ShangXian's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[NG BBS Awards 2024]

Ok I admit I really enjoyed this game, it was fun exploring each room and finding winners of the awards by clicking on objects^^ I was happy to see WheelieYellow reaching the second place at least, I love his series and deserves a lot. Now my mind memorized Aalasteir's voice without even looking at the description of who contributed because now I am used to his fun voice and laugh (thanks to his interviews), and speaking of Aalasteir, congrats for being the user of the year, totally deserved. I am very happy for you!

I am also happy for ElRamondGMD for the Newcomer Award^^ and despite Yatsufusa's wishes seeing them in the fourth place of the category of the Most Helpful user put a big smile on my face^^, congrats to Pingu for reaching the first place though! Lol, I can't help but to giggle at Tom Fulp nominated among the worst moderators XD because to me he's everything but a bad moderator but it's still cute seeing him in a category different than the usual Never Logs Off (I admit I voted Tom but for this year I will give my vote to DamnedByFate).

Now that I am exploring again the supporter forum (thank you Techno!) I know who to vote for the next Oddball nomination. I enjoyed this game also because it was first time I voted for the NG BBS so it's a bit like I took my small part with those votes. I can't wait to vote again this year! I liked the music choice, "Tripped Up" really fits well the chilling vibe the whole exploration of rooms has despite its escape the room overall vibe. I liked clicking on things to get the medals, most of them were pretty straightforward to get: just hover the arrow and click when the 'lil pointing hand appears but the last two achievements were a bit more difficult (the last one actually).

I've noticed the symbol ☿: it's the symbol of Mercury which in Western Alchemy symbolises the principle of fusibility and volatility, Paracelsus mentions the three primes or tria prima which are Mercury, Salt and Sulphur. Fun fact: alchemists thought of mercury as the First Matter from which all metals were formed, not only Western alchemists but also Eastern ones. They thought it was the father of all metals so being able to control this equals to control the Matter, this is why in Classical India there are exercises aimed at retaining mercury inside the penis. This is still practiced among some alchemists.

Well, asides from this little alchemical excursus, this symbol I found across the room gave me the hint it was linked with the exit from this room. I clicked on them and then door but nothing, I couldn't find the last piece to solve this little minigame until I read a comment of a person who mentioned the TAB key. Thanks to this key I managed to get the last achievement, so I would like to share here how to get this one since only 21 people got it (at the time I am writing this review). The last achievement called "True Believer" can be obtained by following these steps:

1) click TAB key, you will see yellow rectangles that indicate you where to click (click with ENTER key instead of the mouse for this last achievement if you want to be more precise but nothing prevents you from clicking with the mouse too, I preferred ENTER because it was more convenient to my needs)

2) click on all ☿ symbols you see across the rooms (the first one is on the bookshelf next to the escape door, the second one is on the bed (click the left part of the screen to access the room), again left and you will see the third ☿ that is on the barrel

3) click again left to get to the room with the PC and click on the "B" of the "SHUN THE NON-BELIEVER" writing

4) again left and click on the door lock and enjoy your 50 points!

Congratulations to all winners and to Little-Rena, Aalasteir and Pop-Tart for making this game! 5/5

See you the next BBBS awards!

[Tankmas ADVENTure 2024]

First review of the year and I want to start by reviewing this intense experience that accompanied me and others (both those who were actively involved in the making of this awesome game and the players themselves) over the course of this month. Let's start by saying that it was one of the best gaming experience I had here on NG not only because it lasted an entire month but also because I was involved in the making one of the artworks featured on December 25th so this Tankmas ADVENTure has a special place in my heart: it's part of me.

I still remember the first day it was launched, I immediately went to play it not only to get the first medal but also to see the overall look of this journey and I like how simple it was: just a simple fire to roast marshmallows. And this brings to the first thing I loved about this game: marshmallow roasting. The first day I had difficulties and I kept burning it. I still remember when Tankmas Discord server members and I were just many Captains and G-Bots (I was G-Bot since I was supporter then) standing before this fire and keeping these marshmallows burnt. There were some bugs at the beginning, I still remember with affection the big black void square that appeared in the middle of the fire and all of us roasting burnt marshmallows as if we were offering to the Void divinity. I still remember when I saw Tom Fulp the first day the game was released, I still have the screenshots XD.

