Captain Sabertooth and the Magic Diamond
Reminiscent of beloved side scroller games like Donkey Kong, Captain Sabertooth is truly a pleasure to play. The cutscenes were beautiful to watch, and some of the backgrounds were gorgeous. I especially loved scenes where you could see the pirate ship in the background, so detailed!
Controls were smooth and easy to navigate, the character actually had weight to it, making it easy to navigate jumps and tricky areas.
I especially enjoyed some of the functions like the map, where if I got lost I could steer my way back, and find where quests were.
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Pirates 2D Platformer Games.
got it for my nephew who'#s coming to stay soon. Last time he was here he enjoyed watching me play crash bandicoot but it was a bit much for him. Naturally gave it a whirl. Nice graphic flow and a it doesnt punish failure which is good for a tounger game. Cool thing to explore may have to “help” him as an excuse to have more time on it. Quality
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game
Flynn and Freckles
| Byte-sized review | A platform adventure best left marooned on a deep sea ocean island |
| Review | I adore 2D/3D colourful platformers (next to RPG’s it’s my second favorite genre). In fact some of my favorite gaming memories consist of myself huddling around the NES, SEGA Mega Drive, Playstation 1 and 2 playing through each systems latest colourful platformer, often staying up into the wee hours of the morning getting lost in each ones world. While the genre has fallen out of favor somewhat unfortunately with the big publishers thankfully we have indie game studios trying to rekindle the flame and through that we have seen a popular resurgence with 2D 8/16 bit adventures such as Shovel Knight and The Messenger and in the 3D realm with the brilliant A Hat in Time to the mediocre and somewhat disappointing Yooka-Laylee (disappointing considering the talent behind this one) to even Crash Bandicoot making an appearance on modern systems with the well received Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy. The moment I saw Flynn and Freckles pop up on the Steam store I knew I immediately had to give it a try. Sadly, and really it pains me to do this because I can see the developers clearly have the same love for the genre as I do even citing Spyro, Guybrush and Crash in the credits as inspiration for the game, I just can’t recommend this game. While the PS2 aesthetics didn’t bother me in the slightest (I found the graphics quite charming in a simple way) what is unfortunate is how bland and unremarkable the adventure is. Had this released in the early noughties it would probably have gone completely unnoticed as well and while it tries to pay homage to the era it does nothing to make it stand out. Coupled with terrible animations (Flynn walks like he has a carrot stuck up his backside) and a dull-as-dishwater plot (young pirate searches for the treasure of one fabled pirate), I could have probably gotten over those issues and simply given the game a “meh” rating if it were not for the one mechanic that simply ruins it all, a mechanic you need to absolutely nail in a platform adventure, you know - the jumping bits. Jumping bits that require precision but that are totally broken. I spend more time dying and getting frustrated with the jumping, especially since the game is quite puzzle heavy (nothing taxing), but often requires that the jumping mechanic actually works, which it doesn’t. Lots of trial and error ensured much to my chagrin. The second major issue I have with this game is that it only saves periodically but not enough (mostly only when you enter a new area) and should you die (and you will thanks to the broken jumping mechanic) you are often forced to replay through large sections, having to resolve puzzles you just solved (and often struggled to solve because of the jumping mechanic working against you). This ultimately ends up sinking this adventure. |
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Pirates 3D Platformer Games.
TL;DR - it’s busted on a fundamental level. Due to serious collision detection problems, your character freezes on landing from a jump, or falls through the platform, or fails to jump. The level design does not account for this. I did not finish the game because my save file has permanently preserved or not preserved the state of various level elements in such a way that it can’t be completed anymore, with no option to restart the level. Do not buy this game.
The game has crippling problems with collision detection, even with recognizing whether you have landed from a jump, and so you can receive fall damage from a relatively small fall. The collision detection problems also make your character come to a dead stop for like a fifth of a second on landing, and make you simply slide off some platforms without jumping, or fall through solid platforms when falling fast enough.
