Necrolepsy

[b]Full disclosure:[/b] I am a friend of the developer, but I wasn't involved in the development of the game in any way. As per usual: [h1]TL;DR at the bottom[/h1] Starting out with the positives, right off the bat the first thing I notice and like is the soundtrack. It definitely gives me an early Playstation/Saturn kind of vibe, especially in combination with the sprite based graphics. And I find that the soundtrack only gets better the further along in the game you get, which is definitely a plus considering I thought it was already at a strong start with the May Mansion tracks. The characters are well designed and charming. Lira's cute and Bart's an absolute lad. Can't forget the adorable little chicken. It also helps that they are very expressive, even with the hooded, no-faced Necromancers can express emotions, which is good! Leading on to the art style, I thought that for the most part it was pretty alright. At worst, it's just meh with some sprite tiling looking wonky or perhaps certain backgrounds and stiff enemies, but like the music I think it all irons itself out and gets better by the end. Plus, lots of parallax scrolling which not many indie games of this artstyle do, so kudos for that! By far though the best part about this game is its gameplay. Combat is incredibly fun, fast, and fluid, it almost feels like what Devil May Cry would be like if it was done in a 2D space rather than 3D. And you get rewarded with new ways to attack or move through the levels with each boss, so it never gets boring and always provides interesting new challenges with those abilities. And the progression allows for a nice, slow, ease into more complex mechanics. The main mechanic of the timer and Nightmare Mode is really unique and interesting, especially for a Metroidvania. It sort of pushes you to keep moving quickly while also exploring otherwise things get harder when in a Nightmare. In fact, the overall pace of the game, as well as some of the items and abilities you get, feels like it was specifically geared for speedrunning, which is cool! There's also a good amount of extra post-game content in the form of a "beach volleyball" mini-game where you test your weapons and try to get a high combo, or a sort of boss rush that actually times you. Also you can skip cutscenes at any time, regardless of whether you saw it once or not, so yay for that! Makes it extremely replay friendly. But on to my negatives and nitpicks. I had more nitpicks than I did actual negatives, so I'll get those out of the way first. Despite the overall decent quality of the art, I definitely felt the UI and HUD designs could've been just a teensy bit better, with particular regards to the map screen. It's not super vague on where you need to go, but I feel like little gaps in the boxes to show where doorways to other areas are would've definitely gone a long way. On my first playthrough starting out, it's embarrassing, but I did get a little bit lost, and that tiny fix would've done wonders, especially since in some cases it's unclear where certain rooms are connected. And the HUD, while it does get the job done of conveying necessary information, could use a little cleanup and bit more design work to have it look nicer. Another nitpick I have is actually with the controls. Despite it's full support for gamepad play, this definitely feels like the intended way of controlling the game was with a keyboard, which is a little disheartening because I tend to play 2D platformers with a controller. It especially got frustrating for me when I was playing the boss rush and trying to use all the abilities at my disposal, where it felt like controller usage actually might've hindered me in that case, and even hurt my hands a little! Lastly, my weakest nitpick is that for a metroidvania title, it is a bit more linear than expected. It's not like it's entirely without exploration and backtracking, hidden goodies, etc. Now, onto the negatives. Dialogue in the later half of the game is nowhere near as good as it was in the first half, with some instances somewhat reaching into "cringey" territory. It's nothing too unbearable, not at all. Nowhere near the level of Jello's VN game, but still. Overall I feel the dialogue kinda needed some work, especially in the second half, but it's fine. Some parts of the level design I thought were weird and nonsensical. There would be platforms in areas that you could jump on but they ultimately led to nowhere. A particular example I think of is in the first level, May Mansion, where there's a tall part underneath a hole in the floor. The platform there led me to believe something was hidden there, but there wasn't. Now, it could be I was playing on Normal and maybe something's only there on Hard, but I don't think there is. It's only really a problem in the first two levels, the later ones are just fine and don't have that. Some of the enemy placement in key areas is a bit dickish. There was one particular spot in May Mansion where a pot just appears and hits you and you have very little time to react, and I did not like that at all. Last but not least: I just did not like the final boss. If there was some tactic I'm not aware or I just suck, then poo poo on me but it was just not a fun boss fight. I found myself waiting a lot and not landing many hits on it, and in a way it sorta overstays its welcome a tad too much just by how long it takes. Especially when you compare it to the length of the other bosses. [h1][b]TL;DR[/b][/h1] Overall, it's as very fun game and I had a great time with it. For any faults the art has, I definitely think the gameplay more than makes up for it just by sheer fun factor and creativeness alone. Also, Lira mad cute and I want her to be my waifu. Will commission for a daiki no lie. I definitely think I'll replay it sometime and see if those negatives still hold true. Very good job and very much worth the price of purchase.

i really enjoyed this. easy and fun mechanics will absolutely buy dlc if there are any.