But if this minigame initially was just a funny joke to see who roasted the most, but then with the addition of high scores it became a very addictive game, to me at least but whenever I felt I roasted as many as I could but ofc I never reached the level of the only and true legend of this minigame: BeepBeeBbastard! I remember the first time I met her: it was a snowy day (in the game, where I live December was pretty much sunny or foggy at best) and I went to the fire to try to figure out how to roast these marshmallows and I saw this user with this funny username and the avatar of Boyfriend. I liked how the name fit perfectly the avatar because the first part of the name mimicked, in an onomatopoeia-like sound, the auto-tune noises Bf tends to do.

I started to see her every day and I liked the vibe she gave me: a tranquil user, peacefully enjoying the atmosphere and chilling before the fire while roasting marshmallows. I observed her and her roasting skills, I've noticed where she tended to position herself to optimize the roasting speed. She definitely mastered it but I wanted to master my roasting skills too. I initially failed a lot because I couldn't figure out how others managed to roast them. I just had to press Z at the right moment but in the initial phases it wasn't this obvious, why? I want to give a tip to those who wish to master this art: follow the sound.

What do I mean by this? I mean listen carefully the sound marshmallow makes, you will see different cooking degrees. I initially had to rely a lot to the sight in order to memorize the pattern of cooking stages and my roasting technique was very rusty at the beginning once I figured out I just had to press Z or SPACEBAR. Some of you might have seen me moving back and forth with the stick when I reached the penultimate cooking phase. It was clumsy but the more I practiced, the more I mastered it especially after I noticed that different locations around the fire give different roasting speed. BeepBeepBastard positioned herself at the right side of the fire (from the perspective of the player) with the feet touching the tips of a stick with a marshmallow impaled in the snow. I experimented this and I've noticed that it gave a fast roasting speed, but it has a downside for people like me who prefer calmer, slower and more patience approaches: you had to be quick in observing and pressing Z at the right moment.

So I preferred to do at my own pace until I finally reached my personal balance: I can now literally roast marshmallows with closed eyes. I don't need to see it getting roasted and reaching the perfect temperature, because now when roasting them I only rely on the sound it makes and I've noticed an interesting pattern: if I understood well by following each sound the marshmallow makes when hitting a cooking stage, there are 5 cooking stages represented not only visually but also acoustically. Each stage has a specific jingle with the next sound being high-pitched and at close range to the next one. If the sound distance between the first cooking sound and the second seems to be split in half (1/2), the distance between the second and third cooking stage is approximately 1/4, then 1/8 etc. When I first realized this I relied a lot on sight but finally on December 29th I reached my balance: relying only on the sound it makes. And I can reach nice streaks (even 20-30) by relying on sound while keeping my eyes closed and the finger on Z button. It works better for me to follow the sound rather the look of the marshmallow. It's a minigame I love because it is based on slowness, determination and patience, this is why it's not for everyone. I've seen some users giving up with the first burnt marshmallow. And around that fire I met some very nice users cheering for me while I reached 100 marshmallow in a row.

Sometimes it happened that I cheered or greeted BeepBeepBastard with those lovely stickers and I liked when she replied back. It's nice how that fire brought together many different users and even helped me to develop a skill I didn't think to have developed: roasting marshmallows only by following the sound they make when reaching the right temperature. And stickers were another part I loved because they are all awesome (I admit my favourite is the one with Jonny Utah and Tom kissing XD XD XD along with Pico, Skid&Pump, Edd, Isaac and others). I saw their evolution: from buggy to perfectly functioning ones.