– Real player with 6.9 hrs in game
VIP Rebels
" The horn sounds…, the gate opens,… YOUR RUN STARTS NOW! …"
How to play
You will start each game selecting three VIPs, each with their own unique special skill. After you select your VIP, you start your run. Whenever you start a run, you’ll choose how many villagers you use to collect resources like wood, food, and gold. The villagers drop resources at your treasure wagon and look for new sources automatically throughout the run.
When the gate opens, you will enter the procedurally generated lands of the Red, where you’ll need to get as far as you can in order to claim the best rewards. Venture further and further and more secret rewards and treasure will be granted.
You’ll have VIPs such as King Midas who has the ability to turn enemies into gold, the Viking, a dragon-summoning Nordic god, Blackbeard the pirate, ordering deadly cannonballs to obliterate enemies, or the Rocket Man with the power to land two rockets simultaneously on top of your enemies. These are just a few of the 25 VIPs that you’ll encounter along the way. More are planned and I’m looking to bring this number closer to 100.
There are big pirate armies that lie ahead of you, with bands of rebels hidden away in bushes and villages to slow your progress. Whether castles stand in the way or not, you will need to overcome the odds and create an army with the right mixture of units to counter the enemies ahead of you. Will you pick archers to mow down the slow infantry and risk them being charged down by cavalry? The choice is yours.
Once you finally get stopped, you’ll collect treasure and rewards, unlock, and upgrade more VIPs and return to the open gate once more.
So in short:
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Select unique VIPs giving you strategic advantages.
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Collect resources and build your army.
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Take control of dragons and transform sheep into bloodthirsty warmachines
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Win & lose big battles in your fight for loot.
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Claim big rewards, unlock and upgrade new VIPs as you progress.
Quick note of the developer
_Hi there,
I just wanted to say thanks for showing an interest in the thing I’ve been passionate about for the last 3 years. We’ve made this journey together and I hope that you’re as hyped about this project as I am. :)
I started out wanting to create an RTS game for the Age of Empires fan inside me that doesn’t have the ability to sink hours into playing a game. The game is a bunch of quick fun runs, intertwined with big battles and resource gathering. On average, each run should take between 10 and 15 minutes.
If you like what I’m doing here and want to keep updated, please add the game to your Steam Wishlist to support me.
I will always love you for it!
¯_(ツ)_/¯
R._
Read More: Best Pirates Strategy Games.
Captain Firebeard and the Bay of Crows
This pirate game (long title, can’t be bothered to write it all down) is a charming kinetic novel with a pac-man style minigame. They really should have just written that on the blurb instead but I understand that such a concise description isn’t great for marketing so you’ll have to get your gospel truths from me!
In my usual style I will rattle through my categories:
Story, Writing & Characters
The plot is interesting and has a splash of real history, which I like a lot. Too many times have I seen things set in the Golden Age of Piracy where certain elements are taken from completely different centuries and then smashed together into one, ignoring historical accuracy. I can tell that everything here is really well researched and correct. The writing was sharp, witty and period accurate. The characters feel realistic and consistent and you do feel that you are on an exciting adventure, which is essential in a pirate tale. I liked the jokes a lot, especially those surrounding the hapless captain and his unlucky crew. My favorite character was probably Lady Wendy; something about powerful, calculating women just does it for me… mmmm Teresa May…. I also enjoyed that a fellow Frenchman was shown as being a bad-ass pirate hunter! That was maybe the best bit for me! Vive La France!
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
Captain Firebeard And The Bay Of Crows is an adventure visual novel both developed and published by Sapphire Dragon Productions. This title follows the adventures of the swashbuckling Captain Firebeard and his band of pirates as they attempt to pull off one of the biggest heists in all of history. Prepare to set sails for a thrilling escapade ripe with dangerous combat, dubious encounters and bountiful riches to be accquired as you attempt to make Captain Firebeard the king of all pirates…Blackbeard be darned!!!
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game
Country Discoverer
This game is so addicting to play once you start you cant stop until you get a new high score
– Real player with 14.2 hrs in game
I really enjoy this game and think it deserves more hype. It is very thought out and clean. One suggestion would be maybe having a bonus for choosing random powerup at the start? :)
P.S I learned things today about countries.
