Dot Debugger

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[i] My Experience [/i] I decided to give this a shot because it was free, had a top-down viewpoint, and apparently included stealth elements. If a top-down viewpoint is good for anything, it's good for stealth, because of the wealth of information that is provided. Unfortunately, the only stealth element that I noticed in Dot Debugger was the ability to "blend in" with the wall. At least one enemy has an "awareness" system, but the vast majority seem to simply patrol pre-programmed routes. I also didn't see any abilities that become stronger when "Dot" is undetected. Although the game has a "computer" wrapping, there's also nothing that resembles "hacking," despite the use of this Steam keyword in the game's description. After a few levels, I realized that the game was mostly about navigating these levels using twitchy, precision movement. As this is not something I find enjoyable, I put it down shortly thereafter.

还好

Dot Debugger is a 2D retro pixel maze/puzzle game that's been slapped together with the godawful GameMaker Studio video game construction kit from Yoyogames. It's a refreshingly complex puzzle game where you must negotiate large 2D mazelike puzzle levels as part of a "computer", while avoiding errors and bugs that can damage you. There's a surprising amount of depth given the GameMaker Studio construction kit origins. GameMaker Studio is a very poor quality game construction kit, and unsurprisingly results in products that have little to no value as games, especially when compared to the work of professional developers who create genuine products for gamers. Using a video game construction kit requires little to no talent or skill as a game developer. Very often, GameMaker Studio is used to make shovelware and lazy cash grabs, but in this case it's apparent a sincere attempt was made to make a computer game, but lack of budget/appropriate development skills resulted in the need to use a construction kit as a compromise. Like most GameMaker Studio construction kit "games", this features lazy 2D retro pixel "art", instead of professionally done, contemporary PC graphics. Controls and resolution are locked, which pushes this below acceptable standards for PC. The game is completely free. Nothing speaks more to a developers belief in themselves and their product than making their game available for everyone without remuneration. This is certainly a gesture that shows dedication to the gaming industry. It's a shame in this case that the implementation is below the minimum standards a dedicated PC game should offer to enthusiasts. There's no "maybe" option in Steam, unfortunately, but I hope to see more work from this developer, perhaps as part of a professional game development company that can make full use of their talents without needing to make budget/quality compromises.

☀️

geirf