Review Information
Game Reviewed Toad and the Ancient Keys, by DustinVG
Review Author Cadet
Created Jun 21 2016, 4:53 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
If I didn't mention it enough in the review below, the game deisgn is fantasic. Check the game out, it feels great to play.
 
Pros + Very well designed, can feel professional at times
+ Tight gameplay
+ Some nice use of palette contrast
+ Great pacing
+ Main music track is well composed
+ Really satisfying to play
 
Cons - A bit cumbersome in terms of backtracking
- Quite dull to look at for the majority of gameplay
- Sound can be a bit repetitive
- Short (But understandably so)
 
Impressions
Gameplay
9 / 10
The game is tight and plays quite well. The movement is a bit stiff but works well in this type of precision-based game. The extra moves work as they should and function how you would expect. I did find the spin jump controls a bit clunky as they required a tad too much precision to make certain jumps. The high jump also became a bit of a bore with all the waiting required but, on the flipside, was also used well in timing based challenges where the player needs to avoid a spiny.

The concept is very simple to grasp and really instils the primal urge of exploration in conjunction with its level design. Apart from some minor backtracking issues, the game never felt like a chore to explore. Everything is cohesively strung together so you rarely see the same thing twice. Also, most areas have multiple ways to be completed which can feel really satisfying to discover.

I really enjoyed how Dustinvgmaster demonstrated a foreign danger risk-free before making the player attempt it. The perfect example of this is the laser shooter. When you first see it, it’s encapsulated in its own little room but behaves as it normally would. This allows the player to assess the unfamiliar object before attempting the core challenge which ramps up in difficulty in a masterful way. It never feels like the game cheats you in any way and each error is purely on the shoulders of the player. This is incredible design reminiscent of the original Megaman games.

The sense of progression is also well done. Each power-up is well spaced and feels important throughout the entirety of the game. It was so rewarding trying to romp through the winding corridors full of spinies without a sword but to then smash through them with ease after some more exploration. The design just really makes the player feel good. Huge props to you, Dustinvgmaster!

There were a few things that bugged me about the design however, namely the backtracking. It was amazing to destroy the spinies in the corridor to the key with the sword initially, but the second time felt like a chore. Backtracking was boring, especially here where there were no other options to return to the main rooms. I found myself purposefully killing my character to return to the save points as there is pretty much no negative reproductions. Maybe something like a death counter at the end of the game could remedy this?
 
Graphics
5 / 10
The games visuals become a bit bland in general exploration. Everything is quite monotonous and void of colour. Contrast is used well with the keys, however. Their striking colour pierced the droning labyrinth and truly made each one feel unique and special. The ending used this palette contrast idea too. The design felt a bit dungeon-esque with lack of decoration, but the colour difference was really plain to see albeit somewhat jarring.

The style also works well. It’s consistent and nothing look out of place. It’s very solid in terms of art direction, but doesn’t overly stand out. Additionally, it’s a bit strange how the enemies combust when you kill. It seems a bit out of place and fantastical in a dreary maze environment.
 
Sound
6 / 10
The sound is a bit of a mixed bag. The sound effects remain faithful to standards, but see the jump sound become a bit repetitive. There’s rarely any other sound effects to add variety. Something like sounds for the sawblades or landing from a jump could easily have broken up the repetitiveness of the single effect. The intro also feels a little bit bare as it takes many seconds to hear even a single sound. It can be a bit uncomfortable and amateur to witness as no standards precede it to be break your expectation.

The main music track is well composed and original I believe. It has lots of variety and is a long enough so it doesn’t get stale. I’m not too fond of the rising key change though, it felt a bit awkward and over-done. My main issue with it, however, is that it doesn’t suit the first half of the game. I get the vibe that you are meant to feel helpless initially and become progressively more capable as the game goes on. So why then does the music begin at 100% force? It suits the later parts where you’re mowing down the final challenges but feels a bit much at the beginning especially as it’s a very upbeat, dance-y piece. Some exclusions of rhythm lines that get added progressively as you collect more items could really bump up the atmosphere tremendously in my opinion. That’s just an idea though and should just be taken at face value.
The victory fanfare was also a bit out of place as it sounded like a different style of music. This is only minor, whoever. The dying jingle was fantastic on the contrary, I really enjoyed it.
 
Replay
3 / 10
Aside from attempting challenges with different approaches from different upgrades this game doesn’t have much replay value. It’s short and sweet and doesn’t really have any secrets from what I could find. A death-counter or something similar would’ve been cool to see to add weight to dying and add an extra challenge.
 
Final Words
8 / 10
Toad and the Ancient Keys is an incredibly well designed game that is held back by a few small things. Everything flows together naturally and feels tight. It’s definitely worth a play if you have a few spare minutes and love the feeling of accomplishment in games.

Comments
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DustinVG
Jun 27 2016, 2:31 AM
Thank you for the review! You took note of a few things I suspected had gone unnoticed and that's neat.
 
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