16-Bit Rhythm Land (MD, 2019)
Graphics-8 Sound-8 Control-8 Challenge-5.5/8# Story-?
Level Design-7.5/6** Frustration-6/9* Fun-7 Originality-6
Overall Score-7
*Hard mode in some game modes
**Some game modes
#On Hard if going for a good ranking (some modes are harder than others)
+
Four game modes/levels (auto-scrolling platformer, baseball, space station defense, space invaders variation) - each one plays a bit differently
Difficulty options (easy/default or hard but they tend to be poorly balanced - see below)
Nice art direction and spritework
Separate title screens for each game mode
Sometimes impressive sound design
Unlockable songs (do really well on a song)
Ranks you on each song (cool/very tightly timed beats, good/decently timed, bad/poorly timed, missed)
+/-
A level/song keeps going even if you play really poorly
Mostly 4/4 time signature songs
No bosses
No free style mode
-
The sfx tends to be distracting, especially when you're doing poorly
Can't pause - start button takes you to the main menu
Too much of a difference between easy and hard in most game modes (easy tends to be so simple that you only use one button and press on 8th notes)
Trial & error (the level design sometimes doesn't follow the song's beat or melody well, in the platformer and parts of the baseball mode it's too hard to see the next beat you have to hit - could've had something like Tetris or a zoomed out further reaching version of the gameplay beat queued up)
Uneven sound design quality
No intro or endings
No 2-player vs or coop
No room for self expression
Game modes could've had a bit more visual variety between songs
Level Design-7.5/6** Frustration-6/9* Fun-7 Originality-6
Overall Score-7
*Hard mode in some game modes
**Some game modes
#On Hard if going for a good ranking (some modes are harder than others)
+
Four game modes/levels (auto-scrolling platformer, baseball, space station defense, space invaders variation) - each one plays a bit differently
Difficulty options (easy/default or hard but they tend to be poorly balanced - see below)
Nice art direction and spritework
Separate title screens for each game mode
Sometimes impressive sound design
Unlockable songs (do really well on a song)
Ranks you on each song (cool/very tightly timed beats, good/decently timed, bad/poorly timed, missed)
+/-
A level/song keeps going even if you play really poorly
Mostly 4/4 time signature songs
No bosses
No free style mode
-
The sfx tends to be distracting, especially when you're doing poorly
Can't pause - start button takes you to the main menu
Too much of a difference between easy and hard in most game modes (easy tends to be so simple that you only use one button and press on 8th notes)
Trial & error (the level design sometimes doesn't follow the song's beat or melody well, in the platformer and parts of the baseball mode it's too hard to see the next beat you have to hit - could've had something like Tetris or a zoomed out further reaching version of the gameplay beat queued up)
Uneven sound design quality
No intro or endings
No 2-player vs or coop
No room for self expression
Game modes could've had a bit more visual variety between songs