Amongst Shadows by BlackBulletIV
Description taken from the game's page on my website:
Amongst Shadows is a stealth game, relying heavily on light and shadows; for example, enemies can't see you in the dark. There's little plot other than this: you are infiltrating some underground base to obtain something for a mysterious organisation.
It isn't actually clear whether the main character, and the organisation he's working for, are good or bad. They appear bad, but the subject of what they do isn't delved into. On a more philosophical note, the identity of the villain is generally a matter of who you ask. You are the villain to the guards, but not to yourself.
The game is a bit short, containing only six levels. I didn't have to patience, nor time, to create more. It's also a bit rough around the edges; the AI can be rather stupid, and the lighting looks weird at times. I would have liked to have done more, but there's only so much one can do in two days.
Amongst Shadows is a stealth game, relying heavily on light and shadows; for example, enemies can't see you in the dark. There's little plot other than this: you are infiltrating some underground base to obtain something for a mysterious organisation.
It isn't actually clear whether the main character, and the organisation he's working for, are good or bad. They appear bad, but the subject of what they do isn't delved into. On a more philosophical note, the identity of the villain is generally a matter of who you ask. You are the villain to the guards, but not to yourself.
The game is a bit short, containing only six levels. I didn't have to patience, nor time, to create more. It's also a bit rough around the edges; the AI can be rather stupid, and the lighting looks weird at times. I would have liked to have done more, but there's only so much one can do in two days.
Ratings
| Coolness | 67% | 3 |
| Overall | 3.89 | 27 |
| Audio | 3.56 | 44 |
| Fun | 3.60 | 56 |
| Graphics | 3.66 | 125 |
| Humor | 2.08 | 514 |
| Innovation | 3.09 | 260 |
| Mood | 3.79 | 30 |
| Theme | 3.14 | 398 |
The only thing that I found hard was to stab, it needs to be precise to do it.
It's a great work!
The controls feel good. Sometimes it's really hard to land a hit though, but I guess that's okay, because sometimes the enemy has a hard time hitting me too.
And don't get me started on the lighting and the ambient soundtrack. Very atmospheric!
Overall: A really good entry. I can't wait to read the code later on!
As for it being hard to land a hit, it was easier when running in in the desktop Shockwave player (better performance). I could increase the distance to hit slightly; I don't think it would break the rules, since it's a minor port (from desktop to web) issue.
Good job anyway. :)
Casino Jack: I stated that you could do that in the title screen. :P
I will repeat what others said, but the game mechanics (AI + shadows + backstab) are impressive and make this entry fun and involving.
TwilightFlandre:
Now that I've taken a look at some Mark of the Ninja gameplay, I can see what you and MarekkPie are saying; it is pretty similar.
As for the character similarity, that would make sense. I used a dark blue for the guards, and black for the player.
Well, now I'm thinking of actually doing some more with this game, although I'd want to remake it in Love2D, not FlashPunk; that would get rid of the input lag problem.
I feel like the controls were a bit difficult though, especially with stabbing, so a few levels, I mostly just ran.
colincapurso: Yeah, I was going give some guards flashlights but didn't really have time to do so.
Sestren: I quite like the delay as well; they actually drop to their knees, then fall, although the drop is only one pixel down. Thanks for the feedback. :)
The mechanics felt good though - I particularly liked the way you could lure a guard over an edge while you waited up against the wall - and I kept playing even after completing it. :)
If you continue to work on this, maybe make the guards a little smarter, the level layouts less linear, the environment more dynamic (guards with flashlights, searchlights if you get spotted, lights that go on and off) and perhaps teach the player a new new mechanic or two along the way. I think it would be an excellent flash game then. :)