Probably to prevent people from dumping the files and poking around.
mikebracais
138
Posts
1
Following
A member registered Nov 12, 2019
Recent community posts
Eggular Game - Full Release, now live! comments · Posted in Eggular Game - Full Release, now live! comments
Graveyard Shift at Freddy's Archive Reuploaded comments · Replied to Galacticalfire in Graveyard Shift at Freddy's Archive Reuploaded comments
Remembered I bought this... like, ages ago. At least a few years. A true little gem that revels in how weird, unsettling and quirky it is! A true brain scratcher as well, as the entire world is a puzzle box! I remember finishing it, but not completing it, I'm honestly not too sure if I'm up for that task 😅 but hey, got two slices outta... many a them, so that's a start.
I'm kinda surprised there's no videos about this game, even with the fact The Floor is Jelly's secrets are all easter eggs to this game.
Oh wait, nevermind, there are. They're just incredibly overshadowed by the board game and the actual rocky formation unless we put your name in the search bar 🤣
I actually managed to find it, though it required a small push towards the solution. Still, it was worth it! The answer to the clues from the two remaining NPCs, like all answers to all riddles after you learn them, now seems pretty obvious, but the dev did a good job in making it obscure, something that requires pushing some boundaries, something only the players most desperate in their search for secrets would experiment with.
I'll try to reword the given hints into something a bit more obvious:
"The boundaries of the world's geometry can be nothing but mere suggestions, Vivian. Sometimes, we need to find clandestine paths in them."
"In this world, where all have bodies of bytecode, who is a solemn player and who is a mere prop on the stage?"
Uru: DeMystified (a demake) comments · Replied to phillingtime in Uru: DeMystified (a demake) comments
Gotta say, this is class! The ages are all interesting, the puzzles are really neat, and the writing is pretty humurous! Wouldn't mind seeing some more Myst fangames and material with some more comedic journal entries like this! Finding all the secrets was pretty cool too, and looking at the rooms they were hidden in, even more so!
Ok, I finally fully played it, and I gotta say: you got a great little gem here! It's a simple game, has some quirks to it, like the password system, or the fact the only attack you can do in your base form uses up limited ammo... and I think these quirks contribute to this game's unique vibe! It's a game that does give the vibe of something you would've seen back in the 90s, maybe even a homebrew or a first game made by a starting company!
That's best seen in things like the graphics, where all assets are either super simple or going for that pixelated realism, which couples well with Kekcroc's general look, a simple character design that tries to look 3D in the levels yet has cartoony outlines and movement; but above all, they're a mishmash of various styles and sprites, some even from different games. It brings that homebrew/rom hack vibe to it, and it has such a unique charm to it.
The music also helps things, with all tracks being bangers, some being original and some from somewhere else. I really appreciate the addition of a sound test menu. Speaking of which, the Extras menu was also a really neat addition, including some prototype levels and everything! Even allowing you to change the title screen, just an extra layer of care put into this game really.
Now onto gameplay, while it is simple, it's enjoyable, and the game ain't that long anyways. The really high jumps from springs can sometimes be a bit tough to land, but that honestly reminds me of old 90s game jank lol. I will say tho, the second level of the mountain stage has a part where you ride a lift across a huge gap, and I kinda wish there were more obstacles through the ride, some more blocks to jump over or enemies to hit/avoid, because much of it was just me standing there and wanting really.
Also, the second level of the Croc Tower, I think there's a bug with one of the lifts, the leftmost I think, where it just... keeps riding upwards sometimes? And if we fall, there's no way to get back up.
Anyways, back on track, the enemy variety was functionally and visually pretty decent too! They're also simple, but they pair well with Kekcroc's 1 hit kill nature, 2 if you find a power up that gives you limbs, making you faster and allowing you to attack with a plunger, which has short range and does the same damage as a single rock. It's pretty pitiful against bosses, but useful if you wanna preserve rocks when tackling regular enemies, except the Spinnies, who are immune to it.
I also really appreciate two things: the fact Crocodollars actually work as currency to get lives, continues and rocks, it was a pretty good safety net early on; and the hidden bonus stages a-la S3&K's Special Stages. They're pretty challenging but fair, and I appreciate that the reward gets progressively greater the further ahead you go. In fact, I really appreciate the way you first reveal them to us on Reptile Island 1-2: by having one of the Klutzcroc enemies walk into the invisible wall, honestly pretty brilliant piece of level design!
In terms of bosses, as far as 2D platformer bosses go, I'd say you actually got a pretty neat line up here! Redcroc was pretty simple but he's the first boss, so he's fine; the fourth boss might've been my favorite actually; and the final boss was a bit on the simple side, but it's a cool set piece nonetheless. Kinda wish he had some more direct attacks tho, some projectile or anything. The bosses of worlds 6 and 7 (maybe 4?) were noticeably sprites of enemies from other games, I actually recognized the one of world 6 (he was probably my least favorite boss too, its pattern was really simple, the world 7 boss was pretty cool tho). While the dissonance in art styles is consistent with the whole game, I would be lying if I said I didn't appreciate the unique-looking bosses a bit more 😅 but hey, they do make up the majority, so it's perfectly fine! Would've been cool to see the Toaster-Drone 3000 tho.
And... yeah! That's basically it! I was wondering if the game was gonna have any secret endings or if it had anything to do with any of the "creepier" parts of the copypasta, but I honestly appreciate the straightforwardness. It's a fun little game, and that's all I could ask for! Well done, all of you blokes did a great job here, this is where gaming will be peaking!
Oh, btw, I think I fully cracked the password system, and now know what each number means, hehehe... tho passwords with the first number as 3 (meaning they'll have the boss level of that world unlocked) never work, and instead have me only with the second level unlocked. The password even starts with the number 2 instead of 3.
While I haven't seen much yet, I can safely say this: after deliberately hopping into one of the secret areas at the start, it certainly doesn't seem to be exactly the same. There's actually something new here...
But yeah, we can't expect this to suddenly start playing like a Banjo Kazooie game or anything, as much as I'd love to see some collectathon elements fully realized here 😅
IT'S OUT!
...and on browser? Uh, odd move, but alright. It does prevent decompilations from prying schnozes, at least. I uh, I hope it's compatible with a PS4 controller actually... And goddammit, why is the text in this whole page so dark with a pitch black background, I can barely see what I'm writin-
Yeah, I myself didn't think the voices were AI, but apparently more people are saying it, so I dunno. Also, my opinions on the image in this website being AI generated only to the older image they used. Marc55 down here actually posted it in one of his comments, he also agreed that at least the background was indeed AI.
Yeah, that's the thing, he really doesn't look like the kinda guy that would use AI, hence why I found it really freaking odd that it seemed like he did! Sorry for not replying to you quicker, I didn't have the image on me anyways, but regardless, I'm glad I wasn't crazy with my assumptions here, it really all came down to the background; and I'm even more glad that it was changed into a much better image with, well, actual art lol. Maybe it was just a temporary placeholder, which is understandable I s'ppose.
There's a new video? And they also use an AI voice in there too? Ok, I mean... why? I'm not gonna be the one to say how easy or hard it is to find a VA or ask someone to do some art for a project, since I never did that... but the guys behind Catastrophe Crow must have some sort of resources, right? Unless it's some meta thing related to the plot, I really don't see the reason to use AI in promotional material. If anything, it's gonna hurt the project even more.