It seems in many platform games the narrative is what makes it so amazing. We wouldn't have been moved about the love between zombie and human in I Saw Her Standing There if it wasn't for the floating text on each level, and goodness, what would Thomas was Alone be with out its brilliant story? But Zhuravlev's game Prophet has no story. It has no voice over, no hovering text to fill you in. All it has is a little pixel man and some beautiful atmosphere. There is a story there, but it doesn't let you in on it. Are you running from something? Why is the world in chaos? It's never really told. All you know is you must run, jump, and bounce off walls to cross the treacherous landscapes to find some oddly flickering doors that are standing in the middle of nowhere. It's not an easy trip and rough land is not a jumpers friend, but the smooth spots let you dash, slide, and leap to your unknown goal. Just watch out for bubbly spots, crumbling platforms, and falling debris that want to halt you to your mysterious goal. Use the left and right [arrow] keys or [A] and [D] to move, and tap [spacebar] to jump!
Surely there is something meaningful happening here, but it's almost like it's our little hero's secret and we should just feel blessed he let us watch his travels. And really we should because the whole game is just a gift to the eyes. The controls are smooth enough that the wall jumps don't become the bane of existence. As long as the land is flat and your footing sure you can leap just right. The only other living things in the game, besides the occasional birds, can be killed Mario style (boot to the head), but they're few and far between, leaving you with that feeling of desolation that carries through the whole game. The levels are a mix of easy and difficult, and while the three stars on every level aren't needed for anything, they do make the game much more challenging to get them all. Though short, Prophet is a good little adventure that will test your skills and get your creativity flowing as you search for answers to the unknown questions.
Love the music on the later levels (when it's raining). I agree that, given the minimal style of the game, the visuals are stunning.
Quit on level 8. It's no less annoying here than it was on Kong about 2 weeks ago.
Wow... the art and ambience of this game keeps telling me that 'it can't just be a browser level-based platformer!!!'.
Everything about this game is so lovely that I would wish that it could become a huge exploration game...
The controls made this pretty frustrating. In particular, the way wall jumping worked meant that it was very easy to let go of a wall and fall rather than jumping away from it. Additionally, the character sort of "bounced" down slopes which prevented you from jumping reliably when moving downhill.
Solid feel for a flash game. Almost a meaty feel, it seems.
Oh Hardy har har ;) Well played.
I gotta say that it's disappointing to receive no extra reward for 100%-ing the game...
The art is lovely and suggestive without a lot of complicated mechanics.
Very reminiscent of Small Worlds.
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