[quote]A review copy was provided by the developer.[/quote]
[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Painfully Bad ★☆☆☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
I'm not sure why, but the developers of The Ploshers (TP) reached out to me out of the blue, offering me a copy of the game. Unfortunately, I got distracted, as is my norm, and beat all the stages a year earlier before posting the review. I'll admit there are elements I enjoy and think are good ideas, but it doesn't mesh together well. Between the visuals, gameplay, and even difficulty, it reminds me of an NES game. Too bad it has some of that era's jank to go along with it. Also, some people gave good reviews after beating only two stages, so take their reviews with a grain of salt.
[h1]Gameplay [/h1]
TP plays similarly to NES arcade games, as you'll load up stages that slowly fill up with enemies, and have to destroy five each of all four colors to beat the level. In theory that's only 20 enemies to contend with, but the game spawns enemies randomly, in every sense; which row they spawn in, what enemy it is, and what color it is. This means you might have to kill far more than 20 simply because they're the wrong color. As far as the RNG goes, there might be some limitations to ensure they don't all spawn in the same area constantly, or spam the same enemy repeatedly. However, even if there are, the randomness can create many less than ideal set-ups. Personally, I think the worst offender is when a row gets so clogged of enemies, you can't even thin the row by killing any of them. In some cases, just getting through without dying is almost impossible.
I think the game needs re-balancing, and for comparison, look at how Bubble Bobble is set-up. Levels get harder over time by adding new enemies, and combining them in tricky set-ups. However, they're chosen specifically for each arrangement, adding power-ups as necessary to mitigate some of that challenge. They don't just throw the hardest enemies in bulk at you at all times. If I were to change one aspect about TP, I would still allow enemies to spawn in somewhat randomly. The big change I'd make though is limiting the pool from which enemies can be selected from, intentionally combining certain types together for unique challenges. For instance, having a stage with only enemies that change your controls, or mix and match different kinds of projectiles together. This would make stages stand out since they're built around a theme, but still let you adapt and learn how to address these situations. Obviously, the color spawning matter should also be fixed, so you never have to wait indefinitely for the last correct enemy to appear.
[h1]Controls[/h1]
You can use the keyboard to play this game, but I find it's very intuitive with a controller. Centered around the main gimmick, each enemy's color signifies what projectile you have to fire at them, which corresponds to one of the face buttons. For example, on the Xbox 360 controller, the button matches what color enemy it kills: 'A' is green, 'B' is red, 'X' is blue, and 'Y' is yellow. Also, a nice feature is that you don't have to mash the button to shoot quickly, you can just hold it down. This control scheme is quite simple, but it's such a natural extension, I'm surprised I haven't seen it before.
[h1] Story [/h1]
Like a true NES arcade game, there's no story here, though I'm surprised there's not an opening or ending cutscene.
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
I find the visuals to be basic and bland. This wouldn't have looked bad for the NES era, but we're far beyond that point by now. Plus, some of the enemy designs are overly simplistic. A few of them are just geometric shapes with eyes or faces thrown on. For a developer with no other games under their belt, it's not a bad first effort, but this area needs improvement.
[h1] Sound Design [/h1]
There's a few songs that play throughout TP, and they're serviceable. However, at least 1 song that I can think of annoys me. It drones on in a way that's meant to be calm and relaxing, but for whatever reason I find it grating. The warning sound effect that blares when you're running out of time or there's 6 enemies on a row (the 7th will take 1 of your lives) gets your attention, but is also annoying.
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 It's possible to play local coop with a friend, with the game spawning enemies faster to compensate.
🌟 I appreciate not having to mash the button to rapid-fire projectiles.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ Between the timer, enemies all across the screen, projectiles, instant-kill color-coordinated barriers, and enemies that can screw with your controls, there are too many factors to contend with at any time.
❌ I beat the game, but I find the difficulty oppressing, especially since even basic, easy enemies take several shots to kill.
❌ The game is overall much like the title of the game, unappealing.
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 The time limit is as dangerous as enemies, so as soon as you start a level, collect a few timers so you start off at an advantage. With no enemies yet spawned in, this is your best opportunity to get them.
🔍 Clear rows early on before they become impassable barriers, as it only takes a few foes in bad arrangements to be a significant problem. IE, be very aggressive in killing enemies.
🔍 In the late-game, you'll have to pay attention to the entire screen, as enemies can fire at you from all directions.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
With all the variables you have to address, everything becomes overwhelming, especially as you get into later stages. If it weren't so hectic, I might actually enjoy the gameplay, but it basically becomes headache inducing. Tell me if this sounds like a lot: gather sand timers to extend the time limit, engage in crowd control so rows don't get too clogged up, dodge projectiles that can come from all the way across the screen, and kill the correct enemies based on their color in order to beat the stage.
Here's a list of changes I'd make to this release. Instead of being killed if a row has six enemies, why not make that the maximum possible? It's not to your benefit having that many foes in one place anyways. I'd leave the time limit and way to expand it alone, but be more generous with how much time you accrue per timer. Since nobody cares about points, I'd remove the gems and coins, so there's one less object on screen. As TP is now, I don't recommend getting it, as it relives the least enjoyable features of older gaming, instead of the most fun aspects. It has a good idea, but it's not well executed.
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - TP is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
