[b][quote][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset_flip]Warning: Asset Flip![/url][/quote][/b]
Cosmic Distortion is an asset flip, what Valve calls a "fake game". The "developer", Bell Studio, took a template from Unity, slapped a couple of asset flipped sprites on it, and dumped the results onto Steam as a cash grab scam.
Bell Studio has shown a repeated pattern of ripping off Unity templates and dumping them on Steam.
Don't believe me? Here's some other asset flips from exactly the same template, all shamelessly dumped on Steam as nasty cash grabs:
[list]
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4450710]Warp Rush[/url]"
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4381820]Rapid Ascent[/url]"
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4246050]Through Space[/url]"
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1995470]Space Turbo 2[/url]"
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1992260]Space Turbo[/url]"
[/list]
Look for yourself... these are all exactly the same game!
This unethical behaviour should be no surprise, as Bell Studio are known asset flippers who've previously taken the work of real developers, changed the name and put their own name on it, so they can sell it on Steam and try to scam gamers and get paid for someone else's work.
Take a look at this:
[list]
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1442380]Book of Shadows[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/historic/polygon-western-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-112212]Polygon Western - Low Poly 3D Art Pack[/url] developed by Synty Studios
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1599510]Deadly Threat[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/dungeons/polygon-dungeons-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-102677]POLYGON Dungeons - Low Poly 3D Art by Synty[/url] developed by Synty Studios
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/4232770]Driver Night Trip[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/industrial/polygon-construction-pack-art-by-synty-168036]POLYGON - Construction Pack[/url] developed by Synty Studios
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1499860]Fast Wings[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/systems/sky-flight-full-game-template-113460]Sky Flight Full Game Template[/url] developed by Puppeteer
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1599530]Little Adventure[/url]" = [url=https://marketplace.yoyogames.com/assets/10607/ab1-fantasy-platformer]AB1 - Fantasy Platformer bundle[/url] developed by Yoyogames
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1691290]Little Adventure 2[/url]" = [url=https://marketplace.yoyogames.com/assets/10607/ab1-fantasy-platformer]AB1 - Fantasy Platformer bundle[/url] developed by Yoyogames
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1509000]Mighty Vikings[/url]" = [url=https://syntystore.com/products/polygon-vikings-pack]Polygon Vikings Pack[/url] developed by Synty Games
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3908440]Play a game with me[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/essentials/tutorial-projects/polygon-prototype-pack-art-by-synty-137126]Synty Studios[/url] developed by Polygon Prototype Pack
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1801000]Traffic Racing[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/packs/traffic-racing-complete-kit-62954]Traffic Racing complete kit[/url] developed by Codeer Studio
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3177050]Fog Racing Circuit[/url]" = [url=https://www.milysource.com/downloads/pro-car-racing-2/]Pro Car Racing 2[/url] developed by MilySource
[/list]
It's worth noting this guy has over a dozen fake/shell accounts he uses to try hide his identity and further mislead gamers into buying these fake products with fake reviews. Here's some:
[list]
[*] Bell Studio
[*] BHPG
[*] Daniel Li
[*] Enoops
[*] FadyGames
[*] Hardi
[*] Infinity Code
[*] Johan Games
[*] Joi Max
[*] Jony Dev
[*] Lieb
[*] LocalJamStudio
[*] Louie Inc
[*] Mikki-Boi
[*] Nikita Morti
[*] TNT Studio
[/list]
And we're sure he'll keep adding more shell accounts to continue to run these fake game scams.
The products that result from asset flips aren't "real" games. They lack depth and content, because they're just simplistic copies of demos or tutorials. In this case, "Cosmic Distortion" is just a basic Unity endless runner where you fly a plagiarized spaceship asset down a tunnel, and doesn't have any merit as a proper, fully fledged PC game, so this copy+paste of it can't be recommended.
Asset flips don't involve any professional game development. Sure, sometimes they may change a few cosmetic things, swap out different assets etc, but at heart it's functionally identical to the asset they're ripping off. Asset flips are an insult to both PC gamers and to professional game developers who create genuine, high quality PC games. Asset flips like this are harmful to the gaming industry and to Steam because they reduce the visibility that sincerely made indie games should have. They make it harder for gamers to find genuine games made by honest developers.
To cement the position of this asset flip as nothing but a cash grab, it was dumped onto cheap DailyIndieGame shovelware bundles very shortly after launch. Don't reward this morally bankrupt, unethical behaviour from Bell Studio.
Because this is just a fake game/cash grab scam, and due to the sheer unethical nature of the developer, you should avoid this completely.
The poor quality of this game is reflected by how many people spent time with it. At the time of this review, SteamDB shows the game all-time peak player count was only ONE player. That's right, only one person ever played this at a time. When I played this for the purposes of reviewing it, I equalled the peak player count for the game. OUCH.
The only player activity occurs once or twice a month, presumably someone loading it up to see what it is then quickly uninstalling it. Considering there's over 130 million gamers on Steam and well over 140,000 games for gamers to choose from, the overwhelming lack of interest in this low quality game is to be expected.
Pricing, well, the $9 price tag on this is an obvious cash grab.
Ethics aside, the quality problems and defects with this game makes the asking price totally unrealistic. It's impossible to recommend this to gamers here on Steam, especially considering the unethical stuff going on. Because this is just a fake game/cash grab scam, and due to the sheer unethical nature of the developer, you should avoid this completely. Don't reward this morally bankrupt, unethical behaviour from Bell Studio.
[quote][b][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/profile]Profile Features Limited![/url][/b]
Valve have marked this game as "Profile Features Limited" at the time of this review. This is usually caused by poor sales figures and low community acceptance for the game (to date). Until this status changes, this game will not give you +1 to your Game Collector badge count, appear in profile achievements or any other Steam meta-accomplishments, nor can it be displayed in some profile showcases. If these factors are important to you, it may be worth holding off before buying this game.[/quote]
