Inside My Radio Review (PC)

Written by Thomas GJ Sharpe

Music games have never been a favourite of mine, but I don't think this is necessarily the developers fault or mine. I guess we just don't meet in the middle. The fondly remembered PaRappa the Rapper seems to be the one that critics pull out, putting the 2D hip-hop dog on a pedastal, for some reason. Sure, it was fun, but it exists still due to the design, characters and, importantly, the music, rather than the gameplay. I have no joyful memories of the gameplay, but the music and lyrics have stuck with me since my younger-youth. The strains of PaRappa have evolved into the wallet-hoover Guitar Hero and it's ilk.

Another form of the music game that was crystalised in my mind perfectly by 2000's Vib Ribbon, is the music platformer. And so, Inside My Radio is the latest in a line of this somewhat less prominent branch of the music video game tree.

Inside My Radio has been developed up from a Ludum Dare entry that hit a good number of ratings. I've spoken before about my love of LD games brought up to a fully fledged title, mainly due to the root passion and simplicity of them. Inside My Radio, however, jumps on a shakey fence, in my opinion. On one side is the patio of platforming, and the other the greenhouse of music. I had hoped that due to the recent success of the Bit. Trip Runner series, that other heads could pop up on the fence, but it would appear to be a hard one to balance. Inside My Radio, falls slightly short of either camp.

The game world is set inside a radio that has been afflicted by a dark power. You learn this story through the perspective of various coloured blocks that look like hyperactive Jenga. In fact, the whole world of Inside My Radio suggests what the town areas of Limbo might've looked in their glory-kitsch days. The first little square is a green, rather “cool” character who is symbolised by an edgy, dance-electro sound pallette. The next is a funky purple square with a quiff and soul-funk music. The next is an orange dub-reggae block... you get the idea. The whole set up is charming and fun, in a detailed, yet stylised setting. Lots of little elements react to the music as you pass, pulling a very kinetic, lively situation out of what is a simple gameplay set up.

As a character in the radio, you have to jump and perform your actions to the beat, or else the move fails. An orbiting circle can help you visualise the timing, but this is actually less helpful than it seems. Focussing on the music is the best way to “feel” where you should jump a gap, climb a wall or perform a dash. To this end, the game does well, but it can't escape this simplicity. The platforming, controls and mechanics seem to suggest that you bounce, dash and bash along to the beat in a fluid way, in an uninterrupted stream of good looking moves. I felt like I always do when I dance. Stuttering and useless. I found it hard to tap into this higher place that I felt the game actually could shine. My fault or the devs? Hard to say. Also, the music didn't grab me. It is polished, well constructed and arranged. It paces next to the play, reflecting the flow of the levels. It just felt a tad by-the-book for each genre approached.

The last music game that hooked me was Beat Hazard, but that was because I could put my own music in. In other non-music centric games, I am very affected by the music and how it works with the other elements. I am suggesting with these two comments that I perhaps turned off when I directly had to respond to music I wasn't engaging in. Inside My Radio is by no means a poor title, but it generated neither platformer nor music sparks in me, despite the production being largely solid.

Overall 6/10

Ethan: Meteor Hunter Review (PC)

There have been a lot of 2D platformers hitting the various download services recently. In order to stand out you need to do something different and do it well. Ethan: Meteor Hunter aims to mix the precision and difficulty of the Super Meatboys of the world with some old fashioned block/tile sliding puzzles (the things that used to drive us mad as kids and when you could never get the last piece in the right place).

You play a mouse named Ethan who needs to navigate a number of platform/puzzle levels while gathering chunks of meteor and eating cheese.  While it might not sound that original it certainly does things a bit differently. The platforming elements are handled in pretty much the same way as a Cloudberry Kingdom or Super Meatboy, that being that they require precision jumps and timing with constant traps and dangers ready to kill you instantly. 

Ethan is more about precision than breakneck speed and your character handles differently than you may expect. Handling has changed a little from the PS3 game and there is a better flow to your movement. This allows for the more fluid run that the levels seem to be designed for. There are also numerous checkpoints to avoid having to repeat large sections and the improved handling does help to lower the frustration, however it is still a very difficult game.

The main gimmick is the ability to use telekinetic powers to move blocks around to create platforms and solve puzzles. This, for the most part, works really well and adds variety to the game. Sometimes you’ll be simply moving blocks around to get to the next area, while at others you’ll need to be in a constant flow of jumping and pausing to move blocks to block flames or traps as you pass by. It’s in sections like this that the game really comes to life and the creativity of the development team really shines through.

