Review Information
Game Reviewed Toad and the Ancient Keys, by DustinVG
Review Author Mors
Created Apr 22 2016, 8:50 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview
This game is a metroidvania where you control Toad and try to find 3 keys. And it's done pretty well.
 
Pros + The level design is good
+ Fun.
+ Good music.
 
Cons - The game itself is a bit too generic, we saw several indie games like this.
- Controls.
- Some minor glitches.
- Not the prettiest game.
 
Impressions
Gameplay
7 / 10
The level design is pretty good. The game constantly introduces gimmicks and new moves, and they are taught to the player beautifully. Because of this, the game never gets repeating or boring. But I would be lying if I called the level design perfect. I wish the game used the gimmicks it introduced a bit more, and it would be nicer if some checkpoints were in different places. Some enemy or hazard placements are also not that great. But overall, the level design is good, and I think this is the most important thing about a metroidvania.
But I can't say I liked the controls that much. You can't jump right after landing, and changing directions in mid-air is slightly delayed. With these issues I can say controls are my least favorite thing about the game.
 
Graphics
6 / 10
Ehhh, it's 8-bit but I can't say I liked 'em too much. I think the tileset lacks variety, and the castle tiles are not that good looking. Goomba sprites are also pretty weird looking, their eyes are really tiny for some reason. But these are my only complaints about graphics. I really like how it fits NES perfectly! If someone said it was a real NES homebrew, I would believe them!
 
Sound
7 / 10
The music is pretty nice, and it fits both the games tone and art style.
But I didn't like sounds that much. They are pretty okay, but they are just generic 8-bit sound effects. I guess they get their job done so that's not a huge con.
 
Replay
4 / 10
The game lacks any collectibles. It's not a long game, so yeah...
 
Final Words
7 / 10
A fun little minigame you should try.

Comments
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DustinVG
Apr 23 2016, 12:57 AM
Thanks for the review! Although, I'm a bit confused about the common controls complaint. If possible, would you give the original version on the forums a try? A Studio update messed with the timing a bit and I had to adjust to compensate, so I'd like to know if it's the same there.
 
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