NichProductions's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Human Hunters]

It's good... BUT...

Okay, I'll be honest: I could NOT get past the 2nd level because the controls CAN be a little finicky.

First of all, let me go in depth about what I like about the game before I start talking about the small aspects I don't like much.
This game's combat feels satisfying and punchy. Each punch, slash and claw you end towards your enemy feels weighty and punchy with amazing sound design. Going ham on your enemies just feels GOOD. VERY good. And when you pick up a sword, WHOOO BOY, cutting enemies in half is BEYOND fun!

The art style is fun and very charming to look at, character designs are wacky and fun... A good way to describe it in my opinion would be:
Think as if a Looney Tunes character finally absolutely lost it in the middle of Toontown, kicked the doors down to the NEAREST Disney district and started wreaking havoc. BUT turns out every Disney character ALSO lost their minds and are just as vicious as the Looney Tunes character, next thing you know, the town's painted in red but they WON'T STOP COMING.

This game's wacky in the best way possible.

Now to get to the parts I do not like:

#1 The controls:
No, not the default controls that can be easily remapped, which I did and it DID improve my gameplay experience tenfold, but the problem is that, as said before, they can be rather finicky in my experience, but I think part of it might be because of the framerate, even when framerate changes are barely noticeable.

I noticed that in the test room while testing my controls. Everything seemed to be working pretty well.
Light-Heavy = Uppercut
Light-Light-Heavy = Kick
Block + Move = Dodge

All fine and dandy there. Then I went back to the first level since I got had gotten stuck in the Mad Knight for a bit because the default controls weren't doing it for me.

That's when I noticed that, sometimes, my button combos were not working. But sometimes, they were. It seemed almost random whether it decided to work or not.

It seems like I ran into a similar issue with sprinting, sometimes double-tapping a direction key will get you to sprint, sometimes it won't.

Sometimes you manage to block, sometimes it takes you a second, which also makes the dodge a bit harder to pull off than it should be, which makes the 2nd level an absolute pain for me. Its also worth noting that you have to wait until the Dodge Animation is FULLY finished if you want to block again. Thing is, the end of the dodge animation takes a little bit more than you think it has, so when you press down on the block button after the dodge is APPARENTLY finished, turns out you're just standing there with your hands on your hips waiting for someone to hit you.

#2 Enemy Attack Animations:
Enemies attacking you is to be expected, its a beat 'em up after all. But sometimes, they can be a PAIN to block or dodge, ESPECIALLY in the 2nd level with those damned pitchforks... The problem is not that they are badly animated or that they aren't telegraphed, the problem is that I think they might have a few too little frames, which makes it harder to see whether an enemy is about to strike or not. Two extra frames to the animations would probably fix the issue in my eyes.

Aaaand that's about the two negatives I have to say about the game. This is still a very fun, satisfying, meaty and stylish Beat 'em up, oozing with classic Newgrounds charm.
Its a rough diamond that just needs some cutting and polishing in my eyes!

Keep up the good work, I look forward to seeing where this game goes! I'm gonna put it in my favorites!

BrianGatorComic responds:

Thanks, about the controls, they are the ones that have been complained about the most, the reason why I chose these types of control combinations I based on the fighting controls or to be exact I adjusted it to make it more comfortable, to play it I found it more comfortable keeping my fingers on W, E and D for attack and Q, W and D for defense or free. That was the reason why I chose that type of combination, but as you say if it doesn't seem so comfortable to you, you can adjust it however you want in the "Controller" option.

[Road of the Dead]

Definitely one of my favorite flash games ever.
I'm normally not a fan of upgrade games, but this one is pretty different. The action in it is extremely fun.
So, the main character, its an interesting one. I haven't seen too many games which actually explain to you why a character's vehicle can be upgraded with such excessive stuff.
But our main character justifies it easily. Him being a mechanic makes his skills with his car and his modifications a lot more believable. Besides, he himself is a believable character.
He isn't this almighty hero who is there to save the World. His an average guy, maybe even a little shady guy, trying to survive. Sure, running civilians isn't encouraged, but he isn't helping them either. The military's killing both civilians and zombies, giving the player a reason to not really feel bad for killing them.
Honestly, there's not really a hero in this story. The driver is a survivor trying to escape and the military are soldiers attempting to follow orders.
The gameplay itself is pretty fun. Love how the car actually changes appearance as you upgrade it. Its rather challenging, but not in a bad way. Sure, there are those "GOD DAMN IT", moments, but I have those all the time. There is a fair variety of zombies to be honest. Not too many though, but hey, what's there is good.
The game also wants you to play smart.
If you just break your windshield with your gun every time a zombie jumps on your hood, you'll be fucked because then you will be more vulnerable to bullets. So basically, its a smarter choice to just keep hitting stuff until the enemy, may it be a zombie or a soldier, falls off so you can proceed... almost safely.
The upgrades actually do help! And its not a problem there being only three slots of upgrades, because every upgrade actually FEELS like you've upgraded your car, and doesn't feels like an endless grind. The points system is fair and its satisfactory. You get points for mowing down zeds and soldiers, for how far you have gone and for the number of helicopters you've managed to make hit the billboards, while losing points for every civilian you end up killing.
I like how we can hear the military radio and how it tells us what's coming next. Its a clever way to introduce us to new enemies and obstacles, speaking of the mutated zeds, the spike traps, the helicopter... Essentially, in the end, the programming, including the AI ain't bad. Good job, Evil-Dog, you made this game HELLA FUN.
The art of this game? Beautiful. Its not the most mind-blowing thing ever, but what's there is REALLY good. Basically, everything is designed very well.
Voice acting. My GOD the voice acting, definitely one of the best traits of the game.
You have four very talented voice actors, that's for sure. Sapphire, TomaMoto and Xalkie were very well directed to deliver us believable voices. Except that one soldier that has one helluva raspy voice. Like, is he ok...?
The music. LORD is this music great! Sure, I do like my zombie action with a fair bit of Heavy Metal and rock, but this orchestral, intense and climatic music does helps setting up the player.
You are not some badass invincible super human. You're a civilian attempting to escape a very shitty situation, and the intense music lets you know that. So S made a WONDERFUL job with the soundtrack of this game.
Overall, for me, htis game is a 6/6 stars.
Fun and intuitive gameplay, great voice acting, great music, great art style.
Congratulations.

SickDeathFiend responds:

Thanks for the thought out review, We are glad you enjoyed it!