Gravity: beneficial force of nature or oppressor of humankind? In the world of Amberial, it is both. In this unique platform game created by OddGoo, you play the part of a bouncing ball free to move about your world wherever you wish... horizontally. Unfortunately, you are not endowed with the ability to jump, so you must rely (primarily) on gravity and inertia to navigate vertically. However, what goes down never comes back up quite as far, and you may find yourself stranded on a low-lying platform with no recourse but to roll away into one of many conveniently placed death-traps.
Navigate your way to the goal to complete a level and unlock the next one. However, don't forget to search around for the golden 'A' first—collecting these on each level will unlock three bonus levels, located on the far right of the level map. To help you along your way are a variety of moving platforms, springs, launchpads, and other instruments of locomotion. However, it seems that for each one of these, there is also an instrument of death—red lava, red spikeys, red lasers, red bubbles... noticing a pattern here? In general it's a good idea to avoid anything red.
Analysis: With its dark levels, its unforgiving enemies and its constraint of being subjected to the whims of gravity, Amberial stylistically resembles Saltacol, a game reviewed here in 2004 (and one well worth playing if you haven't yet). However, for movement mechanism, think more along the lines of Within a Deep Forest. In contrast to these games though, Amberial presents a much less frustrating set of levels to advance through. Each is no more than a few screens large and is completable in a reasonable time, without oodles of restarts.
You'll definitely want the sound on while you play: Amberial contains a number of different soundtracks for different levels, ranging from intense to eerie chill, and all of them are high-quality. The music, along with the graphics, the level design and the moderate difficulty help make Amberial precisely what people are looking for in a casual game.
Cheers to Martyn and Nerml for the link. =)
Thanks for the link. I really enjoyed this game--but it was too short and easy, even with the ace levels.
Yup, thanks for the link. It was a good game. Killed some time thought it was rather short as Samus said but I didnt find it as easy as he did. Next step is a flash toolkit level builder haha.
Any hints for level 9?
Nevermind, I got it.
Go to the right.
Level 9?.....All I can say is that you have to dive in and out of the jetstreams in order to avoid impaling yourself on the ceiling.
Anybody know if you can ace the ace levels? I aced all of the regular levels and then it presented a congratulations screen saying that I had passed all the regular levels. Then I passed all three of the ace levels, but I didn't get any ending screen; I kind of expected one.
Oh well, good 15 minute diversion.
I loved the atmosphere of the game - moody and ethereal. Like the inside of a luminescent cave. 5 stars! I just wish it was a bit longer and that the music looped on some levels.
this is a great game-- too bad i am already stuck :)
small bug in level 10:
If you dive off to the left at the beginning you might fall forever, never dying.
Nice game. Short and sweet, but i found the first two ACE levels much more difficult than the 3rd. Anyone else? or is that just me?
jonmay: I dunno if that's a bug. You can do the same thing in the other direction of that level, I think. I've also encountered this on at least one other level. Besides, you can always just click the arrow to return to the main level choice menu anyway.
Redken: Yes! I actually found them to be decreasing in difficulty. The first ace level was especially aggravating.
Holy crap this is frustrating. I've gotten through all the regular levels, but the second ace level has me stumped. I can get to the second screen fairly easily, but I just cannot bounce high enough to get to the exit platform.
I'm pretty sure I have to bounce up and hit the bubble in the right hand corner to get a boost that will then propel me left onto the platform, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time to do that. Once I get up onto the bubbles on the right I need at least two bounces to get high enough to hit the bubble in the upper right. Even when I am successful I end up bouncing off the ceiling and back down rather than straight across to the left.
To anyone who has finished this level: any hints? Do I have the right idea, and now it's only a matter of execution? Or is my approach doomed to failure?
The game is actually a lot of fun, but I've been stuck on this level forever. It kind of stops being fun when you're just doing the same thing over and over again.
One improvement I would suggest: since each level has a back button anyway, why not just have the player restart at the beginning of the level when they die? It becomes especially tedious to have to click on the level again each time you want to attempt it, especially since the controls are keyboard-based.
(Incidentally: that third ace level? I got that on my very first try. I thought it was actually very easy for a last level. It's just this blasted bubble level that has me stymied.)
Dang it. It never fails: posting a comment about being stuck is the most surefire way to get unstuck.
Turns out my approach was doomed to failure after all. All I had to do was get up high enough on the right-hand bubble to bounce all the way to the left. I don't know what I was thinking.
Oh, and I forgot this in my last post: No, Redken, it's not just you. :)
I really enjoyed this game - for those who like it and haven't already done so try Within a deep forest. The game is quite similar.
Shame about this game's length, and i agree that ace 1 was the hardest. Also wished for a 2nd congratulations screen after completing the ace levels.
Great game! Would reccommend to all.
The first two aces were more interesting than the third. The third is really pure memorization, and once you die once or twice, you just remember where the spikes are and move accordingly.
