Cally's Trials
- June 14, 2016
- VDO Games
Get on Steam"Cally's Trials" is a challenging 2D platformer game where players control Cally, a young girl on a mission to save her kidnapped father. The game features intense battles with numerous enemy types, numerous weapons and upgrades, and various levels with different themes and difficulty. With its fast-paced action and metroidvania-style exploration, "Cally `s Trials" offers a fun and engaging experience for fans of the platformer genre.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features good-looking pixel art and a fun soundtrack that many players enjoyed.
- Gameplay is described as relaxing and enjoyable, with a variety of weapons and upgrades available.
- It's a simple action platformer that can be completed in a short time, making it a decent casual gaming experience.
- The game suffers from repetitive grinding and a lack of meaningful progression, leading to boredom for some players.
- Many found the dialogue painful and the overall gameplay lackluster, with bosses and enemies lacking creativity.
- The design choices, such as losing progress upon game overs and high costs for upgrades, frustrated several players.
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as "epic" and enjoyable, while others criticize the lack of thematic coherence and the random playlist style that detracts from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the soundtrack stands out as a highlight, with some reviewers recommending it for casual listening. Overall, while the music is solid, it could have been better integrated into the game's design.
“Oh and the music... the music is epic.”
“The one thing I really enjoyed from this game is the soundtrack, which honestly is really good that I would listen to every now and again. I do recommend you pick up the soundtrack!”
“I only suggest you pick this up if you are into this genre and want to get some easy achievements, but do pick up the soundtrack because it's really good.”
“The music is solid though it would have benefited from being themed around the levels, which themselves didn't have any themes to their designs.”
“One of the tracks even sounds like 'bad ending' or 'game over' music, and it just plays randomly like every other song that's just cycled throughout the game on a playlist.”
“Music: 6/10 (there are a lot of tracks that play through the levels, randomly, almost like a shuffle playlist.)”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is generally described as decent but ultimately repetitive and grindy, with players often feeling stuck in a cycle of dying, collecting coins, and purchasing upgrades. While the pixel art and initial mechanics are appreciated, the experience becomes tedious due to the lack of complexity and the presence of frustrating mechanics, leading to a decline in overall enjoyment. Many reviewers noted that the dialogue detracts from the experience, contributing to a lackluster gameplay impression.
“The actual gameplay of Cally's Trials, however, is straightforward and then some.”
“Ok, this game is decent-good, at first I really liked it, good looking pixel art, nice gameplay, a lot of weapons and upgrades.”
“The dialogue is excruciatingly painful and the gameplay is lackluster and boring.”
“Gameplay: 6.5/10 (for the most part, it's a simple action game, nothing complex, can be grindy and repetitive due to a lot of levels to play through each biome.)”
“This game does start off nice, but the further you go on, you realize some really annoying mechanics.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story is largely criticized for its simplicity and lack of depth, revolving around a clichéd plot where the protagonist must rescue her kidnapped parents from an evil doctor. Many reviewers suggest that the narrative is not compelling enough to warrant playing this installment, recommending instead to skip to the third game for a better experience.
“There's a reason the story reads like this.”
“The story isn't anything special; you play as this girl whose parents have been kidnapped by an evil doctor-looking dude because he is evil, and you have to rescue your parents.”
“The story isn't anything special; you play as a girl whose parents have been kidnapped by an evil doctor, and you have to rescue them.”
“For starters, the plot, as well as everything else, is fairly simple.”
“A story is pretty much non-existent, so if you really want to play it, I guess do as others have mentioned and get the third one.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant drawback, describing it as repetitive and tedious. Many express frustration with the need to repeatedly play through levels to earn coins for upgrades, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Additionally, the requirement to purchase checkpoints further emphasizes the grind, leading some to uninstall the game due to boredom.
“What really made me uninstall it was all the grinding. Normally when playing 2D platformers or side-scrolling games, I just go along and beat the game, but with this one I'm going one try, getting coins, dying, then buying upgrades, then trying again, then dying and over and over again. I got bored of doing the same levels again and again.”
“Gameplay: 6.5/10 (for the most part, it's a simple action game, nothing complex, can be grindy and repetitive due to a lot of levels to play through each biome.)”
“It also doesn't help that the game wants you to buy checkpoints to reach later levels without grinding from the first cave all the way to the last boss.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game features charming pixel graphics that are well-executed, with enjoyable animations, particularly for certain characters like the knife bandit. However, as players progress, the level design and visuals tend to blend together, diminishing the overall impact. While the graphics are appealing, they adhere to a conventional pixel art style.
“Cute pixel graphics, good controls, and an okay plot.”
“The rooms just start to mesh into each other past a certain point, both in terms of level design and visuals.”
“All that said, the art is your typical pixel art style, and I did like some of the animations, especially on the knife bandit.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is rated low, around 4/10, as it primarily hinges on the desire to upgrade weapons to level 10, with little else to incentivize repeated playthroughs. Overall, players find limited motivation to revisit the game beyond this upgrade mechanic.
“Replay value: 4/10 (only if you want to upgrade the weapons to level 10, but otherwise nothing much.)”
“Replay value: 4/10 (only if you want to upgrade the weapons to level 10, but otherwise nothing much.)”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game has drawn criticism, as the Steam version is priced higher than the free mobile version, which offers an affordable option to remove ads for just $0.99. Players feel that the cost does not justify the perceived downgrades in the Steam version.
“This Steam version costs more, while you can play the mobile one for free (with the option to remove ads for only $0.99 USD), despite the many downgrades I mentioned earlier.”
