It's just a bad review, plain and simple. It's 100% clear that the guy barely played the game, didn't understand it and proceeded to review it as such. It's enough to turn me off any future STP review though, but that's just me and I'm a little defensive about this game (and rogue touch). Here's a few other reviews, quite the difference in score: 5 stars - N4G.COM 4 1/2 stars - TOUCHGEN.NET
Come on then devs, 10 days 'til Xmas, can we get some more news on the update per chance seeing as it's the festive season of goodwill to all tidings and your three men by your merry christmas and a partridge in a fruit tree! Any news when it's being submitted and what's in it. C'mon, you know you want to....
Heh, I am working my nads off! I'm not sure what to tell you though without giving away some fun surprises. I'm going to submit the game on Sunday... so not sure if it will make it through approval before Christmas, but here's hoping. Maybe I'll post up a teaser screenshot later...
So I must say all this review drama has brought me back to Fargoal and MAN is this game good. When we originally did all the preview and review stuff, Blake was on top of it so I just played through the game, died a few times, and was like "Welp that was pretty cool." and moved on to other things for the site. I spent a few hours in bed last night playing Fargoal and with as much authority as I can muster I must say: Sword of Fargoal sets a new standard for all retro remakes on the App Store. There is so much that the developers did right with this game that I seriously hope that everyone who is planning on bringing other games of this era to the iPhone just blatantly copies them. Rogue Touch will always hold a special place on my iPhone's second screen... But I can see Sword of Fargoal easily having the same longevity on my device. Buy this game.
Apart from all the obvious stuff, what I really like about this game is the thought that went into it. It can be as strategic as you make it. I've played for at least 10-15 hours and I'm still discovering new little things about the game. Learning all the spells and how they work has been great fun. Little stuff like the mage and his staff (it glows less the more he exhausts his magic supply), or the beacon spell and how useful it is if you use it right. Or how you can sneak on a trap and disarm it. At first I couldn't visually idetify them but now I can. It's all the little things combined, things you don't see right away, that make this one of my favorite apps of all time, on top of all the other cool elements like the engine itself, the retro-new feel of the game, etc. The more I play this game, the more I like it, even after so many hours in. That's not common for iphone apps. This is a real gem.
Not sure how else to respond, but thanks. It great to follow through with a certain vision, and have others enjoy it. That's why I can't wait for the update. Speaking of which, since I'll be submitting pretty soon... if there's something that really bugs you or needs fixing, *now* is the time to let me know. I have fixed a bunch based on comments already, but my little pea brain only remembers so much...
@Hodapp: Yeah, totally agree. This game really is something special. And if only all the retro remakes could put as much love and soul into their games as there is in SoF, it would be an all around happier world to live in. @Jorlen: Well said and I agree with you as well. The little things in this game add up to make the whole experience amazing. I love that I've already dumped so much time into this game but can still discover new things. And in my last quest I played all the way down to like floor 16 or 17 before I knew that you could sneak and disarm traps (thanks Mindfield). It's funny, because at first I was like "there should be a better tutorial of all these little elements in this game", but now I realize that half the fun is discovering them. Once you learn something new, you have a new strategy to utilize. That's the beauty, you probably wouldn't have to use all your spells or special tricks to beat the game. You could probably just level up, kill monsters, grab the sword and GTFO without ever casting a spell. But all the different abilities and little nuances give you the option of playing the game how you choose. As non-traditional RPG as this game is, it probably gives me the most satisfaction in "playing a role". I really identify with my character in this game, and I feel like it's me running around the dungeons and deciding what to do. That's because it is. What some people tout as missing features, i.e. storylines, character classes, customizable avatars, are actually the reasons I can identify with this game on such a personal level. Ok, I'm getting all psychological and rambling on, so I'll just say this game pwnz n00bz. @Madgarden: Thanks for working so hard on the new update, I can't think of anything else for you to add ATM, I'm very satisfied. And I'm looking forward to the changes you've made that will make it harder to get the sword out. My masochist side is drooling right now. I hope all the hard work is worth losing your precious nads.
It's sadder than that, his Mrs. is actually a big supporter and has become a fan of the game herself! The one voice of reason that could slow Madgarden's sickness down has therefore herself been swept up by the POWER of the sword. Give up all hope, we're doomed!
Is that really so bad? Not the losing of the nads mind you, there are very few people upon whom I'd wish such a fate. But being swept up in the mania ... well, I can think of worse addictions. Like people who love fruitcake. Those people are just sick.
It looks like I made to level 20, grabbed the sword, and promptly lost it (I had no idea I it could be stolen until I read this thread a few minutes ago :-b) My question is, is there a way to get it back? I believe I fell through a pit and came back to the level. But I've done the full rounds, killed everybody in sight, and I still haven't gotten the sword back. Am I screwed? Did the mobs in the level get reset after I exited/entered the level?
Yes, you can get it back! Who/whatever stole it will try to take it away from the surface. So, just keep hunting. The sword thief won't just disappear. There will be a better indication in the update that the sword has been stolen, and where it's gone... I didn't realize so many people would fail to notice that it was missing from their dude/dudette's back, heh. The original game was merciless... it just put it back in the sword level. Kinda sucked if you'd almost made it out by then. EDIT: Oh hey, it's you Noel! Welcome.
Eli, Thanks for your words of encouragement. We are LOVING the continued creation-process in the making of this game. It is a day-and-night labor of love for us, and all the great comments and suggestions we have been getting on the TA thread are going in to our efforts on the new "episodes" in-progress. -- Jeff McCord
I have to bump this thread I spent a lot of time playing nethack years ago so I had to try this game. I'm really liking it! Terrific job!
Just breached level 10 on my first play-through (too busy to play at the moment!) and the tension is starting to build nicely. I'm finding areas I haven't discovered yet, more new enemies, more items to collect. This game is so superb.
