Review: Mushroom Madness 3

Mushroom Madness 3	Mushroom Madness 3 Developer: SilenGames Sponsor: Kongregate Genre: Defense Shooter
Ridding your garden of pests has never been more fun.
	4 out of 5 (Great)
	System:	4
	Atmosphere:	3
	Storytelling:	1
	Replayability:	4
	Fun Factor:	4
Protip: Trying to get the 30 combo achievement? Play Swarm Assault Level 1, let all the bunnies onto the screen, then nuke 'em all at once.

The gist

There is something about taking a tennis racket to a poor rabbit trying to dig up a mushroom that's really satisfying. Mushroom Madness 3 takes the reasonably successful formula of Mushroom Madness 2 and adds significantly more of everything: more enemies, more upgrades, more game modes etc. This creates an experience that is lastingly satisfying and addictive. By the time I finished everything there was to do with the game, however, I found myself wishing that there was even more there. My biggest gripe with the game was that it is much too easy; I got 3 stars on almost every level on the first try, and money was never really any obstacle to overcome. All in all a great game that could really become top of its class with a bit of creative thinking and an appropriate difficulty curve.

The score

System: 4
The system seemed very robust and accessible. All of the objectives were very clear despite the chaos on the field. The weapons really felt comfortable to use, and I got down the proper timing on the bats very quickly. There seems to be some disparity on the usefulness and interest of some of the weapons, however, which created a jarring feeling that pushed me to preferentially upgrade my bat.

Atmosphere: 3
There is a very strong theme here, which is that you are some military guy trying to keep every critter on earth away from your mushrooms. You are basically Bill Murray from Caddy Shack. The problem is that this theme isn't very interesting or visually appealing. All of the characters feel kinda awkward and out of place, like they were made by an art student that had never used a 3d rendering program before. Regardless, the theme is at least extremely cohesive. Sounds were ok, but I was really unappreciative of the fact that my super-powerful hammer sounded like a golf club when I swung it.

Storytelling: 1
All we know is that you love mushrooms and you hate animals that want to eat them. Also for some reason killing a spider makes it rain. There is no context for the situation, but I do love imagining that I am Bill Murray blundering around to stop the critters with my dynamite and shovel.

Replayability: 4
There is far an away a vast improvement to the replayability of this game over its predecessor, but the creator didn't go quite far enough with the idea. Give me more open-ended modes where the difficulty scales with my current power level. I thought that survival was going to be it, but that mode is too hard early in the game and too easy late in the game. The achievements were fun to go after at least, and there are enough upgrades to make you feel like actually accomplishing something for a decent length of time. It's worth noting that this was my second playthrough of the game, and I had just as much fun with it as my first playthrough.

Fun Factor: 4
This game is extremely fun up until the point when you realize that it's gotten just too easy. I didn't even utilize half of the traps that the game presented to me in most of the levels. All I need is a decently powerful bat and I can take care of almost any situation. If the second half of the game was as compelling as the first half, this game would surely get a 5 for fun. The game right now is more like half a game experience with some extras thrown in instead. That half is a really good half though. Also I really liked the fact that game had a good variety for star requirements, because it meant that I could focus on different aspects of the game at different points.

Review: Next, Please!

Next, Please!	Next, Please! Developer: Vyacheslav Stepanov Publisher: Armor Games Genre: Puzzle Platform
A quick puzzler that's a lot of fun.
	4 out of 5 (Great)
	System:	3
	Atmosphere:	4
	Storytelling:	1
	Replayability:	2
	Fun Factor:	5
In order to reach the exit, you utilize frozen corpses of yourself as platforms. Yeesh.

I've found that it is very difficult for a puzzle game to be simultaneously engaging, challenging, and stylish. Although Angry Birds this game isn't, it brings all these components together in a very nice way. The game revolves around a group of clay men that looks suspiciously like a dogs and their struggle to escape the confines of their prison. The trick here, however, is that in order to successfully reach the doors towards safety, you must turn yourself to stone and let your friends use you as a platform. I really appreciated the difficulty curve here, and the novelty that each new level brought. Just when I was about to get bored of the game and quit, I realized I was on the last level; like Baby Bear, this game is not too short and not too long, but just right. That said, there isn't too much ingenuity here, and as far as platformers go, its really old hat.

The score

System: 3
Nothing struck me here as particularly interesting, system-wise. The controls are fluid enough, but I feel like its missing something that many top-notch platformers have. What kind of platformer doesn't let you modulate the height of your jump? There were many times I wished that dying should just make you restart the whole level, because its impossible to get 3 stars after wasting a guy. Also the fact that the explosion animation stays around so long on the guns was really frustrating.

