So Who's The Better Man?

The Better Man is a game created by youngcaliman

Introduction

dis game iz so gud, you shud play it. 10/10

And now for the serious review

Hey, this is Demonxz95 back for a new review. My last review was over 2 months ago and it feels good to finally make a new review. I will be reviewing The Better Man by none other than YoungCaliman. YoungCaliman is widely known as one of the best game makers on Sploder and for good reasons too. I did a reviewer application for this game in September (that failed). Instead of copying that however, I did decide to play through the whole game again.

Review

When making this game, YoungCaliman had a mission to try to top Two Souls One Goal. It however is up to opinion on if he did that though.

The thumbnail is sadly not too special, being just a room with a bunch of conveyors and storage units. That being said though, it's better than most (if not all) Algorithm thumbnails I've ever seen, plus I'm certain Young intentionally made it that way. Considering that there is not much you can do with Algorithm thumbnails, I'd say Young did very good with this.

Just like Two Souls One Goal, the story of this game is told in the form of a poem with a twist at the end. He overall did a very good job with it because the rhyming flew well and was able to stretch through the entire length of the game. This makes me wonder if Young planned the whole poem through before working on the game. Either way, he did well.

At first, this seems like a typical Algorithm game but quite quickly into level 2 is a puzzle with a disruptor, an ArmorBot and a plethora of Enemy Chargers. It becomes a whole new game from there. How many other Algorithm games do you know in which the disruptor is pretty much a main weapon?

One of my favorite aspects of the game is the clever usage of conveyors which allowed for some unique puzzles and a clever aspect of backtracking through levels. This makes the game seem longer than it actually is. Young would also sometimes have sections in which you would grab a powerup or hit a shield and a bunch of enemies would appear.

The placement of enemies in this game is a plus. While it may sometimes feel a bit cheap, you will usually be able to expect enemies coming (and you sometimes even see them before you fight them) and you are able to react to them without too much hassle.

Some of these aspects I mentioned above did provide some inspiration for sections in my Algorithm game Alienation, in which YoungCaliman himself tested.

Now scenery is somewhat minor in an Algorithm game but the game is pretty well aesthetically. The tiles in every room match the feelings of the rooms and hallways very well. While acid and slime are generally used as traps, I see scenic value in just about everything and they give the rooms a bit more a feeling to them.

While Two Souls One Goal recommended you to use a speedy character to make certain sections where speed is necessary easier to complete, this one recommends Tessla to match the story. Other than Ruins of Aph by Ravicale, I don't know any other Algorithm games that use the story of a certain character. Plus for that. Like Two Souls One Goal, the scientist is used to ensure only one person is used in the game but unlike Two Souls One Goal, the scientist actually seems to have some purpose in the plot revealed at the end (at least it seems that way to me).

Ratings

Thumbnail: *****/***** (for an Algorithm game at least)

5/5's all across the board. This is hands-down the best Algorithm game I have ever played (though I am still yet to complete Two Souls One Goal) and one of the better Sploder games on the site. This game definitely deserved its spot in the EGL.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Very creative

Very addictive

Great thumbnail

Exhilerating gameplat

Great placement

Clever and well made storyline

Not too hard but not too easy

Cons

Perhaps a slight bit more "umph" could have been put into the thumbnail and the scenery but they are very minor.

Conclusion

I think I've made my point on how good this game is. Even if you aren't a big fan of Algorithm games, you should try this game out if you haven't. YoungCaliman, even if you aren't making anything as of now, I am interested to see how any future projects turn out.

Demonxz95 out!