Homebreviews - part 16
Entry posted by Nathan Strum
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So much for the "shorter reviews" theory... 
Elevators Amiss
3/5
Elevators Amiss was inspired by a game for the Atari 8-bit computers called Elevator Repairman. I even played Elevator Repairman to check out the original, and Elevators Amiss does do an excellent job of paying homage to that game - right down to the way the character's tiny little feet shuffle along. It's just that I don't care for either game very much.
The object of the game is very simple - move your character across the screen, dodging elevators that are bouncing up and down. When you get across the floor, you move up a row, and run back the other way. The trick is, you can't come to a stop until you get to the end of a floor (except in the novice game) - you can only change direction, and press the fire button for a burst of speed. The faster you cross each floor, the more points you'll earn, except that if you use that extra burst of speed - it will actually cause you to lose points. You have to find a balance between earning points, and using that extra speed only when necessary.
On one hand, Elevators Amiss is a very well-crafted game. The graphics are very good (with no flicker), and the music is excellent. The gameplay from Elevator Repairman has been brought over intact, and even a few extra options have been added.
On the other hand, the gameplay is very repetitive, and after a few games, I began losing interest. Other than getting to the top of the screen, there are no other goals, and no other obstacles to overcome. The timer isn't much motivation either, since if it runs out, you lose nothing except points, and only for the floor that you're on at the moment - not for the entire level. Moreover, I found the controls frustrating. Not being able to stop is maddening at times, since I just couldn't seem to flip the character back and forth fast enough to "stay in place" and avoid the elevators. Elevator Repairman seems slightly more forgiving in that regard, as if the maid in Elevator's Amiss is taking an extra step before turning. (In the Novice version of Elevators Amiss, you can come to a complete stop, but this takes so much challenge out of the game that there's not much point to playing it.)
If I could make one change to Elevators Amiss, it would be to add a "slow" speed that kicked in when you let go of the joystick, giving the player three speeds to work with. This would have helped with maneuverability between elevators, while still keeping the same dynamic of always being in motion. As it is, Elevators Amiss is a good-looking, great-sounding game, and a faithful port of Elevator Repairman. If that's enough for you, then I'd recommend getting it. As for me, I was hoping for a little more.
Encaved
2/5
Encaved is an interesting take on the "find your way out of a maze" genre. There are no enemies, except time and the darkness. Your goal is twofold - find a box hidden somewhere in the maze (which gives you more time) and then find the exit. The darkness is what makes Encaved unique: you can't actually see the maze - only a small part of it that's illuminated when you press the fire button. You can move the spotlight around to look at different parts of the maze, but not while you're moving. You have to plot out a course, memorize it, then run around in the dark. If you get out before the timer expires, you'll move onto the next of 23 mazes. If you don't, it's game over.
While an interesting concept, I didn't care much for Encaved. Moving a dot around on screen and blindly bumping into walls just isn't how I enjoy spending my afternoons. For starters, I would have liked to have seen a larger spotlight on the screen. The mazes tend to be very twisty and complex, and I found them tedious to navigate through because I had to frequently move the spotlight to get a good look around. But more frustrating is that if you bump into a wall, you come to a stop. You can't "slide" along walls, looking for the next turn, as you would if feeling your way through a real darkened maze. You have to keep off of the walls, which means a lot more maneuvering to to get through the maze than should be necessary. I got through a couple of mazes, but there's no way I'd want to work my way through all 23 of them.
Up next... games that don't begin with an "E". 
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