Reviews - Smaxx

I really like this game and it reminds me a lot of old console classics like Contra. The only real downside here is the fact that (at least in the first mission; playing the demo only), there aren't such a lot of enemies. There's quite some variety, but you have to be very lucky to grab any upgrades.

Plus side is, it's a lot more forgiving considering you've got an unlimited amount of lives. However, the time remaining isn't reset on deaths, so it's possible you start again, just to see the final game over screen 5 seconds later due to your time running out. The bonus items seem to be placed at fixed locations (visible or hidden/contained in an enemy or destructible item), however what they become is random. This is nice, except one fact: If you respawn right before the boss, you'll get one upgrade. This can be a weapon, making the fight a lot easier. However, it could be a medikit as well, being absolutely pointless (given the fact you just respawned at full health).

Oh, right, the health bar. It's probably one of those games the Angry Video Game Nerd would rage about. There are like 10 pips of health you've got. Falling into a gap will kill you instantly (which is fine), but all(?) enemy shots will take away at least 2 pips of health. The question: Why even have 10 pips with everything taking 2 away? Wouldn't a health bar with 5 pips be more useful then?

Anyway, if you liked the classic Contra, you'll most likely love this game, too. Although it plays slower, with less bullets and less enemies on screen. Best bet, try the demo.

As a classic Metroid fan this immediately catched my eye. However, without an Xbox360 controller I would have dropped the game again immediately. The default control scheme for the controller is okay, but for the keyboard it's simply confusing. I know what you tried to achieve (essentially mapping the 4 colored buttons to the cursor keys), however this is more confusing than helpful. Why not use cursor keys for movement, space for jumping and control for shooting? Other small things I noticed: You die too fast, even at the beginning. Also having limited ammo and obviously no way to shoot while jumping (plus delays after jumping or ducking) makes the game far more harder than it should be. Other than that... nice animations and interesting ideas (e.g. snakes running around blocks), so might grab it later on, but for now it's too cumbersome to play for my taste.

PS: How about changing graphic options so you have to hit an apply button first after changing something and then you having to confirm the changed settings once they applied? That way you'd also eliminate crashing issues making the game unplayable.

A very nice take on on classic console puzzle/adventure games. The graphics and animations are very nice and could indeed be taken from one of the classic16 bit consoles like the SNES. There's a nice mix of pixelized low resolution stuff as well as some high resolution backgrounds and menu screens, which - like I didn't expect at first - match rather well.

The gameplay is rather simple: Get one of the two adventurers to the exit door (which you might have to open first). The challenge (and the complexity) lies in the maximum number of blocks you're able to jump over or where/when you're able to move something - or simply in avoiding traps and enemies. But that's sometimes not as easy as it sounds. The game is easy to get a hold of, but some levels can be really tough to master (e.g. trying to beat the level as fast as possible in as few tries as possible).

The game is fun, the levels are different enough to not appear repetitive, but some situation can get a bit tricky. These levels might be nothing for people that want to beat a game in one or two sittings or without dieing. Without wanting to lower the work or accomplishments of any other group participating in alpha funds, I'd say this is the most polished and playable game under the alpha funds category. I wouldn't even call it alpha. It's more like a beta or - thinking of some rushed game releases - up to release quality already.