Aisnon-A's Reviews

[On Stranger Days]

Strange day for a cat to be reincarnated as a fish. This animation has a captivating pull. I admit I was unimpressed from the start, but there was enough details for provoking curiosity, which I ascribed to the character and setting design, and my audience was pulled.

As I watched, I could not overlook the slow framers-per-minute rate. Although the design is appropriate, it is not something at which an individual would look typically for aesthetic appeal. Because of that, It is similar to a work-in-progress than a finished, consciously made decision when one has to look at each individual frame.

Aside from that, everything else is pretty much solid. The ambiance is well established. The sound effects are realistic enough, though at times the bubble SFX is a bit too prominent and the accident could have been made more dramatic. The plot is satisfying, having an understandable exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. And the concept makes for a great series.

I would personally like to see more of this.

[Yup.]

So open to interpretation. I love it!

[Earthbound- The Trees]

I am sure glad the creators of the game tried to maintain realism in the game by including the tree, because, you know, a territorial oak hellbent on killing every lifeform by draining its energy and performing kamikaze is completely normal, a menace only guts can withstand.

But enough of that --- You demonstrated your perspective very well within this short animation, and I like that you chose to conceptualize a seemingly insignificant particular in the Mother series. I can sympathize completely, especially due to the animation's drawing style , which not only provided emphasis on the subject matter but also your purpose. (Although the Ness drawn in the loading screen looks slightly awkward with its rather large chin)

Well done!

artistunknown responds:

Yeah, the Ness in the loading screen was actually my first attempt at drawing him. It's not so much a huge chin as it is me trying to accentuate his cheeks, which didn't quite work out. I decided to just make his head round in the final animation :p.
Thanks for the review!

[Samsara Room]

The Samsara Room - The room of cyclic death and rebirth? There has to a be some metaphor in this game (or the author is pulling a red herring), but I cannot grasp it.

Otherwise, this game was short and sweet. The puzzles were straight-forward with moderate difficulty, the settings were thematically consistent, and the music was effective in setting the mood. Somethings that I did not quite understand was the underlying significance of the phone, the dead, fat man stuffed in the clock, and his internal environment (dark woods with an egg). I suppose that is what adds to this games bizarreness, which was a conscious choice.

An overall wonderful point-and-click game!

[Droid Team 1]

I cannot get past the introduction. Every time I try to jump on top of another droid, the droid that I am controlling either reverts back into its original position or vanishes, as if it had no_clip activated and traveled through the boundaries. I tried resetting, but that did not solve the problem. I do not know if this is a bug, or it is a problem with my settings. I assume the latter.

Even though I could not play it, I can say at the least that this game has a interesting concept and game mechanics. The physics is fluid. The graphics are clean and appropriate, and the music is punchy and fitting for 'droids'. There is an overall attractive setting, which coalesce into a well-constructed game with the aforementioned qualities.

A great first impression, I can say, and I hope I can fix whatever is obstructing my ability to play this.

[Perdition]

I am a sucker for allegoric games, and I can honestly say that this game effectively embodied the necessary qualities of such.

[Perfection is Imperfection]

What I note most about this piece is that it's experimental nature was born out of musical curiosity at its purest form: sound, letting alone the accident-induced creativity. As for the results, a eclectic euphony. The sheer amount of interplay between the SFX/noises/textures has an attractive effect. In part, I ascribe this effect to the steady bass rhythm. It's a powerful reminder of this piece's musicality and ties them together well; however,that being said, the rhythm occasionally becomes a bit too overwhelmed by the melodies and accompaniment. This peccadillo is more pronounced before it switches to post 3:30, after which it becomes relatively stable.

But I must confess that I find experimental pieces like these difficult to analyze because of their complexity. Needless to say, "melodies and automation clips, as well as effects within the mixer and within NI Massive," with which I am unfamiliar (in addition to industrial music and ragga). My thoughts may not hold much weight, but I am compelled to give them because of how pleasant Perfection is Imperfection is to me.

