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 an enjoyable soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Gameplay is fun and relaxing, with a variety of weapons and upgrades that can be leveled up, providing a sense of progression.
- It's a decent time-waster that can be completed in an evening, making it suitable for casual gaming sessions.
- The game suffers from repetitive grinding and a lack of meaningful checkpoints, which can lead to frustration during gameplay.
- The story is minimal and the dialogue is often criticized as painful, detracting from the overall immersion.
- Some gameplay mechanics, such as weapon leveling and camera control, are poorly designed, leading to awkward experiences and potential nausea.
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % 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 cycling of tracks throughout levels. Despite these issues, the soundtrack stands out as a highlight, with some users recommending it for standalone 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.”
“Everything about it is fairly shallow with the exception of the soundtrack.”
“Music: 6/10 (there are a lot of tracks that play through the levels, randomly, almost like a shuffle playlist.)”
“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.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as decent with appealing pixel art and a variety of weapons and upgrades, but it suffers from grindiness and repetitiveness, leading to player boredom. While some enjoy the straightforward mechanics, others find the experience lackluster and frustrating due to tedious level repetition and minor issues like camera control. Overall, the gameplay is seen as simple and can become tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
“The actual gameplay of Cally's Trials, however, is straightforward and engaging.”
“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.)”
“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; it can be grindy and repetitive due to the many levels to play through in each biome.”
“This game does start off nice, but the further you go, you realize some really annoying mechanics.”
- story4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story is largely criticized for its simplicity and lack of depth, revolving around a basic plot where the protagonist must rescue her kidnapped parents from an evil antagonist. Many reviewers suggest that players might be better off starting with the third installment for a more engaging narrative 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, and you have to rescue them.”
“The 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.”
“For starters, the plot, as well as everything else, is fairly simple.”
“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.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have noted that the grinding aspect of the game can be tedious and repetitive, often requiring them to replay levels multiple times to earn coins for upgrades. This grindy experience detracts from the overall enjoyment, as it feels more like a chore than a rewarding challenge, with some even feeling compelled to uninstall the game due to the monotony. Additionally, the need to purchase checkpoints further emphasizes the grind, making progress feel less satisfying.
“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 trying, 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.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game features charming pixel graphics with enjoyable animations, particularly for characters like the knife bandit. However, as players progress, the level design and visuals tend to blend together, diminishing the overall impact. While the art style is typical of pixel art, it is generally well-received.
“Cute pixel graphics, good controls, and an okay plot.”
“The art is your typical pixel art style, and I did like some of the animations, especially on the knife bandit.”
“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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is rated low, around 4/10, as it primarily hinges on the desire to upgrade weapons to their maximum level, with little else to incentivize repeated playthroughs.
“Replay value: 4/10. You only get any real incentive to replay if you want to upgrade the weapons to level 10; otherwise, there's not much to keep you coming back.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little reason to revisit it. The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying feel pointless.”
“The game offers minimal variation in gameplay on subsequent playthroughs, which significantly diminishes its replayability.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the Steam version of the game is more expensive than the free mobile version, which offers an option to remove ads for just $0.99. This pricing discrepancy raises questions about the value of the Steam version, especially given the reported downgrades in quality.
“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.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it pushes players to spend more for basic features that should be included in the game.”
“It's frustrating to see so many paywalls in a game that could have been enjoyable without the constant pressure to spend money.”
