Smelter

While there's alot to like like the Platforming and Nostalgia from games like Actraiser and Megaman X but there's just something fundamentally wrong with how the game itself plays and feels. The controls are clunky, even on a controller where levels are designed where it feels like it was "yup I did it once it's fine it doesn't need tuning" Switching between elements is slow and cumbersome, almost to the point where you are better off to stick to only one and ignore the others during any gameplay, thankfully so far I have no seen any required swaps to perform any platforming but if it were to be required it would be extremely difficult with how slow the switching occurs. The hit boxes are inconsistent both on the platforming and hit detection with certain enemies, falling through the edge of a platform is insanely frustrating, player expectation is if I can touch it I shouldn't pass through it or be pushed to the side of it by awkward collision but nonetheless that's where we are he...

[i] For disclosure, I participated in the beta, but I purchased a copy for myself to support the devs anyway. [/i] The thing about Smelter is that it's a really good platformer, but there is a lot of story and tutorial shoved into the experience to support the strategy features, especially the first 2 hours or so it tends to interrupt gameplay a lot - not as much later on. The campaign can take anywhere from 10 to 15 hours to finish, so keep in mind that it takes a few hours to get going. I understand that it's not ideal, and no game should be boring for that long, but it's where we at, and I think the devs are very much aware of it. I didn't like the game at first, I thought the 'RTS' was too much of a chore, that said, the platforming gameplay is very enjoyable once you can switch between 3 different armors. I am not against the narrative in my platformers, but it feels like you get bombarded with text walls, and if I being completely honest, the narrative had very little impact on ...

Smelter alternates between being a joy and a nightmare to play. The music, most of the graphics, most of the physics, the power unlocking, and especially the strategy/sim mode, are extremely well done. The writing is very humorous, and although I found it all appropriate and well timed, other people will get annoyed by the tone. I thought that part was good. But it has a lot of rough edges and plays like an unfinished and unpolished beta. The controls for dashing and dash jumping are just Not Well Done, half the time it doesn't work. Some of the trials are pointlessly brutal, and run into problems with the physics. I managed to complete all but one trial I ran into before I stopped playing. It has a lot of softlocks, entirely too many for a game outside of early access. People keep running into cutscenes that don't work correctly, and they have to go back to the main map. There are a bunch of shmup sections. And they're not really much fun or well done. They work, but they're not ...

Really i want to recommend this game but i will not do it because of 3 reasons what killed all the fun for me in this game. 1. Not interestion storytelling. Found myself skipping all the dialogs after one hour of a game. 2. Questioning part of the game on the global map. Spam with the best units that you have, attack, heal structures and hope that you will pass time trial to unlock next stage. 3. Last Level - The most @ssbl@sting and funkilling part where difficulty rizes in several times. You must finish it in one go, there are several bosses, there are 8 (!!!!!) time attack levels in a row and after the last boss there is another time attack level. There is no challange only tries to remember and repeat the "right patten" to finish section. When i finished it, i wanted only to delete game, write this review and forget about its existence.

As others have said, I want to like this game so much. There is so freaking much greatness I want to hug whoever did the writing, graphics, overall design, and sound. On the other hand, I wanna PUNCH whoever signed off on the finished product. This is not okay! This game is not finished and it plays like you had zero QA. Whoever you are, you ruined a potentially awesome game and you should feel bad. The good points: The graphics - retro, cutesy, and perfect really. I love them so much I'm almost willing to forgive the pile of other things that piss me off. The dialog - edgy and cocky. It gets the job done. Might annoy some but I really like it. The sound - satisfying sound effects. All fit together and well represent the actions they're tied to. The music - catchy, appropriate, and upbeat. Good times. Not particularly memorable but loads of fun to listen to. Some really epic tracks, especially early on. Pause is how I most enjoyed this game. The upgrades - I enjoy t...

It's gorgeous. It's complex. It's clearly full of effort and care. I want to love it. But it is so smash the controller frustrating. Trials are the obvious example. The controls are too full of float and imprecise for such unforgiving challenges. I also love one that involved constant mid-air movement without pause until my hand started going numb. There is a reason we left some bad platforming design back in the 80's. Brutal difficulty requires dependable controls. One-hit kills miles from a checkpoint. Damage and attack effects that prevent you seeing your character. Unreliable button combos that, you guessed it, can get you one hit killed. It feels like there is a classic game just below the surface here, but right now it's one where the bolts need tightening and the gears need oiling.

Good and bad. The gameplay is very similar to Megaman X both visually and in some of the mechanics, not to mention the general level exploration. I like this about the game and it's what kept me playing for the roughly two and a half hours that I did. Unfortunately, the game has a ton of very specific mechanics that all claim to interact with each other, and in the time I spent playing, about 2 hours of it was mind numbing amounts of tutorials and game entry backstory. The controls are also very oddly formatted, and I had trouble re-mapping them to a position that I could handle. Because of this, I'd say the game is not very accessible to newcomers or casual gamers of an average to low skill set. Ironic, considering how in two and a half hours of gameplay, I didn't even officially escape all of the tutorials. The gameplay is further bogged down by that kind of self-awareness that comes when you don't necessarily believe you're making a good game, so you point out all the flaws and pl...

The Good Stuff: + The action-platforming is tight and fun + The pixel art is fantastic, and I love it + The game has a sense of humor. Doesn't always land, but the attitude is fun The Bad Stuff: - The first RTS/Base Building part of the game requires you to keep building long after you've learned how - Shortly after the first full level, you're thrown into a constant RTS assault that the defenses you're [b]REQUIRED[/b] to build for the tutorial portion are completely useless against - After defeat, you're given no time to make changes, and no guidance on a decent defense strategy - which would be fine, if they hadn't forced you to build a completely inadequate defense first - The one thing the tutorial doesn't go over - how to remove buildings to replace them with different ones - is [i]vital[/i] to getting past that first RTS assault. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm dead certain that this is going to be a lot of fun for people who are into it. And there [b]is[/b] an "action mode" th...

[i]Smelter[/i] is an enjoyable, well-designed, and challenging action-platformer that plays like a cross between [i]Mega Man X[/i], [i]ActRaiser[/i], and [i]Demon's Crest[/i], with a bit of a [i]Kill la Kill[/i] visual flair to its character designs. If this sounds like your jam then dive right in; You're sure to find something to like here. Admittedly it is a little bit rough around the edges, and the controls can sometimes feel a bit stiff and clunky. But it was nothing that I wasn't able to adjust to and it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment at all. It's also worth mentioning that the barely-present story doesn't take itself seriously at all. Some people might be put off by this, but it never bothered me as the dialogue was never obnoxious or annoying, and the characters themselves are charming enough. The soundtrack (courtesy of Evader) is absolutely excellent, and it's one of the best I've had the joy of listening to in quite a while. It genuinely feels like it belongs to...

Edit: Finished stage 5 and the game actually slaps you in the face by giving you what appears to be a boss fight and then it disappears before you fight it and the level ends. If I could refund this game, I would because thats actually messed up. I'm only writing this after close to two hours of gameplay, but this game is really rough even after the patches it got after the month it came out. I managed to complete 4 stages (3 and the tutorial), which isn't a lot, but I feel that I need to write this now. The story is fine, honestly. Its kinda cheesy but I think that's ok. I came more for the gameplay itself. The music is fantastic, and would easily put some of the songs on my daily playlist. The gameplay, however, I'm super mixed on. I came here expecting a modern-day indie version of Actraiser, and it checks some of these boxes. Its got the overworld management concept and the powerful warrior sidescroller concept. However, I've found two major issues with them so far: 1) There i...