I actually found that level 12 was more difficult than Ace 3, if that makes any sense. At least, I died way more on level 12 than in Ace 3.
Really cool effects. But I dislike the Ace on level 5... there isn't an exit shown and people need to make a blind jump just to find out that there is one.
Would have been nice to have some final congratulations screen after you beat the ace levels.
Yeah, Level 12 seemed more difficult than the final Ace level.
I found lvl 12 relatively easy. When you start, don't go to the right, but to the left, almost directly into the beam. There is place enough. You drop down, and at the lower screen, get your ball into the small gap to kill its jumping power. Then jump of it right onto the left exit of that screen.
This move gives you so much advantage of the red beam, the rest is realy fairly easy.
Anon: You don't need to complete a level to have the Ace acknowledged, I'd rather see a kamikaze jump to the Ace than an exit right behind it - this way, this level can be solved rather quickly.
Ace 3 was easy, but I think that's mostly due to the experience you gain throughout the normal levels. Fun level, though.
Would like it if there was an acknowledgement when you've completed everything there is to do... unless there's something after the third Ace level that I'm missing.
Excellent platformer, very pure.
i found this game rather easy.
The only level that got me in a bad loop of retries and frustration was level ten. It was still pretty easy though. The ace levels were just... refreshments. :)
One of the best games I've played in a long time (and whoever finished in 15 minutes gets my congrats.) I think I played for about 45 minutes before I finished the whole thing, and the final ace was not so easy for me. I beat level 12 and the first two aces more quickly. A final "congratulations" screen would be nice, but it isn't all that important to me.
Great game. Level 12 was quite challenging. Nice to know I still have the skillz to finish a game like this ;o)
This game is fun and all, but it's not very challenging at all. I mean, sure, there are some particularly hard level(s), which for me was probably level 12, but other than that, it was super easy.
Too bad its the uncompleted version, i updated the one at newgrounds with a new "All complete" congratulation screen =P and fixed some ever-falling bugs.
Thanks for the word about the new version oddgoo. I've updated the game with the one from Newgrounds as mentioned.
Can't find the Ace in level 7???
Never mind, sused it but them spikey things are abit of a nuisance!!!
thank you!!
and thank you all for playing :)
i cant get ace 1 or 2 i cant find them.... :( anyone know where they are?
I have not found this game too easy at all. In fact I havent finished it. However, I do find it delightful. I sent it to a friend, then didnt look at it for a while - my mouse hand got tired bouncing in the pink screen (#7?)
- just came back to it tonight. Advanced one level, and am stuck, again. But I got at least a little stuck at nearly every level I've completed, so I am confident I will unstick this one also.
how can i get the ace activator in the ACE3 level without dying? i've been trying for hours....
is there a walkthrough for ACE 3? tips? anything?
How to get the ACE in ACE 3 level? its the only one I have problems with!
i need help finding the ace on level ace1, i find the activator and exit but that is it.
Can someone help me with the Ace levels, "Force Field", "Bubbles", and "Tower of Glory?"
A great game. Can't wait to see more. I've tried getting the activator for Ace 3 both dropping from the top and just going to the right.
And where does the Ace appear after its been activated?
I think this game was (is) great, something to spoil your time with, not too easy but not too hard. Or, there's one level I cannot beat and it drives me crazy. I've been trying to solve ACE level 1 for a couple of days but I just can't find te ace. (ACE level 2 and 3 was much easier, I bet them at the first shot...)
But please, can anyone help me with the first one, forced fields? I'd be quite thankful!
Ace 1:
Activate the switch, then backtrack to the left.
Position yourself between the two forcefields in front of the switch. That way you will be able to propel yourself high up.
Ace 2:
No big deal. Flip the switch, head up.
Ace 3:
This one's tough. Complete the level without the Ace, get yourself familiarized with the map.
When you reach the screen with the switch: As you're going up, drop off to the right, below the six spikes. Grabbing the switch should be easy from here; going back down however isn't so easy. Pictures speak more than a thousand words so...
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/7286/amberialace3aef9.png
After grabbing the switch, head two screens up (hope you don't die while at it). The screen with the exit will contain the Ace as well, and here it is, circled in green:
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/6372/amberialace3bzx4.png
Warning: you will probably fall to your death while freefalling for the Ace, so as said earlier, complete the level before attempting the Ace.
where is the ace on 8.
heres a glitch on the first Ace level...
there is also a glitch on the first ace level if you go to the side of one of the bubbles that push you away and move into the middle of it (you have to be to the left or right of it) you get stuck and can move left and right without being on any floors,you just float there still able to move.
where is the switch in ace level three? The spoiler has a screen similar to the 4th screen but they're not the same? help!
Clearly the help for level 12 above is lost on me:
I'm not a gamer at all, really, so I need my tips more... spelled out,I suppose.
Help anyone on Level 12?
just found glitch in level 13 (need 4 aces)
im just rolling sideways in midair...
but pretty fun game =D
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