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phgQED
For: I wanna climb the Witch's Tower
For: I wanna climb the Witch's Tower
An absolute landmark for me in terms of design and implementation of basic gimmicks and triggers/cycles. Overall I enjoyed most of the experience, though I definitely preferred the more vanilla flavor of the earlier floors.
Looking at the needle games I've played through, it's wild how often Wolfie's name comes up. That being said, I still haven't developed a coherent sense of their design ethos, and in playing this game, it's hard to say whether it's like any of their other games, or a different and completely unique thing entirely. There's a level of playfulness, maybe, present in most of their games, and a strong sense of movement and pathing without being overly restrictive in terms of block or killer placement. A definite love of platform boosting and the unique movement scenarios that it can be incorporated into. And in this game in particular, there's a great usage of vines, water, and the mixing of those two things together to create interesting re-uses of level elements.
To me, this game felt a bit too long, especially towards the end, where the trigger and cycle usage became the focus of the level design. I suspect that won't be the case for most players, however, and the end of the game will probably be a novel breath of fresh air compared to the earlier floors.
Also, it is, to me, worth noting that I was hard walled in this game several times. Some were due to me simply misreading a jump, which is a combination of embarrassing and wondering how much of telegraphing a jump is the responsibility of the creator. Others were due to sheer difficulty, and I remember of note a particularly cursed drop involving a piece of fruit that felt more precise than anything else in the game. Drops in general present a unique type of difficult versus the more coordinated feeling of a straightforward jump, IMO, and if I had to single out another common aspect of Wolfie games, it would be the drops—surely a love of which has rubbed off in my own design. It's a mixed bag, because there surely were some great drops as well, but I don't remember them nearly as much as that one with the fruit. Cursed.
Looking at the needle games I've played through, it's wild how often Wolfie's name comes up. That being said, I still haven't developed a coherent sense of their design ethos, and in playing this game, it's hard to say whether it's like any of their other games, or a different and completely unique thing entirely. There's a level of playfulness, maybe, present in most of their games, and a strong sense of movement and pathing without being overly restrictive in terms of block or killer placement. A definite love of platform boosting and the unique movement scenarios that it can be incorporated into. And in this game in particular, there's a great usage of vines, water, and the mixing of those two things together to create interesting re-uses of level elements.
To me, this game felt a bit too long, especially towards the end, where the trigger and cycle usage became the focus of the level design. I suspect that won't be the case for most players, however, and the end of the game will probably be a novel breath of fresh air compared to the earlier floors.
Also, it is, to me, worth noting that I was hard walled in this game several times. Some were due to me simply misreading a jump, which is a combination of embarrassing and wondering how much of telegraphing a jump is the responsibility of the creator. Others were due to sheer difficulty, and I remember of note a particularly cursed drop involving a piece of fruit that felt more precise than anything else in the game. Drops in general present a unique type of difficult versus the more coordinated feeling of a straightforward jump, IMO, and if I had to single out another common aspect of Wolfie games, it would be the drops—surely a love of which has rubbed off in my own design. It's a mixed bag, because there surely were some great drops as well, but I don't remember them nearly as much as that one with the fruit. Cursed.
Tagged as: Needle
[1] Like
Rating: 8.1 81
Difficulty: 62 62
Apr 29, 2022
phgQED
For: i wanna lypophrenia
For: i wanna lypophrenia
It took me a really long time to complete this game, even though I started playing it fairly early into my fangame experience. It never seemed overly intimidating, just that it was simply too difficult for me to get through at my current skill level. Somehow I managed to persevere through the first screen, after which the game got a fair bit easier, though it still took me a few breaks to clear. This is very classic 'depression needle' with a dash of flavour and subtlety throughout. The soundtrack especially deserves a huge amount of credit for enhancing the experience. While the first few screens are relatively straightforward 32px needle (with heavy water usage towards the end), the second and third stages add a lot in terms of minor variations on simple needle formulas and concepts. Namely, dealing with the slanted ground and obstacles wasn't exactly my favorite part of the game (in fact, it was probably my least favorite part), but I can appreciate its inclusion for variety's sake, and the triangle levels in which it was contained were overall still quite fun, especially with their usage of platforms throughout. The third stage, a beautiful monochrome maze of invisible water, was one of my favorite parts, though it was over before I really got a chance to enjoy it. The ending was quite memorable.
Overall I would recommend this game to experienced needle players looking for a strong challenge upfront that promises more variety once you surmount the initial summit it sets out for you. The first screen is by far and away the hardest screen in the entire game, and if you can manage to get past it, you'll be able to tell if the rest of the game tickles your fancy. I personally enjoyed all the screens, but I can understand why a game this nondescript might not be for everyone. To me, it is another sad and beautiful love letter to the specific subsection of the fangame genre I cherish the most. It feels very personal and moving despite not really asserting anything about itself beyond a somber, bittersweet tileset reminiscent of Catharsis, and music that reminds me of reading poetry alone in my room and crying. I am glad I played it, and thank you very much to the creator for making it.
Deaths: 4382
Time: 2:48:20
Overall I would recommend this game to experienced needle players looking for a strong challenge upfront that promises more variety once you surmount the initial summit it sets out for you. The first screen is by far and away the hardest screen in the entire game, and if you can manage to get past it, you'll be able to tell if the rest of the game tickles your fancy. I personally enjoyed all the screens, but I can understand why a game this nondescript might not be for everyone. To me, it is another sad and beautiful love letter to the specific subsection of the fangame genre I cherish the most. It feels very personal and moving despite not really asserting anything about itself beyond a somber, bittersweet tileset reminiscent of Catharsis, and music that reminds me of reading poetry alone in my room and crying. I am glad I played it, and thank you very much to the creator for making it.
