Universal Helix (by Michael Brough)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by PeteOzzy, Oct 15, 2014.

  1. Drucifer

    Drucifer Well-Known Member

    Mar 16, 2010
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    #41 Drucifer, Oct 17, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2014
    Instant purchase. I love 868-Hack.

    I have a feeling I'd love all of his other games too.
     
  2. Anotherkellydown

    Anotherkellydown Moderator
    Staff Member Patreon Bronze

    Just grabbed this on my 10:00 break. Played more at lunch. Fastest lunch break I've ever had. Awesomeness! Like the idea of playing in portrait mode. I'll have to give that a try. Also gonna throw it on my iPad when I get home to see which device I prefer it on. It's great to have it on my phone either way.
     
  3. bearcav

    bearcav Member

    Oct 17, 2013
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    Game Impressions

    The thing I love about Brough's mobile games is that even though the mechanics are mostly simple, they're in some way unique, and it's always up to you to figure them out. It's like unwrapping a game for the first hour or so, and then you're just playing the thing incessantly. Also, Helix is probably my favorite of his in terms of aesthetic. It's ridiculously abstract-looking and expressive, like a lot of the stuff he either creates and posts or retweets on Twitter.

    The music is bonkers-amazing. I just want that Ziggurat guy to get a ton of attention and paid gigs, because he's extremely talented at this stuff.

    If you're wondering whether it's worth the three dollars, first of all, what is wrong with you? Second of all, yes. Go forth and circle.
     
  4. bearcav

    bearcav Member

    Oct 17, 2013
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    #44 bearcav, Oct 17, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2014
    If you're looking for a mode like your Stealth Mode idea, Bit Pilot already has you covered. The stuff he's doing in Helix is all centered around circling, not just dodging.

    I'm not sure how far you got into Helix, but if you just start up Terror mode there ARE monsters that can kill you by circling you. You have to run into them. There's usually only one that sneaks on screen at a time (a glitchy Missingno.-esque square making a really creepy sound), but you're in the middle of circling other stuff - sometimes it'll completely catch you off guard and it's already too late. It actually does put you in the monster's shoes - in the middle of your game. Brutal!

    I think a PvP multiplayer would be entertaining! Since it's just Brough on the project, and it's taken at least two years of his time, I wouldn't bet on him suddenly running a round of netcoding.
     
  5. Zevious Zoquis

    Zevious Zoquis Well-Known Member

    Sep 20, 2010
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    Downloaded this this morning after reading the review but hadn't had a chance to try it till just now. Within 5 seconds of playing I had a "wow this is brilliant" moment! The controls have that classic arcade game feel...it's hard to describe but you know it when you find it. I love games like this...
     
  6. Pipipitchu

    Pipipitchu Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2013
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    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    First time I've played I was like "Is that all?", but this game have been really growing on me since then.

    Am I the only one who preferred to play on the iPhone?
     
  7. Lazer Kat

    Lazer Kat Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2013
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    Is the soundtrack available for download?

    This game is pure brilliant, btw.

    Guess I have to break down and grab 868-HACK
     
  8. Pipipitchu

    Pipipitchu Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2013
    1,644
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    Civil Servant
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    868-HACK and Corrypt are even better, in my opinion.
     
  9. vectorarchitekt

    vectorarchitekt Well-Known Member

    Dec 29, 2013
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    I wish there was an iPhone portrait mode
     
  10. Lazer Kat

    Lazer Kat Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2013
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    Corrupt doesn't appeal to me. Sokoban puzzles don't keep me intrigued for long.

    My goal for helix is simple: not to touch another video game until I've scored in the triple digits.
     
  11. Pipipitchu

    Pipipitchu Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2013
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    Civil Servant
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Corrypt is much more than just a sokoban. That's all I can say without spoiling something.
     
  12. Guise

    Guise Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2009
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    As I mentioned a few pages back, playing in portrait orientation works really well. You just have to switch to landscape to see scores and options and all.
     
