hmm
i dont have to control im typing this while the game plays
Reviews for "Plankton Life 2"
It's hard to do worse, but I've SEEN worse.
As today's top scorer (5 years later, I know) I have to say that this game sucks. But let me tell you why, because there are good things about this game that I hope the rest of the Newgrounds community can learn from. I'm also hoping you'll be able to take another crack at it and make something we all enjoy playing.
On a cosmetic level, I actually think this game is really good. The vector art is -way- above the average level I'm seeing for flash games here. I kind of liked the music, though in one place I think I was hearing something from Battletoads.
The controls - wait, don't dismiss me here - are messed up. In easy mode, the tadpole gets away from your mouse if you get hit or touch the walls. I think this was actually intended behavior somehow, and it makes sense in other genres. You get hit, you get blown back. It might even be that this is intended for a touch screen which is much more forgiving of where you place your finger. But this little guy, once he's been lost, is impossible to re-acquire. So it's impossible to play on "Easy" mode.
By contrast, it's actually dead simple to get really far in "Hard" mode - Just hold down "Left", "Down", and "A". This will keep you bouncing happily in the lower left corner, rarely grazing enemies (certainly running into them far less than if you try the "semi-controlled train wreck" that is playing normally). After a while I found myself in shape enough to let off the down key every so often to catch some of the other low-flying enemies and evo points.
Which brings me to the shooting part of the controls. This is broken as well, but not in the way people think it is. When you get your first shooting upgrade, the behavior of the "gun" (does your tadpole have a gun? Otherwise, what is he shooting? Don't answer that, I don't actually care at all.) changes. Instead of firing one bullet every second or so, it fires very rapidly, but then reaches the "bullet limit", megaman style. In that sense, since the firing is in bursts, this is actually a bit of a downgrade, but the situation improves with longer bursts more often as the upgrades flow.
Speaking of which, I was a bit sad that I have to go through about ten Evo bars for just one little upgrade, and I can't pick what to upgrade. I clicked through having fond memories of "Evo: The Search for Eden", and found this thing instead.
So here's what I'm asking for: Controls that give you a feeling of control. Nothing will turn off gamers worse than losing not because of their own skill, but because they could not communicate their intention to the game. If you get absolutely zero comments about your controls, you've done your job.
Honestly hope that helps, man. Keep making games, it's a great hobby and we could potentially get some enjoyment out of your work.
what the!?!?
my Plankton is moving by itself!?!
Worst controls ever implemented in a game
Seriously, after a couple of seconds my.. thing.. just starts oving on its own.
But completely haphazardly in all directions, it's bullshit.
Cute little thing
Addictive, if anything.