Side Note: I would comment on the "cogs" you mention, but I have no idea of what this term reference. If I had to guess, it would be the high pitched trills played in descending eight-notes. That, or the mid-range, metal "stabs" played in halves. In either case, they both hold natural positions. That is to say, had either of them been removed, this piece would have a noticeable atmosphere shift. Though, I suppose the same could be said about the other noises.

Kelpalots responds:

Yes! Yes! Those high pitched trills and mids! All cog-like. Thanks for attempting to tackle a really complex experimental track. I really appreciate your definition. It was fun to watch you discover as the sound develops!

[No Mercy]

I can't even rationally fathom what "hell" I just listened to, but it just oozes so much conscious effort that I am forced to conclude in wisdom of the given description: Noise. I like it, too.

Seriously.

[Dreamatory]

As it stands, this piece exemplifies syncopation (if I don't use that term too loosely). I don't listen to many (if any at all) compositions that use this technique, but I am confident in my judgement that it works well how you use it. In a way, your background texture seemingly allows it because of its own indefiniteness, and in addition, the piano, strings, and pad almost appear to be ambient, making the drum rhythm musically isolated from the rest of the instruments. I say that this is the piece's biggest strength, since it makes the syncopation interesting and purposeful.

My only concern lies in the transitions between phrases. The most noteworthy, I sense, is the sudden removal of the percussion when the song loops. It contrasts how it was built up (the reverse cymbal and bass slide) and makes for an awkward transition. It's not anything music breaking; it can be overlooked, though little refinements could go a long way.

As noted: FL 11 Demo. That is to say, good job with dealing with the limitations. I've experienced those first hand, and they certainly can be antagonizing.

Overall, I could see this in some psychedelic, or rather, surreal media because of how experimental and atmospheric this piece is.

Werewolfrx responds:

Wow, I have no idea what to say. Thank you very much for giving it a listen and giving me amazing advice on it. I appreciate it very much and I'll be taking everything you've wrote into extreme consideration ! !

[Mychotomy]

Given that this is meant to be a logo, you did quite well. It's simple, conceptually impressive, and technically consistent. Most notable is the implied symmetry. The slight variations in the cap's radial design, in addition to the ideal composition of the logo's face and the texture, give the logo an organic, personal nature. This aptly reflects its inspiration; I can fathom this work being used as a logo for music sketches, or for any other like purpose, really.

This could conclusively stand alone, but that makes it all the more curious for me to see where you may develop this sketch. If anything, the background would probably receive attention, although I do not see any need. (Some have questioned my aesthetic sensibilities. Then I question theirs... blah blah, subjectivity, blah blah...)

Incidentally, I did not consider any sex at first glance; I do not view design in that manner.

Krichotomy responds:

I've considered "stamping" the design on some sort of background texture. Other than that, I have no further plans for the design.

[Link and Marin]

What I like most about this work is that you blended pixel design with a watercolor (?) technique. The contrast between expectation reality, in addition to your competency in maintaining the essentials to the visual direction of Link's Awakening, highlights the amount of conscious effort you made, which is furthered illustrated, both figuratively and literally, by the consistency of your technique throughout the work.

This is another successful piece, I say, in your repertoire.

Krichotomy responds:

The black outlines are actually traced directly from a Link's Awakening screenshot, and the colors and other scene elements are indirectly taken from it as well, so don't give me too much praise. :) I mostly focused on achieving a pleasant balance between pixel art and the color canvas (using overlaid filters). Thanks for your review!

[LMMS-chan]

The references are effectively placed as they are stylistically integrated within the work's color and geometric scheming. And the design of the character is refreshing; I usually observe the moe'd-as-flip and cannot-have-too-much-skin variations of the manga style within an identical if not similar context.

Nice to see more original work from you.

Krichotomy responds:

I feel like the floating green logo that is encircling the character is out of place stylistically (because of how rigid and clean it is), but I wasn't concerned enough about it to make any changes.

Yeah, I get tired of all the moe obsession and oversexualization.

Thanks. :)