Messages

Good entries this month!

My thoughts:

Becalmed

Spoiler

Very polished, really well developed. The difficulty of the puzzles is very reasonable to give a good level of enjoyment without getting too stuck. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete the game due to what seems to be a bug

[close]

Hoopoe's Inferno

Spoiler

I really enjoyed the environment and the nature theme is awesome. Good idea to have a map that unlocks new areas as you progress. I don't mind the idea of talking animals but things just seemed a bit far fetched, even within the context of the game. The ending SEEMED to be some sort of epic "beat the boss" but it turned out to be a single-themed joke which didn't really work for me. As others pointed out, the game starts with the assumption that you have to wake the ranger to solve the game but goes off to something completely different. I don't mind a plot twist but this seemed disjointed.

[close]

My vote:

Spoiler

I really enjoyed both games but despite not being able to compelte Becalmed, and I liked the application of the theme in Hoopoe better, I still voted for Becalmed because the graphics, puzzles, clever dialogue just had that much more polish

[close]

Nice graphics. I can't believe all the other animals chill out and only think about eating while the forest is burning...selfish gluttons 

I'm stuck:

Spoiler

the turtle is still hungry after I gave it some honey and a worm.

The bear and the beaver told me about a moose but I can't visit it yet

[close]

The restore button doesn't seem to work.

Spoiler

You have to get one more food item from the bees

[close]

I'm stuck at 90%, not sure what is still missing:

Spoiler

What I've done so far

cat black
hair black
star tattoo
whistle
marks
banana
egg in nest
bra
ship name

Turning the horse shoe doesn't do anything

[close]

Spoiler

Did you try taking the horseshoe altogether?

[close]

Spoiler

It doesn't sound like you've met the Ancient Moose yet?  The turtle actually wants 3 food items - blueberries, a worm, and a Honey Baklava (which you have to get from the bees).

[close]

Thank you! I finished the game.

I'm having trouble with both games in the same place that others have gotten stuck:

Becalmed

Spoiler

I'm at the 90% and have the coal dust but I don't see any way to get the hair gel. What do I need to do at this point or is there indeed a bug making it impossible to finish? It's not clear from previous posts

[close]

Hoopoe

Spoiler

I gave the blueberries to the turtle and revisited all locations. I even tried giving more fish to the bears. I don't see anything new to do at this point

[close]

Thank you

Spoiler

... In Our Midst was close but I did not complete it. I did not get past the vent puzzle.

[close]

 

Spoiler

I also got stuck there. I will note that it was the only part of the game that I couldn't solve. I had to get a few hints and I was able to proceed. I recommend that you ask for some help and finish the game; it's worth it!

[close]

[Barn Runner: Fashionably Late]

I played the entries and voted. Here are my thoughts:

Barn Runner: Fashionably Late

Spoiler

Dress up doll game for adults! Nice cartoon graphics and the reward for each "dressup" is a bit of story. I don't know if I had trouble with the otherwise-simple controls, but if you select an item and then right click, the item disappears and you can't click anything else. Since there's no save, it's game over at that point. Once I figured that out I played till the end.

The highlight of the game is the cartoon graphics (and to some players, the nudity); no puzzles, plot or challenges.

[close]

Steeplejack

Spoiler

I love the graphics and characters and the interaction between the two! I spent most of the 10 minute playtime laughing because the humour is spot-on. Well-designed, nutty and solvable puzzles make this game an enjoyable experience

[close]

Sherwood

Spoiler

Great idea to make a tile-based, medieval-theme combat quest in AGS! I found that the tiles were a bit small to see what's going on and I had trouble using items using the keyboard controls to use items in inventory. I tried the strategy of just bolting for the exit which worked for a few screens. I realize that part of the gameplay is to figure it out after being defeated and having to start over enough times, but after about 10 minutes of this I felt that I was just not enjoying it enough to continue.

[close]

In Our Midst

Spoiler

My experience with this game will be somewhat different than that of players who realized that this is a take-off of an older game. I knew the spaceship was invaded because of the intro but I thought I had to SAVE the crew. Once I realized that I was the alien, THAT'S when the game started! The puzzles are awesome, logical and a lot of fun. The graphics and the humour give the player a real sense of reward in solving the puzzles. I have to admit that I got stuck at the puzzle getting rid of the captain and I needed a few hints to complete it, but once I got past that, the ending was epic. In terms of game design, the absence of text gave the gameplay a different twist where you have icons at best to figure out what's going on. This must have made the design a lot more challenging, running the risk of having the player clued out, but it was pulled off perfectly

[close]

My vote

Spoiler

In Our Midst is the most complete entry, excellent in all areas from graphics to puzzle design to overall polish and player experience.

[close]

Glad you're enjoying, cat!

I'm stuck in the final room.

Spoiler

You only need the metal plate on the left side. It's actually not supposed to be able to go through the chute. Whoops.
The left side is a matter of timing, which will give you what you need to solve the right side. You can open the panel on the left side but only while the robot is moving away from you. There is also a panel behind the holding cell which the drone can open. That should give you what you need to solve the left side. (This must be done before you can solve the right side). To solve the right side, you may need to sacrifice something. 

