Jonathan-So's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Drawgun]

This game feels so much like Qix that I almost feel like I'm playing an unreleased spin-off of it, hidden in the backroom of Taito's warehouse. The game itself works fine, but I have a couple complaints that I would like to see addressed.

The game simply does not want to be played; I'm using the latest version of Chrome browser, but the three times I tried to play it, it crashed the tab during gameplay. I don't know what causes this, but it might be worth looking into. The other two complaints are minor; the Drawgun logo and ship explosion graphics look a bit too advanced for 1983-ish standards, and break my immersion a bit. You spent so much effort evoking the Qix feeling that I feel you may want to change these graphics. Also, the title screen's instructions are cut off at the sides.

Overall, good work, and thank you for creating this game.

MitchellProductions responds:

Have you played this on another browser? Internet explorer was the only browser that I have tested this on. And yes, most of this game was inspired by Qix, particularly the arcade version.

[Arise 2]

I played around 10 rounds of this with the default character, and think it's well-done, with only one issue.
I love the graphic art style and the sound design. I also think that this is perfect for the mobile platform; it lends itself to replayability quite well with the short play sessions. What program did your team use to compose the music?
As for the only problem I have, the game's general aesthetic seems to be retro, suggested by the music, graphics, and some of the sound effects. The glaring issue comes in with the sound effect played upon a bird-to-bird collision; it's an analog pinball machine bumper! While I realize that you're trying to convey that two objects bounce apart upon collision, the analog, realistic sound effect contrasts with the retro-style limitations. I suggest creating a new sound effect in your music composition program which conveys the bounce while adhering to the aesthetic. Try listening to the NES "Pinball" audio for inspiration. Otherwise, this game is excellent.
Thank you for creating this game, and I might just pay this a download on Android.

Mantis1 responds:

I think Genclops used Femitracker to compose the music. Then I went in and increased the pitch and tempo with Audacity! I also used SFXR to generate most sound effects.

When I was making the first game, my goal was to make a faithful remake with uniform pixel graphics and NES sounds, and you can play that! So for the sequel, I wanted to try something new and was inspired by Hotline Miami to ditch that faithfulness as long as it doesn't feel jarring. I was even planning to get another composer to remix the music and change all other sound effects. You are entitled to disagree, but I became happy with how the aesthetics turned out so I just released the game.