Delicious Fruit
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by arzztt
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by arzztt
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by Fruitless
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by Wolfiexe
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by arzztt
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by arzztt
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by arzztt
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by Wolfiexe
Creator's Comments:
arzztt [Creator]
Long and hard needle adventure game. The game features a lot of gimmicks and an engaging story with lovable characters. gl hf!
2/21/22: Here is a download link to the very first version of the game. There are a few bugs and skips still in it, not much but it's worth linking in case there are any speedrunners interested in running this. https://www.mediafire.com/file/j2wwfjxbp86s42t/Save_My_Boy.7z/file
11/28/20: Ended up updating the game a couple of months after the initial release. It mostly consists of graphics changes as per the feedback I've received, and some other miscellaneous platforming changes. Thanks to everyone for playing or watching my games!
[11] Likes
2/21/22: Here is a download link to the very first version of the game. There are a few bugs and skips still in it, not much but it's worth linking in case there are any speedrunners interested in running this. https://www.mediafire.com/file/j2wwfjxbp86s42t/Save_My_Boy.7z/file
11/28/20: Ended up updating the game a couple of months after the initial release. It mostly consists of graphics changes as per the feedback I've received, and some other miscellaneous platforming changes. Thanks to everyone for playing or watching my games!
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: 70 70
Aug 17, 2020
55 Reviews:
CanusAntonius
Save my Boy is the ultimate culmination of Arzztt's entire previous catalog and serves as a showcase of how far he has come up until now. It's a crazy Needleventure game with more gimmicks than I can count, incredible design variety that remains interesting, and a gorgeous story that will remind you of what it's like to be an anime protagonist always saving everyone else.
There's so much to talk about in the game, especially because holy shit is it so fucking long, there are at least 20 stages in this, probably even more. Most of these stages introduce a gimmick, but the important thing about the game is that isn't laid out as a "This is the X gimmick stage", instead once a gimmick is introduced you need to be prepared for it throughout the entire rest of the game. This leads to so many different segments that it felt like Arzztt designed this by playing fucking Yahtzee and letting the dice RNG decide what the save will have. The combinations are so different each time that each save feels truly unique, it's a compounding bag of Chex mix that simply has new ingredients as time goes on.
Some of these gimmicks are pretty damn cool, this probably takes the cake as my favorite usage of Platforms in a fangame. There are also some gimmicks you might not like, that's pretty inevitable due to the amount there are; two of these for me involved blocks you shoot to spawn platforms due often they are under spikes, with the other being these little blocks you shoot and hold to spawn and move, it was very awkward to use.
Overall, I think the game was pretty damn special and is exactly what I want from a gimmick-heavy game. There are so many principles worth taking from this game that I hope people learn from it and use a similar format in the future. This is truly one of the certified crusty boomer destroyers. Highly recommended.
[1] Like
There's so much to talk about in the game, especially because holy shit is it so fucking long, there are at least 20 stages in this, probably even more. Most of these stages introduce a gimmick, but the important thing about the game is that isn't laid out as a "This is the X gimmick stage", instead once a gimmick is introduced you need to be prepared for it throughout the entire rest of the game. This leads to so many different segments that it felt like Arzztt designed this by playing fucking Yahtzee and letting the dice RNG decide what the save will have. The combinations are so different each time that each save feels truly unique, it's a compounding bag of Chex mix that simply has new ingredients as time goes on.
Some of these gimmicks are pretty damn cool, this probably takes the cake as my favorite usage of Platforms in a fangame. There are also some gimmicks you might not like, that's pretty inevitable due to the amount there are; two of these for me involved blocks you shoot to spawn platforms due often they are under spikes, with the other being these little blocks you shoot and hold to spawn and move, it was very awkward to use.
Overall, I think the game was pretty damn special and is exactly what I want from a gimmick-heavy game. There are so many principles worth taking from this game that I hope people learn from it and use a similar format in the future. This is truly one of the certified crusty boomer destroyers. Highly recommended.
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 70 70
Oct 3, 2022
applejuice69
Honestly I think this is the best needle I’ve played.
[1] Like
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 70 70
Jan 30, 2022
sunbla
so many gimmicks throughout the game and none of them ever get boring. arzztts gimmick usage is also done insanely well and they are used in really interesting ways but it never gets out of control.
the platforming is always the mainfocus but you still have to think about what you wanna do next.
highly recommend this game!
[1] Like
the platforming is always the mainfocus but you still have to think about what you wanna do next.
highly recommend this game!
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 72 72
Aug 31, 2020
moogy
I agree with most of Kale's review, so I won't reiterate what he had to say. Just a few comments on stuff that jumped out at me:
I definitely agree that a precision platformer/needle game doesn't need a wide range of verbs to succeed, and in many cases giving the player too many actions or too much nuance in movement is actually detrimental to the overall design and play experience.
For better or worse, the jankier, more "fangame-y" elements of the game stick out for me more than the bulk of the platforming design, if only because they're so bizarre and inventive. Stuff like the spike room, the 254 platform, and the part where you have to defend Nelson while activating triggers may not be "polished" or conform to traditional ideas of what makes a game fun, but they have a certain flavor that makes them distinct and memorable.
I think the story is fine as-is (I find self-serious plots in I Wanna, of all things, to be pretty tiresome), but the gameplay side of things could have used more of a climax. Capping things off with a long save spanning an entire room is a bit of a cliche, but it can be effective when used properly and something similar would have been appreciated here. The final boss is hilarious and I loved it.
Overall, this definitely arzztt's best game so far, and I frequently found myself amazed by the sheer creativity he demonstrated in combining the various gimmicks and verbs to come up with new and exciting saves again and again. At the same time, I agree with the sentiment that he's probably taken this approach to design as far as it can go, and I'd like to see him venture out of his comfort zone and experiment more in future endeavors.
[1] Like
I definitely agree that a precision platformer/needle game doesn't need a wide range of verbs to succeed, and in many cases giving the player too many actions or too much nuance in movement is actually detrimental to the overall design and play experience.
For better or worse, the jankier, more "fangame-y" elements of the game stick out for me more than the bulk of the platforming design, if only because they're so bizarre and inventive. Stuff like the spike room, the 254 platform, and the part where you have to defend Nelson while activating triggers may not be "polished" or conform to traditional ideas of what makes a game fun, but they have a certain flavor that makes them distinct and memorable.
I think the story is fine as-is (I find self-serious plots in I Wanna, of all things, to be pretty tiresome), but the gameplay side of things could have used more of a climax. Capping things off with a long save spanning an entire room is a bit of a cliche, but it can be effective when used properly and something similar would have been appreciated here. The final boss is hilarious and I loved it.
Overall, this definitely arzztt's best game so far, and I frequently found myself amazed by the sheer creativity he demonstrated in combining the various gimmicks and verbs to come up with new and exciting saves again and again. At the same time, I agree with the sentiment that he's probably taken this approach to design as far as it can go, and I'd like to see him venture out of his comfort zone and experiment more in future endeavors.
Rating: 9.5 95
Difficulty: 70 70
Aug 20, 2020