Ethan: Meteor Hunter

I accidently got this here forgetting that I had it from a humble bundle years ago and couldn't get past the tutorial, being somehow completely unable to do the slide and jump correctly after many attempts. This time I did make it past that part without much trouble; not sure if they changed anything since then but I at least now have both improved skills and a better gamepad. I got stuck again not long after on what might be the worst intentional mechanic I've ever seen in a game. It is an otherwise fine upward jumping level with no backtracking allowed, but often you will die if you try to bounce a second time on a seemingly solid platform that after the first jump is just below the bottom of the screen (because you are on a pogo stick that bounces higher than your normal jump). Some of the platforms are single use so what this mechanic does is to make the seemingly sold platforms not actually solid. I gave up after two or three dozen attempts on multiple days and wouldn't have tried that much if I hadn't paid for it twice. Some people will have an easier time of this but I managed to get 100% completion in CrossCode pre difficulty slider so I'm not completely unable to do harder stuff, although there are some extra difficult games where I can't get past a certain point. I might eventually be able to do it if I try longer but twice burned so early on I don't have high hopes for the rest of the game. The level design is good. It isn't one of those games where the controls instantly feel off (unfortunately there are a number of those on GOG), although there are some jump issues. The block moving is a bit annoying but tolerable and the puzzles are decent to good. Story is gratuitously obnoxious but minimal. Ultimately it is a case study in how to suck the fun from what is almost a fairly good game with bad mechanics. IMO, this is one of many games that GOG should not be selling without a quality warning. I can't recommend trying it even on sale.

The main issue is with the controls. It is really hard to do precision jumping, you need to counter the sliding after each jump. The game suggests that you use a controller, but don't do it, the joystick is too sensitive for both this and the object movement during pauses. The hit boxes are not refined either, you will notice it when you need to avoid moving sawblades and playing raptor in your little flying thingie and try to shoot/dodge homing projectiles on a small screen. Being hard is not a letdown for me, but being hard because you need precise movements. You don't have health (everything kills you just by touch) which is not a problem on its own, but combining it with the suboptimal controls and hitboxes is really an annoyance, especially that checkpoints are BEFORE the cutscenes. Also its not clear for me who is the target annoyance. The graphics are kinda cute but generic and nothing special, the story/setting is simple as it can be (you are a mouse, you hate your neighbor, boom meteors, you go to grab the fragments and somehow have a laser shooting ship and such), so I would guess it was aimed for children, but children will quickly give up the game because the early 90s controls. By patching the game to solve the above problems, this can be an above mediocre puzzle platformer for kids / newbies to the genre.

I love 2D games, like this. The idea that player can stop the time and reorganise the context is very good. However the moving of the character is awful: like the character would slip on the ice. I also cannot control him in the air. So disappointig, because I would love this game. But this horrible control does not let other choise but to uninstall the game. I'm very disappointed. :(

Fast, funny platformer , only suffer to many arcade elements, anyway I beat to end second level and leave this game...