Delicious Fruit
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Creator's Comments:
TheJPEGDemon [Creator]
my best solo project
Tagged as: Needle
[1] Like
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: 80 80
Apr 2, 2023
7 Reviews:
YaBoiMarcAntony
The creator's greatest solo project, a personal belief of theirs that I myself can attest to, acts as one also somewhat indicative of the times in the community. Unfortunately, it represents the time through the fact that no one really played it, there wasn't much of a fuss about it on release and to this day you don't really find anyone talking about it. In short, the community seems to be tired of these truly difficult needle games, and furthermore don't have as much room for the quiet, evocative releases like this one. There, for example, wasn't much discussion of avgustine's latest solo project, nor that of biogom's recent effort - both games very much worth your time, but games that captured few people's attention. For the latter release, one can draw similarities between this and that game as they're both simply too difficult for most people to easily approach. As such, it's hard to kind of blame anyone for missing out on this game or biogom's, but nevertheless it's a great shame indeed.
Yes, Selected Needle Works is quite difficult, representative of the sort of base level of difficulty for most needle games of this ilk, that of the more artistically inclined. I will say, this is probably the most difficult of the bunch within this vague genre type I've tried to briefly pin down here, but for those of us willing to chew on something like this, it proves to be more of a boon than anything. Setting aside the difficulty, there's also some outright malignant design choices throughout the game, malignant of course to get across a certain emotional concept rather than just as a screw you to the player. If you view long saves as a malignant decision in this respect, then there's plenty of that, but you'll also find a few stages designed around the concept of obfuscation - stages where it's difficult to truly see what you're doing if not almost impossible unless you really focus. I'm sure some will find it frustrating, but I find the way it's implemented to be far more thoughtful than that.
I will not attempt to pin down any themes within the game, but there is obviously intent behind a lot of the design throughout the game - and even beyond that obvious intent and what the creator is trying to convey, this effort lends itself to memorable imagery that you just won't find other makers creating. I mean, I cannot point to any other person's style that is truly similar to what Theo makes here. One can make comparisons to Morning Dew or that of dopamine's games, but certain aesthetic choices give the game a unique flair that in turn makes it undeniably Theo in nature. Particular highlights would be the stage somewhat based around roots covering jumps or, in particular, the second screen to the Tree of Life stage.
Insofar as the quality of the needle is concerned, it is absolutely rock solid. There is perhaps one jump I could point to as problematic insofar as myself is concerned, but I think it is through no fault of the implementation and instead merely that I just fundamentally dislike the idea (you'll find the jump in the stage based strongly around platforms, and you'll likely know exactly what jump I mean when you get to it). Nevertheless, one jump versus the many throughout the game? Well, it's a good batting average, I'll put it like that. I cannot claim to absolutely adore everything in the game, there is certainly variance in quality; on the subject, there inevitably will be a level of variance to this game that you won't find in others, a small lack in coherence inherent to the game's creation.
Selected Needle Works 21-23, it's a literal name, being made up of various screens and stages made throughout these years, and as such you'll get essentially a collage of the creator's journey throughout the years. With that in mind, the game really does have some surprising sense of cohesion, but it does not play like a game composed from beginning to end, more like one pieced together to form a whole - and that is not a critique! I find that this method of transcription tends to bring about particularly interesting and varied experiences, and while I will not claim that this is one of the most varied games I've ever played - it mostly boils down to longform needle along with some light gimmicks and experimentation strewn about, I won't claim that it is one of the most varied games ever, but I can't really claim any one stage as being totally alike another.
With all that in mind, it's clear that I have a lot of respect for this game. Certainly, there is some bias inherent to my feelings given that I am friends with the creator, but I promise you that none of what I say is meant to butter them up purely because of that reason. Whether I knew them well or absolutely hated them, I would not be able to deny the high quality of this release, one of the top releases of 2023 so far. Please, if you can handle the difficulty of this game, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try. I promise you won't find another game like it.
[2] Likes
Yes, Selected Needle Works is quite difficult, representative of the sort of base level of difficulty for most needle games of this ilk, that of the more artistically inclined. I will say, this is probably the most difficult of the bunch within this vague genre type I've tried to briefly pin down here, but for those of us willing to chew on something like this, it proves to be more of a boon than anything. Setting aside the difficulty, there's also some outright malignant design choices throughout the game, malignant of course to get across a certain emotional concept rather than just as a screw you to the player. If you view long saves as a malignant decision in this respect, then there's plenty of that, but you'll also find a few stages designed around the concept of obfuscation - stages where it's difficult to truly see what you're doing if not almost impossible unless you really focus. I'm sure some will find it frustrating, but I find the way it's implemented to be far more thoughtful than that.
I will not attempt to pin down any themes within the game, but there is obviously intent behind a lot of the design throughout the game - and even beyond that obvious intent and what the creator is trying to convey, this effort lends itself to memorable imagery that you just won't find other makers creating. I mean, I cannot point to any other person's style that is truly similar to what Theo makes here. One can make comparisons to Morning Dew or that of dopamine's games, but certain aesthetic choices give the game a unique flair that in turn makes it undeniably Theo in nature. Particular highlights would be the stage somewhat based around roots covering jumps or, in particular, the second screen to the Tree of Life stage.
Insofar as the quality of the needle is concerned, it is absolutely rock solid. There is perhaps one jump I could point to as problematic insofar as myself is concerned, but I think it is through no fault of the implementation and instead merely that I just fundamentally dislike the idea (you'll find the jump in the stage based strongly around platforms, and you'll likely know exactly what jump I mean when you get to it). Nevertheless, one jump versus the many throughout the game? Well, it's a good batting average, I'll put it like that. I cannot claim to absolutely adore everything in the game, there is certainly variance in quality; on the subject, there inevitably will be a level of variance to this game that you won't find in others, a small lack in coherence inherent to the game's creation.
