Tonight We Riot

I like the violent overthrow of a tyrannical government as much as the next guy, but I got bored after about half an hour of playing. 4/5 for the theme, 2/5 for the gameplay.

Game is about as barebones as you can get, to where one of its selling points is, "has a dog". The not-so-subtle political symbolism is really the only thing that sets his game apart, and even then it somehow feels simultaneously overdone and underdone. The gameplay and graphics are fine, just fine, and forgettable. It's a retro game reminiscent of a beat em up but may lack the polish and charm you might expect. Then again, it was designed to be a token game for a niche market.

The game's ally AI is confusing and dumb. The health system is too unforgiving and certain regular hits from enemies cost you the half your health. The bosses are confusing. It's too short and still has bad game design. You can barely keep yourself alive but it still wants you to keep others alive as well. Plus, the story is uninteresting and readable at best.

An awful side scrolling brawler with a silly plot and imprecise combat. The premise is solid, but the story goes from daft to stupid but never becomes funny, ultimately being nothing more than political fluff. The pixel art graphics are basic and look cheap, the sounds were bland and the game play was repetitive and annoying rather than enjoyable. Combat is chaotic and imprecise leading to lots of frustration and annoyances. Once you do learn the game isn’t really a brawler but a simplified real-time strategy, it becomes much easier, especially once you have the upgrades unlocked. Thankfully the game is very short and whilst it does have some replay value, it’s just not very good overall.

Just like a car advert tries to catch viewers' with hot babes, this game chose controversial political topic. This game is openly leftist and socialist. That is not a bad thing per se. Unfortunately, there is no variety, no added value on top of the class conflict. If this game went with a different theme, say tea/coffee drinkers (the hell, even pineapple pizza), it would end up buried among many more unsuccessful titles, and rightly so. Your fellow rioters behave in strange ways: you can tell them to take a step back and wait, but they will charge to you (and/or the fight) as soon as a) you're under attack, or b) out of screen range. I'd really appreciate if this behaviour would be configurable (i.e. stay on edge of screen, defensive vs offensive crowd). The game also advertises settings control, which is a plain lie. The game is not really trash, but it's really overpromissing and underdelivering. I'd expect this type of content from a flash game, perhaps "1.99 (tax included)" mobile purchase. Maybe it changes in later stages, but the game didn't hook me on to try to get there. If you want some mindless whacking, try waiting and get a sale deal - 12.49€ is really too much to ask. Otherwise - don't even stop and think. Now I have to get a little political. Even the very first riot starts by slaying the guards. Surely, it would make more sense to defeat them and take prisoners. Afterall, "we" should be better than "them". The equipment would be really handy - especially for a bunch of unarmed rioters facing the police, nye? And lastly: I grew up in a post-communist country. People are still trying to "restore the old order of things". The communist party is damn near entering the parliament house. Anyone, who will call me a "comrade" will require no more dentist appointments. Understood?