Second element I liked where these ghosts around the hotel but I always wondered what is the purpose of the silent ghost that was first positioned before what then will become the hotel we learned to love and then was put where the Little Candles present is. I don't want to believe I am the only one who tried to speak with him every day of the month XD seriously, I tried to talk to him each day but I always got the "..." reply. Mmmhhhhh....very mysterious. Each ghost has his/her own personality expressed by their speech patterns and I liked that a lot. I loved how the game developed during the month, how each present was added (I loved every single submission posted, I could see the talent and creativity of each artist who put a piece of their soul in this big project).

I loved the style of each character used as skin to chose: we started as Tankmen, G-Bots and Picos and then exploded in a variety of characters. I image Tankmen first arriving in this place and exploring it, then each NG character its appearance. I initially stuck with Red Knight from Castle Crashes since I like them but my love at first sight was Skid and still now I keep using it. I haven't see many Pumps, the only one I remember is Pumpadoodles, a very talented artist I follow who makes great Skid and Pump art. I still have the screenshot of me roasting marshmallows with BeepBeepBastard and Pumpadoodles watching us. This inspired me to draw a fanart to celebrate this experience. I am already making it.

I liked meeting staff members of the game sometimes across the game map and another thing I loved were the music. I congratulate with each musician, you made each day or group of days (some songs could be listened over two or even three days). I've noticed the contrast between other songs and today's song. Today's song has a more somber and melancholic vibe, as if the end has been reached and it gave me a strong feel of nostalgia, that's very rare I experience nostalgia for something that is only one month old. I tend to develop it after an average of four month because that's the period in which I tend to form first memories of an event I experience.

This song looked like Christmas Ghost that brings every thing away and now only a pale memory of what Tankmas has remained, towering on dusted objects used to make this Tankmas memorable. It's still a great song, it fits perfectly the spirit (no pun intended or maybe not :))))
It's very difficult to say which song I loved the most but I think that Starcat Ft. Saulo Mid - Merry TankMas!, Holiday Memories - Tankmas 2024, Santa's Gone, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas and Ode to Snow are among my favourite songs of this game, especially Ode to Snow because it differs from others because of the synthwave vibe it was, the sound it makes truly makes me feel winter, it's cold but not a dangerous cold, a distant yet refreshing cold that gets warmed by a fire. I listened to it while I was studying too.

I really liked the addition of dialogue trees to NPCs and how they gave you different dialogues if you used a specific skin linked to said character.

Movies were a part I enjoyed a lot especially NGTV Christmas Marathon, Sketch Collab and Dr. Good's Christmas Special but each movie was fantastic because it combined the spirit of the holiday with NG humour which is always a good thing! Comics were another great thing I loved, and I loved them all especially "Pico and Friends Bringing Smiles to All Kids" and "Tankmas Chronicles" (nice reference to "Pico saves Tankmas" of the previous Tankmas). I just love VoicesByCorey's voice acting, his voice fits Pico perfectly. I first discovered him with Pico vs Bear, and then I could enjoy his voice in these Tankmas comics.

I also appreciated a lot that our Pico Cross pieces were included in the game, everyone did an amazing jobs, kudos!

After all this long walltext I want to conclude this review with a personal thank to everyone: from developers, musician, artists to players I met in the game. Thank you for making all of this possible! It was deep honour to be part of this experience and I hope to participate to the next Tankmas (I will participate again). This was my second favourite collab I took part (the first was the Great Homer Collab) but in terms of emotional connection got the first place because I saw its birth, development and evolution. Thank you to everyone! I hope everyone had a serene Christmas/winter holiday. Keep rocking!

Albe responds:

Thanks for playing!! We really appreciate your experience across the month and we're glad you had fun and discovered all the things this huge project had to offer. Have a great 2025!!

[Ninja Painter]

This is a really lovely game that made me think hard during the hardest levels of stage 3 but also previous stages were fun to enjoy and find a solution to both pain and collect all stars in order to get a higher score. The ninja looks very adorable, levels are well designed and the level of difficulty is balanced according to the stage. Some levels were easy to solve while others required to think outside the box, especially the last ones. Others were difficult but with a bit of mechanical thinking you can pass through.

