Alright so I'm only an hour and a bit into this but
I have to write a review on this because the game needs them and first impressions are always important for getting a game.
Splinter Zone is almost what happens if you have Vlambeer remake Megaman 1-3.
Here's what I mean by that:
If you have played Megaman's 1 to 3, some of the level segments will feel VERY familiar. .So will some of the enemy behaviours. This is not a bad thing. It's charmingly familiar.
The Vlambeer part comes in with this RIDICULOUSLY MEATY GUN NOISES and the OBLIGATORY SCREENSHAKE (which you can tone down if you wish in the settings). I cannot tell you how delicious the explosions are too, you have to see them for yourself.
Importantly you wanna know how the game looks and plays and sounds though, right?
Sounds:
The music is very 90s dos platformer or amiga protrakker. Think Jazz Jackrabbit sort of music. There are certianly some very familiar sounding samples. It's enjoyable for me, and it works great. I've not gotten terribly far but having listened to the soundtrack on bandcamp, it's great stuff :D Super listenable without being grating or distracting.
The sound effects are HUGE. Seriously those explosions and gun sounds are loud enough that they make my speakers freak out slightly if the volume is too loud. I considered turning the volume of them down to be honest, you might wish to do the same, but oh man they sound good. Properly meaty, the gun SOUNDS like it has a huge kick and is powerful. It's amazing :D
Graphics:
Again, very early 90s DOS platformer (Commander Keen, Duke Nukem 1 and 2, that sort of thing). The sprite work though is very competent and has some great detailing on it. It's timed well with the movements, the enemy designs are fun and a little on the silly side at times, but in a charming, fun way. The main character looks cool and unique, and did I mention the gun being meaty and big and powerful? Yeah. check out those bullet sprites :D delicious. Also there's some segments with rain and the character has rain dripping off them when they are out in it AND for a while after they get under shelter. Utterly unnecessary, but still great detailing and I love it.
The HUD is nice and tidy and not in the way too much but is still immediately visible and understandable. It's simple, but it works great with the overall aesthetic of the game.
Gameplay:
Rock solid. It's proc-gen in that whilst each of the level segments is hand crafted, they are stitched together in a pseudorandom fashion to make each level different. Some segments are harder than others, some are a cakewalk, it's a nice mixed bag. It keeps things interesting and stops it becoming samey.
Momement feels slick and responsive, you never feel like it's clunky or you're suffering from the character not quite moving fast or slow enough, your jump height is great, response is immediate.
Your gun has six charges which replenish on their own when you don't fire, and it doesn't take that long to replenish, but button mashing will end up costing you time on that reload, so time your shots, don't get panicky or greedy. Killing foes drops XP orbs which as you go up level grants you more firepower. Taking damage drops a fair chunk off that XP gauge, potentially lowering your level as well, giving a bit more of a challenge and rewarding cautious and skillful gameplay. Learn those enemy patterns and room types! :D Also your score multipler is dictated by the level you've reached through gaining XP. Soooo, keep that in mind too :3
You ALSO have a Hyper Mode option, which consumes your built up XP to give you infinite ammo, full power shots, and rapid fire as well as a heal of some damage you took, giving a great Risk/Reward element to gameplay. Do you expend your XP now, mid stage, to get past a particularly tough segment and heal some damage you took? Do you keep it to get full power hopefully before the boss? or do you just take what you've got and expend it on a boss to finish it off as fast as possible before it inevitably kills you or eats up all the power you gained anyway? Or do you have full confidence in your skills to keep that power for the next level too and maybe reach even higher levels and score multipliers?
Downsides:
(because it would be unfair to just list all the best parts and not mention some of the downsides.)
The early 90s DOS platformer aesthetic is not gonna be for everyone. It can seem a bit "dated" and rudimentary but it's not dull, and it's really charming in my opinion. A lot of love has gone into it, and the backgrounds are nicely animated and detailed too.
Randomised level layout means that it's a mixed bag and some segments are just a little on the cruel side, so it can be difficult at times NOT to lose a bunch of XP and life on a segment.
Remember I said about the megaman influence being worn on its sleeve? Yeah. Remember those invincible roomba bots from MM1 and 2 that speed up when you are on the same vertical level as them?....yyyyeeah. They're in this game too :/ Fair's fair though, they are somewhat on the rare side and only show up in a small minority of level segments so far. (I'd mention the vanishing block platform puzzle thing that everyone hates from classic megaman, but that's not done the same as in megaman here, and the platforms are bigger. so that gets a well deserved pass :) )
Sometimes there's some slowdown due to explosions D: It can get a bit confusing at times as to what's happening. The game is responsive enough to input though that it's not really a huge issue. I've never taken damage or gotten killed as a result of the slowdown even when it crops up unexpectedly.
Other little oddities:
This game has a fantastic Cracktro style start screen before the menu, evocative again of 90s games. It's fantastic. I love it! It also lets you activate cheats if you're having a hard time on a segment, including playing in "Tourist Mode" if you just wanna do platforming without enemies.
There's a segment that is very clearly inspired by Canabalt. I love it ^^
There's APPARENTLY secrets to find too :o
Every time you finish a boss, you get a brief flash of some text, and there is a story of sorts to the game. One of those "All There in the Manual" type things. Despite the slightly goofy nature of some of the enemies, it's a surprisingly grim and dark story :3 Check out the Trading Card descriptions sometime too.
Overall, I'd say this game is a REALLY solid game, and at its price point you'd be making a terrible mistake not trying it out. Support an indie dev, support a game that deserves some love, and support some good, low priced fun :D
