after some feedback, i decided to scrap my previous guide and rewrite it from scratch, due to it being far too convoluted to be of any use:
https://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/43483594890ca1276b56d8e9d59f394c
this should be somewhat easier on the eyes, and hopefully to understand as well
the perspective change is a cool idea, but that's only if you already know how it works.
it took me three days to figure out you can move with arrow keys, which is entirely too long for what's currently available.
without that knowledge, you're met with a black screen with only the text "click me" on it, and a clicking noise in the background.
there is no feedback at all from the game that tells you if you're doing anything with it, or if it's working as intended.
the only reason i even knew clicking worked is because i got the medal for it, and that was the only way for me to know clicking actually did something, otherwise i would have just thought the game froze or something.
i understand giving away the controls defeats the purpose of the whole experience, but imo it just doesn't work as-is.
i feel like this concept would be better if expanded upon, for example as a multiple levels puzzle game where the gimmick is the "change in perspective/thinking outside the box", but as a standalone experience it just falls flat
the 200km medal should most definitely be removed. on that note, the entire game after reaching the spaceship should be reworked, if not removed completely as well.
disclaimer: my pc is bad, like real bad; it's so bad most action games become literally unplayable because they run at a snails' pace, with lots of delay.
in this case, it actually works in my favor because i'm somehow still able to play, except the entire game is in ultra slow mode, meaning i have 10 times the intended time to react to platforms, and then some. i'm basically cheating.
this is to say, the issues i'm encountering are not due to a skill issue.
starting from 120km platforms become more scarce. you'd think it's intended to increase the difficulty (which is the case, but not at soon as that), except some of them are so far apart you physically can't make the jump from one platform to the next.
also if you're unlucky enough to get platforms on opposite sides of the screen twice in a row, you're also doomed because they're unreactable due to the momentum of the character (although this is not a bug, it's pretty unfair. not an issue with slow pc but i figured i'd mention it anyway)
turns out some platforms are entirely invisible, or at least that is my assumption because i'd sometimes bash into the void and be propelled upward anyway: this is bad for 2 different reasons.
- while the game assumes there are enough platforms to jump on, you can't see them, meaning you're more often than not left with no platforms to work with, and the only thing you can do is bash down and hope you hit something;
- sometimes you plan to hit a platform far below the screen, but you accidentally hit an invisible one that was inbetween. this means you are suddenly propelled upward with a different timing than expected, leaving you with much less time to react to the next set of platforms (coupled with character's momentum, this is a run killer). this makes the game difficult to react to even while it's insanely slowed down, so i can't imagine how worse it would be if the game were to be running normally.
not exactly related to the bugs themselves, but i barely made it to 200km, except i got unlucky with invisible platforms and fell. the height counter also got reduced as i was falling and i ended up barely short of 200, meaning i didn't make it for the achievement. it may be a good idea for the height counter to only be able to increase, or for it to hold onto the highest point reached while ascending, to avoid situations like these.
the issue with invisible platforms is only speculation on my part, meaning it's entirely possible that it's actually platforms not spawning as needed, or the character being able to bash into empty space sometimes, which would make it an even worse situation.
the base game is challenging enough on its own and it works perfectly fine as-is.
it's a solid game, so it's saddening that it's brought down so much by post-game bugs.
(the story so far) click on the link to play hell runner part 1 or 2
1.FUBAR'S STASH - talk to fubar
2.CANDY SHOP - buy cookies
3.FELIX'S HIDEOUT - talk to felix
4.DEVIL'S CORNER - talk to nuckelavee
(scurvy) DEADMAN'S TAVERN - talk to blackbeard
5.FELIX'S HIDEOUT - talk to felix
6.FORTUNE TELLER - talk to pungi, read fortune
(temper tantrum) CANDY SHOP - talk to angela
7.BABY JUNIOR'S CRIB - talk to boar servant
8.DEVIL'S CORNER - talk to hela, inquire about secret club
9.??? - talk to ???
