Write Us A Player Review : Win the physical edition!
Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 3:07AM Hi Guys, Tobe's Vertical Adventure is one of our first game made. It's been a long way for us, from development on XBLIG, to eventual release on PC. That said, we need your help to bring Tobe and Nana on bigger and better adventures in the future.
Give us your review, tell us what you like and dislike about the game, or what you like to see in future sequels and spin off. What you think might be an awesome idea for us, or even how you might have done it yourself. Would you like an level editor? More characters? Whatever you think, we love to know, so please share with us your thoughts.
And for all the hard work, there must be some reward. Since I've also receive some emails enquiring where one can get a copy of the physical edition of the game, we will be giving them out to the best player's review written. Unfortunately, we only have 3 left, so we can only have 3 winners.
Here's a little preview of the physical edition, and you can take a closer look from indiegames.com
The 3 winners will be selected by 21st August, so everyone have more than enough time to play through and think about it. You can leave your review here in the comments of this post, or our Steam Forum. Looking forward!Write Us A Player Review : Win the physical edition!
Vertical Adventure, contest, tobe in Contest
Reader Comments (7)
As an aficionado of 2D platformers, I was eager to give Tobe's Vertical Adventure a try. What I found is a great little 2D platformer that would have been a classic had it been released 25 years ago.
What really makes this game great is the immersion that I get while playing it. The tight controls, the great level design, the catchy music; it all helps me to get lost in the world that's been created for me to experience. And this is only possible through a developer that actually has the player in mind while making the game, and that thought shows through. The non-linear levels that add a level of puzzling to the mix, the extra drums that are added to the level tunes while trying to escape from the crumbling caves that give an extra burst of adrenaline; it all just shows that some heart actually went into making this game, which is always appreciated.
As for the cons of this game, it's all just nitpicks. It was a little on the easy side as I was able to get 90% - 100% of the treasure on my first run of pretty much any level. The music, while catchy, would have benefited from more than one song per world, just for sake of variety. A counter of the total amount of treasure in a level would have been nice, just to make sure that you have all of the treasure before completing a level. Also, the cutscenes in between worlds were a little lackluster. I don't mind that they're just still images, but the fact that most of the images are just the same thing with a few changes are a little disappointing, especially considering how the illustrations were prominently featured in the trailer for the game.
Overall, Tobe's Vertical Adventure left me wanting more. Not just more levels, but more characters, more enemies, more treasures, more music, just more of everything. You've created something really great here, something that can stand up to even the greatest NES platformers. I look forward to the next adventure. In the meantime, I'll be playing TVA.
The second I saw the artwork for Tobe's Vertical Adventure it caught my attention. It was cute and it screamed "fun". The title didn't hurt either, as I knew exactly what I was in for before I even clickd the link. I'm a big fan of platformers and while they've become more common recently to inde developers, the really good ones are increasingly rare. I really wanted to like TVA, but I still approached it with trepidation. I've been burned before.
I'm happy to say that Tobe's Vertical Adventure is a joy from the onset. It doesn't claim to be anything it's not. It's just pure awesome gameplay without any pretention. This is something I've found myself increasingly interested in as many games have become more and more cinematic and less about what I enjoyed when I was younger.
The game is colorful and everything just pops out at you. I'm a bit fan of 16-bit style sprite-based games, having grown up with the SNES and Genesis, and the art style instantly appealed to me. This approach is followed throughout the game, even within the menus that have a bit of a throwback look. The sound follows suit and really makes the package complete.
Beyond all of that, though, these games are made or broken by their control system. Perhaps some of us are spoiled by classics like Super Mario World, but those games just felt "right". So many platformers feel off in this regard; some have you doing space jumps, some are too floaty, some feel like you're walking on ice, some give you far too much momentum, some give too much control while still in the air. The list goes on and on.
Tobe's Vertical Adventure controls perfectly. It feels like it should from the outset, surpisingly even on a keyboard. As with any game like this, a controller is your best bet and if you have one you're in luck because it's officially supported.