Tim's thoughts often drift toward changing the past, which ties in nicely with the time-shifting mechanics you'll be employing throughout the entire adventure. Your standard ability allows you to rewind time with the push of a button. The most basic use of this is simply pushing back time to avoid being killed by an enemy or reattempting a mistimed jump, but it goes much deeper than replaying failed opportunities. However, there are green objects and enemies in the world that are unaffected by your time changing powers. So if you unlock a green door and rewind time, it will remain open. Your ability to control time is used in many unexpected and often brilliant ways, making you use parts of your brain that are rarely tapped during most puzzle games. Later levels retain this basic mechanic but add unique twists that ensure every world feels completely different. Which time manipulation tool you are given depends on what world you're currently exploring. In the fourth world, you control time simply by walking. Every step forward pushes objects and enemies forward in time, while moving backward takes them into the past with you. Because these levels have enemies and items that move in direct relation to you, they have been meticulously constructed to make navigation possible. In another world, you make a copy of yourself every time you rewind time. Your shadow can jump on enemy heads, pull switches, and unlock doors; you just have to perform the action yourself first. The different solutions built around these powers vary widely, so you have to figure out the extent of your powers before you happen upon the always logical solution. Though the puzzles are formidable, Braid never frustrates. Each of the first five worlds in Braid has 12 different puzzle pieces to collect. The levels are actually extremely short, so if you wanted, you could run through most of the game in little more than 15 minutes, but you'll have to collect all 60 of the deviously placed pieces if you want to see the poignant conclusion. The entire game should take more than six hours to finish, depending on your puzzle-solving acumen. It may seem unfair to ask you to collect every little piece to see the thrilling ending, but by encouraging you to tackle the most challenging puzzles, the game is ultimately much more rewarding than it would have been otherwise. Though the game only forces you to backtrack during one very early puzzle, it's unlikely that you'll be able to nab every piece the first time you play through the worlds. It is only after mastering your abilities and learning your limitations that you'll be able to conquer the puzzles that seemed impossible your first time through. Most of the puzzles in Braid emphasize clever thinking over quick reflexes. The actions you're required to pull off should be second nature if you've ever jumped on goomba heads in the past. Braid certainly realizes that its running and jumping encounters feel an awful lot like Super Mario Bros.--there are clever references to the venerable plumber throughout the game. From the dangerous plants coming out of pipes to the flag pole that greets you at the end of every world, there are constant reminders of Braid's progenitor. Like the musings from Tim's books before each level, these homages tie into the overarching story of the wounded hero's subconscious longings. The subtle visuals are eye-catching but never distracting. The world looks like it was composed with pastel watercolors, swirling blends that create a very distinct look. The characters themselves--Tim, his enemies, and the princess--stand out prominently against the serene, multilayered backdrop. They're like flat, cardboard cutouts colored by markers. The score is elegant and mild--quiet songs that mirror the deliberate pacing. The music bends with the time, racing forward and backward along with your actions. Braid's presentation is uniformly impressive, and serves to complement the gameplay rather than draw focus away it. It is impossible to ignore Braid's price point. At 1,200 Microsoft points ($15), it is one of the most expensive games for the Xbox Live Arcade service. But do not let a few extra dollars deter you from an exemplary experience that can rival many full-price, retail games. Braid is worth every penny. The captivating ending sequence, which makes use of your rewind ability in a jaw-dropping new way, provides the exclamation point on this remarkable game, but the adventure is consistently engaging throughout the entire ride. The clever puzzles alone are enough to make this an adventure worth taking. Braid's deep and mesmerizing tale is evergreen: it is outside of and beyond time. It will never get old.

