المراجعات

• gamedeal user

  Jul 22, 2021

  After completing the game with all collectibles, I can say without a doubt that I like this game. Also warning: first review I've written in here! [h1]Visuals and music[/h1] Let's get it out of the way: the strongest parts of this game by far are the visuals and the music. Graphics are comprised by stylized, really easy to the eye 16-bit sprites full of life and color, complimenting the great, appealing character and environment design. Animations, also, are really great all across the board! Props to our bearded hero Branson's animations, which enhance his actions and gameplay really well. All the music pieces in this game are really catchy and pleasant, fitting the levels they play in really well (if I had to highlight any level theme on the top of my head, it'd probably be both of Annatto Forest's themes), though I must say that the map using the same 2 themes for every single area (one for outdoor sections and one for indoor sections) is a bit underwhelming, and that the chase section in Kencur Caverns 3 Night having no music which was jarring, but these are nothing but small nitpicks. [h1]Level design[/h1] The level design follows a good pacing: every level starts introducing its mechanics (which are usually unique to every level) slowly and then combining them together later for harder challenges, all complimented by how well Branson feels to control (except for a few things, like the platform dropping and the glide mechanic feeling a bit finicky to pull off when the level design requires them). Also really cool, the game keeps introducing new mechanics across the adventure and in almost every single level, even introducing, as an example, these "switch blocks" in a small, optional segment of the last level, to never be seen again; this makes every level very distinct of each other, each of them providing a neat and unique experience. Levels, also, have this neat day-night cycle mechanic (reminded me of Wario Land 3, just wanted to say!), where you can visit different sections of it depending on the time of day. Aside from the first level of the game, it usually just boils down to having 2 levels to go through in every stage, one for day, and one for night, blocking the other with these contextual day-night blocks (could've been nice to see a better use of the day-night blocks than that). Another thing I did find a bit eh about the day-night mechanic is not being able to switch between them in the map, having to enter and leave a level just to change the time of day. [h1]Collectibles[/h1] Every level contains 3 big coins, a treasure chest (that contains either a piece of music to be listened to in the Sound Test or a treasure, including a tiny description for it) and a trading card (that depicts an enemy and a description for it). These collectibles' locations can get really devious at times, but also, there's times where their locations feel either random or not that well thought out (the ones that you only have one chance to get, or else you have to redo the whole level, can be annoying), which doesn't help. [h1]Progression[/h1] The character, Branson, starts with everything he needs in his move list to reach the final boss, and on top of that, the game offers upgrades for him. Except for one (that you find in a level and is required for progression), all moveset upgrades are optional, and are only used either to enhance Branson's movement, or to get one or two optional collectibles. This is a nice concept, but because of their optional nature, there are no levels that use these upgrades to their fullest potential; maybe making some of these upgrades be found in levels, or maybe making optional levels that require them would've made these upgrades shine even more, and aid the sense of progression (as an example, a harder race that requires the rolling upgrade to be able to win, or a level that revolves around hitting blocks from afar with the sadly underutilized projectile upgrade). [h1]Conclusion[/h1] All in all, I liked my experience with the game, and I would love to see the concepts introduced in it expanded in (maybe?) a future game! If you want a pleasant romp and a not-too-hard but full of heart platformer, this one's for you!
• gamedeal user

  Aug 6, 2021

  So, to start, I overall liked this game. It's not a classic, but it's well made and entertaining. The general vibe reminds me of Wario Land 3 (although the gameplay isn't that similar), which made me feel pretty nostalgic. Pros: -Fun level design -Pleasant music -Whimsical atmosphere -Lots of collectibles to go for -If you get stuck, there are alternate versions of levels Cons: -Too many auto-scroll areas -The grapple beard mechanic's timing is a bit weird when jumping from bar to bar -A handful of the collectibles are placed such that you have to restart the level or go back to a check point if you don't grab them first try (with no indication that they're even there).
• gamedeal user

  Jul 28, 2021

  I had participated in the failed kickstarter many years ago for this game, and was disappointed it did not get funded. Not so much anymore. PROS - Graphics and art style are top notch. Nothing to complain about in the visuals department. - Audio and soundtrack are appropriate for the game. Nothing that really stood out to me, but nothing really wrong with it either. - The story had an interesting twist at the end which I was not expecting. - The platforming was all right. CONS - I had the impression that this game was going to really emphasize fighting with your beard and different beard abilities. I was sorely mistaken. You have your basic attack, which isn't even a combo, an upward jump attack, a neutral jump attack (which is the same as the basic attack, just in the air) and a downward jump attack. That is it. I was expecting all kinds of awesome unlockable beard abilities a la MegaMan. Nope. just 4 attacks. - I managed to beat the game in under 4 hours. For 20$ CAD, this game is really short. Given the disappointing gameplay however, I'm glad it was not longer. The game has a day and night cycle and each level has 2 paths to follow depending on the cycle you're on. So technically the game is twice as long, but I just did not see the point in redoing every level to follow a different path. - The controls are not very responsive. I found myself trying to jump down to a lower level 2, 3 and even sometimes 4 times but instead jumping upward. Overall 5/10. I was hyped for this game since the kickstarter, but was ultimately disappointed by the lackluster gameplay. Definitely not worth 20$ CAD.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 10, 2022

