| Home | About Me | |
|
|
DELRON
|
Dung Beetles Are Aliens Reviews
Author: Duncan Bowsman
Date: 2009
ADRIFT 4.0
Reviewed by James Webb (as revgiblet)
What makes this enjoyable is
the humour and formatting combo - the old presentation one-two. The game is
very pleasing to the eye as DB has made every effort to ensure that the layout
of the screen adds to the atmosphere of the adventure. The ASCII graphics (they
may be ASCII but one could hardly call them crude) are splendid. However, the
downside to this is that the game practically demands that you play it in the
ADRIFT Runner -indeed, I couldn't even get to play it in Gargoyle without it
dumping me out of the game when I tried to leave the MAWINDEX terminal. Hardly
a major complaint - that the game is designed to run best in its natural
environment - but one that may mean that those non-Drifters who like to use
Gargoyle etc. will face the harsh glaring light of discrimination.
DB's prose makes the kooky B-movie sci-fi setting works very well. Add this to
the generous layer of polish and this intro certainly seems to inspire the
player to try the full-fat version. There are a couple of other comments that I
would wish to make. Firstly, the intro is 'unwinnable' - or at least it tells
you that it is while you are playing. This is clearly, no doubt, due to the
fact that the first 'puzzle' appears to require the use of more than the three
rooms and this is not allowed by the competition. I don't like being unable to
reach an 'ending', even in a competition like this. The second comment is that
if I were playing the full version of this game I would be doing so to uncover
more witty writing and messages on the MAWINDEX and see extra cute ASCII art.
It wouldn't be because I cared about uncovering the Dung Beetle conspiracy.
This may be a flaw in the introductory nature of this game, or it may be
because the concept doesn't really grab me. Either way, it shows that it's
tricky to develop a killer hook within the constraints of this competition. And
trust me on this, if I'm an expert on anything it's failing to deliver on
expectations.
I really like DB's writing and style. He shows talent at such things. He also
has an edge in that he already knows how to make ADRIFT dance to his tune,
despite being a relative nOOb. His first complete, non-comp restricted,
non-based-on-an-obscure-film game will be a beauty I reckon.
Reviews should be considered copyrighted by their respective authors.
| Any donation would be much appreciated to help keep the site online and growing. | To help make your donation quicker and
easier just click the "Donate" button and you will be taken to the secure Paypal donation page. |
|
| Home | About Me |
