Reviews

Review by elias all reviews by elias

I think each rule is implemented perfectly. Source code and polymorphism are the main game mechanic. By reading the source code of the elements you know what they do (well, for the simpler ones... for the later ones you'll just place them and watch). And the way you change how an element behaves when triggered the same way is like the core definition of a polymorphic object, all as gameplay of the game.

Graphics are hand drawn and look great.

The game also was fun to play. The difficulty of levels gradually rises up to the last. There you have to first realize that two functions need to go to a certain element to maximize score and then it's only a few tries to order the other elements right.

But the best part of this game has to be the music. It alone would be enough to fulfill the voice rule. And to me it also completely captures that whole sun-god setting somehow.

Scores: Overall 5 Artistical 5 Technical 5 Genre 5

Review by amarillion all reviews by amarillion

I believe the hand-drawn rule has actually caused the art quality to be above average this year. Elemental Sun's colorful graphics are a good example of that principle.

Of the five rules, the "view source" rule defines the gameplay of this entry the most. The goal of the game is to attach snippets of code to elements. The code describes a complex sequence of steps, or a nuclear reaction, whereby the element will transform into other elements. Different elements generate different amounts of heat. The goal is to assign functions to elements so that they transform just right and generate enough heat to reach a predefined amount.

It's a very original puzzle concept, and well executed. It's a lot of fun to figure out what the different functions do. The game is well balanced, and the heat target is set that you can't just get by with a sub-optimal solution.

The overall polish is excellent. The GUI is smooth and responsive. Every action has subtle feedback so that you always know what you're doing. Entheh's soothing voice make up part of the music score, which actually works quite well to build suspense.

It's hard to find any negatives, but still I managed to find a few. The puzzles are complex, but the problem space is limited, which means that it's often possible to stumble upon the right combination without really understanding it. Another small negative is that IMHO the genre requirement is not worked out to it's full potential. But overall, this is an excellent entry.

Scores: Overall 5 Artistical 4 Technical 5 Genre 3

Review by Timorg all reviews by Timorg

This game artistically checks all the boxes for hand drawn and human voice samples. All the art is beautifully hand drawn and cleanly placed into the game. Some, (if not all,) sound effects are vocally produced. If I am not mistaken, the music even uses vocal samples in it.

The source code of the behaviours that can be applied to the different game tokens, are displayed when you hover over them. This allows you to understand what each behaviour does. In the code a behaviour object acts as a base, with a function that can be changed to modify the behaviours actions.

The genre of "Deities & Demigods" is included solidly into this game; the player takes on the role of a sun god, who is required to keep the sun running. The gameplay revolves around being a god and really adds to the experience. The same game with a different theme would not be as interesting.

I really enjoyed the game, by level 8 I really had to think about the order of events, make a change, then watch the events unfold, then make another change. The game was not reduced to randomly putting different behaviours on objects, and hoping for the best, which is a risk with this style of gameplay.

This is really a very polished game and a good overall experience.

Scores: Overall 4 Artistical 5 Technical 4 Genre 4

Review by victorwss all reviews by victorwss

Very beautiful art. Chalenging. Unfortunatey, it tends to go very unpredicatable quickly, and is not hard to just try all the possible combinations.

Scores: Overall 3 Artistical 3 Technical 4 Genre 2

Review by darkbits all reviews by darkbits

The elemental sun is a nice puzzle game with great hand drawn graphics and a very polished and complete look and feel. The way source code is integrated to the game is great and sounds are by no mistake some kind of human samples.

The only thing that bothers my about the game is that it could have been a little bit easier. As another reviewer already pointed out, when you get stuck you often find yourself trying all sorts of different combinations instead of actually thinking about what you should do. Perhaps it was just me that was a bit tired of programming and thinking about programming after the competition.

Still it's a great game with an original idea that is a must play of the TINS 10 entries.

Scores: Overall 4 Artistical 4 Technical 4 Genre 4