Delicious FruitJopagu's Profile
Send a PMJoined on: Jan 16, 2022
Bio:
Hi, I'm Jopagu. She/they pronouns please :)
I don’t play much avoidance so my diff ratings on those might be scuffed.
Clears list is all the games I played before I started reviewing them. I'm trying to slowly go through those and replay/review them all.
I review games based on how much I would recommend them to others. 0s are reserved for games I do not recommend for ethical reasons. This does not mean I have anything against people playing or enjoying those games.
I've submitted:
627 Ratings!
621 Reviews!
16 Screenshots!
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627 Games
621 Reviews
Jopagu
For: Nuclear Blast
For: Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an attempt at an artistic needle game, with a message about nuclear war. While the exploration of the themes is surface level compared to something like Catharsis, it was still welcome to see this maker delving into deeper topics, and using their games as a vehicle for something more than pure difficulty.
The game has some interesting features, such as launching in full screen, and making it so you cannot load a save, requiring all three saves to be beaten in one go. Even if unintentional, I found these features an interesting tie in to the theme. The game opening suddenly in full screen, with very loud music, makes you feel as though you have been hit with a nuclear bomb. The inability to load a save perhaps says something about the permanence of death, or the fact that war, particularly with weapons of mass destruction, is something that cannot be undone.
The gameplay itself is rough, and unpleasant, but perhaps this is meant to be evocative of the game's message, similar to a Dopamine game. The first screen is basic and familiar, and also the easiest, calling to mind the calm before the storm. The second screen is harsh and unforgiving, with brutal named jumps and repetition of jumps forcing you through the gauntlet of a blinding, skin melting, nuclear explosion. The final screen is just scattered debris, almost the entire screen covered in killers, making you feel like you are walking through a wasteland of destroyed society, while suffering from omnipresent radiation bringing death to you.
There are even more subtle thematic tie ins. I would point to the tileset used on the second screen, with bright, clashing colors burning the retinas like an explosion, and how the tiles have small circles, which to me called forth visions of atoms, perhaps being pulled apart. I could also point at the final save of screen one, which is just several diagonals, being harder than the rest of the screen, and feeling more at place with the brutality of screen two. I think this represents the ending of peace, and an ominous feeling of the terror to come. In addition, the first save of screen two is also the hardest, and harshest feeling. This, to me, is the very first moment of the explosion, where the terrain is turned to glass and people are vaporized instantly, with the further saves cooling down a bit, representing the later moments of the explosion which, while still devastating, are not quite as horrifically destructive.
The game also leans into absurdity, trying to use humor to make sense of an unforgiving world. It opens with a comical image of a giant red nuke button, adding an unrealistic touch to the start. The final screen also feels humorous, like something out of a sudoku game with scattered apples everywhere. And yet, as mentioned is also drives home a poignant message. The clear screen as well feels anticlimactic, with a simple "GG". The absurdity of this simple ending tells me that it was all pointless, that war and destruction will never have any reward, just a harrowing nothingness waiting after.
Overall, I must admit the gameplay is quite rough. But as an artistic piece, this is a very good first attempt. Even as I at first thought it was simple, I found myself reconsidering and thinking about things a bit deeper, and I was surprised at how much meaning I found in the game. I certainly didn't expect to write this long of a review, but I just kept thinking of something new I could contemplate. I really hope the author continues making games like this, that aspire to be artistic and deep. I love seeing this kind of thing in a fangame, and I really hope we see more coming from this dev, they definitely have a lot of potential.
[1] Like
The game has some interesting features, such as launching in full screen, and making it so you cannot load a save, requiring all three saves to be beaten in one go. Even if unintentional, I found these features an interesting tie in to the theme. The game opening suddenly in full screen, with very loud music, makes you feel as though you have been hit with a nuclear bomb. The inability to load a save perhaps says something about the permanence of death, or the fact that war, particularly with weapons of mass destruction, is something that cannot be undone.
