MFGG - Mario Fan Games Galaxy

Review Information

Game Reviewed	Revenge of the Walrus, by VinnyVideo
Review Author	Zero Kirby
Created	Dec 22 2011, 12:11 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview

I've never exactly been kind to VinnyVideo's games. Then again, his games haven't usually been great. Adventura de Luigi is the only one I've reviewed in detail, but other games like Daruina-Saria 2008 and The Quest for MFGG have pretty much cemented an idea that his games tend to aim for the wacky as opposed to the playable.

Revenge of the Walrus is just as wacky as VinnyVideo's other exploits but something's changed with this one. While I was playing I was... actually having fun. Enjoying the experience. Here we had a good game.

Let's find out why, kids! (Yaaaaay!)

Pros	+ The music is pretty good, even the MIDIs. + Very fun and interesting boss fights, something you don't see a lot of on MFGG. + Pretty solid level design. + Has a couple of experiments here and there. + It's pretty wacky.
Cons	- Difficulty can spike unexpectedly. - Controls are a little iffy, as are the physics. - Mario's jump seems inadequate at times. - Some ice platforms are indistinguishable from normal platforms. - The quiz level is a little silly.

Impressions

Gameplay 8 / 10	Mario's been a-captured by walruses (it happens) and he's-a gotta save himself. Fortunately he's got an entire fangame site centered around him for a reason. Your primary weapon is a jump. You can spin jump if you're feelin' fancy but you'll notice right away that Mario's default jump isn't quite enough to reach some early on platforms. You'll need to make a lot of running jumps in this game and sometimes this gets a little frustrating. The controls and physics are also just a little too weird. Not like the "weird but adjustable" but just that tiny bit that makes you go "what is this I don't even." You never quite adjust to things completely, but fortunately you have a lot of room for mistakes most of the time. And you will make a lot of them - from the very first world you're expected to hop along ice platforms and dodge enemies your fireballs won't faze, even if they have the higher ground. The difficulty never really strays around easy except for the first level - the whole game is moderate to hard, and the controls are a part of that. The game has the usual classic Mario elements though. Moving platforms, Warp Pipes, Prize Blocks a-plenty and tons of Goombas for you to smash. There's a bit of a puzzle-solving bit too - each level has a few Red Coins scattered about for you to collect and these usually require a bit of searching, some precision platforming, or taking a leap of faith. I'm not sure what collecting them all will unlock (I've not gotten THAT far yet), but it's a nice diversion and adds a bit of incentive to replay levels. That and they're fairly well designed - the levels make good use of the various gimmicks are are pretty fun to play. There's the occasional frustrating level here and there, especially as you get later into the game, but it's a fun time most of the time. There is one minor problem that is rare, but it happens, where clearing a level won't let you continue. You'd have to clear it again. Just be aware of that. Oh, and the boss fights. While the first boss is nothing really special, the second boss is quite a lot of fun, and the third boss is a pretty good little puzzle/endurance test. They really are the highlight of the game (as boss fights usually are), and you might find yourself returning to them not because you forgot that Red Coin in the corner... All in all, the gameplay, while a little off, is still pretty solid.
Graphics 6 / 10	The graphics don't quite match up. There's sprite clashing here and there, I was never a huge fan of the SMW Mario, even if he is recoloured, and there's a few oddities with obvious splitting in the background. While by no means terrible looking, the graphics simply don't have that extra "oomph" put into them, making them decidedly average.
Sound 10 / 10	Now the music is another story. The sound effects we've all heard before because what else is there, but the music is very nice. Not a single overused MIDI in sight for this game - it's all a very refreshing and very well-made soundtrack that fits every situation to a T. I occasionally caught myself humming the tunes as I was playing. And you have the option between switching to and from the MIDI's and OGG's, though I've no idea why you'd not pick the latter. When I played a MIDI version, though, the MIDI's weren't that bad either. Full marks.
Replay 9 / 10	Red Coins, good level design, good length, and faaaaantastic boss fights really bump up the replay value - the game also seems to save after every single level, which is nice so you can pick up right where you left off. There's also an Achievement system for those of you who are obsessive completionists. All in all, a well-rounded package that will keep you playing for a surprisingly long time.

Final Words

Revenge of the Walrus has that trademark VinnyVideo wackiness, but this time, it's surrounding a game that's fun to play.

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Comments

	VinnyVideo Feb 21 2012, 3:56 AM
I noted this earlier, but this review is quite accurate. I like the assertion that I was finally able to make a zany game that people actually enjoyed playing... By the way, an updated version of this game is in the queue. This Version 1.1 should fix the main glitches people have complained of.

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