Abducted

As frequenters of this blog might already know, I enjoy a good exploratory platformer. Games like Metroid and Castlevania (though I suck so badly at Castlevania) are like bread and butter to me, and I've yet to find one I actively dislike.

Abducted is probably the closest I've come to a bad exploration game. And, given that it's apparently the programmer's first go at Flash games, that's okay - we all stumble when we first give something a go.

Concept

Abducted spells out its own concept, plain and simple. You're some 8-bit dude who's been abducted by aliens. You need to escape from their clutches. For some reason they're letting you run free on their ship, so... this isn't as tricky as it sounds... either way, the result is an exploration game with some shooting tossed in for flavour. Fun.

Abducted is, in most ways, a bare-bones endeavour. There's a story - but it's tiny. There's exploration - but not much of it. There's some combat with aliens - but all you get is a single gun, and the aliens are all (with one huge exception) the same. There's a start to something here, but Abducted doesn't get too far past the starting line.

Controls

Up and side to side for movements, X and V to activate powers you acquire on the road to freedom. Simple, and for the most part effective enough. The jumping leaves a little to be desired, mostly when trying to reach high platforms.

My biggest control-related grief came from the hit detection. You need to be damn precise with your jumps when trying to avoid aliens, 'cause getting just a little too close will spell your doom. The save points are all close together so dying won't drive you batty, but it's still irritating to bite the dust because your toe nicked an alien's head.

Graphics

Abducted is a little below NES standards but a little above an Atari game. I appreciate the retro-throwback style, I really do, but this could use more variety in all respects. The aliens get tedious after thirty or forty sightings, and the alien ship... well, it kinda reminded me of Adventure, and from a graphical standpoint that's not a compliment.

Sound

Abducted has one track, a typical sci-fi tune that runs throughout the game. I actually thought this track comprised the game's greatest strength, as it's a solid tune that more or less sets the scene. Were the game any longer I'd probably get annoyed hearing it repeated ad nauseum, but I was content to keep my speakers blaring.

Challenge Rating

There's next to no challenge to be found in Abducted, mainly because a) the area is pretty damn small for an exploration game and b) the aliens are all predictable. Either they go up and down or they go left and right. Once you get the hang of jumping, not to mention find a gun, the game's a cake walk. (This also sadly applies to the final boss, which is... well, it looks neat, at least...)

I suppose what disappoints me most is the fact that, on my first run, Abducted only took ten minutes to complete. Games belonging to the Metroidvania genre typically run a lot longer than your average browser-based title. Stretch out the experience and add in some more innovative powers (I did like reverse gravity, though), and Abducted will be better suited for the genre.

Conclusion?

Abducted is a good start... and that's about it. You won't get a hell of a lot out of this game. Keep on trying, programmer - with this as a base you can probably create something much more ambitious next time.


PLAY ABDUCTED