Bolt Riley, A Reggae Adventure

Disclaimer: I backed this game on Kickstarter. When people say this game is unfinished or in a rough shape they are being kind to the game. The majority of the work put into Bolt Riley is put into an unskippable tutorial that teached you how to play a point-and-click adventure game using [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220632651][i]hilarious[/i] 4th-wall breaking narration[/url] and explaining [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220632981]innovative new gameplay[/url]. The jokes range from "Haha that guy is called Smokey because he is always high. Weed is funny" to "Haha, the narrator said commented on the fact that this is a tutorial". There are no other jokes to be found in the game. Everthing about the game screams "sloppy". Subtitles are slightly different from the voice lines. The voices have not been mastered to sound the same. [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220647510]You can open the inventory in the main menu, and there is no quit option[/url]. The phonebook containing backer names [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220634230]is not alphabetized and is filled with usernames instead of real names[/url]. The characters keep repeating the same dialogue, even though you have to go through the entirety of a dialogue tree to move on. At one point the game started pestering me stop talkign to a character because there was nothing left to talk about, even though every attempt revealed new dialogue lines. The art has [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220633415]problems[/url], and is often in [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220634880]much lower resolution that what is needed[/url]. (Why would you decide to [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220634542]zoom in on something of low resolution[/url]? [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220635209]Twice?[/url]) The music is repetitive and boring, and doesn't even loop well. One would expect for a music themed game to have a musical number of some sort, but that is not to be found in the current game, even though the tutorial takes place just before a gig. The first episode ends a couple of screens into the game, before the plot has even gotten started yet. This version was released on April 20th 2016 (remember, weed is funny), and not a single update has been published since then, even though the developer [url=http://steamcommunity.com/app/331210/discussions/1/364039531220523462/#c364039785154923494]promised episode two on April 20th 2017[/url]. (Weed IS funny, right?) Instead of working on Bolt Riley the developer has started working on another game: [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=863137291]Herbert's Quest[/url], consisting entirely of store-bought or free assets. This game is not going to be finished. It is not being worked on. It doesn't have any jokes or good music. The art is bad. There is no reason to buy it whatsoever. Stay away and don't waste your money.

[h1][url=store.steampowered.com/app/331210/Bolt_Riley_A_Reggae_Adventure/]Bolt Riley[/url] is a well-intentioned but uniformly misguided proof of concept.[/h1] Presumably the developers naively underestimated the effort required to achieve the level of quality best suited to their vision. Instead, they opted to release an embarrassingly short and painfully butchered appetizer. One should be easily inclined to forgive unrefined details in Early Access but no update in over a year severely burdens the game's credibility. The game largely plays like any classic 90's point and click adventure, except for an interestingly unconventional "inspiration" mechanic that lets players collect and use abstract items such as emotions. Big points here for a truly original idea. Very uneven art results in pixelated animations built from very low-resolution sprites, poorly compressed, and sometimes out of focus or misaligned. Low quality here is not an aesthetic choice and does not suggest easily replaceable work in progress. Item placement, puzzles and the world around them feel very inorganic and contrived. You'll pick up any random thing without purpose or guidance, including items never used in this brief chapter. [h1]Positive[/h1] [list] [*] Likable main characters Bolt and Smokey [*] Original theme and good general vibe [*] Innovative "inspiration" mechanic [*] Excellent reggae soundtrack [*] Decent-looking environment art [/list] [h1]Negative[/h1] [list] [*] Useless and repetitive dialogues [*] Heavy in clichés [*] Overdrawn intro tutorial [*] Only a handful of backdrops to explore [*] Unfocused narrative direction: there is more story in the trailer than the entire chapter [*] Technically unstable with buggy saved games and crashes [*] Clumsy-looking characters without lip sync [/list] This game had a lot of potential but releasing it in this rushed state is an insult to the player. For a much more rewarding experience in a game that shares some similar vibes, I highly recommend the excellent [url=steamcommunity.com/id/ElusiveOne/recommended/220090]The Journey Down[/url] series.

