things I didn't expect, which made it a refreshing and even spellbinding experience.

Gameplay-wise, the back-and-forth between 3D and 2D not only felt surprisingly normal, but worked to the game's benefit. In contrast to the original, the puzzles and combat never became particularly challenging, and I wish they had, though it was probably an intentional design choice to keep the flow of the exploration going. Exploration is by far the strong suit of the experience.

The story is also a key focus at times. It made me feel conflicted, in a good way. There seem to be layers to it, not all of which I claim to understand, but it all feels deliberate and I'll be thinking about it for a while.

The atmosphere is surreal and beautiful. I love the aesthetic, and the music is serene with a hint of uncertainty to it. My only wish is that it didn't break the fourth wall. It got mildly irritating being so fully immersed in the game's unique world only for a line of text to remind me that I'm playing somebody's pile of assets and code.

I'm glad to have played this. Anodyne 2 might not have the same mechanical depth, difficulty, or amazing post-game that the first does, and for that reason, I might still prefer Anodyne 1. But this sequel is most certainly the bigger surprise. If you don't mind the relaxed pace, it's a journey well worth having.

I've never played the Dizzy games that this apparently took inspiration from, but Spud's Quest does a great job at capturing the feel of old PC games with the visual aesthetic, MIDI music, and gameplay. It's got a pleasant, humorous world to explore in typical Metroidvania fashion, and the dungeons have some pretty solid Zelda-esque puzzles.

One thing that many would understandably consider a downside is the inability to carry more than four items at a time, although I found it to be only a minor setback, and it encouraged me to put more thought into how I use the items. Generally, the game is quite good about providing enough information that you won't get completely stuck trying to figure out what item goes where, although I did resort to a walkthrough two or three times for solutions I personally don't think the game hinted towards enough.

Before playing the game, I got a little worried by the reviews that said it was buggy, and I can't say that playing the game completely eased my fears. At one point, I ran into an amusing negative-world glitch that transported me to a town I wasn't supposed to be in yet, and had I decided to save my file there, I'm guessing I would have broken the game. I also skipped a puzzle by accident and obtained an item a little early, which wasn't too problematic, but it did make the Know-It-All's "fortune teller" text inaccurate until I went back and solved the puzzle I skipped. Even now, I'm a little uncertain about the integrity of the code and felt like I needed to be more cautious about my actions than in most games, but I never caught myself in a situation where I couldn't progress.

There are a lot of little side details that add to the game's appeal, like trinkets, accolades (or achievements), and health expansions. There's no 100% completion reward, as far as I know, but I'd say there's an inherent satisfaction to uncovering some of the world's secrets. I was also pleased to spot some fairly subtle references to other games (Mina of the Pirates being the one that really caught me by surprise).

If you're not a fan of old-school adventure games, Spud's Quest probably won't change your mind, but for the most part, I had a great time with it and even got kind of addicted to it. I'd recommend at least giving it a shot if it looks interesting to you.

Spark the Electric Jester 2 is by no means a bad game. It is, however, a somewhat disappointing sequel.

The best word I can think to describe it is "straight".

Straight retread.
– Although translating 2D elements to 3D gameplay makes them inherently different, Spark 2 sticks to the first game's formula too closely, with nearly every level feeling like a direct adaptation of levels from the first game, bringing little new to the table.
– As terrific as the music is in both games, it was underwhelming to find that several tracks from the first game are reused here, too. They aren't even remixes, they're just the same audio.

Straight level design.
– The stages don't feel fully automated, but they're less inspired and varied than in the first game and require few controller inputs.
– While each level has multiple pathways, they aren't substantially different from one another and almost might as well be one route.

Straight power-ups.
– The weapons you can acquire change almost nothing and feel like an afterthought, unlike the first game, where every power-up had noticeably different controls and strengths. There are also a lot fewer of them, which reduces the potential for replay value.

Straight combat.
– The combat is a big step down from the original. It's little more than mashing the attack button and reflexively hitting the shield button. Maneuverability means almost nothing in battles because the space around you is so seldom taken advantage of.