Levels themselves are designed to the highest standard and just about every conceivable way of twisting the basic mechanics is brought to the table. This means the game is always throwing something new at you or asking you to think about how to use your skills and abilities to reach the next area. 

Players need to stay sharp as this is a tough game from the start. You will die and die often and it’s certainly the type of game to cause controller smashing. Most of the time this is due to the player but there are odd occasions where the controls will let you down (it is much less prevalent than the PS3 version though). There are also a few minor issues that add to frustration. The main one of these involves small cut scenes or animations, especially when fighting bosses. You really don’t need to see a five second animation sequence over and over every time you die and it can tarnish the experience at times.

Another minor irritation is the timing of some of the sequences. In areas where things drop from the ceiling or roll along it seems that, on occasion, they don’t start quickly enough. This means that after death you then have to wait a few seconds for the object to get moving before you start charging off as otherwise you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and die again. These are all minor issues but in a game as difficult as this it does add to the frustration when you have to repeat a section a large number of times.

Overall, Ethan: Meteor Hunter is a brash, inventive and challenging platformer. It has strong level design and a lot of imagination through its fifty or so levels. It certainly shows a lot of potential, the few minor issues with timing and controls seems to have been smoothed out somewhat since the PS3 release which creates a more enjoyable experience. For those looking for more platforming action this is another must have, just be prepared to smash a few pads on your way to conquering the game.

Overall 8/10

Ethan: Meteor Hunter Review (PS3)

There have been a lot of 2D platformers hitting the various download services recently. In order to stand out you need to do something different and do it well. Ethan: Meteor Hunter aims to mix the precision and difficulty of the Super Meatboys of the world with some old fashioned block/tile sliding puzzles (the things that used to drive us mad as kids and when you could never get the last piece in the right place).

You play a mouse named Ethan who needs to navigate a number of platform/puzzle levels while gathering chunks of meteor and eating cheese.  While it might not sound that original it certainly does things a bit differently. The platforming elements are handled in pretty much the same way as a Cloudberry Kingdom or Super Meatboy, that being that they require precision jumps and timing with constant traps and dangers ready to kill you instantly. 

Ethan is more about precision than breakneck speed and your character handles differently than you may expect. Our little mouse is closer to the Little Big Planet style of handling than anything else and this does take some getting used to as you work out how to use momentum and jumping to get around. It’s not something that we ever really overcame while playing, the levels seem to be designed for speed runs and yet your character just feels a little sluggish. There are numerous checkpoints to avoid having to repeat large sections but the handling does seem just a tiny bit off which can cause frustration when you mistime a slide down a hill for the thirtieth time.

The main gimmick is the ability to use telekinetic powers to move blocks around to create platforms and solve puzzles. This, for the most part, works really well and adds variety to the game. Sometimes you’ll be simply moving blocks around to get to the next area, while at others you’ll need to be in a constant flow of jumping and pausing to move blocks to block flames or traps as you pass by. It’s in sections like this that the game really comes to life and the creativity of the development team really shines through.

Levels themselves are designed to the highest standard and just about every conceivable way of twisting the basic mechanics is brought to the table. This means the game is always throwing something new at you or asking you to think about how to use your skills and abilities to reach the next area. 

Players need to stay sharp as this is a tough game from the start. You will die and die often and it’s certainly the type of game to cause controller smashing. Most of the time this is due to the player but there are odd occasions where the controls will let you down. There are also a few minor issues that add to frustration. The main one of these involves small cut scenes or animations, especially when fighting bosses. You really don’t need to see a five second animation sequence over and over every time you die and it can tarnish the experience at times.

Another minor irritation is the timing of some of the sequences. In areas where things drop from the ceiling or roll along it seems that, on occasion, they don’t start quickly enough. This means that after death you then have to wait a few seconds for the object to get moving before you start charging off as otherwise you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and die again. These are all minor issues but in a game as difficult as this it does add to the frustration when you have to repeat a section a large number of times.

Overall, Ethan: Meteor Hunter is a brash, inventive and challenging platformer. It has strong level design and a lot of imagination through its fifty or so levels. It certainly shows a lot of potential but a few minor issues with timing and controls hold it back from greatness. For those looking for more platforming action this is another must have, just be prepared to smash a few pads on your way to conquering the game.

Overall 7/10