  13. Lazer Kat

    Lazer Kat Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2013
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    The least appealing thing I've ever personally experienced in a video game is getting stuck and not knowing what to do next. I know it appeals to a lot of people, but for me it can ruin a game that I otherwise love and recognize as brilliant (Device 6 comes to mind). It's just not something I find appealing, so I think corrupt wouldn't be for me.
     
  14. Luciano1084

    Luciano1084 Well-Known Member

    May 8, 2014
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    Yeah can't seem to put this game down.. ####
     
  15. your personal robot

    your personal robot Well-Known Member

    Nov 11, 2008
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    nonverbalist
    Berlin
    #55 your personal robot, Oct 18, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2014
    Great little high score chaser... of course far from the deep brilliance the Hack game delivers (one of my all time favorite video games). But it's pretty addicting.

    But Michael, please get rid of the horrible translation. Talking about the German one. Or just let me fix everything :)

    EDIT: OK, reached a little further.... things happened... unexpected things. Then I noticed that even the background gets randomly generated. Then I had a long look at all the tiny tiny details... my first conclusion was wrong. The deep brilliance is here as well. Chapeau!

    Only thing I don't understand, why should someone toggle on/off the third mode? Why is it not always there - or as an other option - it could be unlocked once you reached a certain goal. But this menu option makes no big sense to me.
     
  16. D1vi8

    D1vi8 Well-Known Member

    May 22, 2014
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    This game is highly addictive and grows on you.
    I have all Michael Brough's games. Corrypt sure is brilliant, definitely more than a sobokan clone (!!!) and probably the best game ever but I can't finish or at least continue the game because magic afterwards doens't seems to fit in some other rooms and I always find myself blocked.
     
  17. wigzisonfire

    wigzisonfire Well-Known Member

    Dec 24, 2012
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    I feel like I'm missing something!?! I loved 868, but only once I accepted that it wasn't very deep!
     
  18. Lazer Kat

    Lazer Kat Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2013
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    #59 Lazer Kat, Oct 18, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2014
    First of all, thank you for posting vids of nearly every game known to iMan. That's appreciated.

    Now...
    Personally, I think your videos would be much more effective if you offered at least a sentence or two of what you thought about the experience.
    For instance, video of this game doesn't look too appealing. Once you play the game you get it. It's way better than any video will ever show. So in this case I think a little comment about whether or not you liked it, or even just a simple "4.5/5 - loved it", would add a lot to the videos you post. Hell, even if you just clicked rate game to quickly rate the games on a scale of 1-5 we would know if you enjoyed it or not.

    One thing I absolutely love about your videos, and the reason I will almost always click on yours before Sanuku's, is that yours is filmed from a second device perspective instead of a simple screen capture. This really compromises video quality, but what you get in exchange for that is a great representation of exactly how the controls work. This is important with touch screen games, and I've used your videos which show the control layout very well, to make buying decisions multiple times.

    Thanks again.

    _________________________________________________________________________________________

    This. I really wish I had something to work towards, the third mode (and even the second) being unlocked by specific score goals would be great, IMO.

    I feel bad saying anything close to negative about this game.
    It's pretty much the perfect touch screen arcade high score chaser.

    Also, about the comment wishing there were score multipliers or bonuses for multiple enemies encircled simultaneously - I completely agree with Michael's thought process and decision. I, for one, love the fact that the scoring is simple. I get so tired of having arcade games with high scores in the millions. It's nice to know that every single increase in your score really means something. You are rewarded for encircling multiple enemies simultaneously -- you get a point for each, and extra enemies removed. That, in itself, is a risk vs. reward system. Also, encircling multiple enemies is t always harder than single enemies...which would make a multiplayer seem unfair and mess the scoring up, imo.
     
  19. Gamingvideo

    Gamingvideo Well-Known Member

    May 8, 2014
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    Thank you. Im happy you can enjoy my videos. Its very important for me that everybody can se exactly how the games play, and as you wrote, how the controls work.

    The reason i dont talk in my videos is because im very sick. Im on chemotherapy and thats something that have effected the bone in my mouth, my voice and my hearing. That why i let the games do all the talking for me = )

    Thank you for you advice, hope you enjoy my future videos.
     

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