Created by 1ce

A few years ago I reviewed 1ce’s RPG Maker version Donkey Kong. I remember the game being as close to the real thing as something like RPG Maker could manage. If there was anything holding the game back, it was trying to be a commercial game that offered the real gameplay instead of a watered down replica.
That is what makes Josh’s Adventure better. It takes the gameplay of that game, refines it, and brings it to an original idea. Now the gameplay isn’t being compared to something it cannot hope to match. Instead it can now be judged on its own terms, and thankfully, bring something new to the table. Sure, there are still barrels and monkeys, but that is just common sense telling 1ce what the people want.

Graphical Presentation - 9/10
Some people save the best for last, but why would I want to do that?
I remember when 1ce was making a game called Sourdough Eyeglasses. I also remember being a tad bit disappointed when it was cancelled, mostly because with a name like that how can you go wrong? Luckily that is where Josh’s Adventure came in. It was said that Josh’s Adventure would be much in the same vein as Sourdough Eyeglasses, and considering the design of this game, I can only imagine what kind of trippy screwiness would have resulted. I’m sure it would have been marvelous.
Not that I’m saying Josh’s Adventure isn’t, especially in design. It’s not perfect, and some parts may lack depth, but you’re only lying to yourself if you think this game isn’t unique. Being unique isn’t an excuse for poor design, which is something 1ce luckily avoids. Rare were the times did I feel something in the game was not living up to its own standard. And you know what? I can’t consciously recall any of them, and if that isn’t a good sign, I don’t know what is.


The Gameplay - 10/10
1ce can call this game a spiritual successor to Donkey Kong, but it is so much more than that. Without a commercial game to unfairly compare it to, the gameplay is no longer lackluster by comparison to anything. You can see it for what it is, and Josh’s Adventure is a much better fit for the style. The fact it is so much more fleshed out only makes it all better.
You find a spot on the ground, you jump, and… that’s about it. It was simple but effective before, but now this mechanic is not alone. I can imagine there are plenty of people using RPG Maker who think complexity makes great games, but simplicity works just as well. There is just so much more depth to be found here in spite of the simple gameplay that it makes the game all that much better.
There are, of course, the extra features. Secret levels, a hard mode, you name it… oh, I remember Hard Mode. It’s not kidding, I can vouch for that.
Years ago I reviewed Dave Carter’s game Nano-bot. It too was a platformer hindered by RPG Maker’s systems. While it was great in its own way, it was also very easy. Not a bad thing, of course, but there just wasn’t a challenge. I’m sure most people who have used RPG Maker would have a hard time disagreeing- how COULD there be a challenge?
Well, even after all these years, I’m still learning new things about this little maker. And today I learned that you can make an RPG Maker platformer difficult. It’s not even cheap difficulty either- it’s good old fashioned using your own capacity for screwing up to make up for RPG Maker’s shortcomings. Whether intentionally or by luck, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t work.
I can’t leave this section without talking about the points. Well, the points don’t matter, just for brags. With all the fourth wall breaking, I expected a Whose Line reference somewhere. Should I take a point off because there wasn’t?

The Bug Factor – 8.5/10
Ah, bugs. I remember when Josh stamped them out in the demo. Remember that? No? Well, there is no need, because they are mostly gone. Mostly.
In one of the early instances that the horses were used in gameplay, I found what may have been a bug. I lost a life and when the stage restarted, I was still the horse. At the time I didn’t think it was a bug because in the other aspects of gameplay (such as opened treasure chests) they remain in their current state if you restart a level after dying. But in later levels dying while on a horse puts Josh by himself at the beginning so it is a bug after all.
Then we have typos, which I have found a grand total of… one. A minor mistake; so minor that I barely caught it, and if there were any other errors I didn’t catch them.
As far as I know, besides these things listed above, the game is clean. I’m sure 1ce didn’t want the game’s challenge to extend to reviewing, but with the quirkiness of the game it can be difficult to tell if something was indeed a bug or not. I suppose it doesn’t matter as I never found anything game breaking. I guess I could’ve Draygone’d it (yes, he’s a verb, wanna fight about it?) but there was no need to such a thing here.
Lastly, and this is the only thing that puzzled me, sometimes it seems like the game said I got tokens but they were not added. This was only after restarting a level (after I lost all my lives to be exact), so I am not aware if it was purposefully set up this way so as to cancel out grinding points or not.

Final Determination – 9/10

Joshy Kong is a great game (see what I did there?) and it was a treat to see games of quality still being released. After going through the upgraded Director’s Cut, I can safely say my disappointment in the cancellation of Sourdough Eyeglasses has been replaced by the cancellation of this game’s DLC. But the Director’s Cut is a fine replacement anyway.
And I apologize all ready for ‘Joshy Kong’. This game is Josh’s Adventure, and it is NOT in the shadow of any donkeys or their kongs.

Not a 10/10? Review fail.

.....Just kidding! Great review.

I made it a constant point to make the game challenging, but always fair. If you die, it was your fault, and that's how it should be.

As for the horse, that was me being inconsistent and fixing the game. I learned in one level you could make the level unbeatable by being off your horse other than the intro and getting hurt, so I rigged it that you'd be off your horse and the horse would warp to the beginning. While being consistent got easier as the game went on, I still have problems with that and need to improve in that area.



Personally, I think so! I don't know how that one managed to whizz over my head considering everything else about the game is so aware of itself.