#Aurpheus

[iloveabunchofgames]

#JakeReviewsItch

The Arcade Tower

by Ungamed Studios, Aurpheus

Price (US): $2.99

Included In: Bundle for Ukraine, Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds

Genre: Puzzle, Adventure, Platformer

Pitch: Jump, double-jump, punch, shoot, and think your way through side-scrolling puzzles and combat.

My expectations: Despite having "arcade" in the title, this looks like an old PC platformer. For whatever reason, the screenshots are making me think of, like, Secret Agent and The Amazing Spider-man, and I wouldn't be at all disappointed if those comparisons are right.

Review:

The Arcade Tower is a peculiar title. There’s a lot of vertical movement, but there’s significantly more horizontal traversal. Greater width than height does not a tower make. “Arcade” is a word with several definitions. In a video game’s title, it’s usually safe to assume it’s an abbreviation for “video arcade,” implying the game in question has some similarity to games found therein. Video arcades, and penny arcades before them, take their name from the architecture, where an arcade is a long, arched building or gallery”—a structure that is distinctly not a tower.

Anyway, The Arcade Tower is a puzzle-platformer with a pinch of action RPG. Hit a switch to open a door. Jump across narrow platforms over lava and spikes before the door closes. Kick a monster. That kind of stuff.

Progression usually depends on correctly using power-ups that, for example, flip gravity or increase movement speed. These power-ups can be activated as many times as needed, but only from set spots, and they last a limited time. Puzzles, right?

Fighting is super basic, but it’s made tolerable by the experience points earned for each enemy defeated. That’s the game, really: Unremarkable, but not a bad time.

+ There are coins scattered throughout the levels, like you'd expect from a platformer. While coins usually mean extra lives and points, which don't mean anything in a modern game, these are XP coins. Leveling up means permanent attack and health bonuses. Coins have a purpose! + Fast, smooth movement. + Some tricky observation puzzles. + A button to zoom out at any time—simple and incredibly useful.

– Sloppy, tedious combat. – Shaky collision detection. It shouldn't be this hard to hit a lever. – Aesthetically and thematically uninteresting. – Repetitive level design.

🧡🧡🧡🤍🤍 Bottom Line: I'd never considered mixing a puzzle platformer with an action RPG. It's an intriguing idea. Unfortunately, The Arcade Tower doesn't pull off either half especially well. But it's not bad, either. A respectable effort, and one I generally enjoyed, but nothing I would recommend to others.

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[jackpilcrow]

[AF2024] Hazel - Moving Merch Management

"When your managing a shop with a bunch of potentially magical and cursed objects it's best to keep watch that your merch doesn't suddenly want to up and walk away. Oh boy something I wanted to experiment with for a while now! Though, I feel I could have done this a bit differently haha. This attempt is probably the closest I can get to a low resolution, pixel art-esque style I always wanted to try out, and though I'm not sure of how this attempt in particular came out, I do think I have something going on with this for my future endeavors." https://artfight.net/attack/6529616.3d-model-hazel Post Artfight Note: This was for Aurpheus , featuring Hazel! As with the artfight description this was a experimental thing for me, were I tried out a more low rez art style. Only one I was able to manage for 2024 artfight too lol. But I enjoyed how it came out though. 

[ansgarr]

Look at this gorgeous necromancer.  Skin - Clear Hair - Flawless Minions - Dead

I love this boy he’s so awesome so of course I had to draw him.

Aurpheus is @reddeaddenial‘s dnd character ( ͡° ε ͡°)