A Trek Without Movement

Dont Take Another Step is a game created by futuremillionare

Opening:

Hello everyone! This is jackboymogura123 on another day watching videos, playing games, and studying things. Right now; however, I am making an application for my (hopefully) first review on Sploder. Anyone interested in a game of restricted movement? Ever imagined being trapped when walking around? Well, that is the kind of game I'm reviewing at the moment. However, I shall review two games, "Don't Take a Step" and "Don't Take Another Step", which are both by futuremillionare. The reason for choosing both reviews is because both games have the exact same plot. I have decided to make "Don't Take Another Step" the main topic of this review due to the fact that it has more to it than what the first game "Don't Take a Step" has. But now, let's move on to the bits and details of the games, along with everything else...

Futuremillionare is a somewhat well-known member who currently has well over 300,000 total views (totaling near 500,000 as of April 2019) on his games. He makes some pretty good, and in some cases professional games. He had a plethora of featured games within the past few years since writing this review (currently 45), among them being these two games. Having played futuremillionare's games, it appears that some of his games (including these ones) require concrete thinking. However, "Don't Take Another Step" is unique because it pursues its own gimmick which sets it apart from his previous games — hence the name, you must use very little or no movement of the left and right keys or you will be trapped by green permblocks. The same reason applies to the previous game, "Don't Take a Step". I am excited to see what futuremillionare will make in the future.

The thumbnail of "Don't Take a Step" is err... umm... very impressive in my opinion. This thumbnail (or any thumbnail like this, in general) is basically the big picture of how to play the game; therefore, it was a good choice for a thumbnail. "Don't Take Another Step"; on the other hand, just appears to have an average thumbnail. Despite that, it also had a good thumbnail. The game "Don't Take a Step" itself likewise was very good. However, "Don't Take Another Step" is much better in terms of its gameplay, puzzle and aesthetics. We will get more into these details later in the review.

"Don't Take Another Step", just like the previous game "Don't Take a Step", is somewhat simple. At least it's not about walking around in a treehouse, dancing with razzle-dazzle clowns while listening to 'Entrance of the Gladiators'. Or... is it?! In the game, you (the player) are actually being dragged by a slider in a place where you can only take very little, if any steps. However, you may have to move a slight bit to the left if you need to activate the mouse gun. Moreover, both games lack a storyline. If you move left/right at a normal rate, the next sequence will get blocked off by green permblocks (which were mentioned earlier in the pre-thoughts). Nevertheless, there are some noticeable differences in gameplay of the two games. For instance, in "Don’t Take a Step" the game is made of sequences in a single level containing a crystal at the end of the game, whereas in "Don't Take Another Step" there are five levels with options for paths to choose from, of which all end with an escape pod. At least a couple (for say) of the levels in "Don't Take a Step" are remade as areas in "Don't Take Another Step". I like how “Don’t Take Another Step” has area choices of levels since it gives you more ways to play this game with whatever kinds of puzzles you can choose from. This makes it a very enjoyable game to play. There really isn't any lag when playing this game (at least for the computer I use), except during the wheel shooting part of the "Automatic Slider" path in level 1. However, I am stumped with the layout of a few parts of the game, such as getting stuck in the ducking part of the "Automatic Slider" path in level 1. Honestly, the narrow zigzag ramp in that ducking section should have been made little bit shorter, if your computer lags the slider can stop moving you along if the wheel gets in your way. The game is challenging enough to be a great game. Overall, I think "Don't Take Another Step" has a very original gameplay and remains one of the best original ideas on Sploder.

Honestly, I think futuremillionare has done a great job with the placement of ‘Don’t Take Another Step’. I really like the way gears were placed at certain parts of the game, as it improves the challenge, for instance with moving in the water in "Puzzled Swimming" in Level 4 with the restriction of movement. Wheels also have a significance in the puzzle, for instance they contribute to the obstacles in "Automatic Slider" path in Level 1 and the puzzle of "Puzzled Swimming" in Level 4. The enemy placement was also impressive in some ways; it adds to the puzzle, but in other ways it clashed with the aesthetics. I am also impressed with the setup of Level 5, including the placement of the final boss. For instance, the spikes and lava in Level 5 are important because they improve the challenge of the game. Overall, the game is somewhat improved in several aspects from "Don't Take a Step", and has one of the best game placements in the game. However, I think there could have been a few enemies and sections added to the game.

The aesthetics of this game are actually well-made. One thing that sets “Don’t Take Another Step” apart from the previous game (Don’t Take a Step) is the use of graphics. The game’s scenery was very impressive, but the game has a few gaps in its aesthetics. In the final level, it is very confusing what the angry faces on the spikes are supposed to represent. Graphics also could have been added to Level 1. Otherwise, the aesthetics are perfectly fine. Level 3 remains my favorite part of the game, having amazingly set up aesthetics. Despite some errors in the setup, the aesthetics of "Don't Take Another Step" are overall good, and much better than the aesthetics in "Don't Take a Step.

Pros:

-Unique concept and gameplay

-Decent difficulty, while still challenging

-Good placement

-Stupendous puzzles

Cons:

-The way the wheel and orange permblock puzzle was set up in the "Climbing & Falling" part of level 1

-You can get trapped easily in the last level

Scoring:

The scoring, like most of the review, is exclusively focused on “Don’t Take Another Step”.

Action: 3.5/5

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Aesthetics: 4/5

Placement: 4.5/5

Difficulty: 4/5

Puzzles & Traps: 5/5

Addictiveness: 2.5/5

Overall: 4/5

Strikingly, "Don't Take Another Step" and "Don't Take a Step" are games with a original idea that I like myself: getting out of challenging areas with an escape pod with minimal steps. Despite the lack of a thoroughly made storyline to come up with, the game remains one of the most innovative Sploder games I have ever played while beating the game. The puzzle is challenging yet impeccably made, yet it could have been smoother with a few enemies added to the game. A few changes could improve playing the game. Even though placement and gameplay remain an impressive craftspiece to the player's eye, the game might need a few more enemies or objects. I think that "Don't Take Another Step" is a great update to "Don’t Take a Step", only having an update to the aesthetics with some additional puzzles in the game. In conclusion, the game "Don't Take Another Step" is a great to play and innovative enough, and remains one of my favorite Sploder games to this day.

One question a reviewer may ask must be: is the game feature worthy? Yes, I do think this is feature worthy, and perhaps worth an EGL entry.