This would probably have been a really great game! You obviously put a considerable amount of work into it, especially given the quality of the art and the fact that it's fully voiced.
Realistically, I can't judge it as a game as it stands, since it lacks any sort of narrative arc and won't be completed. An actual notice in the description that it's just the prologue to an incomplete game would probably have made me a little more sympathetic- waiting until the end was just annoying.
As someone who's really enjoyed the Submachine series, I was a bit skeptical when someone mentioned that this game was equally enjoyable and thematically similar. I was surprised (pleasantly!) to find that, despite the parallels, "Abandoned" isn't just a Submachine clone. It took me some time to find everything (for some reason, probably because of the different mechanic used to find them, the binoculars were particularly tricky), but I managed it in the end. My only criticism echoes that of several others: the English translation was rough in places. It wasn't horrible, however, and it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the game. Well done, and I look forward to your next work!
(I did experience what might be a glitch- the series of four switches in the train observation room couldn't be moved after my first (wrong) attempt. I needed to exit to the menu and start again, at which point they reset.)
The interface is clumsy and unintuitive; it's difficult to move things between inventories, and there should probably be some sort of in-game prompts or feedback to let players know if and why an action didn't work. Alternatively, listing the instructions in the "Author Comments" field would make that information more accessible to players, since currently it can only be viewed before starting the game. It would also help to have some sort of link between the game's description and its mechanics, or some sort of goal to work towards. There's also no real indication what the upgrades do for you, and purchasing the inventory upgrades doesn't seem to cost anything, despite having a listed price of $1000. A save option, a menu button, and the option to turn off sound would all be lovely features to make the game more user-friendly, as well! Coding and programming aren't easy, so I respect your efforts immensely, but this one definitely needs some polishing. Good luck!
As far as I can tell, there are problems with this submission that need to be resolved. The damage counter resets, lives aren't actually lost, and after shooting roughly a dozen aliens, the screen continues to move endlessly without the addition of any new content or enemies. It seems it was either intended to be larger, and is thus unfinished, or to be very small- in which case, a defined ending should be introduced. I'm also not sure if colliding with the asteroids/huge chunks of rock was supposed to be detrimental, or if you're supposed to just sail past them because they're in the background. This could be a perfectly entertaining game if the issues are sorted out.
I'm not giving this any stars because I can't play the silly thing. No matter how I line up or rotate the spheres in the second activity (before actual gameplay even begins), nothing happens.
I actually enjoyed the adventure-story format, and I thought the puzzles were tricky, but not impossible with a little observation and logic. There were several instances that required trial-and-error, which is a little on the frustrating side, but I disagree that it was really necessary with the moai. The first time I placed the three objects, and returned to the moai, it was easy to tell which were correct. All it took was switching the incorrectly-placed objects into the right locations.
As you continue to create these games, your drawing (a purely technical skill) will improve, as will your ability to write dialogue. You aren't doing poorly in either area, though they can only get better with time and practice.
I would be interested in seeing a little more depth and more investigation in your next game; it wasn't shallow, precisely, but the bulk of the game consisted of clicking around the area to move things in order to solve puzzles. I'm a big fan of mystery and detective games, and the genre gives you so many possibilities for plots, locales, and intrigues. I think more could have been made of this, satisfying as it was. Decoding the glyphs, interacting with the natives that were mentioned, searching for survivors, and so on would have added a greater sense of richness and scope. The glyphs might have imparted some obscure legend leading into the sequel; the natives could have provided hints about the island puzzles or the location of the plane, offered quests, or just given more background information on the island and the moai mystery; the survivors might have helped lead the detective to other resources or offered helpful information about the boy's possible location ("Just before the plane went down, I noticed smoke coming from the trees over there.").
These stories have the potential to be really engaging, and I look forward to the next one!
Innovative Advertisement
The concept is solid, and the visuals are entertaining, with a strong focus on creativity and exploration. You really have to tinker with everything to make your way through the game, and the animations are relatively amusing. It's bright, colorful, and about as mind-expanding as you can get without eating psychotropic berries.
Unfortunately, the gameplay itself, and the mechanisms by which your inquisitive little persona travels about, are not exactly intuitive. You sort of just click and drag everything until you finally muddle through. This isn't rocket science, exactly, but there isn't much in the way of direction, either. What you end up with is a lot of pretty pictures and animations and a lot of random clicking.
Finally, and this is my biggest complaint, it's basically a very well-designed ad. The designers obviously worked rather hard, and I definitely think credit should be given where it's due, but I always cringe a bit when I find that a neat-looking game is really just an elaborate plug for a university or a brand of paper towels.
Stellar look & feel, gameplay not so polished
This dark little gem was a delightfully macabre romp down memory lane, gleefully resurrecting and defiling my childhood perception of the original story. This re-telling has all the cruelty and shattered innocence you might expect from the brothers Grimm, but this time it's been rendered in lovely, delicate-looking watercolors with a childlike simplicity that's all the more jarring when paired with some of the animations. Visually, it's superb, and conceptually, it's vastly entertaining. It's not only nice to look at, it's underscored with some splendidly dark humor.
Unfortunately, the gameplay itself isn't quite as stunning. In my first playthrough, I somehow ended up with all ten stones before I'd even looked at the squirrel, and just trying to crawl out of the bedroom ended with Hansel bloody and cowering in the corner. Movement is sluggish, you have to stand in very specific places to accomplish most tasks, and convincing Gretel to use her slingshot seems to require an act of Congress.
Having said all that, the sheer amount of effort that's been piled into this game is obvious, and even considering the difficulties involved in just getting around, I can't bring myself to give it a low rating. In all respects but that one, this is a really wonderful game, and I'm definitely looking forward to the other parts of the trilogy.
Age 43, Female
Joined on 10/21/09
Sala 
Abandoned 
Mars Farm 
nyan cat shooter 
Bye Robot 
Josh Tam Mysteries G2 : E 
Curious - Salford 
Gretel and Hansel 