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game
IWOCon 2021
This is a phenomenal first step!
So, to be clear, I am some one who helps the developer of one of the games that has a booth in this. But my review won’t be for how that particular booth looks or impacts made to the awareness of it. My review is for the entire thing for the indie scene.
I’ll start with negatives that are most likely shared by others at this point:
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Bugs and glitches
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Trailers are low quality streaming
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Islands are lifeless
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No multiplayer
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Some people are unable to play the game without severe frame rate issues
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
Disappointing is the best word to describe this. I sat through this because I love indie games, I actively go through twitter every Saturday night looking at new ones to add to my wishlist/follow on twitter/ or just watch the development of.
To any normal person they would have stopped 5 mins into this and said “well this is an ugly shit show” and then uninstall but I’m willing to wade through lots of shit to find a diamond in the rough but this broke me.
TLDR; Just go on to twitter and look up the hashtag #ScreenShotSaturday if you wanna find indie games instead of wrestling with this this.
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game
A pirate quartermaster
Don’t overlook this curious little gem of a game! Do yourself a favor and give it a try. I’ve never played anything quite like it.
As an added bonus the developer is very active and present, and has already provided several bug fixes and added improvements.
Edit 16th of October:
An earlier version of this review mentioned that the game needed some serious rebalancing, as it was very difficult to keep going for any significant amount of watches. The developer has since changed a number of things, and it is now much, much easier to progress in my experience.
– Real player with 92.0 hrs in game
This game is truly charming.
It has got style and character and a great atmosphere (it does not struggle to create a feel-good one).
You gotta love the music, absolutely enjoyable and this goes for most everything of this game.
It also has very good achievements that are desirable but seldomly quick to get.
They let you know there is more adventure for you in this game sort of in addition to the already
solid watch to watch “routine” of being the quartermaster.
Make smart decisions (one of them is not to think “1 portion” ought to be enough when there is no better reason to skimp there other than saving a few coins when that is not crucial) and you can sail a fearsome, capable pirate ship you will mourn to ever lose. This might even entail mourning the loss of your former captain (I admit that happened to me ;-) ).
– Real player with 54.1 hrs in game
Captains of the Wacky Waters
Captains of the Wacky Waters is a fast-paced boat roguelike where ships drift and krakens wear moustaches!
Back in the day, helping ghosts get to Heaven was an easy task, but someone wiped out the peace in the Wacky Waters and now all the captains have to learn to defend themselves and their crew. At least until the old days return.
Combine the strength of your rowers and the wind force to navigate around the procedurally generated zones, gradually improving your ship and finding powerful configurations that will help you in combat.
KEY FEATURES
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Every playthrough is different, allowing a lot of replayability.
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Good vibes roguelike with loads of wackiness and weirdness.
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Unlock new playable captains after defeating them. Each ship has different features and a special ability to play with.
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Save cute little ghosts that will join the crew taking one out of the 6 different roles to help you in your journey.
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Use many weapons to shoot and slash your enemies, including a cannonball shotgun, a boats cannon, or a giant hammer.
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Lots of gadgets and upgrades. These are curious and diverse items with different functions to upgrade and configure your ship, from a medieval spear to a pair of giant incognito glasses for your boat.
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Navigate different zones with unique gameplay styles and aesthetics, which will become more and more strange.
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Many, many hats! Every living thing in the game wears its own type of hat.
Factory pirates
its unrefined with no tutorial of any kind and the only benefit of playing the game is to get accessories that don’t work.
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
Thank you Kanye, very cool!
– Real player with 1.0 hrs in game
HAM-MASTER
Very nice and challenging game! The mouse is really cool!
– Real player with 2.9 hrs in game
I did enjoy this game for the five levels I played but then a problem cropped up that when I had beaten the first boss the game wouldn’t move me on to the next level. I tried everything even going back to the menu page but when I did that I found I had to play the fifth level again and still didn’t get moved on after the first boss. To be fair I requested and received a refund but was disappointed because I like this kind of game very much. I note from other reviews that no one else has said anything about this so I dodn’t know why it happened to me. Based on my love of this kind of game though, I still recommend it.
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game