I also liked the design of each stage from the village to the big city and how each stage colour is reminiscent of the paint you have to use to colour walls. The music is very catchy and helps to keep focused on the task. The level of difficulty keeps the player engaged to continue solve it even after some failed attempts. Trials and errors are another strategy after all but also looking carefully how each level is structured is important, especially in the big city. I admit level 25 was more difficult than level 30 to me but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I've experienced some harder puzzle games (traps, enemies, time running out, etc.) that can make you feel frustrated so playing a more casual game like this was a nice gesture from the developer so even those who are not hardcore players can still enjoy this 'lil adorable gem. The game has the potential to expand its gameplay and why not a bit of lore but still I liked it a lot and I would recommend it to everyone especially casual players and medal hunters since you can get them all in one sitting.

I also admit I was quite surprised not to see a limited number of moves to complete a level, this would have added a bit more difficulty and thinking process, but I am fine with this solution too. I was also glad to obtain 69,200 points. I didn't expect. Really cool game, keep it up!

[Horizonauts: Run Like Hell]

This is a really cool game that combines a fun yet tricky challenge where you have to combine both mental gymnastic and finger coordination in order to advance in this endless auto-scroller runner. Graphic is very good, animation is fluid, the character is cool and I don't mind the less detailed animation of her running and avoiding obstacles because it helps to focus more on going on and avoiding stuff.

This is a nice game for a series I am discovering only now and I already like it a lot! So good job at promoting the series with this game that I will play it over and over to see if I can beat my current score:

3724m

I read from the description that it's in beta so I hope in future it can be added a high score tab so players can confront their results and have fun. I wonder what coins do for now. They might be used in future for updates and make our hyooman more resistant to hits and obstacles, who knows. In the meanwhile I will continue to enjoy this fun game. I like how the challenge is well balanced with the overall dynamics of the game even though we have yet to see how the game will evolve considering it's still in beta. Even if you lose, it's not frustrating unlike certain games that don't give you satisfaction of mastering the mechanics even by a little.

Keep it up! I love it.

p.s. congrats for the FP and Daily Feature, well-deserved!

p.p.s. if I reach higher scores I will edit the comment by adding them.

new score 04/12/2024:

4408m

score 05/12/2024:

5144m

score 15/12/2024:

9119m
10607m

score 16/12/2024:

11388m
12009m

DynamoToon responds:

Thank you so much for your kind words!


Btw my highscore is 13475 so keep at it hehehe

[Reincarnation: ADDO Remastered]

I really loved this remastered version of the first game of this fantastic series! I enjoyed the gameplay and how it expanded the longevity of the first title. The graphics and designs are really cool to look at and I enjoyed so much the voice acting. It made everything even more cool. What I liked the most was the possibility to interact with Luke and see his reactions based on different reply answers. I like those games that give you options to reply and I admit I initially made Vile act in a shameless manner towards Luke when he was asked to do his job. I also loved when Vile barked at the dog XD that was one of the funniest scene.

I admit I had to adjust myself with the new way of interacting with things and living creatures but I liked it nonetheless. Because I have already played the original game I knew what to do but I still wanted to touch and explore everything to make the experience more immersive.

I really hope to see other Reincarnation-related games and/or remastered versions of old ones because I love this series and Vile character. Keep the amazing job up!

[Pico-Cross Collab 2023]

May I congratulate to everyone who made this amazing game possible? I love the music of each level, the music at the end, the voice acting and overall story. Just recently I discovered these types of games and despite I still have to learn how to master them, thanks to this game I am finally understanding the basics and logic behind them. It was a really nice brain stretching and exercise that combined a nice balance between difficulty and reward for reaching the solution of the homicide.

