johnsoma's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Epic Battle Fantasy 5]

Note: I played the mobile version of this. I can't play EBF5 here because flash. But I can still review the game here.

The EBF series has always been a favorite of mine, and this is the magnum opus. I would go as far as to say that this is one of the best modern RPGs straight up. Everything is bigger and better than it's ever been and every idea is fully realized. There's a ton of depth, but everything is snappy so that fights don't drag on. The story is intriguing but also not in your face, so you can experience as much or as little as you want. Anyone who thinks turn-based RPGs are slow and/or boring should play this and get an idea of how it's done.

[Five Nights at Fulp's]

(Currently on Night 6)

This is really good! It's authentic, with the whole style and the voices and all. Hopefully I'll have something more substantial to say once I actually complete the game.

[my favourite place]

This sort of difficult game could really use checkpoints. Having to restart the whole level is incredibly punishing when you die in one hit to anything.

[Ascension]

Intriguing. The whole style of the game, from the music to everything changing in light vs. darkness, makes this a weird, but exciting experience. Nothing's explained, and that makes me want to find out more. Great work!

[Desynced Katana (Jam+)]

It's an interesting idea. I will say, however, that enemies being able to hit your shadow is not intuitive at all. My first thought when I got that tutorial was that the shadow would be a decoy for enemies, like that trope about someone being so fast you can only see their after-image. It did make for an interesting challenge once I figured out enemies were hitting me and canceling my combo by hitting the shadow. The game becomes about protecting it.

I also feel like the game could benefit from having proper backgrounds for the levels and unique music for the bosses, at least the last one. There's also no ending screen. Those are just small additions, but they'll improve how the game feels to play.

Final side note, the finish for the Shadow Master was awesome.

[Pico Pizza Frenzy]

It's simple, and Pico repeats lines a lot, but it's fun and polished.

[The 1000]

Chaotic and fun!

[PICO 2022 [ULTRA DEMO]]

Basically a tech demo. Not bad, considering. Movement could be snappier and enemies don't care about walls.

[Pico Party]

The game doesn't tell you anywhere that you have to lock the door to make fake characters go away. But once I figured that out, I got a handle on it pretty quick. Sometimes, characters block you from reaching the phone or door. Still fun.

[PICO'S BRAWL ARENA]

It looks great, and you can pull some serious sauce once you get going. Great work!