Atmosphere: 4
I think the main character here is really unique. It's sort of a mix between a clay man and Dogbert, and its animations, while simple, have a surprising amount of character. The levels are kinda bland but very appropriately designed for the game. The sounds and music are also very appropriate. All in all, no complaints, but nothing spectacular to warrant a higher score.

Storytelling: 1
For some reason puzzle game developers have decided that storylines are completely superfluous to their genre and should be completely eliminiated. There isn't even an explaination of how or why you are freezing yourself in place or what you are doing in the rooms in the first place.

Replayability: 2
I suppose you could go back for 3 stars on every level, but if you're trying, you'll probably have it by the time you finish the game. There's very little reason to play this game after you've finished it. You could go for a higher total score, but there is no explanation as to what that number is even based on, so it seems not worth it.

Fun Factor: 5
As far as puzzle platformers go, this one is short and sweet. You may not need to replay this game, but you will feel satisfied after your first play-through. The difficulty curve is just right, and the levels are varied and creative enough to keep you completely engaged during your whole play-through. Some of the levels are challenging enough to require multiple attempts without becoming frustrating, and when you finally get 3 stars on them you will feel proud of yourself.

New Look!

I apologize for the delay in reviews, but I've been working on a new template for the site and posts. You may have noticed some intermittent changes as I played around with settings. I think I have things the way I like them now, but of course I will change more as I get inspired.

Please compare the new post layout to the old and let me know what you think!

Thanks for your patience,

Chris

Review: Tech and Magic

Tech and Magic
Developer: flashrushgames
Genre: Wall Defense

The main character looks remarkably similar to Veigar from League of Legends, who looks remarkably similar to Vivi from Final Fantasy, who looks remarkably similar to Orko from He-Man. There has to be some copyright infringement in there somewhere.

Total Score: 3 out of 5 (Good)

This reasonably quick wall defense game features a sleek design and an interesting system, but ultimately succumbs to a lack of variety and repetitive gameplay. There's definitely promise here, but this game will only ever be noted as the predecessor to a really good sequel, should one be developed. The enemies look good, the controls feel right, and the powers are pretty cool if a bit unbalanced. Let's hope that the developer expands on this concept and delivers an expansion or sequel worthy of a 5 out of 5.

The score

System: 4
Everything in the game feels pretty good. The pacing of the upgrades and enemies are appropriate, and the controls worked well for me (I really appreciate auto-attack style wall defense games). I wish the game was a little more clear on what each of the powers do exactly; for example, I didn't know that the fireball couldn't hit flying enemies. Nothing is really out of place as far as the system is concerned, which is good.

Atmosphere: 3
I dig the Arcanum-esque magic vs. technology feel of the game. The sprites are reasonably simple, but they look very distinct and very clean, which is good for a defense game where there are lots of enemies on the screen at once. The game's music is properly motivating, though the sounds effects were a bit jarring at times. I would have liked to see some more interesting changes to the animations of the castle and powers as you upgraded them. As it is, upgrading isn't really exciting from a flavor perspective.

Storytelling: 1
There is exactly zero explanation as to why our hero is protecting a medieval castle complete with magical crystal cannons from aggressive firearm-wielding robots, so I'm left to assume that this game represents commentary about Man's struggle to exist in a world full of technology... with magic or something. I'm sure it involves Scientology somehow.

Replayability: 2
This game is pretty short, and there isn't really any compelling reason to play it after you finish. Their aren't even really enough powers or enemies to really motivate you to keep playing, and I found myself almost quitting a few times. I suppose its a good thing that my the time I was ready to quit playing for real, I had beaten the game. I would love to see more game modes, and more variety.

Fun Factor: 3
The first few levels and each of the boss levels were really fun for me. I enjoyed picking my upgrades and trying out the powers, and seeing the new enemies when there were new enemies to see. That said, there really isn't anything here that's going to excite those that don't like the defense genre. The game is a solid example of doing everything in a game just enough and no more, and it really suffers for that. If you are a fan of the genre, you'll have fun. If you aren't a fan, you'll probably get bored pretty quick.

Review: Bloons Tower Defense 5

Bloons Tower Defense 5
Developer: NinjaKiwi
Genre: Tower Defense

The new monkey ninja is, as far as I can tell, the most broken tower ever

Total Score: 5 out of 5 (Best in Genre)

The latest (and dare I say greatest?) in the Bloons tower defense series. If you've never played a Bloons Tower Defense, I would highly recommend starting from the beginning and and watching the series refine itself. This installment plays much like Bloons TD 4, except even more polished if that were possible. The levels are much better balanced and the towers are very well crafted to create a smooth and extremely fun gameplay experience. Probably one of - if not the - best tower defense games out there right now. A must play.

