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AGS Games => Completed Game Announcements => Topic started by: KarjaJr on 15 Oct 2010, 15:45

Title: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: KarjaJr on 15 Oct 2010, 15:45: The phone rang.
- Hello? The demonhunter answered.
- H-H-HELP!!! D-DEMONS!! EVERYWHERE!! The voice in the phone screamed.
- Where are you?
- My address is Darkstreet 81! Please hurr-- AAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHHH!
The phonecall sent chills down the spine of the legendary Demonhunter.
He had seen and heard many dying humans before, but this was something else.
Something horrible.

A new game from the creators of Death - Episode One.
You are the legendary demonhunter, and your mission is to investigate this
mysterious house, and cleanse it from evil! Use your surroundings to find
clever ways to trap/kill the demons before they kill you.

(http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5720/demonhunter1.png) (http://img716.imageshack.us/i/demonhunter1.png/)

(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4461/demonhunter4.png) (http://img696.imageshack.us/i/demonhunter4.png/)

This is a short actionpacked point'n click adventure game.

Available to you now for only $1.99!

Visit http://www.hourgames.net to get your copy!
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: piperhcombs on 16 Oct 2010, 14:03: After some internal debate, I went ahead and shelled out the $1.99. Having played Death- Episode One some time before and enjoyed it, I figured this should as enjoyable.

Well, it is good stuff so far. Good smooth graphics, just the kind I like (cartoony) and an interesting premise so far. I've only managed to trap the demon under the bed, and am now flummoxed as to my next step. One thing I noticed is that the Demonhunter's response every single time you use something on something is "I would do that, but that doesn't feel right" or something along that premise, and that's absolutely no help at all in finding the next step. A little variation in responses would be nice, and may even provide a clue to the player.

Other than that, good game so far, especially if I can figure out what to do next.....

Looking forward to Death- Episode 2!!!
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: jkohen on 16 Oct 2010, 16:41: I'm not enjoying this game much. It's hard for me to write this because I really liked these authors' previous game, Death: Episode 1. And how I liked that game, I even called it my favorite AGS game of the year.

In this game the authors have put the same care and love for the art as they did for Death: Episode 1. However, the item-based puzzles are uninteresting; there are absolutely no clues regarding the various supernatural items, so most puzzle solving is reduced to trial and error; the dialog is almost inexistent, and what's there is uninspired; and the timed action puzzles are way unforgiving.

A developer might get by with timed puzzles, even hard ones, if he provides a slick and responsive UI, and big, easy to hit with the mouse action areas; but that's not the case with this game, where the interaction is an exercise in frustration when the clock isn't ticking against you, and just sheer boredom "OMG I died again" when you have to act fast. Also I'd argue that trial and error puzzles and timed sequences don't mix at all, at least not in an adventure game, but that's just my opinion.

I didn't expect this game to be as long as Death: Episode 1 (even though that one was free and this one is paid), but I feel cheated because the quality of this paid game is so much lower in almost every other sense.

Also a note to the authors: could you update the description of this game to state explicitly that the game relies on timed puzzles? I didn't expect that from reading in the game's description that it was "actionpacked." I play adventure games to relax, not to be running against a timer, and I believe I'm not alone, so this was an unwelcome surprise (though only one of many factors to tint my review so negatively).
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: karja on 16 Oct 2010, 20:12: Oh :-[ Im sorry you found this game that bad.

Timed puzzles might not be the best in adventure games. As you say, since most of us play them to relax and just play casual for a while. That was the reason we put in the autosave feature.
You never have a very lot do redo in case you die.

But with this game we wanted to try something different from Death- good or bad. We didn't just to want to make it too much like our first game since a second episode is on the way, those games contain more slow paced puzzles and more conversations to get further.

About the quality I got little to say. The major difference in the graphic quality is that this is entirely drawn in 2D while death had prerendered 3D backgrounds.
And the lack of conversations was a choice we made to make it more of an action adventure game as we planned from the beginning.

Don't take this reply as a "I defend my baby to the end" kind of post because in the end we do apprieciate your criticism and take it with us. That is what we need to evolve and to get better. (And it even gives us a little bit of anxiety in the stomach area.) ;D We want everybody to love our games!!
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: blueskirt on 21 Oct 2010, 07:30: Like Dave Grossman said, at one point adventure games shifted from puzzle games with stories to story games with puzzles. Demonic Dollhouse felt more like a puzzle game with story, it's fine if you like these games (like I do) but I understand that not everyone will like them. In adventure games, rewards come in the form of expending the story, meeting new characters, exploring new locations and/or finding jokes hidden all over the place. An adventure game without rewards is a bit like one of those challenging and punishing platforming game, many like them but many do not too.

Regarding the game, I thought the game was cool if a bit short, I agree with jkohen regarding verbal feedback, more verbal feedback (hints, jokes, etc.) would have been nice. If you were to make a sequel, with more demons and in a bigger house, I would play it right away but I know I'm in the minority so I'm not holding my breath. Keep up the good work, I can't wait for Death Episode 2!

I stumbled on a bug:
Spoiler: Show Hide
If you use the sword on the beam in the living room, the Demonslayer will tie the rope to the beam and kill the demon. And this even if you did not take the rope yet.
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: jkohen on 21 Oct 2010, 17:16: Quote from: karja on 16 Oct 2010, 20:12
Oh :-[ Im sorry you found this game that bad.

I didn't. Your previous game was very good and I held this one to those standards. What's more, I expected a similar type of adventure game. It disappointed me, and it had some bad things, but I don't think it was a bad game.

Quote from: karja on 16 Oct 2010, 20:12
We want everybody to love our games!!

That is an unattainable goal; there will always be detractors. Make sure you love your games, the rest will follow.
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: piperhcombs on 22 Oct 2010, 13:43: Quote from: blueskirt on 21 Oct 2010, 07:30
Like Dave Grossman said, at one point adventure games shifted from puzzle games with stories to story games with puzzles. Demonic Dollhouse felt more like a puzzle game with story, it's fine if you like these games (like I do) but I understand that not everyone will like them. In adventure games, rewards come in the form of expending the story, meeting new characters, exploring new locations and/or finding jokes hidden all over the place. An adventure game without rewards is a bit like one of those challenging and punishing platforming game, many like them but many do not too.

Regarding the game, I thought the game was cool if a bit short, I agree with jkohen regarding verbal feedback, more verbal feedback (hints, jokes, etc.) would have been nice. If you were to make a sequel, with more demons and in a bigger house, I would play it right away but I know I'm in the minority so I'm not holding my breath. Keep up the good work, I can't wait for Death Episode 2!

I stumbled on a bug:
Spoiler: Show Hide
If you use the sword on the beam in the living room, the Demonslayer will tie the rope to the beam and kill the demon. And this even if you did not take the rope yet.

Regarding the above bug, I found a worse version: [hide]if you keep using the sword on the beam, the Demonslayer will trap the TV demon over and over again, but you'll notice that the rope and demon ensemble keep shifting downward each time you do it until the TV demon is completely off the bottom of the screen and all you can see is the rope tied to nothing but air!!![/hide}
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: KarjaJr on 22 Oct 2010, 15:14: Thanks for the feedback about the bug, it is now fixed! :)
Title: Re: The Demonic Dollhouse
Post by: karja on 13 Jul 2011, 20:25: This game is now Freeware!

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1365 (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1365)