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Me vs. Shadowiii
Me An envigorating battle against a blue slimy thing.
djfenix
Download: 136 KB
V.S.
Shadowiii
Play Time: 0 hours and 20 minutes
Review # 13 for Shadowiii An envigorating battle against a blue slimy thing.
Them's Fightin' Words
    Ah, the 48 hour contest. A game where OHR game creators try as best as they can to make a game in only two days. Usually the contests are won by ingenuity: if someone makes a game that doesn't have something "standard" OHR, it tends to get higher marks. "Me" didn't win, but it still is a very enjoyable game, and the side-scrolling style of adventuring makes the game unique, and fun to play. Even though it still has its flaws (aka, it's short), it still manages to impress. Its also great, after you play OHR games with the Earth-Destroying menaces and the dark, brooding storyline, to play a light-hearted and simple game about a witch in training who just wants her magic spells back.
Graphics
    The overall graphical feel is "soft and cute," basically. It actually reminded me a lot of &And (another good 48 hour game) in that it stared a heroine and the game was ment to be somewhat "soft" or "light" graphical feel to it. The graphics are, in my opinion, a major strongpoint. They add to the feel, and do it well.

NPC's look great. Even though Mimi has no "down" NPC, it still work out fine. She is a cute looking witch-in-training, and the NPC actually is very well done. Most of the other NPC's are enemies that you can run into while strolling around, and they basically look like the enemy graphics shrunk down. Nothing exceptional, but good none-the-less.

Enemy and hero graphics look decent. As stated before, this game is "bright" and so the graphics are very bright. All the enemies have a sort of "round soft" feel to them which was executed with skill. Enemies have detail, which is a good thing. I honestly didn't really like the hero graphics all that much. The little pixies or whatever you hire were pallet swapped, and the original that they were based off of wasn't wonderful either. Mimi's hero looks like her NPC, which fits, but isn't extraordinary. Of course, this is a 48 hour game, so it is acceptable. Battle backdrops are a bit bland, but fit.

Tilemaps are also well drawn. Though I really dislike the solid blue sky (clouds, even a gradiant would fix that up), the tilemaps have a job and get it done. It is a sidescroller, and a 48-hour game, so they aren't drop-dead gorgous, but they are good.
 
Storyline
    Eh. The story is cutesy and somewhat lame. Of course, it is underdeveloped because this is a short "demo," but it is still boring. Basically you are a witch in training, and you stroll outside innocently one day and this round bat-like thing snatches up all your spells. Well, obviously you aren't going to let him get away with that, so Mimi grabs the bat and it manages to carry her a decent distance before dropping her in a town. There, an old guy in the villiage asks her to get rid of some monsters and get THEIR little magic thingies back. Being an RPG hero, you are willing to oblige, even if the villiagers are jerks to you. Then you go out and get it back. And there is an evil wizard, but I don't know why. The End.

Dialoge is stunted, but considering the lame story I don't honestly think it could be any better. You don't play this game to read text boxes, you play it to see the side-scrolling part.
 
Gameplay
    Ah, here is where Mimi gets unique. Rather than have you wander around a top-view world map, the creator of this game decides to spice things up. Instead, you are playing with "side view" type maps, which actually look a bit like platformers. It is obvious that it isn't a platformer, just manipulation of tilemaps (hence why you can't jump), but it is unique and fun none-the-less. Also, you can see your enemies before you fight them, but this honestly doesn't change anything because you there aren't any alternate routes you can take to avoid them, and you can't jump over them. Basically, you see them, you are gonna fight them. Get over it.

The side-view is nifty though. It would certainly be interesting if it were implimented into a more "standard" RPG, just to add some creativity. It works well in this game, but it isn't the most wonderful thing in the world alone.
 
  Battle
    Battles are actually pretty decent. Don't expect too much of a challenge; almost all the enemies can be killed in one or two hits. Your hero has only about 25 hit points, so you have to conserve as you go (or wait until you level up and heal), which adds some stratigy. You can also hire some amazingly overpriced pixie things, but if you've played long enough to get the $100 to hire one, then you've played this game too long.

Experience is given liberally. Money, however, is not. Items are cheap, but don't expect to get more than 1 or 2 gp off an enemy.
 
  Map Design
    Maps are simple: Go up and down ladders, fight enemies, get items. Its side-view (as said above), so it adds some interesting changes to how you'll play, but basically you just follow the obvious route to the end of the map. Nothing challenging.  
  Balance
    Battles are actually reasonably balanced, if not too easy. The creator of this game was wise not to give Mimi curative spells, or the game would have been FAR too easy. Instead you rely on items, which you can only get by buying them (5 bucks a pop), which makes you inclined to fight. Good tactic, added some value to the battles.

Most enemies can be killed in one or two hits. Those who can't can be killed by one or two spells. Very easy, perhaps too easy, but still enjoyable.
 
Music
    Music is all ripped, but I am suprised to say it actually really adds to the game quite a bit. The music is cute and sounds girl-animeish (I don't know exactly what it is from but I'd guess something like Sailor Moon or something...eh. I don't watch 'girl' anime), which fits it perfectly. I actually quite enjoyed the soundtrack. Even though it doesn't stand out on its own, it added to the 'cute' feel this game was trying to give out.  
Enjoyment
    Too short. Much too short. And too easy. But besides that, the game was actually pretty neat to play. It was fun running up and down ladders and fighting things that looked like fat cacaturs. The game itself offers no replay value what-so-ever, but it is a good fun 10-20 minutes. I'd probably have expected more depth of the game had been longer, but since it is so short I really didn't have too much time to decide whether or not I was enjoying myself. :P But in the long run I considered my time decently spent and so I guess I must have enjoyed it somewhat.  
Final Blows
    Me is a neat game. I don't know why I like games with the cutsie girl in it (maybe it is because I'm a guy but I doubt it), but if I had to guess it would probably be because very few OHR game are made to be "cute." In a world of Ultima Monsters, One-Winged Angels, and insane pieces of bread, Me is a nice breather. Even &And, a game I'd consider somewhat "cute" has darker undertones. Me is nothing special, just a nice simple game. It is too bad continuation has been canceled, the game only needed four or five more levels to be considered a full game. If someone doesn't go into a game expecting much, you won't need to give them much to satasfy them.


"Shhh...I'll sneak down behind the blue fat cacatur and then leap over him and grab the item...wait, I can't jump in these witch's robes! Dang it!"
Final Scores
Graphics: 8/10.0
Well done. They fit the theme, and generally look good. I really can't say much becuase there isn't much in this game, but the graphics DO work.
Storyline: 4.5/10.0
Eh, its lame and cute. But this is ment to be a lame and cute game, so it fits.
Gameplay: 5.5/10.0
There is really nothing special except the side-scrolling, and even that isn't all that special. Plus the game is way too short to really experience anything unique.
Music: 7/10.0
Though the soundtrack doesn't turn heads on its own, it does fit this game perfectly. The songs were well selected and placed.
Enjoyment: 6/10.0
Fun, cute, and short. Way too short. It wouldn't take too much work to add a few more levels and put some closure on this game, but too bad Fenix decided to cancel work on it.
Overall Grade: C+
Final Thoughts
    Cute game. A nice breather from the dark distruction games usually churned out of the OHR engine. Play it once, spend a few minutes taking a nice break from the mainstream, then go back to saving the world from inevitable distruction.  


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