@NinChocolate Not to say this wasn't an art project for me (because it very much was). However, there is much more to the game than is shown or hinted at here in this review. Here's a collection of the gameplay mechanics (spoiler alert): https://imgur.com/a/XCcmmC9 I'll let you be the judge of whether they are clever or not.
@LEGEND_MARIOID Yes, the game does perform comparably. The biggest difference is the framerate - the game is 60FPS on PC and PS4, while 30FPS on Nintendo Switch. Of course, like all games, it's 720p in handheld and 1080p docked.
We are very proud of the performance and visuals on the switch. It runs very smoothly. The game renders incredibly large levels, and all scene transitions are handled smoothly in the background, so there are no loading screens once you start.
In fact, the footage shown here in the Nintendo Indie World was captured directly from the device in docked mode: https://youtu.be/2BogOkvVIj8?t=999 You can see for yourself.
@JasmineDragon Hey Jasmine, I'm the developer. You can see more information in the other comments I left. This review only seems to cover the very beginning of the game. There are a lot more mechanics that are not mentioned at all here. Here's a link to the other mechanics (spoiler warning): https://imgur.com/a/XCcmmC9
@LEGEND_MARIOID Hey, I'm the developer. I left another comment here with more details so I won't repeat most of it. This reviews seems to be based only on the first 30 minutes, and fails to mention much of the rest of the game. I will of course let you be the judge, but I do encourage you to check out other reviews.
Hi, I’m the Manifold Garden developer. I am very disappointed with this review, not because of the score, but because it seems like this review is based only on the first 30 minutes of the game (around 10% of the entire game).
At the start of the game, there is an indoor tutorial area that introduces the basic mechanics: gravity changing, manipulating cubes, and opening doors. After that, the player emerges outside and is first introduced to the world wrapping mechanic, then they come to the first main level. In this first level, there are 3 puzzles. From the screenshots and the text, it seems like the reviewer only did one of these.
Here is a blind playthrough of the game I found on YouTube. Note that this youtuber gets to where the reviewer’s screenshots are in about 30 minutes of gameplay: https://youtu.be/zNpoqF-pTso?t=1521 The full video is about 6 hours and 30 minutes long, and that's close to the average play length.
The review states “Flicking between walls, ceilings and floors to manipulate multiple elements in order to get a single box where you want it isn't just common – it's pretty much all you do.”
While the early area focuses on cube manipulation, the rest of the game goes on to explore many more mechanics. You can plant seed in order to grow trees, redirect streams of water, freeze water to form new paths, manipulate large tetrominoes to create bridges, and solve puzzles with portals. None of this is mentioned here in the review. These mechanics are not in secret or hidden areas either (which the game does include), but are mechanics that you'd experience in a regular playthrough.
Here is a collection of gifs showing gameplay mechanics in the game (spoiler warning): https://imgur.com/a/XCcmmC9
I know a review isn't there to serve the developer. However, we spent 7 years making the game, and another 10 months to bring it to the Switch. I feel we at least deserve a review based on completion of the entire game. Average playthrough is around 6 hours.
If any of you have questions, feel free to let me know. I'm pretty easy to find online (my handle is "williamchyr" pretty much everywhere).
Comments 5
Re: Review: Manifold Garden - A Remarkable Spectacle Undermined By Benign Puzzles
@NinChocolate Not to say this wasn't an art project for me (because it very much was). However, there is much more to the game than is shown or hinted at here in this review. Here's a collection of the gameplay mechanics (spoiler alert): https://imgur.com/a/XCcmmC9 I'll let you be the judge of whether they are clever or not.
Re: Review: Manifold Garden - A Remarkable Spectacle Undermined By Benign Puzzles
@LEGEND_MARIOID Yes, the game does perform comparably. The biggest difference is the framerate - the game is 60FPS on PC and PS4, while 30FPS on Nintendo Switch. Of course, like all games, it's 720p in handheld and 1080p docked.
We are very proud of the performance and visuals on the switch. It runs very smoothly. The game renders incredibly large levels, and all scene transitions are handled smoothly in the background, so there are no loading screens once you start.
In fact, the footage shown here in the Nintendo Indie World was captured directly from the device in docked mode: https://youtu.be/2BogOkvVIj8?t=999 You can see for yourself.
Re: Review: Manifold Garden - A Remarkable Spectacle Undermined By Benign Puzzles
@JasmineDragon Hey Jasmine, I'm the developer. You can see more information in the other comments I left. This review only seems to cover the very beginning of the game. There are a lot more mechanics that are not mentioned at all here. Here's a link to the other mechanics (spoiler warning): https://imgur.com/a/XCcmmC9
Re: Review: Manifold Garden - A Remarkable Spectacle Undermined By Benign Puzzles
@LEGEND_MARIOID Hey, I'm the developer. I left another comment here with more details so I won't repeat most of it. This reviews seems to be based only on the first 30 minutes, and fails to mention much of the rest of the game. I will of course let you be the judge, but I do encourage you to check out other reviews.
Re: Review: Manifold Garden - A Remarkable Spectacle Undermined By Benign Puzzles
Hi, I’m the Manifold Garden developer. I am very disappointed with this review, not because of the score, but because it seems like this review is based only on the first 30 minutes of the game (around 10% of the entire game).
At the start of the game, there is an indoor tutorial area that introduces the basic mechanics: gravity changing, manipulating cubes, and opening doors. After that, the player emerges outside and is first introduced to the world wrapping mechanic, then they come to the first main level. In this first level, there are 3 puzzles. From the screenshots and the text, it seems like the reviewer only did one of these.
Here is a blind playthrough of the game I found on YouTube. Note that this youtuber gets to where the reviewer’s screenshots are in about 30 minutes of gameplay: https://youtu.be/zNpoqF-pTso?t=1521 The full video is about 6 hours and 30 minutes long, and that's close to the average play length.
The review states “Flicking between walls, ceilings and floors to manipulate multiple elements in order to get a single box where you want it isn't just common – it's pretty much all you do.”
While the early area focuses on cube manipulation, the rest of the game goes on to explore many more mechanics. You can plant seed in order to grow trees, redirect streams of water, freeze water to form new paths, manipulate large tetrominoes to create bridges, and solve puzzles with portals. None of this is mentioned here in the review. These mechanics are not in secret or hidden areas either (which the game does include), but are mechanics that you'd experience in a regular playthrough.
Here is a collection of gifs showing gameplay mechanics in the game (spoiler warning): https://imgur.com/a/XCcmmC9
I know a review isn't there to serve the developer. However, we spent 7 years making the game, and another 10 months to bring it to the Switch. I feel we at least deserve a review based on completion of the entire game. Average playthrough is around 6 hours.
If any of you have questions, feel free to let me know. I'm pretty easy to find online (my handle is "williamchyr" pretty much everywhere).