Selected Needle Works 21-23, it's a literal name, being made up of various screens and stages made throughout these years, and as such you'll get essentially a collage of the creator's journey throughout the years. With that in mind, the game really does have some surprising sense of cohesion, but it does not play like a game composed from beginning to end, more like one pieced together to form a whole - and that is not a critique! I find that this method of transcription tends to bring about particularly interesting and varied experiences, and while I will not claim that this is one of the most varied games I've ever played - it mostly boils down to longform needle along with some light gimmicks and experimentation strewn about, I won't claim that it is one of the most varied games ever, but I can't really claim any one stage as being totally alike another.
With all that in mind, it's clear that I have a lot of respect for this game. Certainly, there is some bias inherent to my feelings given that I am friends with the creator, but I promise you that none of what I say is meant to butter them up purely because of that reason. Whether I knew them well or absolutely hated them, I would not be able to deny the high quality of this release, one of the top releases of 2023 so far. Please, if you can handle the difficulty of this game, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try. I promise you won't find another game like it.
Rating: 8.8 88
Difficulty: 83 83
Jul 17, 2023
Chatran
I abstain from giving this game a proper rating because it's clear to me that this game does not cater to anyone's specific tastes, and certainly not me. It helped me learn what all I like and dislike in needle, as well as what I'm willing to accept out of art. Which is to say, I can't fully accept everything this game offered to me based on my own design philosophies.
I do want to start by saying the treatment this game has gotten overall is unfair. I know all too well how it feels for a game with soul put into it to be completely ignored. I went into this with the purpose of giving it a fair shot because I felt it deserved it, and despite many of my issues I will list in this review, I am glad I tried it and gave it some form of attention.
I find this game to be extremely inaccessible. A major portion of that lies in some of its unforgiving difficulty, which primarily lies on multi-screen and / or trigger-dense segments; and this is just the way it is. Clearly to me difficulty is no longer an aspect in fangames I find appealing, and such is life.
But in other ways I find this game inaccessible, mainly in the way the game presents itself. I'll personally draw the line at difficulty, but I personally will not accept the same merit when a game alienates an entire population as a form of artistic vision. I won't pull any punches, I find the fact that this game visually obscures the platforming to blindness to be egregious.
I don't want to *not* recommend this game, because even though I listed nothing but complaints, I find there's a lot of gold here. I genuinely had a lot of fun for a decent chunk of the game's runtime, and I think that amounts to something. I just inherently disagree with much of how this game simply exists, and I feel the need to vent in some space regarding that. Please forgive me for doing so.
I do want to start by saying the treatment this game has gotten overall is unfair. I know all too well how it feels for a game with soul put into it to be completely ignored. I went into this with the purpose of giving it a fair shot because I felt it deserved it, and despite many of my issues I will list in this review, I am glad I tried it and gave it some form of attention.
I find this game to be extremely inaccessible. A major portion of that lies in some of its unforgiving difficulty, which primarily lies on multi-screen and / or trigger-dense segments; and this is just the way it is. Clearly to me difficulty is no longer an aspect in fangames I find appealing, and such is life.
But in other ways I find this game inaccessible, mainly in the way the game presents itself. I'll personally draw the line at difficulty, but I personally will not accept the same merit when a game alienates an entire population as a form of artistic vision. I won't pull any punches, I find the fact that this game visually obscures the platforming to blindness to be egregious.
I don't want to *not* recommend this game, because even though I listed nothing but complaints, I find there's a lot of gold here. I genuinely had a lot of fun for a decent chunk of the game's runtime, and I think that amounts to something. I just inherently disagree with much of how this game simply exists, and I feel the need to vent in some space regarding that. Please forgive me for doing so.
Tagged as: artistic_vision
[1] Like
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: 85 85
Dec 31, 2023
Stitchball
ain't ever gon clear this but what ive played is the shit :thumb_up:
[0] Likes
Rating: 8.9 89
Difficulty: 84 84
Sep 5, 2023
Kureist
In general, this game is a challenging game that boasts both awe-inspiring atmosphere and exhilarating mechanics. However, some of the obstacles can be too lengthy, making them difficult to accept. These elements have a negative impact on the gaming experience.
Despite this, the overall atmosphere of the game remains exceptional. Players will be drawn into the tense atmosphere, and they will feel a thrill when they overcome each obstacle.
The music and the graphics is mostly great. But there's still something that doesn't meet my taste(What I have to say is the last hurdle, it's way too hard to recognize the spike, which make a indelible damage to the experience).
Not a boring one. But also not so passionate. If you have enough time to handle the endless long saves and triggers. it will definitely provides a lot of fun for the you.
So, if you're a person that can greatly handle the triggers and master the needles I won't be shy about recommending it to you.
[0] Likes
Despite this, the overall atmosphere of the game remains exceptional. Players will be drawn into the tense atmosphere, and they will feel a thrill when they overcome each obstacle.
The music and the graphics is mostly great. But there's still something that doesn't meet my taste(What I have to say is the last hurdle, it's way too hard to recognize the spike, which make a indelible damage to the experience).
Not a boring one. But also not so passionate. If you have enough time to handle the endless long saves and triggers. it will definitely provides a lot of fun for the you.
So, if you're a person that can greatly handle the triggers and master the needles I won't be shy about recommending it to you.
Rating: 8.9 89
Difficulty: 77 77
Feb 12, 2023