  The first few levels of this game are a masterclass in teaching you how to use your abilities and allowing you to upgrade and strengthen them. Providing challenges that allow you to expand your knowledge in how to use each one and even fight some bosses. Any level after that is a masterclass in how NOT to design your game with levels that remove abilities you've worked the whole game to power up and hone, bosses that are straight up not fun to fight, and collectibles that require level restarts to ever find. it was a really disappointing experience to be so built up in the first few levels, then so let down during the other 2/3. If you'd like to see more thoughts on this game and many others, check out this review below: https://youtu.be/KiES0cncdwo?t=867 [Beard Blade is at 15:07] I don't think I can recommend this title. The Red-light Green-light level is why. I fell through the game environment once or twice, died to things I couldn't see, and couldn't collect things I couldn't find, but that Red-Light Green-Light level was a straight up nightmare.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 8, 2021

  Okay, this is a positive review, I recommend it for anyone who wants a good, solid platformer, but I'm still gonna get my one recurring grievance out of the way first: I can't tell if it's me, my controller, or the game, but pressing certain buttons to perform certain actions at the right time feels... off, quite a bit. There are time where I try to press the jump button in the air to do the hover but it doesn't do it, which gets particularly frustrating on levels that need the hover to activate platforms. I also feel like I both continuously underestimate the height and length of Branson's jump, and whenever I try to acclimate it by jumping while running towards the edge, I find myself falling off the edge instead of jumping off. Maybe I just needed to time my jump better, but I never got used to it or was able to accurately press the jump button at the moment where I'd get the most air. The long and short of it is that it was incredibly difficult for me to tell if failure was the result of my own lack of skill or if there was something wrong with the game... But, then again, it's not like this was game-breaking or anything, it's just something I noticed when trying to go for the game's extras. Other than that, as someone who's been following this game since it's (unfortunately) failed Kickstarter back in 2016, my only issues with the game are just me wistfully thinking about what could have been; the game definitely feels smaller in scope compared to some of the ideas tossed around at the time. That said, what it ultimately amounts to is that I simply wish there was more of the game, which basically means that the game is already so good I want more of it. And that's what this ultimately comes down to: setting aside my weird beef with the timing of certain button presses (which could and likely is totally a me thing), this game is fantastic. The developers set out to basically make a game heavily inspired by 16-bit and 32-bit platformers of the SNES and GBA, and honestly, it feels like this game is to those games what Shovel Knight was to 8-bit games, the best there is to offer! (though Shovel Knight might be a bad comparison, given how much more the game has compared to Beard Blade, it's the most relevant comparison I could make here). The gameplay and level design has so much variety to it, despite being a short game overall; each level, including day and night versions, has something new to offer that uses either one of Branson's skills or a unique gimmick to change things up. And of course, I can't forget about the graphics and aesthetic, it's so polished and beautiful to look at it's a crying shame this game didn't get the attention it deserved back when it was on Kickstarter! Special mention to the music, too, which is not only catchy and fun, but also goes a step further to try and emulate the feel of SNES and GBA games by having the soundfont compressed somewhat, which I actually didn't catch at first! There's just so much love put into this game, I hope it gets the attention it deserves! Anyone looking for a fun platformer with a lot of charm and a good aesthetic, this is the game for you!
• gamedeal user

  Sep 14, 2021

  It felt nice to be represented in a video game, for once, as a bearded caucasian male. This game is perfect for me to play with my son. I can't wait for his beard to come in.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 21, 2021

  Been following the development of this game since around 2016 maybe even 2015 I don't remember. Visually is amazing, character designs and levels have a very cute and fun feel that just screams platformer. Level design and some collectible placements have also impressed me so far. The games day night system with each level having a branching path leads to a lot of natural attempts at other levels for missed items or progress which as a game loop ive found to be very enjoyable. The only problem I have run into is technical. This game has a huge slowdown on my pc when I put the resolution to anything above x2. Wish I could play in full screen to enjoy the visuals. Also when I plugged my switch pro controller in (a controller that works with most other pc games) it would not detect it so i had to go find my old 360 controller and that worked fine. The plus side is within one day of launch I've already seen the devs make comments of future patches so I am hopeful. If you like shantae or shovel knight try this one out.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 21, 2021

  So good! Good controls, great level design, and fantastic pixel art. So much charm in the Branson's animations. Definitely a worthwhile purchase if you're a fan of classic platformers. Looking forward to getting every collectable in this one.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 21, 2021

  Fantastic game!
• gamedeal user

  Jul 5, 2022

  i was so damn excited about this game for so long, and after playing it the dissapointment hit hard, the physics felt... wrong? clunky? unfinished? its a beautiful looking game and i'm sure it has some very good aspects, but man, a platformer that has bad controls and the character movement being restrictive with jumps and attacks and so on i didn't like it at all