《Necrolepsy》是一款在画面、操作上都很简单的类银河战士恶魔城游戏，具由简单的剧情但是并不重要。游戏仅包含攻击和跳跃两个键，根据武器不同会有不同的攻击方式，且较有特色的倒计时系统让游戏在可玩性上具有自己的特色。但游戏的窗口无法放大，分辨率无法修改，观感较差，作为一款不便宜的横版动作游戏，本作只能说很中规中矩。 [h1]简约（简陋）[/h1] 游戏真实处处洋溢着简约（简陋）的感觉。进入游戏，按E显示操作提示，就俩键，进入和退出，进了游戏也就这俩键，攻击和跳跃，方向只用得到ASD，上都没得。游戏的攻击动作单一，并无连招系统，攻击造成的僵直大，且怪基本没有什么霸体，基本就是A到就连到死，也没有什么可操作性。画面上，地图场景较为丰富，但怪物种类略有不足。 [h1]创新点 [/h1] 这样一款游戏没有创新点基本可以直接死刑了，没什么游玩的价值。游戏设计了AVG式的剧情，可进行场景选择，武器种类不算少，算是一定程度丰富了攻击。另外游戏叫有特色的是左上角的倒计时，进入特定场景后开始计时一分半（两分钟？），计时结束后全屏呈红色，敌人进入类似狂暴的状态（单纯加攻击？），找到休息室后可以重置时间，强行逼迫玩家提速也算个独特的系统。 [h1]总结[/h1] 整体质量中规中矩，有些许的创新点但不足以拉高整个游戏的水平，对比其价格仍显得较为弟弟。 以上测评仅供参考，只代表个人意见 [quote]欢迎关注我们的鉴赏家:[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35402982/]走心评测[/url] ←遵从内心，写出真实感受 欢迎加入我们Steam组:[url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/ZXPC]走心评测[/url]←点击加入，一起探索游戏的乐趣 喜欢这篇评论，也麻烦点个赞，让更多人能够看到！[/quote]

Nib Nob

Fun game with great music, nice writing and satisfying combat, especially when you manage to pull of a decent combo. Controls are a little floaty, but I got used to it pretty quickly, and I think almost every platformer has floaty controls so maybe its just me.

