There might be some confusion as to what this thing is, which is reflected in poor ratings. This is, like many other contemporary indie games, a very experimental piece of interactive art. It has subtle story telling, it has great graphics (artistically and technically speaking) but most importantly, it has user interaction, rules and goals/puzzles. So yes, it IS a game. It's just not your typical game. There is mostly exploration and contemplation, it's something meant to be admired and enjoyed, not rushed or power played. For the curious more intellectual gamer, the game has many references to Babylonian/Assyrian mythology and some of the game world's history can be reconstructed from the intriguing ruins and wall art within the game. The narrative itself is implicit and subtle, and easy to miss if you're just rushing through. So take it for what it is. It is short, it is cool, it is a different kind of experience.
Oh my oh my. I can't really complain since I got this for free but I'll leave this here as a warning: this game is the laziest port I have ever seen. So lazy, it's not actually a port. The game is actually an arcade ROM wrapped in a crappy, useless user interface that doesn't even let you set basic options. The core game is the kof2002.zip + the Neogeo firmware files that you can actually run with an arcade emulator. Because emulation is a gray area, I support legally acquiring the ROM. But emulators do a much, much better job at running it than the included launcher. So if you payed money for this (sorry!) try using MAME for your now legal KoF 2002 ROM. There you can set ALL options and dip switches and so on.
I grew up playing action platformers like Prince of Persia and Flashback that clearly inspired this game, but sadly Deadlight is too bland and straightforward compared to these classics. I played with K+M and the controls are stiff and awkward, often with delays while movement or attack animations finish (bad for this type of game) or bugs (pressing down to drop off a fence caused me to turn around the sides of the fence numerous times). It has various types of levels (run/dodge gauntlets, shooting, puzzle solving) but nothing was too challenging. Most of the challenge and frustration was a byproduct of the buggy/bad controls when platforming. I read through the journal pages quickly and got around 4 hours of game time. The story is only average zombie survival, nothing too innovative. By the way aside from a brief, distant glimpse of the Space Needle this city looks nothing like Seattle, especially in the 80's. They should have at least looked at some pictures! The writing is OK but the final part is overly dramatic, a bit cringey to be honest. I think the studio was new when they made this game, so it's OK. Get this game on sale only :)
Played this on Android before, and purchased from GOG to have the desktop version (Linux). Kingdom Rush is an excellent tower defense game with a fantasy twist and an entertaining campaign. It features several gameplay modes and will keep you entertained for hours. Some levels will get very challenging and may require a completely different plan to beat. Compared to the mobile version, this features 130 vs. 110 possible "stars" (which you get for completing levels in different modes). Maximum number per level is 5 so presumably there are four new stages. If you like TD and fantasy and a little humor, GET this, and play on your PC regardless of OS :)
