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Bo Hobo vs. Aethereal
Bo Hobo Don't forget the Wizard and the Bard.
Artificial Sagacity
Download: 95 KB
V.S.
Aethereal
Play Time: 0 hours and 10 minutes
Review # 13 for Aethereal Don't forget the Wizard and the Bard.
Them's Fightin' Words
    Bo Hobo was made for the 2004 48 Hour Contest. That much is obvious if you read the game's description. However, even if you didn't know that, playing this game pretty much tells you that this thing couldn't have been made in any more time than that. There is so much wrong with this game that it sickens me. Horrible graphics, boring gameplay, and a nonsense story all make for a really bad package. This game was a waste of my time to play, and I'm here to tell you why that is, and why you shouldn't even consider clicking the download link (unless, of course, you are voting in the contest).
Graphics
    The nice way to put this is that the graphics are really, really bad. The mean way to put this is that my two-year old dog could have drawn better graphics. These graphics have a crappiness factor rivaling even Magnus's graphics. Everything in the game is devoid of shading and the color choices are really, really bad. Honestly, I'd rather have simple stick figures than the poor sprites of this game. The maptiles don't blend and are very griddy, and the number of tiles used in the game could fit on a whole page. Not only that, but they look like minimal effort was put forth. There were no battle backgrounds, seeing as there are no battles, and the one cinematic backdrop in the game was okay. Essentially, these graphics sucked so much that my eyes were burning in pain after playing this game. Don't expect anything but crap in the visuals area.
 
Storyline
    Well, so the Hobo Bo(b) is on a quest to learn how to spell his name, and he has to go through a sidequest that is so very pointless in order to do it! What would that be, you ask? He has to go retrieve a destructive nuke from a place called Goliath before it is used to blow up the planet. After he finds the nuke, he is sent on another sidequest, but before leaving he tosses the nuke at his new boss. Of course, since the boss is the ubiquitous fat boss who is everything but agile, he fails to catch it and the world is blown up anyway...oops. The story is short and so very pointless. Sure, Bo(b) learns how to spell his name in the end, which fits with the fairy tale theme (I guess), but I don't get the rest of it at all. It's a pointless plod. At the very least the dialogue is okay. It's nothing special, but it doesn't really have very many spelling and grammatical errors, something I seem to be good at noticing. :\
 
Gameplay
    All you do is run around Goliath and avoid being touched by a bunch of Guard NPCs. Of course, the creator wasn't smart enough to make a script that checks to see if the guard is on the same level as you are before triggering it, so you can be way up on the top of a structure on the tower, and a guard way at the bottom can still touch you and send you back to the entrance. That's all you do, is run around and avoid guards until you find the nuke. There are two puzzles, but both took about two seconds to solve (a ridiculously easy block pushing puzzle, and another very easy "push the buttons in the right order" puzzle). I would say this game is devoid of gameplay, but that isn't true, as it's there. I guess this game is whatever is next to that. The gameplay is seriously that boring and repetitive, and the guards are really easy to dodge. *sigh*
 
  Battle
    Well, you know, when I touched one of the guards, I had to fight it out with him, but he was just way too strong and gunned me down immediately, and despite being shot to death I magically appeared on top of the Goliath building right after my lifeless body fell to the ground! Isn't that amazing? I sure think so!

(If you haven't figured it out yet, there are no battles.)
 
  Map Design
    This part actually is not 100% garbage. A couple of rooms are decent at best. The ladder maze on the bottom right part of the building is pretty good, too. The rest of the map design, however, is bad. The guards tend to hang out in simplistic wall mazes, and each map is designed in a "Go from point A to point B and never look back" way. Oh well.
 
  Balance
    The game is far too easy as it is, but it's still stupid that guards fifty feet below you can catch you and toss you out. Despite that, the game is not balanced, as the game can be finished in about ten minutes with minimal effort.
 
Music
    This game used music that game with the engine. On its own that isn't a sign of anything good, but couple that with poor music placement and you have one of those "turn your speakers off" games. The only decently placed song is in the Goliath building. Other than that...no.
 
Enjoyment
    Well, the fact that I forced myself to play it only because I said I'd review all the 48 hour games can't say much for the game. I didn't enjoy it; in fact, I found it a waste of my time. It was boring and so very pointless.
 
Final Blows
    Well, this definitely falls in the "bad" category of the 48 hour contest games. Don't download it and don't play it unless you're voting in the contest. I simply cannot recommend a boring and pointless game.
I think the prescription on my glasses needs to be strengthened after looking at this...

I think the prescription on my glasses needs to be strengthened after looking at this...
Final Scores
Graphics: 1/10.0
I wasn't kidding when I said my two-year old dog could draw better graphics.
Storyline: 1.5/10.0
The story was pointless and stupid, although at least it did end.
Gameplay: 1/10.0
The gameplay was ridiculously bad, forcing you to sneak past stupid and blind guards to get to a point.
Music: 2/10.0
It was all music included with the editor, and for the most part it was not placed very well at all.
Enjoyment: 1/10.0
This game is seriously a waste of time. I don't see how anyone could enjoy this.
Overall Grade: F
Final Thoughts
    You should be able to do better than this with 48 hours. Playing this is an utter waste of ten minutes.  


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