The gameplay itself is rough, and unpleasant, but perhaps this is meant to be evocative of the game's message, similar to a Dopamine game. The first screen is basic and familiar, and also the easiest, calling to mind the calm before the storm. The second screen is harsh and unforgiving, with brutal named jumps and repetition of jumps forcing you through the gauntlet of a blinding, skin melting, nuclear explosion. The final screen is just scattered debris, almost the entire screen covered in killers, making you feel like you are walking through a wasteland of destroyed society, while suffering from omnipresent radiation bringing death to you.
There are even more subtle thematic tie ins. I would point to the tileset used on the second screen, with bright, clashing colors burning the retinas like an explosion, and how the tiles have small circles, which to me called forth visions of atoms, perhaps being pulled apart. I could also point at the final save of screen one, which is just several diagonals, being harder than the rest of the screen, and feeling more at place with the brutality of screen two. I think this represents the ending of peace, and an ominous feeling of the terror to come. In addition, the first save of screen two is also the hardest, and harshest feeling. This, to me, is the very first moment of the explosion, where the terrain is turned to glass and people are vaporized instantly, with the further saves cooling down a bit, representing the later moments of the explosion which, while still devastating, are not quite as horrifically destructive.
The game also leans into absurdity, trying to use humor to make sense of an unforgiving world. It opens with a comical image of a giant red nuke button, adding an unrealistic touch to the start. The final screen also feels humorous, like something out of a sudoku game with scattered apples everywhere. And yet, as mentioned is also drives home a poignant message. The clear screen as well feels anticlimactic, with a simple "GG". The absurdity of this simple ending tells me that it was all pointless, that war and destruction will never have any reward, just a harrowing nothingness waiting after.
Overall, I must admit the gameplay is quite rough. But as an artistic piece, this is a very good first attempt. Even as I at first thought it was simple, I found myself reconsidering and thinking about things a bit deeper, and I was surprised at how much meaning I found in the game. I certainly didn't expect to write this long of a review, but I just kept thinking of something new I could contemplate. I really hope the author continues making games like this, that aspire to be artistic and deep. I love seeing this kind of thing in a fangame, and I really hope we see more coming from this dev, they definitely have a lot of potential.
Rating: 6.0 60
Difficulty: 38 38
Jun 14, 2024
Jopagu
For: I wanna be the Destination
For: I wanna be the Destination
Destination is a very famous adventure game, and as such I went in with a lot of mixed expectations. I had heard many people both praise and hate this game, both with frequency. I did end up enjoying the game a fair bit, certainly if you've played other Carnival games like Crimson or Justice, you know what to expect. However, I do think this game winds up being rougher around the edges than Crimson. Despite said roughness, I did have fun with it.
The first part of the game is a fun little hub with three paths, leading into different stages where you are required to collect the obvious secrets. These stages are probably the consistently best part of the game, they have fun, interesting platforming, and they have cool bosses that are fun to play, despite their relative simplicity (something I think Carnival excels at in general).
After this, you encounter the first avoidance. It's alright, though it's a little boring and doesn't do anything particularly interesting. This is followed by a sequence of stages that are pretty fun, although a bit unmemorable. There is however the big maze section, which is a pretty cool addition that sticks out in my memory.
After this, there's the devil kid boss, which I found to be one of the most fun bosses in the game. It has fun balancing of risk reward, and the number of possible attack combos will keep you on your toes. This boss is followed by the crimson stage(s). While I found these fun, they're certainly not for everyone as the wind up being pretty generic needle by modern standards.
Next, you reach avoidance two. Oh boy. This was my least favorite part of the game by far. There is an attack that is repeated several times that involves an aimed line mixed with rng, that winds up being total bullshit. Overall, this fight's rng winds up screwing you way too often, frequently feeling unfair. In addition, the fight ends with a really hard to learn pattern, which was really frustrating coming after all the rng.
The final stage is really cool, it's got a ton of variety, featuring some fun gimmicks and really unique platforming. I liked the inclusion of flames, lasers, darkness, etc. It culminates with the infamous final boss.
The final boss is certainly a major step up from the rest of the game in terms of difficulty. It's a several minute long grueling focus test. Despite that, I had quite a bit of fun with it even though it took me a very long time. As I said earlier, Carnival does simple well with bosses. Each attack has a very simple premise, but they all have a lot of depth and emergent strategy as you familiarize yourself with them. Certainly, there's a good deal of bullshit rng, particularly in blue 2, but there's usually at least something you can do about it, even if it is an insane dodge.