10.FUBAR'S STASH - talk to fubar, sell knuckle dusters
11.CANDY SHOP - buy candy
12.BABY JUNIOR'S CRIB - talk to satan
(celebrity selfie) FORTUNE TELLER - talk to baphomet
13.BAYOU - talk to baron samedi
14.HEAVEN'S GATE - talk to azazel
(those who oppose) BABY JUNIOR'S CRIB - talk to satan
15.FELIX'S HIDEOUT - talk to felix
(dagger) BLOOD CLUB - talk to botis
16.FUBAR'S STASH - talk to fubar, sell dagger
17.BAYOU - talk to baron samedi
18.FORTUNE TELLER - talk to pungi, lose bible
(crossbow) BLOOD CLUB - talk to botis
19.FUBAR'S STASH - talk to fubar, sell crossbow
20.CANDY SHOP - buy ice cream
(eeeyaaaughh!) FORTUNE TELLER - talk to screamer
21.BABY JUNIOR'S CRIB - talk to junior
22.INFERNAL BOILERS - talk to ukobach
23.DEADMAN'S TAVERN - talk to blackbeard
24.DEVIL'S CORNER - talk to hela
25.BAYOU - talk to baron samedi
26.HELLFEST - talk to ivar
(mjölnir) BLOOD CLUB - talk to botis
27.FUBAR'S STASH - talk to fubar
28.CANDY SHOP - buy psychopop
(smoke up) HEAVEN'S GATE - talk to azazel, offer devil's breath
29.BABY JUNIOR'S CRIB - talk to junior
(scythe) BLOOD CLUB - talk to botis
(big pimpin') FUBAR'S STASH - talk to nuckelavee
30.DEADMAN'S TAVERN - give scythe back to grim
(grim reaper) click on the link to play hell runner 1
(martin) try to name yourself "martin"
1.STRIP CLUB - talk to nuckelavee
2.CASTLE - talk to vlad
3.MYSTERY ROOM - talk to mystery man
(thy future is bright!) pick card 8
4.AXE THROWING - talk to ivar, play (minigame - ivar's target challenge)
5.JAIL - talk to jailor
(pay your respects) DIVINE STATUE - talk to elder angel, pay respects
6.VAULT - talk to martin
7.MYSTERY ROOM - talk to mystery man
(thy future is bright!) pick card 5
8.FELIX'S HIDEOUT - talk to felix
9.DIVINE STATUE - try to move the statue with 3 people (minigame - hadriel's arrest)
(baphomet) PIRATE SHIP - talk to sam
10.A.P.D - unlock guitar
(sam) PIRATE SHIP - talk to sam, give guitar
11.WAREHOUSE - talk to calavera
12.JAIL - talk to zed
(ivar) AXE THROWING - talk to ivar, hear prayer
13.MYSTERY ROOM - talk to mystery man
(thy future is bright!) pick card 4
(oops!) pick card 3
14.PIRATE SHIP - talk to sam, fight
(elder angel) DIVINE STATUE - talk to elder angel
15.WAREHOUSE - talk to calavera (minigame - five finger fillet)
(tor) cut off tor's finger during the minigame
16.PIRATE SHIP - talk to blackbeard, how to defuse bomb
17.STRIP CLUB - talk to nuckelavee [ 74639 - Red,Yellow,Blue,Green ]
18.DARK WOODS - talk to wolfman
19.DIVINE STATUE - move the statue with 4 people
20. CASTLE - talk to vlad, give cross
21.DARK WOODS - talk to hela
22.VAULT - talk to martin
23.WEAPON SHOP - talk to fubar [ CERBERUS ] (password can be found on PIRATE SHIP)
24.PLASTIC SURGERY - talk to doctor
(dr.death) PLASTIC SURGERY - talk to nurse atsuko
(timepiece) JAIL - talk to jailor, give watch
25.WEAPON SHOP - talk to fubar
26.DARK WOODS - talk to hela
27.MYSTERY ROOM - talk to mystery man
(thy future is bright!) pick card 2
(oops!) pick card 7
28.INFERNAL THRONE - talk to satan :
[hela (BR), quartermaster, bloody body glide, vlad (TL), 129, big pig's adventure, 666-doc-death]
(satan) INFERNAL THRONE - talk to satan
29.GRIM's OFFICE - talk to grim
30.WEAPON SHOP - talk to fubar, try to take rocket launcher
31.VAULT - talk to martin
(satan's dolls) STRIP CLUB - talk to mara, pick yes
32.WEAPON SHOP - talk to fubar, buy the rocket launcher
(skinface) DIVINE STATUE - talk to skin face, say yes
33.GRIM's OFFICE - talk to hadriel
this feels like it has everything to make a good game but the controls completely kill it.
i'm not sure if you can do something else besides turning and jumping, but honestly it feels like i have absolutely no control over my movement in any capacity.
most of my runs are just me struggling to keep going in a single direction while bashing into walls multiple times in a row, making the camera go all over the place and giving me even less of a clue of where i am.
simply removing the automatic movement would make this a much less frustrating experience and a better game overall
i like the idea behind it, although these functions specifically don't seem to allow many options.
good effort though.
i managed to get 50 out of 54 stars, can't get any from level 8 and 18.
i'm actually not even sure how to approach them since they appear to be out of bounds.
