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[Matt Thorson]

Hey, I'm a long-time reader of TIGS but haven't really made a name for myself anywhere.  My name is Matt Thorson, I'm a first year Computer Science student up in Alberta, Canada and I've been making games as a hobby for a couple years now.  My site is at http://www.helixgamesinc.com/



Untitled is a unique little Metroidvania project I started about a year and a half ago.  I've been very slowly developing it, and it takes forever because I've opted to custom draw each background and foreground of every screen in the game, plus I'm sort of using it as an experiment in a different method of game design - I didn't plan any of it, just started with the player as an egg in a nest and coded/drew/composed whatever I felt would add to the game.  As a result, I am now going back and changing a lot of things early in the game so they flow better into the latter half, and so the work can be more consistent.  In retrospect it was a pretty foolish decision to start out without a plan =P

I'm not too good at talking up my own work so I'll just let you guys play it and tell me what you think.  The demo is rather difficult, I've been told, and contains about a third to half of the game world and most of the interface features I have planned.  It is best to play with a USB gamepad.

Download: http://www.helixgamesinc.com/projects/UntitledDemo4.zip (4.8 MB, zipped)

Any feedback is appreciated =) Screenshots and more info can be found on the GGE page (by clicking the badge image above).

(By the way, the title is 'Untitled' because I haven't yet thought of a better one.  Though it kind of has grown on me so I might end up keeping it if I can't think of something better.  Feel free to suggest titles!)

[Prospero]

After the first 30mins of playing I think you've done a great job so far Haven't finished the demo yet. It's very Seiklus-like in the graphics department but I personally like that style, so not a bad thing at all. And quite challenging, too, but I'm not surprised when I realised you also made the Jumpman series (thought Helix Games was familiar from somewhere...)

Edit: I couldn't get on to your GGE page, since I don't have an account there (yet). Not sure how many others will also have the same problem, I just tend to be slow in joining this sort of stuff...

[Matt Thorson]

Actually it's the 'Jumper' series =P But yeah those are mine too.  Surprised someone remembers them, even if by the wrong name haha.

Glad you enjoyed it.

[Shinji16]

Surprised someone remembers them, even if by the wrong name haha.

You kidding me? You're stuff is awesome. Detailed review of you project to soon follow.

[Prospero]

Actually it's the 'Jumper' series =P But yeah those are mine too.  Surprised someone remembers them, even if by the wrong name haha.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Ack, my apologies! Somehow I had "Jumpman" stuck in my head, even after I visited your page to check. I suck

I've played a bit more, I think you've pitched the difficulty of the game just about right - the save point frequency avoids making the player feel complacent, but they're just far enough apart that you don't get too frustrated. I'll admit that my first visits to the Sky Town section (through Coldkeep) were irritating, until I found out how to cross into the main town area and hit the next savepoint

Is that the final music you will have in the game? Some pieces have a nice ambience  to them but the Coldkeep and Deeptower tracks don't seem to "fit" so well. The boss music also sounds a little clunky to my ears. All of that could just be my musical taste though

[Matt Thorson]

I'm still a beginner composer so I may go back and change some of the early tracks in the game as I improve.  Thanks for the feedback, all the music in the game is sort of weird, but I think the ColdKeep one might be too much weird and not enough music haha.

[Matt]

I played hold off red a lot when you released that. I know your games. 
With untitled I was enjoying myself until I died and could not continue or end for some reason. 
It may be because of my gamepad as it was 'detected' but unusable. I'll give it another go again sometime.

[jankoM]

very interesting game. after I died I also couldn't continue (it stopped at small window) and I had to terminate the app.

[Albert Lai]

Excellent game! By gum, I'll feature it!

... once you're finished, of course.

I'm stuck. I can't get the one upgrade in Coldkeep, and the one all the way below farfall. I think I missed a double jump upgrade somewhere along the line >_>

[Matt Thorson]

On the Game Over menu you have to press the "Action" key/button (default is X on the keyboard, button 3 on gamepads I believe, but you can change it in options - it's the same button you use to teleport once you get that ability).

In the final game I'll make enter and spacebar work as well.

[Matt]

On the Game Over menu you have to press the "Action" key/button

Thanks! Now I can give it another go.

[vitaminNewB]

 
Hey this is great.  Played it and I actually thought it was pretty good.  And the funny thing is that even though the graphics were simple, so far everything seemed to work right and fit together.  I actually kind of liked the tunes.  If the graphics were more detailed, then yeah you'd need to maybe work on it.  The music's a little quirky sometimes, but i think that's what makes the game more interesting.  And also makes me want to hear what's next and play more too.  Looks like an A+ so far.  Gigantic bosses are definitely a must. 

[Matt Thorson]

Hey this is great.  Played it and I actually thought it was pretty good.  And the funny thing is that even though the graphics were simple, so far everything seemed to work right and fit together.  I actually kind of liked the tunes.  If the graphics were more detailed, then yeah you'd need to maybe work on it.  The music's a little quirky sometimes, but i think that's what makes the game more interesting.  And also makes me want to hear what's next and play more too.  Looks like an A+ so far.  Gigantic bosses are definitely a must.

I'm trying, man.

Here's a sneak peak at Boss 11:



Although the bosses aren't named in-game, I lovingly call this guy "Fluffy".  A perfect fit for the cloud area =P

[vitaminNewB]

I'm trying, man.

Here's a sneak peak at Boss 11:



Although the bosses aren't named in-game, I lovingly call this guy "Fluffy".  A perfect fit for the cloud area =P

Teehee and he even comes with 4 shades of lip gloss.  Fluffy’s going to rule!  I should try to see if I can find any hiccups or anything like that in your game.  Just to sort of test things out.  I’m sure there aren’t any though.  But if i catch one I'll give it to you.  Can’t wait ‘til it’s finished.

[jaredbloom]

I agree, gigantic bosses are certainly a must. Shadow of the Colossus should have thoroughly proven this when it was first released, but it still remains the best example.

I remember when you (YMM) released Stickman Escape a long time ago. I saw it on the Game Maker Forums and thought it was a pretty awesome game. Are you working on Jumper 3 at all? Just curious; this is proving to be way more worthwhile than another Jumper sequel.

[Matt Thorson]

Yeah I'll probably make a third Jumper game some day, but I have way too many ideas that need to be made before then.