Review Information
Game Reviewed Torpedo Ted, by SuperMakerPlayer, TrafficConeGod
Review Author Vitiman
Created Jun 15 2020, 5:40 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Now this is certainly an interesting idea: a fangame of a fangame. The "Bullet Bill" fangames were very popular flash games that you played exclusively with a mouse (or a Wiimote if you were willing to cope with the choppy framerates of the Wii's internet browser) starring the Bullet Bill character ramming through a bunch of stuff, trying to wreck up as much of a high score as possible. I think the idea, then, is a marvelous one to revive and even try to put a new spin on!

Question is: does this unofficial-unofficial-sequel deliver? Or does it make you want to drown in Soda Lake?
 
Pros Wonderfully crafted homage to the original "Bullet Bill" games, very accurately mimicked art style and physics
Tight controls
Power-up mechanic feels incredibly useful
 
Cons Unfitting/corny choice of music
Level design does not suit the new Y-axis mechanic very well at all
Very repetitious
 
Impressions
Gameplay
6 / 10
If you're unfamiliar with the older Bullet Bill fangames, allow me to explain them: you're a bullet bill, ramming through stuff as you scroll really fast across a bunch of structures. You can hit enemies and ? blocks/bricks, but you have to avoid pipes and grassy towers and hard blocks and all that stuff. You reach the end when you reach the end - the goal is to hit as much as you can and achieve a better score.

This game functions pretty much identically. In fact, I find the close mimicry of the OG flash games to be very endearing and charming! Unfortunately, where the game falters is the new gameplay mechanic/twist: the stages will abruptly twist and turn, causing you to be flying upward or downward into different obstacles. Very creative! Unfortunately, while the twists are mechanically handled well, the level design absolutely gives you no room for error. I was caught off-guard multiple times by sudden pipes or ground structures out of nowhere, and it got irritating enough that I quit playing.

I like the idea a lot, but I think the way it was designed into the game meant that, a lot of the time, you basically had to follow the red arrows exactly to not ram into something you shouldn't. Since the game's level design also encourages moving away from the center of the screen to get more points busting up fish or bricks, this struck me as very counter-intuitive and missing the point of an arcade-action type game such as this.
 
Graphics
8 / 10
Can't complain here. It suits the original Bullet Bill games extremely well, and the pixel rotating and everything all looks superb. I don't believe this was made in Flash, so kudos to the creators for managing such an accurate recreation of an old, pixel-y Flash game from the late 2000s. Hats off to you!
 
Sound
3 / 10
The sound effects were quite all right, but good lord... maybe I'm just old, but that dubstep-y techno doesn't really fit the atmosphere of the game at all. I guess the developers were aiming for something that felt "cool" or "badass", but I don't really think it's much of either! I can understand wanting some high-energy music for your high-energy fangame, but it's a Mario game, fellas! There's a certain threshold you shouldn't pass before it just becomes cheesy. Now, if cheesy was your goal... then it was very successful. Otherwise, try again next time.
 
Final Words
6 / 10
A very creative re-imagining of an iconic online fangame that even aims to add a few new twists to keep the formula of ramming into stuff alive. Unfortunately, you'll find that adding new twists means avoiding sharp corners and turns, which doesn't make for a very fun experience. Polish and charm can only go so far, after all. Check it out if you think you're up for the challenge, though!

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