[Editor Application] The Song Strikes Back

Darude Sandstorm is a game created by thatfrenchyguy

Introduction

Moola gave me the Editor test, woot! Anyway, this is Demonxz95, the best reviewer of all time, giving us a review of yet another Arcade game and another game by thatfrenchyguy as I did a review of The Battle For Moaria a little while ago. Also, this was an SGD4 game. SGD4 sadly was cancelled due to the lack of entries. Nonetheless, some good games came out of it. This one for example.

Darude Sandstorm is the title of a song which has became a really stupid internet meme. Despite that, this game is serious and uses the title as a reference to the sandstorm, which is related to a large portion of the storyline in this game.

Review

When you start the game, you are in this weird desert area and the player has gotten amnesia from a journey through the desert. He later finds himself in a foresty cave, a swamp, a large mountain, a series of dark catacombs and a lab of death.

One thing I noticed quickly into this game is how well made the traps and sections are. Some of them seem to resemble my game, One Hit Kevin. Some of them however are pretty much impossible to complete without getting hit. A bit if them also require you to act fast. Also, the multiple pathways found in certain stages are really well made. Usually there is an "easy path" and a "hard path". Unless you're trying to prove that you have incredible skill at this game, TAKE THE EASY PATH! Later in the game, their are also little trial and error sections which I found really good.

This game at first is sadly kind of lacking in scenery (which interferes with the thumbnail as well). Some of the later stages make up for it with the scenic value of the objects and traps but not all of them sadly. Once you're halfway through Level 3, it improves.

This game has a really well made storyline. The plot is frequently advancing and tells us what to expect later on in the game as well as what happens while the player is progressing, giving us a feeling of the player actually experiencing the events. Speaking of events, something you don't really see in Arcade game storylines are stages are "flashback" elements. There are flashback stages which give us more of the events of the game.

Though this game does have a large focus on traps, it also has a large focus on combat, there are lots of enemies you fight that are part of progressing through the stage. The player however is usually given an infinite supply of spells which is something I have never seen so well executed into the combat gameplay (until now of course). While this however sometimes make combat very easy, it makes up for that with a large array of sections in which spells are necessary. They're also very cool and well made too.

How objects are placed, although mostly well, it was also pretty annoying sometimes which made for some areas in which it is pretty much impossible to beat without getting hit (this however I imagine was intentional) and some sections requiring you to be really precise. This however did also make really cool sections I've never seen before.

So how long was this review? Idk. Seems about the same compared to the other reviews I've made so far.

Ratings

(sorry friend)

(was lacking at first but picked up later)

Pros and Cons

Pros

Very creative

Addictive

Exhilerating gameplay

Fantastic storyline and story elements

Balances combat, traps and platforming well

Really cool areas that I've never seen before.

Cons

Scenery was a bit lacking at first (which interfered with the thumbnail too.

A few particular sections were a bit annoying.

Conclusion

This is a very good game, one you should try yourself and one you will enjoy. Thatfrenchyguy is very good with the Arcade creator (as evident by both this review and my review of The Battle for Moaria) and I'll be looking forward to his future projects. He has a sequel to The Battle for Moaria in progress which you should also check out when it comes out.

I hope you enjoyed the review. Wish me luck with the Editor test.