Anything Goes Contest - Presto's Broken Dream Review

[Valkysas]

Created by Gustaff 13

Premise:
Presto is a Tanuki. He guards the millenium crystal. it was broken apart by Thundros, so Presto has to get them back.

Review:
There's no dialogue in the game, aside from the screens that say what level you're in. The only direction you have is a readme file that explains the basics of how to play the game, and the simple story.

Originality: 19 points out of a possible 20
There are a lot of puzzle/minigame titles for the first RPG Maker, but no one has approached it like Gus. You're never told where to go, what to do, or if you're doing it all wrong. This isnt hard though. the learning curve is pretty good, and intuitive. Discovering how everything works is a good portion of the fun in this game.

Design: 18 out of a possible 20
The sound effects are well-placed, music is used well, but the graphical design takes a slight hit from a few random ugly bits, like when you see black spaces between the trees in the background with no ground under them. Presto himself is a very well made custom sprite, with an adorable sleeping sprite as well. The game itself features a lot of complex events that make the best of what RPG Maker is capable of, and all of the stages are very well designed and fun to go through.

Writing: 17 out of a possible 20
Writing is kept to a minimum in this game, but whats there is all thats needed.
Gameplay: 20 out of a possible 20
It's never confusing, never overly-complex, and you dont have to keep track of a half-dozen or so things like levels, inventory, or any of that. This is easily the most fun I've ever had with RPG Maker.

Overall Presentation: 19 out of 20
the only thing keeping the game from getting a perfect score here are the aforementioned graphical design hiccups.

Final Score: 93
No story to concern yourself with, no interweaving plotlines to follow, it just focuses on being a fun game. It's a reminder of a simpler age of video games when you didnt have to read a manual (While the game comes with an instruction file, it's entirely possible to play all the way through without ever seeing it) or sit through hours of cinemas to know whats going on, or how to play the game. It's a fantastic game that everyone needs to play.