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[addictive247]

Our latest game Skin & Bones is now available to download and we'd love to get some feedback.



Fast frantic platform fun, mixed with a dash of puzzle elements will keep you on your toes, as you switch between Skin and Bones and try and complete each level.

More game info at http://www.addictive247.co.uk/skinandbones.htm



Screenies at http://www.addictive247.co.uk/skinandbonesscreens.htm

Gameplay video at http://www.addictive247.co.uk/skinandbonesvideo.htm

Demo Download at http://www.addictive247.co.uk/downloadskinandbones.htm

Some Vista users may experience an error message when exiting the game. If you're running Vista and you get the error it would be useful to have your system specs.

Any and all feedback is welcome.

[princec]

Aha! Finished finally. How long have you been working on that?

Cas

[William Broom]

I didn't find this game very enjoyable, mainly because the two characters rarely interact with each other, so it's like you're playing two different games, and neither is particularly interesting. Playing as Bones is boring because nothing can harm you. The only way you can fail while playing Bones is if you fall down a hole and have to get Skin to help you out of it, and that doesn't happen very often.

Skin is also not very interesting because Bones has almost always cleaned out all the enemies, so you're just collecting crystals. I started to feel for Bones after a while. He does all the work, but for some reason he's not allowed to collect any crystals, so he has to lug this worthless little kid around with him.

I think rather than making Bones invincible, you should give him some kind of powerful attack, so the player has more to think about while playing Bones. Skin on the other hand should get some sort of passive power because right now all he can do is collect stuff and occasionally jump somewhere that Bones can't.

One last minor quibble is that the spikes in the second world (Screamville or whatever) blend into the background and it's hard to see them. I probably lost three lives because I didn't notice the spikes were there.

On the upside, I liked your use of water in the game, but I think it should be the other way around - Skin can swim and Bones can't. This makes more sense to me because a) Skin needs more abilities b) That water didn't even go up to Skin's neck, so how did it hurt him? and c) it makes more sense because traditionally, skeletons and zombies and the like can't cross water, or maybe running water, or something like that. Whatever it was in folklore, it seems more logical to me that the skeleton dies in the water.
Another thing about the water was that when I first did it, I assumed that Bones could just carry Skin across the water, but instead, when Bones moves, Skin falls into the water. Other people might assume otherwise but for me it was counter-intuitive.

I really liked the bonus coins once I worked out what they did. It was great fun to go leaping around, trying to get above the balloon before it escaped up the top of the screen.

[addictive247]

Aha! Finished finally. How long have you been working on that?

Took about 3 - 4 months 

[addictive247]

Thanks for your comments.

I didn't find this game very enjoyable, mainly because the two characters rarely interact with each other, so it's like you're playing two different games, and neither is particularly interesting

The two characters do interact with each other a lot more in later levels. It was tough coming up with what to include in the demo version though.

One last minor quibble is that the spikes in the second world (Screamville or whatever) blend into the background and it's hard to see them. I probably lost three lives because I didn't notice the spikes were there.

Good point! Meant to change that before release 

On the upside, I liked your use of water in the game, but I think it should be the other way around - Skin can swim and Bones can't

I think changing it around would be strange to the player as Bones cannot be hurt, so water hurting him wouldn't really make sense.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply 

[princec]

Dammit how come everyone can write games twice as fast as us?

Cas

[moi]

Nice I like the retro aspect. And I like how you have mixed the casual genre with the retro genre. I'd be interested to know how this game works in the casual market.
Good job

[Eclipse]

the fact the skeleton cannot be hurt, as said, ruins a bit the game (the enemies are just here to be destroyed).
A very good example of a gameplay like that is The Lost Vikings

[addictive247]

the fact the skeleton cannot be hurt, as said, ruins a bit the game (the enemies are just here to be destroyed).

In later levels certain things (cannon balls, lasers, mines etc) make Bones collapse into a heap of bones, so he can be hurt, just not killed. This also adds a bit of skill/timing to certain levels especially if Bones is meant to be protecting Skin from a certain event.

A new version of the game has just been uploaded which has quite a few level design changes. The problem for Vista users has now been sorted out.