Detour83's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Social Dysphoria The Game]

All right, before I get started with this, I just want to say that I think making a game based around the struggles transgendered people face is great. It's a concept you don't see too often. So I'll give you props for that.

With that said, I don't think the concept was executed well. In fact, at first I wondered if this was satire, because it actually seemed to be REINFORCING negative stereotypes of transgendered people, and social justice bloggers in particular (obsession with pronouns, for one, not to mention "Cisbot"... without reading the disclaimer in the description, that could easily be taken the wrong way). Instead of trying to communicate what trans people have to go through on a daily basis, which is what I expected, it felt like a guide on how not to be offensive. Unless the player is taking notes, I don't think it's going to have much of an impact on anyone.

As for the game itself, it's your average vertical shooter, with the main gimmick being that you're shooting and collecting words instead of more generic objects, like ships and powerups. It actually plays pretty well. My issue is that it feels like the game exists solely to drive the message, resulting in a somewhat barebones experience. Also, I don't understand the artstyle. What does imitating a Game Boy add to the game? Not much, really. It's just sort of... there.

Overall, this could've been thought out better. The concept is good, but there are some serious flaws in the execution.

VOEC responds:

A fair review. Thank you. I wnat to comment on a view things though.

You're right that the game could have been a lot better designed and the are major flaws with its gameplay and story. It could have been also a bit broader at shoing the player how it is to be transgender.
But I still think that there was some interesting value in the original idea from the tumblr-post. Because being misgendered and insulted is a thing that trans people have to go through on a daily basis. I've seen lots of my friends get shit like this every day. I think it's an important part about being transgender.
(But in case you're interested in a game that really shows what transgender people have to go through in their lifes I recommend Dys4ria from Anna Anthropy, also here on Newgrounds, if you haven't played it yet)

Regarding the artstyle. I choose it because it is simple and quick. I could have made it black and white or Atari-like, but I like the colors of the Gameboy. 4 shades, pretty easy. And honestly I didn't want to spend a lot of time on the graphics, since I was just trying out this idea, and wanted to get back on working on my "proper" game-projects.

[Simple Love]

The game itself Is challenging and actually quite fun, but I felt a little... um... violated by the end.

[Bouncy Ball]

This is surprisingly fun to play with. The ball itself could use some colour to stand out from the background, though.

Also, what's with the reset button? All it seems to do is break the game.

[Goat Dress Up!]

As far as dress-up games go, this is... generic. There's not a lot going for it in that sense. But if it's your first attempt at flash, that's to be expected.

On the plus side, your art style is quite good. I hope you're planning on making more advanced flashes in the future, because you already have a skill that many beginners don't.

[Sad Worker]

I really liked the graphical style and the music. That said, the gameplay has numerous problems, most of which have already been said in previous reviews.

I wouldn't say this is a BAD game, but it's just too... what's the word... dull. It chugs along and feels like a chore to play. Which is unfortunate because, again, it's quite nice aesthetically.

[SUPER MEME 32x]

I knew it was just an image right from the beginning.

Maybe in 2008 this would've been funny. Actually, no, even then this would've seemed old and retarded.

The only reason anyone's giving this positive reviews is because it contains LE EPIC MEE-MEES LOLXD which I guess are all the rage with 12 year old morons now. Either way, you managed to get on the "popular" page by exploiting people's stupidity. Congrats.

[Cool Story Bro]

Pretty nice. There's a surprising amount of stuff to do here and the humor is a nice touch. The only thing that bothered me is that if you want to get all the medals, you have to battle the same boss 3 times, which feels repetitive.

[Tiny Evolution Adventure]

A little short, but not bad.

[RaceCar!!!]

Did you seriously steal an example game? I'm sorry, that's just sad.

[Speedr]

Good job, I really like the graphics and music. I just have a few suggestions:
- Maybe move the player closer to the bottom of the screen; all that extra space below is kind of unnecessary.
- Sound effects when you hit a wall or floor tile would really help. At the moment it can be hard to tell if you've hit something or not.
- A game over screen showing your final score would be nice.
Other than that, I don't really have any complaints. Nice job!