I generally haven’t played a lot of Castlevania or Metroid games beforehand, but something that sets Necrolepsy apart from those two series is that it doesn’t feel like a Castlevania or Metroid title. To me, it felt more like a Zelda 2, but with an emphasis on the combo heavy mechanics. However, I wouldn’t outright state that Necrolepsy has direct takes from Zelda 2, but they definitely feel there. Necrolepsy’s core mechanic is a time-based counter at the right-hand corner, which keeps track of how much time you have left until Lira falls asleep and has a nightmare. As far as I am concerned, when a nightmare occurs, everything is twice as harder. Enemies have a buff, requiring more damage and do more damage to you. It’s a mechanic I don’t often see, and in a way, it’s very interesting. It’s almost like I have to do a speedrun to get to the next save point throughout the game, and to me, that’s something I affectionately enjoy. Something that I thought was worth mentioning is the combat system also reminds me of typical fighting games, such as the Heavy Attack being the Claymore, the Light Attack being the Hand Axe, and the Medium Attack being the other Axe you get later in the game. Alongside this, you have your Crossbow which can be similar to a ranged attack. Had Lira been proposed as a character in a fighting game or even Super Smash Brothers, I feel like the moveset fits her conceptual design and movement flow really nicely. I remember playing a lot of SNK games, and her moves remind me of a lot of the characters from there, mostly my mains which were Terry Bogard and Nakoruru. Not for their fighting styles but how the combat is composed in a similar way makes me appreciate the design of Necrolepsy’s combat style. It’s intuitive, engaging and extremely rewarding to a player when they successfully pull off combos. While I haven’t exactly played this on the keyboard, playing this on the controller has been amazing. All of Lira’s moves and abilities are extremely responsive, and distinctively have weight to them that gives them drive, especially for how heavy the combo system is later down in the game. Of course, at the start of the game, you don’t really have much to work with and that isn’t such a bad thing. This leads to having excitement when you get new equipment and abilities, much like getting different abilities in Super Metroid or Momodora: Reviere of the Moonlight. Something I really enjoy is going back to Bart’s Bar to purchase any items from him through his shop. The best part about this is that Bart isn’t static at all times, and actually shows the items you are purchasing really giving charm and personality to his overall character. It’s something I wish other games would really look into, most of them feel so lifeless and having no other aspects to them to make them unique or stand out. Minor characters such as Bart don’t get enough time on the screen, but I can really appreciate that the developer gave Bart a position that expresses Bart’s supportive and positive energy towards Lira in an excellent way. I really do think the story is quite charming, and each of the characters engage in such silly dramatic conversations, in which the Necromancers bounce off Lira’s headstrong personality. The flow of these conversations suits well for the setting and I find myself chuckling to the rough 90s references of old that makes me long for those times again. Graphic fidelity aside, the game’s artistic design reminds me of games like Cave Story, soothing pixel art that scales nicely on screens and doesn’t have to be adjusted for pixel-perfect scaling or anything of the sort. I also had vibes of old 90s anime style with the shading and how the colors highlighted against the other complementary colors the creator chose. Lira and Bart feel like they had jumped right off a manga artist's workstation and straight into a video game, or perhaps a cartoon would be better suited? Either way, the art style is very gentle on the eyes, and I can really appreciate the attention to details like this. My only issues with the artstyle is that character portraits appear very pixelated and have jaggies, somewhat in a similar style to Fire Emblem portraits for the GBA titles. I don’t exactly have a problem with this, but for a game that exhibits different art styles I feel like hand-drawn portraits would be better suited, much like the promotional artwork. Backgrounds in the beginning of areas have a nice scrolling pseudo 2.5D aspect to them, and they look really impressive, however when you enter the dungeon the backgrounds become more placid. Not saying that there should be a lot of activity in the background, I just feel like the first dungeon did these backgrounds justice with paintings that change dramatically when you go into Nightmare mode. Something I really enjoyed was how drastic and bizarre the backgrounds would change based on your location when you went into Nightmare mode, some of them often having pretty disturbing imagery and really exemplify Lira’s nightmares realistically in a very charming way. Necrolepsy’s musical impact is something to behold, it’s really soothing and has amazing piano synthetic approach. May Mansion I is probably the most rememberable, the upbeatness to the drums and horns following along the synth piano is just really something I can’t express into words. Noah Aman really had whatever it took to get a good amount of emotion into this soundtrack. I can easily hum the music to Ctarl Caves which has almost a Dark Souls feeling of unknown and mystical undertones. I get a sense of unsettling aura from Ctarl Caves specifically as I continue through the dungeon and the music becomes more and more interesting, especially the flute melody just really beautiful. Also, the choice to make the rock soundtrack for the second part of the Fortune Fortress, Racing Towards Victory captures the entire embodiment of the game. Heavy rock and just over all chilling to the bone action, I can not express enough my overall gratitude to the soundtrack. If you don’t like the game’s graphics or story, hell even the controls, I have to give it up to the creator’s and their team’s taste in music. Phenomenal nonetheless. Sound Effects are a bit out there, some of the sound effects didn’t really suit well at least from what I thought. Not to mention there are sound effects that sound almost identical to The Legend of Zelda: Wand of Gamelon and The Legend of Zelda: The Faces of Evil. Nothing remotely wrong with these, but noticing them in such an obscure Indie title was not only jarring but also somewhat hilarious. Like any Metroidvania, you should really explore your surroundings and get a feel for the map layout of each area. Something I really enjoyed about the first Metroid is getting lost and trying to remember where I needed to go, creating a mental map of each area and trying to get my way around each area. I feel like this is executed properly in Necrolepsy, there are fast travel spots that are very resourceful when you’re trying to get to different parts of the map quickly. Stolken, very clearly has put a lot of attention to detail in his work, and I really do appreciate him gifting this game to me to review. I wouldn’t have enjoyed a fast, speedrun-esque archetype combo-centric Metroidvania game had he not trusted my previous work and allowed me to make this review. Overall, this game has a sweet spot in my heart, it’s definitely not perfect but Stolken’s appreciation for his own work and not giving up really strikes me as something to admire, even from afar. I can really understand how he was feeling in the development of this game, and seeing this transition into a game he very clearly is prideful about is something to behold. I’m really proud of him, and not knowing the person very long I feel like I’ve gotten to know the person just by playing their game and experience it. The game is certainly worth a try, and a good experience.

A fun metroidvania, doesnt take itself too seriously and makes an active effort to keep you entertained while playing. For the price its completely justified

Hour into the game so far. Good game, fitting that I write this while really tired, Will write more when I beat the game.

A short but sweet game, with a satisfying parry and juggling system and a good sense of humor.