In full disclosure, I'm a friend of the developer (or at least, I was until I wrote this review ;) ) That said, I paid for my copy of the game, and pressed "Post review" before he saw this. So here's the thing. Bolt Riley is a bit short, it's a bit rough around the edges, some of the puzzles are very arbitrary in their solution, and the intro/tutorial is so annoying it nearly made me quit. BUT..... When you get past all that, you encounter a game with a load of character, made by someone who loves this underserved genre. There were some genuine "Monkey Island" moments in there for me, albeit "diamond in the rough" moments. The art style is really cool, and there are some really nice subtle lighting effects in there. Am I happy I bought it? Yes. Would I change it? Yes, and here's how. Mainly, I'd get lip-syncing in there. It's probably the single biggest improvement that could be thrown at the game to lift the quality bar significantly. The UI could be reworked a bit, but it's not really a deal-breaker. Some of the puzzles could do with a bit of polishing, and the art assets could be imported at a higher resolution. But...it's Early Access, so what do you expect. I'd strip down the tutorial section, and stop the narrator breaking the fourth wall. Finally, I'd make the game longer. The end of the game as stands came way to quickly, and the teaser trailer for the remainder shows promise of a full-blown point-n-click adventure that could stand alongside the greats. Would I recommend it? So this is a tricky one. On the whole, I'd say yes. Yes, because it made me chuckle. Yes, because the voice acting was really top notch. Yes, because the Jamaican angle was really quite unique (and we need more uniqueness in games). And yes, because if you love point-n-click adventures, you need to support the developers still trying to do point-n-click adventures! But - it seems a bit expensive to me, even though I bought it on sale. I felt a little......short-changed by the game, and the "Chapter 1" store listing reinforces this unease. If this is all I get for my money (albeit a more polished version), I'd say it's overpriced. If I've paid for the full game, and there's more to come, I'd say it's a steal even at full price! Should you buy it? Only you can answer that. I can tell you that I did, and I don't regret it :)

Only three screens (four if you count the tutorial) and I doubt there will ever be a chapter two.

Yo so what’s up Rasta’s this here be Steamified featuring a game for all yo reggae needs with Adventure Mob and Corbomite Games’s Bolt Riley: A Reggae Adventure. It’s a real pleasure son. I find it a little bit on the funny side man that an Israeli company is the one to create an adventure reggae anthem. This is just the first chapter of what is expected to be a two part game. I wish it were a little longer if the other chapter is as short in game play as what this one is because I quite enjoyed this chapter until it came to an abrupt end. I actually thought that they held to the true side of reggae. It’s definitely an interesting concept for the game and it suckered me in more quickly than what most point and click adventure games have done lately. As a fan of reggae and the West Indies cricket team the subject matter was very enjoyable. The first chapter tells the story of Bolt Riley, the lead character in the game and the one that the player controls, and how he ascended to become a reggae superstar. It’s a cute charming story. I liked that you could save your progress at any time. However, given that the gameplay can be finished in a little over an hour it makes for a perfectly fine one sitting game. The puzzles are for the most part logical and straight forward enough so one shouldn’t keep you guessing for too long. The music was quite nice. The graphics while simple suited the game very well. Unfortunately, there were quite a few bugs in the game. Two of my bugbears involve the voice acting. The first is the fact that there was never any intention at mirroring the lip syncing of the characters to the voice acting. The second is if you ever wanted to skip some dialogue, which you can by pressing on the mouse you’ll still get the entire animation – without voice – until the animation is finished. That was more than a little irritating. Given how short it is I would advise that it’s not quite worth the standard $9.99 asking price unless you’re a big fan of reggae and point and click adventures. However, it is one to watch for when it goes on a decent sale.