Graphics are really cool and enjoyable to watch while solving each nonogram, music helps to concentrate and the challenge has the right amount of difficulty to make it actually interesting and cool. There are many types of solving techniques, the most common are simple boxes, simple spaces etc. To solve them I tried to reason on a single row or column at a time only, then trying another row or column, and repeating until the puzzle is complete but for more complex parts of each level I used the "what if?" reasoning. I searched for contradictions, e.g., when a cell cannot be a box because some other cell would produce an error, I thought "it must be a space" and it worked. A mix of forcing, glue, joining and splitting, and a bit of mercury helped me through the final levels, notably the 4th and 5th. Contradictions are very useful especially after tried an empty cell or space. Basically this procedure includes:

1) trying an empty cell to be a box (or then a space)
2) using all available methods to solve as much as possible
3) if an error is found, the tried cell will not be a box for sure. It will be a space (or a box, if space was tried)

I've also discovered that solving nonogram puzzles is an NP-complete problem. This means that there is no polynomial time algorithm that solves all nonogram puzzles unless P = NP. Little excursus: P versus NP problem is a major unsolved problem in theoretical computer science. Informally, it asks whether every problem whose solution can be quickly verified can also be quickly solved. Since this game was made for Pico Day, and reading the wiki page mentioning that Pico likely would have majored in computer science if he had entered college, I now image him playing a lot with the P versus NP problem just for the fun of it XD

Scroll down the comments below Tom's post and his reply to Oatmeaal back in 2021 and you will find what Pico would have become if events of Pico's School never had happened: https://tomfulp.newgrounds.com/news/post/1182469

Besides the mere element of solving the nonograms, I also enjoyed how this game combined art and gameplay. Each artwork played a role in composing the piece of evidence and this made the gameplay experience even more cool. I LOVED each piece, everyone did an amazing job with their talent and creativity. Really I can't decide which I love the most, each piece entered in my heart. Congrats!

From irl side this period is a bit though but games like this are helping me to feel a lot better and even accomplished because of their level of difficulty. I also discovered to love this type of game. I love this collab, one of the best and sadly I couldn't participate because I didn't have an account back when it was announced, made and released T_T
But if in future there will be another collab like that, I would like to participate and contribute to these gems. Thank you all for making this possible and making us use our brains! You all rock and I wish you all the best!

Fun fact: we know that one of the inventor of this type of game is Non Ishida who, in 1987, won a competition in Tokyo by designing grid pictures using skyscraper lights that were turned on or off. This will led her to the idea of a puzzle based around filling in certain squares in a grid. But coincidentally, a professional Japanese puzzler named Tetsuya Nishio invented the same puzzles independently, and published them in another magazine.

JSuika responds:

yayyy!!!!!!!!! :DD

Yea, 2023's Pico Cross was great ngl! I thought of participating that collab before Pico Day because a lot of people were putting their submissions frankly. :') But overall, I do hope you really enjoyed the game itself! ^^

[Mexican Independence Day Collab Gallery]

I had so much fun participating to this collab, I will upload my finished work soon. Meanwhile I want to congratulate to everyone's contribution. You all did a great job with your creativity and skills. I like them all for their variety of subjects and way to see this day but among my favourites there are dahliaxblack, HapiToons, Aalasteir, omithealien, DosieDonut, Chongus02, Solito, LazyAstronaut3D, MOHD5aqer, BeatleYee, Riveet099, PLJerry, rosarjc, AxolofanX, PepperPotater, Gomogora, NitroOrient, KokoroHatsaru, EmilyRose420's works and many many others.

I love the bright atmosphere each character brings, especially female characters with their vivid-coloured clothes. I like that the bg is simple and doesn't distract from the main protagonists of this collab. The music is lovely but the only thing I feel to point out is that the loop doesn't loop very well. There is a small time gap but other than this it's still enjoyable and relaxing. The long musical piece makes you forget about the loop gap^^

I did enjoy dressing my raven with traditional clothing, I used this photo as reference to be as precise as possible with details: https://turismo.guadalajaravisit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MARCAAGUAcharroigcaballo-08.jpg

This occasion gave me opportunity to study a bit more about el charro negro and other traditions linked to this amazing country. Speaking of Mexican culture I still remember when last year in the city I go for University a Mexican woman accompanied us students to visit places of the city she loves. It happened for cultural anthropology course, we visited parts of the city I didn't even know, talked about el Día de los Muertos, its tradition, foods and beverages. In that occasion I fell in love with guava, it has become my favourite fruit. It was amazing listening in rea life, for the first time in my life, Nahuatl language since this woman introduced herself in Nahuatl. It's a language I would like to learn in future. This experience showed me the beauty of seeing your local reality (the city where I go to University) through the eyes of foreign people.

