makestuff's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Musk Mining Industries]

This game is a deceptively simple reminder that space is hard.

[Wondrous Lands]

This is one of the most addictive games I've played on Newgrounds. It's one that found myself playing repeatedly out of a desire to get better at it to the point of where I've defeated the big boss character a few times in "hardcore" mode. The interface handles smoothly, and I'm hugely impressed with the intricacy of the designs and algorithms employed to make all the manifold variables and behaviors to work properly. It's also cool that it's never quite the same game each time. A lot of care and attention to detail was put into this project.

The combo of heroes I found most effective consisted of a warrior equipped with sword & shield, an arcane mage with leadership abilities and an archer who's also adept at law magic. I found it most advantageous to be a devotee of the Earth god, since I can get extra personnel in the form of a friendly animal to join the battles, if I keep the god happy, which isn't too tough to do. (Just don't fight friendly animals or the tiger in the jungle tournament--the Earth god will take away all the advantages bestowed, if you do.) Also, friendly animals will also let you have whatever's in the chests they're guarding, provided there's room to walk around them.

Overall, Wondrous Lands is an excellent way to pass the time while listening to podcasts. The authors have achieved that happy medium where the game is neither so simple that it induces boredom after a short while nor so complex that it induces exasperation. It's one of my all-time favorites on Newgrounds. Well done!

DLord2 responds:

Thank you!

[Be a Cube]

I like the fluidity of the interface and simplicity of handling. I think it'd help matters to have some sort of map in an upper corner, to get a sense of where you and your enemy are. I also found aiming to be difficult, and I'm not sure what my weapon is doing to my target.

Java-N responds:

I like the idea of the map, and yes, I did not put any type of effect when the projectiles collide with the enemy because I thought that it would lower the performance of the game, but I think it is something necessary to add, I will solve it for the next version. Thanks for the review!

[Soda Dungeon Lite]

This is a visually appealing game, and the "auto-combat" feature makes it great for busy multitaskers. When I get the team in the dungeon and hit GO, I can run errands, send emails or take a nap and then check back in to see where things are at and how my team did.

[Rogue Fable II]

I started playing this game a little over a month ago, and, being frustrated at not getting through it at the time, I gave it a begrudging three stars of my vote. But I kept on playing and did eventually get good enough to obtain the Goblet of Yendor, albeit not yet in under 60 minutes, let alone 45. (My fasted finish to date is 79:45.)

It has become one of the most addictive games I've played on any website or other device. (I fed a lot of quarters in machines as a kid.) Because of that, I'm giving the review five stars. It's simple to play, once I got the hang of it and the management of the components, yet it can also be complex and never the same game twice. It involves strategy yet also adaptability to circumstances and variables. Visually it's pleasing to look at and easy to understand. I also like that I can play with just my mouse. I also like the feature of silencing the music and sound effects, so I can play while listening to other music or podcasts.

The Warrior is my character of choice. You start off with a longsword and the most hit points of all the characters. At first, my mindset was more protective, with fortitude getting the most skill points, but since then, I've adopted a more offense-oriented mindset, with the most points going to melee and range. I don't have to take as many hits, if I can dispatch monsters in fewer moves. I always worship at the altar of the archer, to better my chances of getting plenty of ammunition, and it's better still to either purchase or luck upon one of the magic staffs as a backup range weapon. My favorite of those is the storm staff, which, is very useful in the sewers and anywhere else with open bodies of water. The Book of the Storm Mage is also my favorite for extra talents, like the lightning bolt, especially in the settings with bodies of water. Other favorite items include the Boots of Flight, which are especially appreciated, if I'm in The Core with its lava beds. I also love the Shield of Reflection, Gloves of Might, the Storm-chopper and Circlet of Knowledge, Scroll of Hell Fire and dragon scale armor. Metal plate armor and shield are items I always sell to the merchant, and if I happen upon a wishing well for the first time, my tendency is to summon food, since I know what I'm getting.

My most satisfying outcome was making off with the Goblet of Yendor, after delivering a thunderclap to stun enemies for enough moves for me to get to the prize without having to spend extra time on killing them.

Possible stuff to change for future versions: Different music for each floor, and the ability to go the last saved game, even after one has been killed. If I die prior to the end, it's usually for a bonehead mistake, like failing to keep track of my own hit points while merrily swinging away at a crowd of monsters--particularly galling, when I've lucked into a lot of my favorite gear. (Then again, not being able to go back to that game serves me right for being boneheaded.)

In conclusion, it's one of my favorite time-killing games and thus deserving its five-star plaudit from me.

[Asterash]

Simple, yet challenging; frustrating, at times, yet highly addictive, thanks to having only one life per game. Some others mentioned preferring that the ship maneuver via that arrow keys, but I like using just the mouse and needing only one hand to play this time-chewer. One thing I'd like to see in a subsequent version is the player's ship automatically firing without the player having to depress the mouse button, since there's no reason to hold one's fire in this game.

I managed to get all but two of the medals, and I don't imagine I'll ever score enough point to earn the "best-of-all-time" medal. I do wonder, though, when the "elite speed ship" is supposed to show up. As of this writing, I've managed to survive long enough to make it past 100,000 points and still didn't see it.

[Crush the Castle: PP]

One of the most satisfying, time-killing games I've played. It's simple to operate, yet complex, in terms of determining where to aim to crush a castle and timing the launch to get that shot. It's also cool that players can make and submit their own castles for crushing by other players, and the physics of the pieces has also been well worked out. Well done!

[Space Flash Arena]

What I like about this game: The smooth handling, easy to operate interface; the ability to set the difficulty level and number of enemy to kill; the simple but elegant visuals, both of the operating environments, ships and elements, which help retain my interest in playing. One can spend hours on this game without getting stressed out with a craft that's too fragile and crashes easily.

What I'd like to see in a future version: Clarification from the beginning of what the different keys represent, and a story version with a Boss character at the end of each stage. Also, the medals earned in this current version don't show up as total points on one's gaming profile, so that could be fixed.

[Galaxy Invasion]

This demo game is a good start. What I especially like about it, and why I'm giving it 3 stars--is the crazy background music, whose modernistic harmonies bring to mind the music of 20th Century composers, Paul Hindemith and Bela Bartok.