As someone who was very contented with the first Escape Goat, I was expecting more of the same. Not that I would have had any complaints, since the original was one of the best puzzle platformers I've ever played. But instead the developers improved upon the game in every conceivable way. The graphics, which were charming enough in the first game, are simply gorgeous in this one. The animations have a lot of character, and it all retains that "Amiga Golden Age" look. Likewise the music, which was already superb in the first game, is even stronger in this one. As for the puzzles, they are enhanced by new items that truly enrich the game. This is one of the only puzzles games series I've played where I've never gotten frustrated, and the challenges always feel fair. Even the boss battles are interesting instead of maddening. If you are at all a fan of the genre, then there I recommend this game to you without reservation. Even if you're not a fan, this may make you one.
Apart from some excellent music, there is simply no joy to be found in this game. Even if you love puzzle platformers, you will be hard pressed to derive pleasure from the casual sadism this game employs against you. The earlier levels are moderately challenging and almost fair, but as things progress you encounter timing puzzles and trap types which seem to exist purely out of hatred for you, and to encourage you to hate the game back. Concealed pit traps are placed exactly where you exit a nasty run of pixel-perfect jumps. Net traps paralyse you until you wiggle free, though they frequently trap you in such a way that the moment you are free another trap kills you. Frequent dying causes the colour palette to change on the level, which can make some traps even less obvious, compounding your struggle. I played up to the boss just from sheer bloodymindedness, and gave up after enough rounds of one-touch-deaths from him made it clear I wasn't meant to finish this game.
And I swore I wouldn't make any egg puns... This is a gorgeous game very much in the style of the brutal shooters. It requires a lot of tactical thinking and upgrading along with the reflex skills. The graphics are excellent without crossing over into "bullet hell" overload. And the music is splendid, worth the price of admission alone. As I feared, my own shmups skills are barely up to it. Indeed, I haven't bested the first boss on on the second lowest difficulty setting. Some of this I suspect is from trying to play via keyboard, and I think you may find a controller will give you the balletic moves you really need in order to proceed. Whatever the case, I am not holding my own weak talent against the designers. If you want a classic (and classically tough) shooter garnished with loving attention, this is a must buy.
The basic concept of this game is simple, and further play seems to largely continue on the same principle with slight variation. This isn't intrinsically bad, except that the central concept isn't all that engaging. Worse, it suffers from some inaccuracy during play, making it difficult to play on pure instinct as is sometimes required because you have to pause momentarily to see if it's picking up your alignment on the target points. The graphics are good but not spectacular, as they seem to all center around a tunnel motif. There is no real sense of progression, apart from the change in target requirements and challenges. Given some of the pretensions of the game, it seems to want to be Rez, but it's a far cry from that. If you want neon graphics and music-heavy challenges, I recommend you pick up Symphony from here instead. This isn't a terrible game, it just doesn't offer much beyond the first few plays.
The GOG lords have decreed thy review is too long. They doth allow a long review in the forum most dedicated to thy game, but thou shant link from thy review to that post! Thus thy quest is meet - findest thou the review which hath been written, without guide nor omen!
This pseudo-perspective 2D game takes its basics from the arcade masterpiece Gauntlet (enemy mobs, generators, melee & range mixtures), but spices it up with action RPG elements like upgrades, secret areas, and section bosses. It also encourages and rewards exploration by placing rooms out of reach except by passing through other floors to access them. I've only been playing this a couple nights, and with just one character type (Paladin), so my opinion may change down the line. But so far I quite enjoy the game, and I suspect the other character types make different play strategies viable. And I have not unlocked all the areas even in the levels I have visited, so there remains much for later play-throughs to uncover. One final word - play it with a controller. It handles beautifully that way, and I can't imagine doing the rapid melee attacks via keyboard very well.
Megabyte Punch is a good, if predictable, platform fighting game with pleasing polygonal graphics. The story is simply the excuse to battle through the zones, and the zones themselves play off of many familiar platform tropes (dead world, ice world, factory world). The dialogue with game characters is similarly familiar and serviceable. The central gameplay mechanic is brawling, with some special combat and movement skills available with the right parts (such as rocket launchers, mine layers, and gliding wings). Combat is generally fluid and intuitive, particularly once you get used to the way powers are mapped to the controller. And yes, you'll want to use a controller for this game, it is vastly better that way. The visuals, by and large, are attractive as well as informative, since the robot parts are distinct and thus you can often tell what an enemy can do by seeing how they are constructed. The music is, like the rest of the game, appropriate without being outstanding. Megabyte Punch, like your robot protagonist, is exactly the sum of its parts, but nothing more. More fun to me than, say, Guacamelee, but not any deeper than it appears. If you go into it with that understanding, then you should have an enjoyable time.
In this game you play a goat teamed with a mouse to liberate sheep. And it works beautifully. This small game succeeds in what it sets out to do, which is confound you with platform puzzles and careful jumps. Some rooms you will work out immediately, others will elude you over several attempts, but all will feel fair once you have worked them out. The graphics are charming and the music complements it wonderfully, with chiptunes that feel like they came fresh off a Commodore 64. I heartily recommend this for an afternoon's intelligent diversion, or as a game to play in short sessions (though it's difficult to stop once you start). And it's good that the GOG includes the soundtrack (plus a second set of remixes), as you may find yourself wanting to hear the tunes again after the game is done.