[h3]I chewed on the starter. Where's the main dish?[/h3] Bolt Riley is a good but [b]badly implemented idea[/b]. There's no humour, no real story, only one character that seems to be developed - the protagonist himself - still he's not an exception to bad animation and repetitive dialogues. Acting is just enough to sell those but lacks variation. The whole thing seems like a student's project and can be finished in less than fifty mouse clicks, even with the artificial playtime stretching (like forcing the player to use all the dialogue options restarting the conversation from the beginning each time) it's like 8 minutes to speedrun and far, [b]FAR[/b] not enough for 10€! There's not much that holds up beside the extra inventory for [i]inspiration[/i] which expands with new subjects each time you find, look at or do something [i]artsy[/i]. After you finish the 1st chapter on Linux, the game freezes to black screen and requires a kill. [h3]Pros:[/h3] [list] [*] interesting game mechanics of finding [i]inspiration[/i] [*] nice visuals [*] voice acting doesn't suck [*] comes with a meh soundtrack [/list] [h3]Cons:[/h3] [list] [*] [b]OMG SO SHORT![/b] 10€ for less than 10 minutes of entertainment!? [*] [b]very[/b] repetitive dialogues [*] animations lack frames [*] not everything's voiced [*] voice acting isn't that great either [*] bugs on Linux [*] no exit button in the main menu (seriously) [*] comes with a meh soundtrack [/list]

Une belle découverte ! Vous aimez la Jamaïque et le Reggae ?! Alors vous allez adorer Bolt Riley ! Vous incarnez un jeune chanteur et musicien dont le destin est de partager sa passion pour la musique ! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2849676552 Un jeu d'aventure dépaysant qui vous plonge au coeur d'une culture lointaine ! Fenryl

Dans la grande tradition des Point & Click, Bolt Riley n'a pas à rougir. Malgré quelques graphismes anguleux pour les personnages (notamment en zoom lors d'animations faciales) et une rigidité de déplacements hérités du moteur de création du jeu, Bolt Riley fourmille de bonnes idées. L'univers original, l'humour des répliques, la voix-off qui vient régulièrement ajouter sa réplique, ... on peut dire que ce jeu est bien réalisé. La partie du double-inventaire (l'un pour les objets, l'autre pour les inspirations "mojo") est un apport indéniable à l'ambiance et confère à ce titre une singularité toute particulière dans la résolution d'énigmes. Alors "pourquoi ne pas le conseiller" ? Du simple fait qu'il s'agit là d'un très court chapitre, initiatique, et qu'il est assimilable à ce qu'on peut attendre d'une démo gratuite plutôt que d'un élément payant. En soi, Bolt Riley est engageant, agréable, logique et sympathique, mais depuis le temps (2016), le jeu en accès anticipé ne semble pas avoir évolué et même le studio développeur semble être passé à autre chose. Sans l'assurance qu'un tel titre soit un jour achevé (c'est le majeur soucis des jeux à "épisodes" qui peuvent être abandonnés en plein cours, tout en ayant bénéficié de fonds d'acheteurs trop confiants), il est mal indiqué de conseiller l'achat d'un tel jeu. La frustration est d'autant plus grande qu'il y avait de quoi faire un titre réellement décalé et intéressant qui aurait pu trouver une vraie place dans le monde du Point & Clic. Tant que ce jeu restera dans sa version "démo payante" sous forme de chapitre inachevé, je ne pourrai pas conseiller une telle acquisition (qui plus est à un tel tarif). En espérant que les auteurs donneront d'ici peu l'occasion d'inverser ce constat, via la sortie des nombreux chapitres manquants qui constitueront la quête principale (qu'on ne connait toujours pas à la fin de ce chapitre), riche et originale comme on est en droit d'espérer avec ce départ prometteur.

Ein sehr kurzes Adventure-Kapitel (30-45 Minuten). Was mich besonders stört ist, dass alles in Full-HD verpixelt ist. Das hätte nicht sein müssen. Wem die Trailer zusagen, möge zum Angebotspreis zugreifen. Alle anderen sollten es sein lassen.^^

[table] [tr] [th][h1] My Playthrough [/h1][/th] [th]https://youtu.be/OveJ29XNTOQ[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td][h1]The Review[/h1][/td] [td]A short and incomplete game. Chapter 2 is never happening.[/td] [/tr] [/table]