Red Horizon

George gets an A for effort, I can appreciate that this was made in spare commute time. That said I can not thumbs up this. It is more of a toy than a game. Clearly programmer practice and not a designed game with the intention of a random player having fun.

Shooting straight here: I got this as part of a Humble Bundle, and it's not something I would've felt the need to purchase even for a buck. That said, for a buck I wouldn't say it's terrible. I'd sum this up as a decent new developer's first game. If one of my kids were to have made this, I would tell them it's simply impressive you've created a game. The enemies throw swear words when you kill them, and your ship announces it has a small penis when you upgrade; I guess that's what people mean when they mention they like the humor. It's simple and the novelty wears off really quick; not the next Galaga or Space Invaders by any stretch. But also, it didn't crash, and it did work with my Steam controller, and it feels like all the things that are supposed to work, do. The controls take a little getting used to, and it's easy to say it'd be better with more weapons or the ability to choose to fire or not, but that would be extra coding and maybe too much would break what it's got going for it. It's simple, it's difficult, it's an introductory exploration into why RNG without boundaries is not always a good thing, and it's a handful of solid mechanics (which could be incorporated into an improved sequel perhaps). I think it would be wrong to say anything to George other than "You did well to get this far. Don't stop here, you can do greater things." I recommend that George continue building games because it's evident he's got talent and love went into this. That's why it's a little hard to say I wouldn't recommend the game, because I don't want to judge it harshly. Maybe I'll try it again and see if it grows on me, and maybe I'll show it to my kids as an example of what they could accomplish if they put their mind to something other than Minecraft and Fortnite. So far it doesn't have that grab, that instant appeal that makes me want to keep going so I can see what awaits. Honestly, I'm more interested to see what George develops next.