RPGDX > Others > Notmucher

Notmucher

Posted by	Jihgfed Pumpkinhead
Status	Finished
Prog. language	C++
Last update	12-07-2003
Links	Download;

Contributors:

Jihgfed Pumpkinhead

Description:

This game was designed for the RPGDX summer compo of 2003, Compo Nostos. It had some problems before but should now at least run.

Anyway, this is Notmucher, and it lives up to its name. It's based on the books of Roald Dahl; its features include odd combat, odd graphics, and bugs up the wazzoo. So there you go.

Should run on anything equal to or greater than a 350 with 32 RAM (approximately), so long as it's run in Windows.

Reviews

Review by korndog on 12-07-2003

I really liked the idea of this game. While the graphics appear simple and unpolished, they are noteworthy considering the nostalgic theme. I haven't seen the illustrations that the game's graphics are based on, but they did remind me of other childhood picture books, like Dr. Seuss and whatnot.
I also liked the simplicity of the battle system. -- it works well for a game of this length. However... the battle's tiled background seriously detracted from the images' clarity. Different colors would help define what you're looking at in the battle screen.
Another nuisance is the collision checking of entire bitmaps. I would recommend using a smaller collision box, located towards the bottom of the sprites. This way there is a feeling of depth, and Matilda doesn't hit her head on fence posts. Also, it was strange to see the characters shake around while Matilda is walking, even though they appear to be standing still. I'm not sure if this was intentional, or if the world doesn't update on time (?).
Despite these shortcomings, I think the game developer shows potential in storytelling and game balance. If the gameplay time were doubled along with more character interation, it would score an additional point. Considering it as a mini-compo effort, I gave this game a 6/10 based on the scale I've used for past reviews.

Review by pabarry on 13-07-2003

This game breaks away from most RPGs in style. I recommend everyone at least tries it, just to see how an RPG can be made in a diffrent style than the traditional console style.

Review by Aj on 13-07-2003

It's promising. Sure, the graphics aren't perfect and the collision detection is a tad buggy, but otherwise it was a fun 5 minutes and the programmer had put a good deal of effort in. It shouldn't be ignored, its worth the gameplay it provides. Why did I give a 7? Because the quality of the game, considering the short space of time it was created in, deserves praise.

Review by kbomb987 on 18-07-2003

Obviously I have "notmuch" to do but download these games to play while at work. :) This one was interesting for an rpg, I have not seen a style like this before. The battle system was interesting, although I could not seem to kill even 1 enemy. But the rock/papar/scissors thing really does take into a whole new strategy in fighting monsters. It was also interesting how large the characters were.. kinda funny actually. I especially liked the Grandma. As for the collision detection, I actually liked the way it was; it gave an eerie odd feel to the game which is good. Overall, more colors and monster balance would have been nice, but the originality gets this game a higher score.