Review - Cooperators By Makever

Cooperators is a game created by makever

INTRODUCTION

This is an old review I wrote in the forums. It is the review that got me the 'Reviewer' badge. Reading it now, I can see some things that should be changed in my next reviews but I still like what I have written, so I told myself: 'Why shouldn't I publish it as my first review?' So, here I am. Today I am going to review probably one of the most memorable and stunning games on Sploder. Let me say it once again - "Sploder." That's right. The very fact that this game is made on Sploder using the Physics Puzzle Game Creator is incredible. Yes, I am talking about Cooperators, a game created by Makever, who gained a lot of popularity thanks to another previously made game called "Jumpie." I wasn't really expecting him to start working on a project as big as Jumpie again, but fortunately, he did. In fact, I didn't even believe he could make a game better than it. I have always thought that Jumpie showed the limits of what the Physics Puzzle Creator can do. But Makever proved me and a lot of other people wrong. And I'm glad he did.

FIRST LOOK

I remember the day when Cooperators appeared in my "Friend's Faves" list. I was extremely confused by the thumbnail. I wasn't even aware that this game was being made. I haven't heard anything about it. I didn't even know what EGD is. So I had no idea that one of the best Sploder games that were ever made was waiting for me behind that odd-looking thumbnail. I thought it was just a poorly-made game filled with a lot of graphics so I decided to ignore it. The game was sitting on that list for days and it seemed like it's not going anywhere else soon. So I finally decided to give it a try. I make no regrets. And now I'm gonna explain why.

THE REVIEW

Let's start with my opinion on the intro - I personally think that adding an intro to your game has been a standard in Sploder from a long time. And there is nothing wrong about that. It makes your game look more professional, interesting and can even tell us what the game is about sometimes. So I definitely like when people put intros to their games. I have seen both bad and good intros throughout the years I have spent on this website. A good intro would be the one that has a good choice of elements and even graphics, is not buggy and most importantly, it's short. Of course, not too short, maybe something along the lines of five or ten seconds. Makever has done exactly what I just said. It's short, not buggy, has a good choice of elements and it has a nice vision that is pleasant to the player's eye.

After we saw the intro, we are therefore moved onto the real part of the game, the first level, which along with the next seven levels, surprised me in a really good way. It had a working menu. I have never seen something like this before on that website. There were always people who add menus to their games, but I have never seen a working one, the ones I have seen to this moment were just decorative and I have never thought that making a fully-working menu on Sploder.com is possible. Once again, this game proved me wrong. Each level's menu has three options - Play, Story and Vote. What really grabbed my attention was the last two options - Story and Vote. Sure, it's easy to make a button labeled with the word "Play" and then remove the solid blocks that are surrounding the player from the game when you click on it. But adding more options is definitely more challenging and complicated. Makever outdid himself though. Clicking on these two options will actually tell you how to vote for the game or its story. That is incredible. And speaking about the story, I, unfortunately, have to say that I don't really understand it. It seems like every level has its own respective story but I am still not sure. It is kind of confusing because when you click on the "Story" option from the menu, all you get is a bunch of really well-drawn pictures. Bravo for that, but once again, it is really confusing and doesn't tell the player anything at all.

Let's talk about the gameplay itself now, the place where we, the player takes action. Each level of the game actually consists of another four levels, expect the first one, which consists of three because the intro took space. This really made me say "wow!" I have already seen people splitting their levels into four parts even though their ones weren't that functional and were used only for intros, so the fact that the levels are split into four parts isn't what made me impressed. What truly made me say "wow" when I played Cooperators was the transition between those levels. Once you finish the first one, a white screen appears until the next level is loaded. This is what impressed me, not the fact that each level was split into four different ones. Also, when a new level is loaded, its name and number are described for a few seconds on the screen. Once again, bravo for that! I haven't seen this done before. Anyway, let's talk about the graphics now - I have no complaints. The graphics are fantastic and I'm pretty sure that Makever definitely spent a lot of time drawing them but the final result is just splendid! One of the best graphics on this website, in my opinion. And not only that, each level has a different background, scenery, look and feel. I just love it when people do stuff like that. It keeps making the game look fresh as you move cbleep to its end. There is also a good choice of music, I don't really care that much about the music since I mostly play without sound but as I just said, it's still nice to have a good selection of it. Let's talk about each level individually now.

