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Official Reviewer |
Posted on 01/03/13 @ 04:23 PM
Playability: 3
The cutscene has a lot of things that make it potentially enjoyable, but also some flaws that limit this enjoyment. The story is interesting in some ways, but also leaves a lot to be desired. As Lord Basse already pointed out, Vuruhuru is not properly introduced as a character.
Since this is a cinematic, the author should think about making the blue player un-playable, that way potential bugs or unwanted mistakes caused by player intervenion could be avoided altogether.
The main playability problem pertains to the cutscene's flow, which I will address in the following section.
Balance: 3
The main problem of the cutscene is its very slow pace, caused by the long traveling distances by sea, during which nothing remotely interesting happens. This traveling from one island to another is also very repetitive and tends to induce boredom by the time the cinematic is through. If we were to compare the time spent in between islands with the time that has in-game action or dialogue, we could conclude that at least half of the cutscene's playtime could be deleted without it losing anything of interest.
Creativity: 4-
AOK doesn't have enough pirate stories, so that's something the cutscene has going for it from the get-go. The map looks nice too, and te layout with the scattered islands is pretty original. The triggering was basic but effective, except for some parts which as other people have reported, are prone to bugs. The soundtrack is also a good addition, and helps get through the long waiting moments easier.
Map Design: 4+
As pointed out in the creativity section, the map is layed out in an interesting way, with all the islands that Vuruhuru has to travel to, that are all well designed and induce curiosity in the viewer. It could help the playability though if it were more condensed, as to allow for faster sea travel and reduce the cutscene's "dead" moments. The water is nicely mixed, thus reducing the monotony. However, there is an overuse of marlin fish, and fish in general in some parts of the map that don't look that well. Some rocks that stand by themselves in the middle of the sea also tend to look a little unrealistic. Overall though, a very good job, and a designer that seems to be able to improve a lot.
Story/Instructions: 4
The enthusiasm of storytelling is very visible throughout the cutscene, sometimes even overwhelmingly so. To the point where there is a bit too much thrown at the viewer , in terms of story, in a very short amount of time. The plot gets confusing and sometimes contradictory (who built the ship after all? was it Vuruhuru or the undead?). I have already written about the lack of backstory on the main character.
One other small problem I encountered was that the dialogues went by a bit too fast for me (on normal speed). Adding to that the amount of information that was distributed during these dialogues, it helped to make things more confusing and harder to follow.
However, overall it is a nice attempt at creating an interesting and intriguing story.
Additional Comments:
This is a nice first attempt at a cutscene. I haven't yet played the second part, but I will surely give it a try and review it also.
Since there aren't many cutscenes around the blacksmith these days, not to mention pirate stories, I would recommend it for downloaders that want to see a nice archipelago map design with an intriguing, if sometimes hard to keep up with, story.[Edited on 01/03/13 @ 04:24 PM]
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