Overall, I found Destination to be an enjoyable game, and I can certainly see how it became so well known. It's quite brutal in terms of difficulty, but I would definitely recommend it to highly skilled adventure players, or to moderately skilled players (like myself) who are prepared to be in it for the long haul.
[1] Like
The first part of the game is a fun little hub with three paths, leading into different stages where you are required to collect the obvious secrets. These stages are probably the consistently best part of the game, they have fun, interesting platforming, and they have cool bosses that are fun to play, despite their relative simplicity (something I think Carnival excels at in general).
After this, you encounter the first avoidance. It's alright, though it's a little boring and doesn't do anything particularly interesting. This is followed by a sequence of stages that are pretty fun, although a bit unmemorable. There is however the big maze section, which is a pretty cool addition that sticks out in my memory.
After this, there's the devil kid boss, which I found to be one of the most fun bosses in the game. It has fun balancing of risk reward, and the number of possible attack combos will keep you on your toes. This boss is followed by the crimson stage(s). While I found these fun, they're certainly not for everyone as the wind up being pretty generic needle by modern standards.
Next, you reach avoidance two. Oh boy. This was my least favorite part of the game by far. There is an attack that is repeated several times that involves an aimed line mixed with rng, that winds up being total bullshit. Overall, this fight's rng winds up screwing you way too often, frequently feeling unfair. In addition, the fight ends with a really hard to learn pattern, which was really frustrating coming after all the rng.
The final stage is really cool, it's got a ton of variety, featuring some fun gimmicks and really unique platforming. I liked the inclusion of flames, lasers, darkness, etc. It culminates with the infamous final boss.
The final boss is certainly a major step up from the rest of the game in terms of difficulty. It's a several minute long grueling focus test. Despite that, I had quite a bit of fun with it even though it took me a very long time. As I said earlier, Carnival does simple well with bosses. Each attack has a very simple premise, but they all have a lot of depth and emergent strategy as you familiarize yourself with them. Certainly, there's a good deal of bullshit rng, particularly in blue 2, but there's usually at least something you can do about it, even if it is an insane dodge.
Overall, I found Destination to be an enjoyable game, and I can certainly see how it became so well known. It's quite brutal in terms of difficulty, but I would definitely recommend it to highly skilled adventure players, or to moderately skilled players (like myself) who are prepared to be in it for the long haul.
Rating: 7.8 78
Difficulty: 80 80
Jun 11, 2024
Jopagu
For: Domu
For: Domu
Domu is a wonderful adventure game, largely focused on gimmick needle with some puzzley elements. The game starts with a short intro, before reaching some branching paths. Each path has a few stages, then a boss at the end.
The stages are by and large really fun, with lots of cool gimmicks, fun cycles, and moody atmosphere. The one stage I didn't really like was Growth, as the gimmick is undertutorialized, and the final save is slow. However, other than this I pretty much liked everything. Shoutouts to the ridiculous ice physics. There's also the atmospheric fog gimmick, a fun single jump section, and a cool puzzley raising/lowering platforms section. In the final stretch, I really like the use of switching blocks, a chasing kid, and the silly visual gimmick. The game also has a really fun puzzle stage at the end, with some familiar puzzles and a block puzzle with a tricky solution.
The bosses are frankly a bit middling, they have cool attacks but are usually pretty short and have some minor balance issues. The final boss has the opposite issue, it's slightly too long for what it is I feel. They're pretty easy though, so they don't take up too much of the playthrough, and for all I've said they're still pretty fun. The final avoidance is of course a classic, and for good reason. It's a really good way of making a pseudo-credits, and it has some creative and fun segments. The inclusion of checkpoints was a good decision, it feels very accessible so any player can enjoy it.
One other thing I disliked was traps. They're very rare, but they're all just end of save killers, with minimal attempts at humor. There was one instagib at the end of a mini-avoidance that was really egregious.
