I only now realized there's no losing condition.
First game is infinitely better as it's actually a finished game.
Reviews for "Blackstorm II"
NOT THE BEST
BUT ALMOST :)
This game is about intercepting projectiles that move along several vertical lines by moving a pad along a single horizontal line, while protecting a horizontal line beneath it (supposedly). This setup sets two challenges that player is to accomplish simultaneously: to protect a lower horizontal line from projectiles and objects, leaning onto it from above and to collect green projectiles in order to harness energy and ultimately progress through the level. This combination of challenges (protecting and collecting) and mechanics (sliding alone the horizontal line, shooting alone the vertical lines) composes an engaging experience. Also different enemy types and movement/shooting patterns, different types of weapons and upgrades enhance this experience greatly.
Collected projectiles produce energy, while projectiles that hit the ground drain energy. Energy can be used to charge shields, charge level-finishing gun and charge player's weapon. Each way of energy distribution is supposed to be useful, but in my experience I was only using it to charge gun and weapon, since shields can repair themselves over time. The projectile collecting mechanic creates a nice little economy, that player has to manage on the fly, as he shoots and slides from side to side. For me this was the most interesting part of the game: forcing me as a player to look at each enemy and projectile from both tactical and strategic points of view, i.e. both as a threat to be dealt with and as a source of energy to harness in order to finish the level.
In my first hour of play I was very nervous not to miss any projectile since I thought that alien ships pose some actual threat to the city below. But after surviving some vicious onslaughts and reaching wave 11 in one go, I decided to test game limits. I stopped and did nothing for several minutes. Enemy ships continued to bomb my city, but nothing indicated that my progress was under any threat. Later I repeated this experiment on a higher difficulty with the same result. Discovering that game has no losing conditions have significantly decreased my interest in playing, since it eliminated essential part of the challenge: protecting the lower horizontal line from invading projectiles. It made enemies look less like a threat and more like a mere nuisances that slow down your progress towards the next wave by draining your energy.
AleGui responds:
That's a very complete review, I appreciate it.
I think it's fair, you just forgot one element. When the city takes damage the canon energy drops, if it drops enough the game goes back to the previous wave. It can revert up to 3 waves, so for instance if you were in wave 10 and go AFK you will go back to wave 7 after taking enough damage.
But you are correct, taking damage does not kill you, it just slows or reverts your progress.
I really don't often give a review about a game, even if I really like it. This game is an exception. Everything just felt super polished even for it being a flash game. The machine gun became a tad overpowered in easy mode, but the learning curve and upgrade system was phenomenal. Even the subtle details such as the mothership slowly creeping closer from the background really make this game stand out. I'm definitely headed to the Steam greenlight link as I would pay money for a game like this.
Holy shit.
This is the greatest flash I've seen in a long time.
The graphics are rock-solid, it's fun, even if a little bit difficult. There are little to no programming/visual errors, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and would very much like to see the series expand even further.
4.5/5.
~ Pr0xius