So it seems like every level introduces us to something new, whether it will be a character, an item, an object or something else. As I said above, I absolutely love it when people keep their games fresh as you move cbleep to its end. It helps the player "merge" with the game even more and it keeps him/her entertained. Of course, the most important level in the game is the first one. It introduces us to the "Bipeds" - the little guys who cooperate together in order to collect the Gobstars. Now when I think about it, it feels like this game gives us a message. Sometimes, if we want things to get done, we shouldn't be worried or scared to ask for help and cooperate with others. Anyway, let's go back to the level itself - it really made me feel like I was playing a real game. The level teaches us how to control the Bipeds and basically explains to us that without cooperation, you won't go anywhere. It is a tutorial level, something that I barely see in games created on this website. The third level of the game also has something really special to be introduced to the player - the "Icks". These guys are pretty much the villains of this game, our little friends' enemies. They can be defeated in a typical Super Mario Bros style, but as we move on, the game introduces us to the odd-looking thorn shields. Both the Bipeds and the Icks can have them and if they do, they can't be defeated. Another amazing thing the game proved us that it can be done on Sploder is the ability to literally change the player in the game or at least the way it interacts with the game itself - controls, look, etc. This also made me say "wow" and it once again proved that the Physics Puzzle Game Creator is capable of doing amazing things. And now, of course, the last level, the final one, or at least the final one where we, the player takes action - it amazed me even more. I have no idea how it's done, but that level introduces the player to the chain physics. I couldn't believe what I've just seen. I couldn't stop thinking how all of this is made and fit into one Physics Puzzle Creator which only lets us put maximum nine levels to our game. Makever's game contains eight levels but since each one is split into four parts, they are actually twenty-eight. Once again, this game is a living proof that the Physics Puzzle Creator is capable of doing incredible things, you just need to learn how to work with it.

I haven't told everything this game has to offer because I can't know if you have played this or not and I don't want to spoil everything. If you really haven't played it before, I'm highly recommending it. Let's move onto the credits now. Just like every level of that game, they are done perfectly. It's really rare to see credits at the end of a game on Sploder, so it's a pretty nice touch. Another thing the game has to offer is the progress-saving system. Every time when you finish a level, the game will give you a code which can be sent to Makever, in order to get a link to continue the game from the last level you've reached. It's kind of primitive, but it can't be really done better since all of this is made using the Physics Puzzle Game Creator. That is also a nice thing to have and I've actually found use from it.

CONCLUSION

Cooperators is probably one of the highest-rated games on Sploder and it's well-deserved. Just like I said multiple times above, it proves that the Physics Puzzle Game Creator can be used to create incredible things, you just need to know how to use it. I'm glad this game got the attention it deserved and I hope it becomes an example of what people should strive for when making their games - creativity.

RATINGS

FIRST IMPRESSION

⭐⭐

A lot of people, including me, judged this game by its thumbnail. Unfortunately, people judge book by its cover and Makever didn't make that cover look nice and that probably costed him a few views on his game. There are still people who might have told themselves "woah, cool", so that's the only reason I am giving two stars.

STORY

⭐⭐⭐

I love the way the characters are introduced, the well-drawn pictures and the visuals but I couldn't understand a single thing. It is really confusing as it's different for each level and it doesn't seem very connected. That's the only reason I'm giving three stars.

GRAPHICS

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have nothing to complain about the graphics of the game, all of them are drawn really well and they aren't used repeatedly throughout the game which makes it keep looking fresh as we get cbleep to its end. The five stars are well-deserved!

GAMEPLAY

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm afraid I'll have to give four stars here. The game has a lot of bugs, it lags a lot and can really make you irritated sometimes.

OVERALL

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Four stars is a great score for sure. This is my favorite game on Sploder.com but just like everything, it has flaws. That's why I am giving it four stars, instead of five.

THANK YOU!