Flycatcher

Written by: Matt

Flycatcher is a new game, which I exclusively had the chance to beta-test, until Neopets went and released the game before this article was published... Still, it's a great game, that is based on the original Centipede, an arcade game which I remember having fun with, sitting on the computer when I was about 2. Playing this game brought back fun memories.

The Concept

The controls are simple. Left moves you left, right moves you right, and space makes you stick your tongue out. It really is that simple. Your aim is to eat the flies that are flying at you, which start at the top and wheedle their way down to the bottom, through a field of flower-like...things. The flies can't go through these flowers, so this makes their journey to the bottom much shorter, and when they reach the bottom, they hit you, causing you to lose on of your 3 lives. To make things more difficult, Neopets introduced a new twist ‘the wasp', who flies straight from the top to the bottom. Though he's difficult to catch, he nets you lots of points.

The Graphics

The graphics are, to put it bluntly, brilliant. Although the game's protagonist is a Quiggle, they made it appear surprisingly decent! The Quiggle stands on a cliff at the bottom of the level, waiting eagerly for the flies, but at the start of the level, when he does a little jig, we get a glimpse of his mouth, and it covers the whole of his body!! The proportions on the Quiggle are all wrong, but what do you expect? It's a Quiggle!

The other graphics are basic, but effective. The wasps have one simple animation, and the flies are barely animated at all. Still, overall the game has a very clean effect, and it looks like the modern Neopets drawing style, with the thick cartoon lines. The other screens, such as the loading and ending screen, and the pictures which appear when you lose a life or complete a level are great as well - Neopets seem to be cracking down on these graphics, as they look great. However, the slow and repetitive animations get on your nerves a bit after watching them for so long.

The Game

To be honest, I do not understand why I like this game so much. In theory, it should be a boring game. Lots of time is wasted sending the tongue to the top of the screen. It's very repetitive with every level being exactly the same, and in theory, it should be easy. But it's not! Each level is challenging, and I have fun playing it. I get a little emotional when wasps kill me, and I'm seen diving about in my seat at home, following the Quiggle. But then again, that's probably just me... Seriously, though, Neopets ‘have done did good’ with this game. This isn't just another game rehash, similar to Sutek's Tomb, which didn't improve upon anything really at all. This is a fun, really good, great example of game rejuvenation.

Strategy

As always, I give you a warning: If you take my advice, I do not take any blame for however bad you become...

I always start the game by taking up a position in the middle. There's a large passageway in the middle, normally where I don't have to worry about the flowers, which stop your tongue from going any further. At the start of your game, make sure your aim is good - You don't want to have to fling your tongue all the way to the top, only to have wasted the ten seconds or so it takes to get it back down. As the game progresses, there will be smaller groups of flies. As they approach the bottom, try to take out groups, rather than single flies, otherwise it's harder in the long run, when you have single flies at the bottom. If there's a group of flies trapped in a narrow area because of flowers, it's an ideal time to chase them, as your aim doesn't need to be so good.

If a wasp comes, I always tend to avoid it, though it can be difficult at times, as it's always weaving to try and avoid tongues and frogs. If there's a wasp coming, also make sure that you don't make any 'long shots'. With your tongue out, you can't move, so the flies will pick on you as an easy target. If I see a fly coming, I just move straight for the other corner, so that I'm safe!

The Verdict

In short, I love this game. It looks fun, it plays well and overall, I really enjoy it. But then again, I enjoyed the original arcade version, so I'm not exactly the most subjective person. I'll leave you to make the final decision, but all I can say is that I hope the Neopoints ratio is good, so I can have fun whilst still making lots of Neopoints.