The Ramsey
- April 27, 2023
- ikinagames
"The Ramsey" is a 2D platformer game featuring cute squirrel characters exploring six huge islands. Armed with the Cotton Gun, players solve mazes and puzzles to uncover the tale of Ramsey's fight against climate change and the evil inventor on his home planet Chipmars. With unique gameplay and a compelling story, this game offers both entertainment and an environmental message.
Reviews
- The game features a charming aesthetic with great art direction and a colorful game world, making it visually appealing.
- It offers smooth and responsive controls, making the platforming experience enjoyable for players of all skill levels.
- The unique mechanics, such as the popcorn gun, add a fresh twist to the gameplay, enhancing both exploration and puzzle-solving.
- The exaggerated anime voice acting and dialogue can be irritating, although players can skip through it.
- Some players may find the puzzle platforming elements less engaging, especially if they prefer more traditional metroidvania gameplay.
- The game lacks sufficient marketing and exposure, leading to it being overlooked despite its quality and polish.
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's storytelling is noted for its unique approach and engaging plot, which sets the stage for a potential sequel. While the narrative is simple and the quests from NPCs can feel repetitive, the overall experience is enhanced by improved art direction, music, and level design compared to the developer's previous title. Players appreciate the concise story that effectively supports gameplay, despite some minor frustrations with backtracking.
“The storytelling is done in a pretty unique way, and without giving anything about the game away, it surprised me in setting up for a sequel which I am seriously looking forward to once the developer decides it's time to begin work on it.”
“The pixel art is much cleaner and more focused, the music is much more interesting, the player character's abilities and the level and boss designs are super creative, the controls are a lot smoother, and even the story is more engaging.”
“It's just that every NPC has some dumb quest they want you to do and starts talking, and these guys are everywhere.”
“The plot is simple, but has served well to move the game forward.”
“Backtracking isn't too tedious as maps aren't massive, but sometimes, when I go back to a previous island to acquire an item to complete a quest, I just want the convenience to instantly return to the area where the item is needed.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its upbeat and engaging nature, particularly in the later levels. While some found the initial areas' music to be less captivating, overall, the soundtrack complements the colorful art and smooth controls, enhancing the gaming experience. Players expressed a desire for an external soundtrack release to enjoy the music outside of the game.
“A colorful game world, upbeat soundtrack, and most importantly responsive, smooth controls are all present here.”
“Short but sweet, with competent design choices and a cool soundtrack.”
“Presentation wise, the pixel art graphics are very well done and the music is great (I would be appreciative if I had the ability to attain this soundtrack in some form or another).”
“Music in the first 3 areas was 'fine' but also didn't do much to draw me in.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay is highlighted by innovative mechanics, particularly the popcorn and cotton guns, which enhance movement and exploration in a metroidvania style. Puzzles are intuitive and complement the gun mechanics, promoting fluidity and catering to speed runners, making it an accessible yet engaging experience for new players.
“The popcorn gun is a brilliantly fresh mechanic for getting around and crazy fun to use.”
“A perfect introduction to a metroidvania style gameplay for new players.”
“The puzzles are intuitive and work well with the gun mechanics, creating fluidity - the game definitely feels set up for speed runners.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The controls are clunky and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“The combat mechanics are poorly designed, leading to frustrating encounters.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features charming pixel art graphics that enhance its fun platforming experience, complemented by an enjoyable soundtrack that players wish they could access.
“A very fun platformer with a cute aesthetic.”
“Presentation-wise, the pixel art graphics are very well done and the music is great.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and inclusive nature, appealing to players of all ages and skill levels, fostering a sense of joy and connection.
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted through cute and well-animated designs, which enhance the overall appeal and engagement of the characters in the game.
“The character designs are cute and well-animated.”
“The depth of character development really makes you feel connected to the story.”
“Each character evolves in a meaningful way, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect manageable due to the appropriately sized maps, which make backtracking less tedious. However, there is a desire for more convenience, such as instant travel to previously visited areas when retrieving items for quests.
“Backtracking isn't too tedious as the maps aren't massive; they are actually the perfect size for my taste. However, sometimes when I go back to a previous island to acquire an item needed to complete a quest on my current island, I wish there was a more convenient way to instantly return to the area where the item is needed.”