[close]

And I'll need to look into the inventory item issue. Thanks for the bug report.

Spoiler

I also had the metal strip disappear on me before I did anything with it. I had to restart the game once I found out that I needed it

[close]

[MORT]

Well, another month, another MAGS vote. Here's my 2 cents:

MORT

Spoiler

This game is the most polished of the group. Even more points for the application of the theme. Gameplay is excellent, with two playable characters who interact with each other, sharing resources and even the loveable helper drone. Another area that shines is the idea of combining adventure game puzzles with a platformer to create a unique experience.

Unfortunately, with all that said, my own experience was spending a disproportionate amount of time being really stuck compared to the amount of time I spent progressing in the game. I don't mind a game that's more challenging but it gets to a point where I just lose the satisfaction of achieving progress because of the slow pace of advancement. I have to admit that I gave up at one point and did not complete the game

[close]

Pod Dwellers

Spoiler

Interesting concept. I can't say that I completely got the idea of what was going on during gameplay, but I do gather that this is a part text/part graphic simulation survival game. I played the game until it told me that I was dead.

[close]

Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

Good puzzles, reasonable graphics, good story, ridiculously silly to the point of being really funny. Overall an impressive job to create a new bizarre world packed with puzzles of varying style and difficulty. I needed a few hints but the experience was really enjoyable

[close]

My vote went to (drum roll, please):

Spoiler

Breakfast Requiem. Simply because I had the best overall experience playing

[close]

Spoiler

Looking at the closet door is supposed to hint you towards trying to find a way to use your phone (there is a brick near the entrance to examine)...  This was probably too subtle, sorry!   For the Oil bottle, make sure you've examined all of the bodies.

[close]

Spoiler

THANKS! I totally forgot about the communicator because it wouldn't let me use it once indoors. I would NEVER have found that brick had it not been pointed out. onwards!

[close]

I'm stuck in Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

How can I defeat the beast? I have 3 syrups and a pancake cut in half. I can't turn the wheel. I can't use the explosive or the knife or actually any inventory item on the beast.

[close]

Spoiler

There's a bit of maybe rough puzzling ahead...  I think you have a closet to open, and something in the debris that fell through the floor, to get you started.. 

[close]

I'm basically at the same place

Spoiler

How do you open the closet? How do you open the cork on the oil bottle?

[close]

Thank you. I must have missed that!

I can't seem to make much progress in this game.

Spoiler

I have visited the obvious areas including the mountaintop. I have the text that she needs to translate as well as the light spell. I have seen the eyes in the cave (troll?). I note a number of hotspots (lots of stones of varying description) but can't seem to interact with anything. I spoke to the miller and it seems that my objective is to confront the troll but I really don't see any way to proceed

[close]

Thank you

My vote went to

Spoiler

Use It All (Or Forget Your Ball) In my opinion, this entry has an excellent combination of polished graphics, complex, multi-stage puzzles, and really funny humour and stands out over the other entries. I have to admit that I did need a hand in a few of the puzzles and I hit a dead end. As well, I don't think it met the theme quite as strongly as the other entries. That said, my experience playing was more enjoyable so it gets my vote

[close]

I voted for

Spoiler

Dead Phones. To me, this game is top-notch in every aspect. Great story, graphics, music, I loved the overall atmosphere and great puzzles.

[close]

I want to report a crash

Spoiler

I put the pawns where I THOUGHT I was supposed to based on the text conversation but nothing happened and I didn't see any way to do anything else, including try again. So I thought I'd check if I can reread the conversation on the phone in case I put the pawns in the wrong place. I didn't see any way to scroll back so I took out the map again (the chessboard was still loaded) and I took the picture again. The game crashed. I'll have to restore from my last save.

[close]

I just played this game and I really enjoyed it. Very puzzle heavy, with puzzles at just the right level. I had a lot of good laughs, enjoyed the animations, sound effects and music. Overall a great experience.

I finally got around to playing this last night and I enjoyed every aspect. The gameplay was very engaging, having 3 characters to use to solve different puzzles, puzzles were on the easier side but still fun. Nice art and most of all the humour was AWESOME! I think I spent more time laughing than anything else.

Great short game!

My thoughts after playing:

Tales From a Forgotten Tavern

Spoiler

Good parody game. It seems like a mashup of many quest-style games that I've played and does a good job capturing the flavour with tongue in cheek humour. I don't like when there is endless dialogue and this is actually pointed out during the game, but aside from that (deliberate) annoyance, a good experience.

[close]

Well... Horror, Naturally

Spoiler

As the game is described, it's a story rather than a game. The video and photography style works really well for what this game attempts to do. If the story would be strong then despite not being a game, it could be a good experience. However, the story is not really that developed so this entry just feels like a lot of clicking and reading rather than a story or game. I think I felt some Halloween vibes but I'm not sure.

[close]

My vote went to

Spoiler

Forgotten tavern

[close]

I absolutely enjoyed every minute of the game. As others said, the graphics and animation are top quality. Puzzles were on the easier side and things just fell into place intuitively without really getting stuck. In my opinion, the story is outstanding and just keeps getting more complex as you play.

Well done.