A Random Review - Phantasmaburbia

Nov 6, 2012 at 3:35 PM
CARLSOOOOOON AAAAND PEEEEETERSSSSSS!
"Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-BLEIUP"
Join Date: May 21, 2012
Location: Location Location. Thats my motto.
Posts: 304
Age: 27

Hey guys, after a long time of thinking about it, I've decided to post up a game review for your viewing pleasure(this is my first review, so give me a break if your buggged by grammer or whatever). And, finally, if this isn't in the right place, can one of the mods please move it to where it's supposed to be? That would be great.


First off, let me ask you guys "do you believe in ghosts"? Yes? No? Maybe so? I know, I'm fully aware that it came up out of the blue, but I asked because, today, I'm reviewing an indie game called Phantasmaburbia. It was created by indie developer, Greg "Banov" Lobanov(who is best known for one of his past games, Dabloon) with help from Jason Covenant(who composed the music) and Rockythechao(who created the facepics). I first discovered this game when I followed him on twitter and saw that this was in the release window for October(I HAD to get the game 'cause my sanity level was dropping at an alarming rate on account of no games to play and I was desprate).

The story takes place in the small community of Owl Creek, and the trouble begins when the main character(of which you name yourself) is awoken from his sleep by crashes and bangs coming from downstairs. Fearing it may be a burger, he grabs the nearest weapon(a katana hanging from a wall in the room next door) and heads downstairs, only to find that a ghost had completely ransacked the kitchen. After trying(and failing) to attack it, another spirit steps in to lend a hand and, with their combined strength, overpower the evil spector. The spirit, who is revealed shortly after to be our hero's long since deceased ancestor, has sensed that a great evil was forming in the town and it's up to you to save not only your town and everyone you love, but the entire world from destruction.

Along the way, you'll meet a slew of characters that'll either want to help you or splatter you against the wall(the people I met so far were the gun wielding(actually, gun THROWING) Best friend(accompanied by the ghost of a Native American woman), the baseball-bat armed Goth(whose partner is a very freaky, iffy soul), and the duel kitchen knife equipped avid writter(allied by the spirit of a small child). Unlike most RPGs, in which they take you on a wild goose chase all over the game world, this game takes place primarily in the town('cause, let's be honest, how would they get around the world? Huh?)

For the gameplay, it's unique in that, although you can use the arrow keys to move, the main method of playing the game is to use the mouse(kinda like a point 'n' click game, only... not a point 'n' click game). It's not restricted to just moving around, however, as you actually use it to choose commands while you battle and activate special moves. For example, you use the mouse to charge the hero's katana by shaking it erraticlly, while for the best friend, you drag the glowing orbs floating by to charge his gun so he can lay waste to his enemies. I found it a little weird at first, but once I wrapped my head around the controls, I was banishing evil spirits like no one's business(Ghostbusters, eat your heart out :) ).


I liked the pixel art too since the game takes it's visual inspiration from the Mother series(referred to as the EarthBound series over here in the west), and since I'm a fan of the games, this was just right up my alley. It also reminds me of other games released from the SNES era and, for some reason, Cave Story. I also found the enemies and their behaviors to be very creative(for example, there's an over-weight enemy that eats it's little ghost friends to replenish it's own health which I found pretty neat).

Despite all this, I do have a couple minor nit-picks. Firstly, are the voices: they speak a sorta gibberish speak that I found annoying at first, but I just got used to it. My second gripe is the fact that, when I adjusted the volume control in the options menu and I try to turn it back up, it stays stuck like that and I can't turn it up(and yes, I got used to that too). Even though this game does have the aforementioned flaws, they aren't anything that a possible future update can't fix.

So, in review:
-it's got an awsome story
-the controls are tight and the gameplay is unique
-the pixel art cranks up the nostalga meter to ludacris levels
-It does have a few flaws, but nothing to get worked up about

For the verdict, I give this game an 8.6 out of 10

The game is available now on his site, so you should check it out once you get the chance. the link is right here--->http://phantasmaburbia.com/

P.S. I also request some feedback on this review so that I can make my future reviews better
 
Nov 7, 2012 at 12:07 AM
Senior Member
"Master using it, and you can have this!"
Join Date: Aug 1, 2012
Location: Living With Quote,Curly,Balrog
Posts: 73
Age: 26
imma test it later trying to fix meh computer
 
Nov 7, 2012 at 10:46 PM
Junior Member
"Wow! The more I drink of this magical beverage, the more games I can play! Wheee!"
Join Date: Oct 21, 2012
Location: hidden palace zone
Posts: 26
Age: 28
it's really good, a little rough around the edges, but a fine piece of work nonetheless
 
Nov 10, 2012 at 12:52 AM
Not anymore
"Run, rabbit run. Dig that hole, forget the sun."
Join Date: Jan 28, 2010
Location: Internet
Posts: 1369
Age: 34
Play the trailer. It's pretty thrilla'.

Are the live action people part of the game?

I like the look of this game a lot. It reminds me of a mixture of La Mulana, IWBTG, and Lego's WorldBuilder I and II. Also I am getting a feeling of Phantasmagoria of Flower View / Dim. Dream thanks to all the ally play. I will definitely check it out. I will give this a 9.5 out of 10 beforehand. Let's see what happens when I play the actual game.
 
Nov 11, 2012 at 7:53 PM
CARLSOOOOOON AAAAND PEEEEETERSSSSSS!
"Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-BLEIUP"
Join Date: May 21, 2012
Location: Location Location. Thats my motto.
Posts: 304
Age: 27
The people in the live action portion of the trailer are dressed as people from the game,
 
Jun 18, 2014 at 8:53 AM
Neophyte Member
"Fresh from the Bakery"
Join Date: Apr 1, 2011
Location: Singapore
Posts: 2
I had this game! Won it from a contest that the developer put up.
I've been a fan of the developer around the time I discovered Cave Story.

I actually have to write a game review on it right now. This thread's pretty old though so I don't know if you still want my feedback on it.
 
Jun 22, 2014 at 11:32 PM
CARLSOOOOOON AAAAND PEEEEETERSSSSSS!
"Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-BLEIUP"
Join Date: May 21, 2012
Location: Location Location. Thats my motto.
Posts: 304
Age: 27
Do whatever floats your boat. I ain't stoppin' ya.
 
Aug 3, 2014 at 4:35 PM
Amaya
Discord Group Moderator
"What're YOU lookin' at?"
Join Date: Jan 18, 2013
Location: Somewhere quiet with many birds
Posts: 1118
Age: 25
Weird RPGs are always on my "to play" list. Thank you for bringing attention to it. ^.^
 
Top