Overall, a famous adventure game for a reason. Despite a few things I didn't like, the majority of the game was a blast. A new favorite for me, and definitely an easy recommendation for an awesome adventure game that's easily accessible to most players with a bit of experience.
[1] Like
The stages are by and large really fun, with lots of cool gimmicks, fun cycles, and moody atmosphere. The one stage I didn't really like was Growth, as the gimmick is undertutorialized, and the final save is slow. However, other than this I pretty much liked everything. Shoutouts to the ridiculous ice physics. There's also the atmospheric fog gimmick, a fun single jump section, and a cool puzzley raising/lowering platforms section. In the final stretch, I really like the use of switching blocks, a chasing kid, and the silly visual gimmick. The game also has a really fun puzzle stage at the end, with some familiar puzzles and a block puzzle with a tricky solution.
The bosses are frankly a bit middling, they have cool attacks but are usually pretty short and have some minor balance issues. The final boss has the opposite issue, it's slightly too long for what it is I feel. They're pretty easy though, so they don't take up too much of the playthrough, and for all I've said they're still pretty fun. The final avoidance is of course a classic, and for good reason. It's a really good way of making a pseudo-credits, and it has some creative and fun segments. The inclusion of checkpoints was a good decision, it feels very accessible so any player can enjoy it.
One other thing I disliked was traps. They're very rare, but they're all just end of save killers, with minimal attempts at humor. There was one instagib at the end of a mini-avoidance that was really egregious.
Overall, a famous adventure game for a reason. Despite a few things I didn't like, the majority of the game was a blast. A new favorite for me, and definitely an easy recommendation for an awesome adventure game that's easily accessible to most players with a bit of experience.
Rating: 9.4 94
Difficulty: 60 60
May 22, 2024
Jopagu
For: I wanna Sunspike
For: I wanna Sunspike
I first played Sunspike in 2020, when I was new to fangames. I don't recall what possessed me to do this, as I was horrible at avoidance and had no chance of beating it. A couple years ago, I put in a more serious attempt at grinding it, only to be completely walled at the hearts attack for several hours because I still sucked. Today, I finally went back and beat the game. This has always been my fangame white whale, I'm very happy I was finally able to clear it.
The needle is bad, alright. Not much more to say.
The avoidance is absolutely the meat of the game, and I found it decently enjoyable, although certainly a mixed bag. There is a lot of parts that are really slow and easy, notably the beginning and the bit after the first chorus. These mostly just serve to pad the timer, and will rarely kill you, making them quite frustrating. The other big issue with the fight is the hearts attack, which is hard to learn and can completely RNG screw you pretty frequently. Other than that though, the attacks are quite fun, with nice visuals and a banger song. The sphere is probably a bit too learny for being at the end of the fight, but frankly it's such a banger of an attack that I don't care.
Overall, would I recommend Sunspike? Ehhhh, probably not. At least, there's a whole lot of games before it on the list. That being said, it's a historically important game, and I do think the avoidance has enough merit that it's worth playing eventually. I'm just glad that this is no longer hanging over my head.
From hell's heart I stab at thee, Sunspike.
[1] Like
The needle is bad, alright. Not much more to say.
The avoidance is absolutely the meat of the game, and I found it decently enjoyable, although certainly a mixed bag. There is a lot of parts that are really slow and easy, notably the beginning and the bit after the first chorus. These mostly just serve to pad the timer, and will rarely kill you, making them quite frustrating. The other big issue with the fight is the hearts attack, which is hard to learn and can completely RNG screw you pretty frequently. Other than that though, the attacks are quite fun, with nice visuals and a banger song. The sphere is probably a bit too learny for being at the end of the fight, but frankly it's such a banger of an attack that I don't care.
Overall, would I recommend Sunspike? Ehhhh, probably not. At least, there's a whole lot of games before it on the list. That being said, it's a historically important game, and I do think the avoidance has enough merit that it's worth playing eventually. I'm just glad that this is no longer hanging over my head.
From hell's heart I stab at thee, Sunspike.