The score

System: 5
The layout has always improved a bit with each iteration of the series, and this one is no different. A highly robust system that is simple and smooth for the entire session (BTD 4 would lag a bit with more enemies). The game is very easy to pick up and play, and you are introduced to the towers over time so that you can learn them each as you go. The "monsters" are simple; there isn't any health or armor to deal with, so things are largely transparent and each to understand.

Atmosphere: 5
The visuals are improved over BTD 4 and some of the best in the genre. The music is good and isn't annoyingly repetitive. Besides the fact that monkey with darts attacking evil balloons makes no sense, each of the towers are extremely well stylized and interesting, and there are custom changes their appearances for each of their upgrades. Very cool. I also really like the sort of monkey village menu screen.

Storytelling: 1
There has never, and as far as I can tell will never, be a cohesive storyline to the Bloons series. We are simply left to wonder why monkeys hate balloons and also are extremely good at throwing darts. No intro, no cutscenes, nothing.

Replayability: 5
Even if there was no specific reason to keep coming back to Bloons TD 5, there is always this compulsion to play it for old time's sake. I personally enjoyed giving myself handicaps in BTD 4 and seeing how far I could get. In BTD 5 you don't have to give yourself handicaps, because there is already a mode just for that. There are special missions that you can undertake in order to earn cash for special things in which you must beat a level at a particular difficulty with one arm tied behind your back or something similar. There are even daily challenges too so that you can keep coming back every day forever (or at least until BTD 6 comes out). And that's not even mentioning the special game modes that you can play.

Fun Factor: 5
Even if BTD 5 isn't objectively the "best" tower defense game, it sure is the funnest. The stylized and varied towers, understandable enemies, and robust system makes this game my new de facto flash entertainment source. There really isn't any more I can say on the subject; BTD 5 is simply pure fun.

The Review

The Bloons series began as a accuracy-based puzzler where you were a monkey who threw darts at a field of balloons hoping to pop them all and move on to the next level. This was a reasonably popular game, and enjoyed a few successful sequels. I wasn't until NinjaKiwi released the first Bloons Tower Defense that the series really started to take off. This game was one of the first to employ the clever scheme of "one-hit, one-kill" in tower defense games, and featured a good variety of towers that offered challenging and rewarding gameplay.

Each iteration of Bloons Tower Defense has improved upon the previous; BTD 2 added more towers, BTD 3 a graphics overhaul, and BTD 4 more or less defined what it meant to be a good tower defense game with its clean layout, multitude of upgrades, and balanced gameplay. Bloons Tower Defense 5 continues this progression by maintaining that clean layout, but also improving many areas that could see some polish.

The first improvement that is immediately obvious is the graphics and core system. Bloons is not, by any means, supposed to look wonderful; it is a top down tower defense game, after all, there is only so good you can get here. That's why NinjaKiwi focuses on the graphics system in the perfect way, by adding subtle and elegant animations and stylish towers while actually improving the performance of the system in the later parts of the game. Each tower has two separate upgrade paths with four upgrades each that uniquely change the look of the tower (read: that's 9 sprites for each tower). It all boils into a visually appealing, but still recognizable system.

Secondly, the difficulty and wave progression of the balloons have been changed. There is a brand new balloon added, the heart balloon, that heals itself over time if you don't kill it fast enough. Not only that, but these heart balloons (and also camo balloons) can come in any flavor of balloon. If you were thinking "wait, doesn't that mean there are camo lead balloons now?" then you win a prize, and also lose the round. You actually have to play around camo balloons now. Scary.

There wasn't really much of a reason to keep playing Bloons Tower Defense 4 once you had beaten all of tracks on hard (Apopalypse mode doesn't count). In BTD 5, they have a new set of "missions" in which you play on certain levels with a set of handicaps, such as being able to build only once of each type of tower. These missions give you currency with which you can buy super one-time-use towers to help you out on the harder levels. And there are daily missions, too, so you can come back and have new content to play each day.

Bloons Tower Defense is fun, and is easily one of the best tower defense games to date. If you haven't played any Bloons TD, you can easily start with this one, but I do recommend giving the others a peek and see where this game got its roots. NinjaKiwi really know how to polish a game and give it a good shine, and this game is no exception. It definitely earns its title as a "must-play".