I'd also like to add that an in-game option to remap the buttons would be greatly appreciated, because having the frequently-used shield move mapped to my Xbox 360 controller's left shoulder button is awkward and made my hand ache. My whole experience would have immediately been 2x better had the shield been mapped to the left trigger instead.

There are nitpicks I could cover, but I want to be clear that my feelings on the game are generally positive.

It's fast, fairly satisfying, visually beautiful at times, and overall a worthy 3D Sonic-like experience with tighter controls. I honestly wish the levels were longer, even though they're already pretty impressive in scale for an independently made project.

I somewhat hesitantly recommend Spark 2. Wait for a sale. It's generally a good experience, it just doesn't have (if you'll pardon the pun) the spark of its predecessor.

What makes Wuppo so special to me is that it has one of the most delightful, fully realized worlds I've ever encountered in a game, and it's so believable and immersive that it doesn't even feel like a game most of the time.

The level design is natural and doesn't feel like it specifically caters to the player's goals, like everything you come across could easily exist without you. Time moves on its own, as do the hundreds of background characters who are all doing their own thing, living their own lives. And the Wum you play as isn't some prophesied hero and doesn't even have any particularly noteworthy abilities by the end of the game; you're just one small citizen like anyone else in this big ol' world, which keeps the whole experience down-to-earth.

The heartbeat of this game also comes through in the way it progresses. There aren't many moments that clearly define progress in the story, because just as much care and attention was put in the optional content as the main adventure, so it rarely feels like you're following a script. The game still gives you suitable hints for making progress, but I didn't focus on them too much, because exploration is perhaps Wuppo's greatest focus. Wandering around is often rewarding, if for no other reason than being able to witness more of the game's charming personality.

If I were to break down my minor gripes with Wuppo, one would be the combat. The controls are very simple and generally effective, but dodging enemies and their attacks isn't always reasonable, so there were times when I wished for some sort of dash move. Some of the enemy fire is also difficult to see, either because it's small or somewhat dark. The inventory system is mildly cumbersome, and even though the button shortcuts help, they still leave something to be desired. There were also a couple points in the story where I wasn't sure how to progress, although the game does remarkably well at keeping the flow most of the time, thanks to a number of its presented problems having multiple solutions.

Wuppo was clearly made with a vision. It's a gem, and I recommend it to anyone who likes to explore and wants to smile.

I really like this game, which took me by surprise, because to be honest, I've never liked 2D Sonic games very much.

From my experience, classic Sonic has very loose controls, it's too easy to lose all your momentum, the camera doesn't follow in front of where you're going, level design has you running into walls of spikes or bottomless pits, and all of that is made more frustrating by the lose-all-your-rings health system. It's never been my thing.

If you took a 2D Sonic game, fixed every single one of those issues, and added Kirby/Mario-style powerups to deepen the platforming and combat, you would get Spark the Electric Jester.

The only issues I really have are that the path forward is occasionally not documented well enough, and a few of the late-game enemies are a bit unreasonable to get past without taking damage.

I enjoy this game's sense of humor and the wide variety of ideas it implements. It looks great, the pacing is great, the music is fantastic, and it's a fair level of challenge. Clearly made with care.

Really cool and impressive stuff.

I was a fan of this game's free online predecessor, Kiwi 64, so I wanted to give Macbat 64 a go once it was on sale.

What I expected going into it was a short, silly, easy-going love letter to the N64, particularly Rare's collectathons. Sure enough, that's exactly what I got, and I wouldn't have minded if that's all it was. However, I wasn't anticipating the postgame secrets, which for me turned the experience into something special that I rarely see.

You might not get as much out of the game as I did if you aren't a hardcore fan of oldschool Rare, or if you're looking for a more gameplay-focused experience as opposed to a personality-focused one. But as for me, I enjoyed myself with this game more than I have with some bigger, more expensive collectathons on Steam and I'm interested in seeing what Siactro has in mind for the future.

I can't recall the last time I smiled this much from a game in such a short time. The soundtrack has a few less-than-stellar songs, and the game sometimes temporarily froze from loading new screens and sound effects, but other than that, I loved it. I recommend diving headfirst into this game without knowing what to expect.