This is a good thing because Tobe and friends are capable of more moves than you might think of at first glance. A controller allows you to pull them off much more quickly and accurately, which can really help if your goal is to collect everything in each stage. There is wall sliding, wall jumps, hanging off ledges and all sorts of things that might remind you of games like Mega Man X, Ninja Gaiden or Prince of Persia. The rope and balloon items add a bit of strategy as well, as they can help you get to otherwise unreachable areas but it can also be easy to run out of inventory before you know it.
Overall, I really enjoyed the game. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves platformers, old-school gaming or just wants something they can pick up in short bursts (or get completely absorbed in, as the case may be). It does what it sets out to do and it does it very well.
Like others, I would certainly not complain if it was longer. For the price you certainly can't complain, but it's easy to be greedy when something is fun. I also would also have enjoyed if it was simply more difficult. Co-op and beating high scores can bring you back for more, but sometimes a difficult level that is still *fair* can be quite rewarding to complete. Super Meat Boy or Demon Scrolls come to mind.
As far as future titles go, I love the idea of a level creator. An easy way to share levels would have to go hand in hand there too. Perhaps a way to see what's most popular or recommended by the developers themselves could be worked in as well. I'd love to see something full featured as far as that goes.
I do have to say I'm really, really excited by the possibilities that could be in Tobe's Hookshot Escape. Can't wait for that one!
Haha, oops. Thought Hookshot Escape was a future game not the first! I just gave it a shot and it's quite cool. But perhaps to expand on what I wrote: I'd love to see that concept expanded upon. It'd be really neat if you created a similar game with a heavier focus on tricks with the hookshot. Being able to swing around and hit switches and other such things in actual levels similar to Tobe's Vertical Adventure would be really neat.
Hey Tony and LIEF64, I'm glad you guys had fun!
Thanks a lot for the review too. I'm learning a lot from your experience with the game.
Seems like the length and controls setting are some of common mentions, but I will keep it in mind future :)
And yes, Hookshot Escape was released earlier. Unlike Vertical Adventure, it's a simpler game with a different focus. I do hope to create more games with different mechanic in the future. Definitely keep a look out for Great Escape coming soon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj8FFejQgG8 <----- you tube video has my review
I played Tobe's Vertical Adventure with my son when he was 13. I remember going to my best friend's house after school when I was 13 and playing nintendo games with him. It reminded me of those days. Some of the coolest days were playing games similar to TVA. I won't lie, I do miss my childhood but this game brought it back to me for a few hours, along with my boy.
The only thing I would change in the XBLA version would be a little tighter controls. Other than that, the game is perfect. My son and myself, we want more and we want it now. Thanks for all your hard work guys. The only reason you aren't at the top rated list on XBLA is because their system is old and confused and not enough fans participate. I'm sure that system will change soon so please don't give up on their system. Take care of you and your future games. gamertag: bluehellman
Alright so here's my review:
Tobe's Vertical Adventure is, simply put, AMAZING. Many side-scrollers don't satisfy me as much as this game does! It felt like I was playing a great game like Warioland 4 or another amazing GBA game like Ninja Five-o (Just without the cops and ninjas). Overall, it felt like I was playing a GBA game, the nostalgia really hit me in a good way!
The overall gameplay has you exploring caves to find treasure and and rescue birds, while dodging and jumping on enemies. The platforming itself is very fun, I enjoy how you can climb ledges, sprint and roll, and even run up walls to get to a high cliff! Also, at the end of every cave there's a big treasure chest that starts the escape countdown. I have to say, this is my favorite part. The adrenaline pumping in my veins as I hurridly climb, rescue animals and grab every last treasure before I escape with my life!
Now for the characters, I actually enjoy them. The relationship between Tobe and Nana are pretty fun to watch! Tobe just wants to relax, and play his favorite videogames all day. But his crush wants more out of life, and drags him on an adventure of a life time, which may make them rich! The cutscenes are nice, and tells the relationship between Tobe and Nana, also the E tank reference which Tobe drinks gave me a nice laugh!
Overall, Tobe's Vertical Adventure for the PC is one of the best purchases I have ever made this year. The Nostalgia-like gameplay puts a nice smile on my face, and it's just downright fun to play. I hope secretbase releases a lot more games like this in the future, I will be buying every single one!
Thanks for the amazing game, guys! Please make more! :)