Rating: 7.7 77
Difficulty: 70 70
May 20, 2024
Jopagu
For: I wanna stop the MELTDOWN
For: I wanna stop the MELTDOWN
MELTDOWN is a pretty well known adventure game, although it would really be better classified as "needle with optional avoidances". The game structure has several needle stages, each one culminating with a "boss" where you can choose between a needle stage and avoidance. For reference, I chose the avoidance for each. At the end, there is a mandatory avoidance, although it is a good deal easier than the last optional one, so it shouldn't be too scary if you've been choosing needle up to this point.
My main gripe with the game is the needle, it really hasn't aged well imo. Especially as it gets harder, it relies more on unfun jumps, notably a lot of named jumps such as corners and diamonds. It also has a lot of low jumps, including several mandatory two frames. There are never any major gimmicks, just some really basic usage of triggers and some water/platforms. The water is particularly poorly used, often just being low jumps out of small bits of water. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend this game unless you are good enough to make the needle relatively easy, as it really dampened my experience even getting through it quickly, I couldn't imagine being stuck on it.
The avoidances are somewhat of a highlight. The first two are pretty trivial, but they're still cool. Three is a bit harder, but it's a lot of fun despite it's simplicity. Four, the final optional one, was the hardest part of the game for me. It's a really fun fight, with lots of cool attacks. However, it has the potential for some really nasty RNG, with a lot of attacks that could screw you over, even late into the fight. I still enjoyed it though, and thankfully it's not terribly long. The final boss is probably the best part of the game. It's fun, has cool attacks, and is pretty well balanced. I'm glad it was mandatory, as it's well worth playing.
I was a bit disappointed that the game seems to tease you with a story, having a bit of text and an antagonist at the beginning. However, that's pretty much completely dropped after that, with no more text, and nothing else that really adds to the story.
Overall, I would tentatively recommend this game to good players. The needle isn't completely abhorrent, it's fine if you can breeze through it. And the avoidances are definitely a highlight, I had a lot of fun with them and consider them worth going through the needle.
[1] Like
My main gripe with the game is the needle, it really hasn't aged well imo. Especially as it gets harder, it relies more on unfun jumps, notably a lot of named jumps such as corners and diamonds. It also has a lot of low jumps, including several mandatory two frames. There are never any major gimmicks, just some really basic usage of triggers and some water/platforms. The water is particularly poorly used, often just being low jumps out of small bits of water. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend this game unless you are good enough to make the needle relatively easy, as it really dampened my experience even getting through it quickly, I couldn't imagine being stuck on it.
The avoidances are somewhat of a highlight. The first two are pretty trivial, but they're still cool. Three is a bit harder, but it's a lot of fun despite it's simplicity. Four, the final optional one, was the hardest part of the game for me. It's a really fun fight, with lots of cool attacks. However, it has the potential for some really nasty RNG, with a lot of attacks that could screw you over, even late into the fight. I still enjoyed it though, and thankfully it's not terribly long. The final boss is probably the best part of the game. It's fun, has cool attacks, and is pretty well balanced. I'm glad it was mandatory, as it's well worth playing.
I was a bit disappointed that the game seems to tease you with a story, having a bit of text and an antagonist at the beginning. However, that's pretty much completely dropped after that, with no more text, and nothing else that really adds to the story.
Overall, I would tentatively recommend this game to good players. The needle isn't completely abhorrent, it's fine if you can breeze through it. And the avoidances are definitely a highlight, I had a lot of fun with them and consider them worth going through the needle.
Rating: 7.5 75
Difficulty: 65 65
May 20, 2024
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7 Games
| Game | Difficulty | Average Rating | # of Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Wanna Be The Barbuta Escape | 55.0 | 9.3 | 4 |
| I Wanna Drill To Kill | 50.0 | 9.4 | 6 |
| I Wanna Escape The Clocktower | 32.5 | 5.8 | 5 |
| I Wanna Feel The Cold Soil Press Down Upon My Chest | 63.3 | 6.9 | 5 |
| I Wanna Free the Fortress | 59.0 | 8.3 | 10 |
| The "Needle" | 53.5 | 6.9 | 20 |
| I Wanna [Expunged] the [Expunged] | 18.3 | 8.0 | 12 |
90 Favorite Games
65 Cleared Games