Entrance To Stardom

Review by moolatycoon on Saturday, July 9th 2016

Hello everybody and welcome back to another review. Today, as you can see, we will be examining Tigzon Island by mangamixer. Manga isn't a particularly accomplished game maker, however I know this game has been in the making for quite sometime. I was enthralled by the demo I played a while ago that just included for the first level of the game. So, did the game keep my attention and re inspire the feelings I had when I tried the first bit of the game out? The answer lies on.

Tigzon Island is a rather basic platforming game. You jump around, shoot things, nothing too ambitious, but not every game needs to be revolutionary. I think that the platforming aspect of this game is executed fairly well. Level 4 in particular was a highlight for me in terms of game design. I think that all of the hazards that manga placed were appropriately located and provided enough challenge for me to be engaged in the game (though as a whole everything is a bit on the easy side). I think that manga had good ideas with what he wanted to do and he executed them well, though this is where I have a bit of a complaint. The first real level of the game has the player going around and completing sidequests (and its a good introductory level) however this concept is never revisited, and instead the game becomes a "collect mystery item x" kind of deal. I would have rather he either not implemented the first level in the way that he did, or had more segments of the game that utilized this idea. I understand that the ppg doesn't give you a whole lot of room, but Manga only used 8 of the 9 available levels, and two of them involved no gameplay whatsoever. I wish that Manga better utilized the levels he was given and made a larger game, because while what he had was good, he gave himself less room to express his ideas and I really would have just liked more content. A simple platforming game is left at just a simple platforming game. Be that as it may, the game is still built really well and I'm pleased with how everything turned out.

The elephant in the room for this game is obviously the aesthetics. Manga really did an excellent job on the decoration front, everything looks like he spent a long time on his game. Each level oozes effort, which is something that I can appreciate. Mangamixer showcases his skill with the graphics creator in making unique backdrops for each level individually, and as a given all of the characters and enemies are also custom sprites. The scenery aspect really kept me engaged in the game, and I was always delighted to see what kind of talent Manga would showcase for me in the next level. Honestly, like its really freaking good. One minor complaint I had (particularly with the first level) was that the scenery was kind of annoying to play around since it was kind of difficult to tell where my character was specially, and as a result I just kept getting that obnoxious sound a lot of two things colliding in the ppg maker, but this is a minor gripe. Manga really did an excellent job crafting his game to look professional.

I think overall this game is pretty average in all aspects except for the visuals, which really make this game a good one. You will enjoy Tigzon Island, and I'm excited to see what Mangamixer can make for us in the future.

Ratings:

Verdict

-|-----|-----|--O--|-----|-

-=Decent=-

Play this game, if not for the level design, then for the aesthetics. Everyone can learn something from the graphical excellency of mangamixer. This is his first feature, but if he continues to make games it will not be his last, and from the looks of it there will be more in store for us.