Review Information
Game Reviewed Fun in Space, by Tech Wing
Review Author Cap'n Coconuts
Created Jul 9 2014, 4:39 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Fun in Space is an interesting shoot-em-up by Tech Wing--interesting because it was made for a minigame competition that required using ONLY graphics from the Hall of Shame, a gimmick it pulls off well. But how does the game in general fare under a critical eye?
 
Pros + Excellent use of Hall of Shame graphics
+ Good music and sound
+ An enjoyable gameplay experience
 
Cons - Luigi is underpowered, even if he's meant to be more difficult to use solo
- Stage 4 is a bit too stuffed full of things that can kill you
 
Impressions
Gameplay
8 / 10
You get two characters to play as: Ice Mario, and Thunder Luigi (until you unlock Lurio--see the Replay section for more information). Mario is easier to control and has a spread shot (when he is upgraded), while Luigi is blindingly fast and has a charge shot that attracts coins (if you've powered it up a bit).

Luigi is intended to be more difficult to use than Mario, but I think the speed is a bit too much. It's like trying to control a Vic Viper with Speed Up maxed--good luck trying not to over-correct a dodge and crash into something else. Luigi also lacks a shield power-up and his charge shot will never be on par with Mario's spread shot. I'm sure Luigi is meant to be "hard mode" or something, but he feels just a bit TOO underpowered. Luigi appears to be more suited for co-op, where Mario can do all the fighting while Luigi collects coins.

If it was up to me, I would make enemies more aggressive for a "hard mode" instead of making one of my characters a weakling, but that's just me.

1-ups are given out so generously that they become meaningless unless you are really bad at this game or you are playing for a high score. This is even more obvious if you are playing as Mario.

As you are playing, you'll come across ! blocks which cycle through red, yellow, green, and blue colors. If a shot hits it while it is on a color, it will spawn an egg of that color (or a mushroom if you hit yellow) which will give you increased firepower, shields or charge speed, or a temporary morph to an invincible Lurio with max upgrades.

You have 5 stages, each with its own boss fight. For the most part they're pretty fine, but stage 4 just has too much stuff going on. Stage 3 has what looks like an obstacle that normally cannot be passed without taking damage, but since a ! block is nearby this isn't bad (time a shot at the nearby ! block for a mushroom or the Lurio power-up).

For the most part, Fun in Space does pretty good in the gameplay department, though it has a few flaws.
 
Graphics
10 / 10
Considering the limitations placed upon it, Fun in Space does very well in this department. As graphics are from the old Hall of Shame, naturally a lot of graphics will look poorly or just plain awful. But Fun in Space uses them in a way that gives them this sort of charm. Yes, they suck, but in this environment you can't help but like them.

Even though Tech Wing was limited to poor sprites and backgrounds, he did the best with what he had. The background effects of stages 3 and 5 are impressive in this regard.

I can't think of anything even slightly negative to say in this department. Well done.
 
Sound
9 / 10
I wasn't bored by music for a second. While too many people use boring MIDIs, this game has music you don't hear all too often (except for a few tracks from Kirby Super Star). And it all fits. I think the only room for improvement is if Tech Wing composed some music himself.
 
Replay
7 / 10
Completing the game with both Mario and Luigi unlocks Lurio, a character with Mario and Luigi's firepower and controlled by both players. Unfortunately I find Lurio awkward to use, as he has a disjointed hitbox (a pixel for each player) and is affected by gravity to the point he has to jump instead of fly. Still, the thought of unlocking... well, unlockables is nice.

This game records a high score, so there's another reason to keep playing.
 
Final Words
8 / 10
I wonder why I didn't review such a good game when I first played it. It deserves high marks for what it does, though it does have a couple of flaws.

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