it seems you can clip through walls if you get pushed by functions but it's somewhat finnicky, otherwise i have no clue
1.ICE CAVERN - get valkyrie's soul
2.SOULS OF THE FALLEN - talk to sylvi
3.ICE CAVERN - open red chest
4.UTGARD - place gemstone
5.OLDWOOD FOREST - talk to ratatoskr
6.SHADOWLANDS - offer heart
7.UTGARD - place gemstone
(seidr & song) SHADOWLANDS - talk to seer (offering)
8.HODDMIMIS HOLT - stone puzzle
9.THRUDHEIM - talk to orfi
(fly, valkyrie,fly) HODDMIMIS HOLT - talk to lif, read the letter
10.WARRIOR'S FJORD - open gold chest
11.OLDWOOD FOREST - place rune (cave)
(nemesis) ICE CAVERN - activates on entering
12.SOULS OF THE FALLEN - talk to sylvi
13.OLDWOOD FOREST - talk to ratatoskr
14.HODDMIMIS HOLT - open silver chest
(rum of muspelheim) OLDWOOD FOREST - drink rum
15.UTGARD - place gemstone
16.THRUDHEIM - open blue chest
17.DWARVEN FORGE - talk to halvor
18.UTGARD - burn vines
19.SOULS OF THE FALLEN - talk to sylvi
20.ICE CAVERN - stone puzzle
21.SHADOWLANDS - offer bone
22.RIVER OF EITR - touch berries
23.OLDWOOD FOREST - place rune (cave)
24.WARRIOR'S FJORD - talk to vidar
(gullinkambi) THRUDHEIM - talk to gullinkambi
25.SHADOWLANDS - talk to hel
(ottar) SOULS OF THE FALLEN - talk to sylvi, tell tale
26.ICE CAVERN - open purple chest
(it reeks of death!) THRUDHEIM - talk to orfi
27.DWARVEN FORGE - talk to halvor
(eikthyrnir) WARRIOR'S FJORD - talk to eikthyrnir
28.RIVER OF EITR - pick up mjolnir
ok so, update on hard mode.
i managed to clear hard mode, but game crashed on the third boss, so i had to do it again because it didn't save the medal.
it would have been absolute pain, if i didn't accidentally discover a bug: as long as you don't refresh the page, you can press esc on the main world to return to menu, then play game to resume without losing progress; long story short, you can clear the first two bosses on normal mode, then switch to hard mode only for the last boss. might want to get that fixed somehow.
in regards to bosses, the first boss is considerably harder, between the disleveled floor, increased speed and density of the attacks, which makes them harder to dodge.
though none of these compare to the difficulty that the white orb alone poses by simply existing. it's much faster, you have to constantly dodge it and it lingers for an insane amount of time. honestly that one change alone is what makes the first hard mode boss difficult, everything else simply locks you out of movement options while you're trying to avoid the white orb.
the second boss is probably the hardest of the 3 by a large margin. the missing floor is pretty annoying because you have to watch out your movement just to not get damaged, but the boss itself seems to have 3 different jump speeds and frequency of jumps that sporadically change between attempts, which make its movements wildly unpredictable.
however, phase 2 and 3 are simply unfair. you're already limited in your movement options by the missing floor, so you don't have many opportunities to deal damage, but then when the small window to attack shows up, you still can't do anything because you get damaged by the spawning bullets.
even if you just end up running away, you still get hit because you either jump and get hit by oncoming bullets, or don't move and get hit by the boss. and if you move and don't jump you fall and still take damage.
in the end i was forced to get the double jump upgrade and get to the 3rd phase on full health just to damage boost and get enough hits in, otherwise it's nigh impossible.
i can't really comment on the third boss, since i always cheese it by not moving from the spawn point and just timing my jumps. having double jump due to the previous boss also made it insanely easy, so there is virtually no difference between the easy and hard mode of the third boss, which makes the glitch to clear hard mode that much more appalling.
if i were to grade the difficulty of each boss (relative to each other), it would be:
1st boss (easy) - 3
2nd boss (easy) - 7
3rd boss (easy) - unranked
1st boss (hard) - 12
2nd boss (hard) - 20
3rd boss (hard) - unranked
for real, the second boss is such BS compared to the other ones.
the reason for the 3rd boss being unranked is that you can clear either one without moving, which removes the difficulty caused by spikes and the missing floor entirely. honestly i'm not sure how difficult they would be if i had to jump around while avoiding obstacles, but as they are now they're about as easy as the first boss on easy mode.
still some issues with the sporadic black screens out of nowhere, although it's not as annoying depending on whether the hard mode glitch gets fixed or not. honestly if i didn't discover that i would have never bothered trying to get the medal again, the second hard mode boss is too hard (too many lingering bullets; their slow speed makes it so different layers of bullets stack and form a wall as the boss moves towards you, so you can't really jump past it without getting damaged)
Wow! I really appreciate this review! Honestly. There are a lot of valid points here. I feel like the third boss is very interesting to find out about. The spikes on the ceiling were supposed to deter the player from standing in one spot. But it seems you have bypassed that, or, I suck at placing spikes lol. The second boss (Hard Mode) actually was doable for me and I thought it was actually too easy tbh. But I will take the time to nerf them. The third boss will most likely be changed to have another form of attack (similar to the white eyeball) to deter you from standing. This will of course also means that the number of spikes will decrease in the stage or they might get removed entirely. The black screen issue I am still not sure of. I've tried everything to fix it. The only thing I could think of, at this moment, is the game is crashing at a certain point. But that can't be true if you can exit back out. At the very least you can do that to solve the issue for now. The white eyeball seems to be the deadlist of all enemies however lol. Everyone so far has said it's been a problem. It seems I fixed it for easy mode but I will see what I can do for hard. Thank you again for reviewing my game again!
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