Deaths: 4382
Time: 2:48:20
Tagged as: Needle
[0] Likes
Rating: 7.5 75
Difficulty: 65 65
Apr 29, 2022
phgQED
For: I wanna Nukeru Spike
For: I wanna Nukeru Spike
A pitch-perfect homage to the Uhuhu series, including persistent use of moving spikes and triggers in saves towards the end. There is also a liberal usage of platform boost setups, as well as the classic wacky spike shapes you'd expect to see. Every once in a while there is a platform stack that rockets you upwards like a tractor beam gone wild, and it's pretty fun to get launched by them. While I was close to rating this game as near perfect, it does feel like it went on just a bit too long--not to the degree other Uhuhu tributes have, but still maybe a tad longer than it should have. By now, I've been told this is an inherent part of the Uhuhu formula, and while I agree it's an element of the original games, I'm not sure it's worth emulating going forward. Then again, if a game is fun, maybe you don't want it to end? I often get the feeling of "is this the last screen' far too early in good games, so perhaps I'm not the best person to ask about this.
My first tourney clear (I think?) and a great time all around. My only direct complaint, besides the length, is the medley choice—it's not even a complaint, really, other than to say I only recognized one or two snippets, and they were so short I couldn't really enjoy them. That's more or less a failing of the 'anime medley' song prescription, not necessarily the game or the designer, so it's not a real fault... just part of the never-ending quest for the perfect soundtrack.
Gruhuhuvy all over.
Time: 2hr11min
Deaths: 2327
My first tourney clear (I think?) and a great time all around. My only direct complaint, besides the length, is the medley choice—it's not even a complaint, really, other than to say I only recognized one or two snippets, and they were so short I couldn't really enjoy them. That's more or less a failing of the 'anime medley' song prescription, not necessarily the game or the designer, so it's not a real fault... just part of the never-ending quest for the perfect soundtrack.
Gruhuhuvy all over.
Time: 2hr11min
Deaths: 2327
Tagged as: Needle
[0] Likes
Rating: 9.5 95
Difficulty: 46 46
Apr 2, 2022
phgQED
For: Douyugan
For: Douyugan
This was a step back in time. A fairly generic needle/floor/adventure game with direct homages and random difficulty spikes. The underwater diagonals in particular were maddening. I really enjoyed this as a look back at some of dono's first needle, but I don't think I'd recommend it on its own for any other reason, aside maybe one of the last jumps before the demo clear screen—it was really fun.
Time: ~18min
Deaths: 417
Time: ~18min
Deaths: 417
Tagged as: Needle
[0] Likes
Rating: 5.5 55
Difficulty: 30 30
Apr 2, 2022
phgQED
For: I wanna eat the Stuffed Animal
For: I wanna eat the Stuffed Animal
This is my first straightforward 'avoidance' clear. Having not played much in the genre I'm not 100% sure how to describe my experience w/ this game. It is a simple, mostly pattern avoidance with a light reading requirement. The song is a vocaloid pop track with a bit of a jazzy influence. It starts with a washed out piano clipped into samples, and from there goes into a slightly bouncy j-pop with a mildly hopeful feel. The attacks are very well synchronized to the music. All of the attacks involve fruit, and only a few require actually reading the paths in advance—most can be reacted to on the spot. There are no surprise gibs, and almost all attacks are telegraphed by the appearance of a large fruit or colored fruit circle. There is one slightly tough attack right in the middle of the song that involves semi-random fruit in three colors, and that is the only part I died to. Overall my experience with this game was positive. The only negatives I could point to are the weird guy-rock intro (which I still sort of like for some reason) and the lack of a practice tool... but the game also has multiple difficulties, which I suspect inform projectile density. I played on medium and had a fun time. In the past I have had a lot of experience with rhythm games and other avoidance-adjacent types, so it is possible I did not find this game as difficult as someone else might. It seems like it would be good for a beginner or someone wishing to take on a light challenge.
Time: ~22min
Deaths: 6
Time: ~22min
Deaths: 6
Tagged as: Avoidance
[0] Likes
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: 24 24
Apr 2, 2022
11 Games
| Game | Difficulty | Average Rating | # of Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| I wanna be the (mis)Nomer | 68.4 | 4.9 | 11 |
| I Wanna be the AIW | 56.2 | 6.9 | 26 |
| I Wanna be the Fleeting Flower Forever | 70.0 | 7.2 | 6 |
| Heart-Shaped Triangle | 61.8 | 7.6 | 10 |
| I Wanna Meet the Oracle at Delphi | 65.2 | 5.8 | 10 |
| I Wanna One Day Wonder | 44.6 | 7.5 | 11 |
| Stranded. | 67.6 | 6.5 | 9 |
| Suffering | N/A | 6.5 | 4 |
| I Wanna [VERB] the [ADJECTIVE] [NOUN] | 67.9 | 6.3 | 11 |
| I Wanna – | 61.0 | 5.9 | 7 |
| I Wanna — | 53.0 | 7.8 | 10 |
38 Favorite Games
128 Cleared Games