If in future there will be another art Mexican-themed collab and I have free time I will gladly participate again. Congratulations to everyone and Viva México! Viva la Independencia! Vivan los héroes!

p.s. thank you @ElRandomGMD for making me see the small typing error in my secret drawing XD I didn't notice it until now.

ShangXian responds:

p.p.s. CONGRATS FOR THE DAILY FEATURE!

[Pico's way to school]

Nice looking game with an enjoyable music that really gives the vibe of a 8bit gameboy cartridge. The story is simple but challenging in the way you have to pass each level because controls are not always easy to understand. They feel a bit rigid but probably because I am not used to WASD controls, I prefer arrows.

If I have to suggest something to make it more fluid as experience I would toggle the option to use arrows control along with WASD keys.

Other than this I liked it overall, and I admit I laughed a lot at the ending. I didn't expect it XD XD

To those who are struggling with jumping you can use X as alternative to K control. In the third level run as fast as you can to avoid getting hit by the bricks those people throw at you. The running mice were the hardest thing to avoid because the jump wasn't that high since Pico reached the limit of the level map.

Keep it up because I see the potential of funny and enjoyable games!

[Pico Clicker (Pico Day 2024)]

I have to thank @Magnus727 if I could get all the achievements because I didn't expect a simple clicker game to be that difficult in terms of getting the medals simply because to get them you have to have that amount of clicks exactly in order to obtain them AND the activation of Newgrounds Passport. The first time I tried Magnus727's tips I still didn't get my achievements but once the NG Passport page opened, allowing me to let the game access to my account, I could follow his tips.

So once the NG Passport opened and you let it access your account follow Magnus727's tips:

1) click to 250, then buy 250 (3 each click)
2) click to exactly 210, then buy two 100 (5 each click)
3) click to 500, then buy 500 (10 each click)
4) click to 1,000 and then buy 500 twice (20 each click)
5) click to 500, then buy 500 (25 each click)
6) click to 2,500 and then buy 500 five times (50 each click)
7) enjoy your last achievements

Now with these two conditions (NG Passport and Magnus727's advice) you will see achievement unlocking in the game description. I like these types of games because of the math beneath them but not always they are linear and straightforward in terms of how to get the achievement like in this case because I initially missed rounded values with multiples of ten especially because the NG Passport didn't opened so I couldn't experiment with the math.

I originally wanted to give 3 stars because of this (not being able to get reward despite reaching the goal) but after noticing the tricky part of getting achievements I gave it 4 stars because I didn't expect it. Graphic is very simple and I like both the way Pico is drawn and the music choice. The music is pretty cool and enjoyable while you try to reach the goals.

Nice game overall.

[Pico Skate]

A really addicting and fun game that tests your skills and ability to resist as much as possible. The pixel graphic and 8-bit music really add a vibe of nostalgia for old games and a nice aesthetic to the overall game. It may be simple but I like how it makes you want to keep trying to get higher scores and this is what I will do in future: trying to surpass my current score.

It's interesting discovering just today a game featuring Pico going on skateboard since I made a fanart of him going on skateboard^^ and congrats for the frontpage, well deserved. Sometimes what we need in terms of games is just a simple-looking game with a balance between fun, relaxation and challenge and this game achieved this. It would be nice if some achievements (in terms of score) are added but even without them I still love this game! Great job.

EDIT: I keep playing it over and over, it's very addicting in a relaxing way^^