FreezeME

It's OK. But definitely not as clean as a Mario 64 or something similar. But still cute and fun. I wouldn't spend more than a few dollars on it or have too high of expectations though.

Being a fan of anything adventure and / or 3D platformer, I picked this up on sale, I believe as I think the price is a bit too much for what feels more like a proof of concept than an actual game. You have your regular starting area, your ice area, your lava area, your spooky area, but apart from that, there's nothing that really makes it stand out.

There are some things that give it a tiny bit of replayability, though how much is to be argued. I honestly can't see anyone speedrunning this as the RNG elements cause too much of a headache even on casual play. Hitboxes are solid, the music is repetitive, and there's very little enemy variation to give this game a good recommendation.

At best, this is a gift to someone that might like something to play for an hour or so.

This game is just terrible. The level design is uninteresting and bland and just feels like stuff randomly through together to try to get that Mario charm but it just misses the mark entirely. The physics are some of the worst in 3D platformers that I've played with your double jump feeling like it adds way too much momentum to sometimes not at all and I'll have done the same inputs. The gravity mechanic + the horrible camera left me feeling sick and just not want to 100% the game. The camera freezing mechanic isn't used all that much or I somehow did cubes without needing it. The bosses are a horrible joke and are just not fun to fight, they feel like a chore instead. Even on sale I wouldn't say get this game. Get something like Poi or A Hat in Time.

FreezeME is an enjoyable platformer overall, but I think it could be improved significantly with a little more development. There are lots of minor bugs and other annoyances which make this game harder to recommend.

Pros:
-the time-freezing camera is a novel addition, and makes you think outside the box for some challenges
-the worlds are all a decent size, filled and spaced out well, and generally fairly well-made
-most quests are fun and a little challenging
-camera is decent, so are the controls in general
-low system requirements
-steam controller worked out of the box without tweaking
-music/sfx are all on point

Cons:
-lots of bugs. Mostly small, with one big one (soft lock requiring game to be closed, unsaved progress lost)
-occasionally there's a cube which seems disproportionately difficult, or an overly punishing challenge which is a little out of sync with the rest of the game
-no way to tell which world your missing green pigcoins are located in, making 100% completion difficult
-no indicator for which time attack levels are already complete
-you always spawn at the center of the hub world, instead of near the level you just exited. You're ejected from the world after getting each cube, so... lots of unnecessary walking
-no development for years, so unlikely to get any fixes/improvements

If you do decide to give this game a chance, just make sure that you're realistic with your expectations. It has bugs, it has design flaws, and it's probably going to stay that way. I'd still recommend this game in spite of its problems, but only if you feel confident that you can see past them and enjoy this game for what it is.

Been meaning to give this gem a go for years now, and glad I did.
One of those retro revivals of 3D platforming games, FreezeME is a pretty faithful Mario 64 clone, even with a flight mode that controls like the Wing Cap did in M64. You control your buttery bullet in a myriad of open levels that beg for your exploration to discover all manner of collectables such as the arbitrary golden object of the day that opens up levels, and green coins that can be cashed in for more golden gizmos.

The game admitingly took some getting used to at first, but after messing around for a little while, it became mostly natural. However, this game is a little too faithful to M64 in the way that your character will shoot around a skid on everything, making some of the more precise moment of platforming a bit frustrating.

3 worlds and a final boss world await you, with a few micro-levels to add some extra challenge. To beat this game 100% and get all achievements only took around 13 hours to do, give or take. I personally find this to be an enjoyable little gem, and I encourage you to give it a whirl if you have a couple bucks clinking around.

P.S. It has a great soundtrack.

I really wanted to like this game, but the controls killed it for me. Controls are very important in a platformer and they just don't feel right at all. The game has some interesting ideas and I want to love it, but I can't with the way it controls now.

For 14 dollars this game is exactly what you would expect. It's neither great nor bad, it's simply good. If you enjoyed the 3D platformers of the 90's then this is a good pickup. I've beaten the main game (final boss) and still have yet to 100% everything but so far I've put in about 20 hours of some pretty solid gameplay. There are a few gripes here and there but nothing game breaking. My biggest qualm of this game is the amount of content, if you're looking for a game with many worlds to explore then this is not the one for you. There are only 3 worlds to explore, 4 if you count the final boss world, and while they do feel good and open there isn't a lot of substance there. None of the worlds feel like the first time time you loaded up Super Mario 64 and jumped into a painting for the first time. The level design isn't bad, just nothing really noteworthy.

All that being said for less than 15 dollars you really can't go wrong, if you got the money to spend and are in the mood for this type of game I'd say give it a go, especially with Yooka Laylee being the let down that it is. Good gaming, Folks!

Not all that fun, The game looks ugly with all that mess of colors

There was a moment where this game invoked some nostalgia for me for like... all of 10 seconds. but it soon died as this games drabness wore on me, It's not the WORST thing I've ever played but it wasn't all that fun to play The gimmick of freezing things felt more like a means of making the game easier rather then an interesting Gameplay mechanic, Even with a USB Controller the camera controls felt a bit clunky. it has to be set to manual or its a pain, even then you're always needing to adjust it, and aiming that little camera your character is holding feels weirder then it honestly should, This game also isn't too well optimized that even this 400$ computer can only handle it on minimum resolution with all the effects turned off, I'm surprised a computer like this can't handle a game this simple, All things considered,
I was hoping it would have been at least an ok game

Got a refund before it was too late

I want to love it so much. Everything about it is so so very right. The Mario 64 inspirations are there and beautiful. It is everything I want in so many ways

BUT

The controls just don't feel good. I'm not sure if this is something they are continuing to work on, but they are just not there. One of the things that made Mario 64 so tremendous was that the controls were incredibly smooth, and the camera was very smart. FreezeME, however, still has a certain clunky feel to the controls and leaves me feeling like I am fighting the camera half the time.

It is a really great 3D platformer with a joyous spirit if you are okay with the controls. (I've heard that some people find the KBM controls better, but a world in which Mario 64 must be played with a keyboard and mouse is a world that I reject.)

I am still happy that I purchased it, because I support the 3D platformer renaissance with all my heart, but the controls just are not there yet for me.

Great concept. Played enough to see 3 full levels and 4 single-action levels. Great level design, it could be a really fun game. Unfortunately, that "COULD" is based on two very simple things that have gone wrong.
1. Controls, particularly with a gamepad: The keyboard mappings are fine and make plenty of sense; however: any wall-interaction movement is appaling. Try to walk near a wall and you'll end up grabbing it for no reason, and when you want to grab it you'll keep running past the wall. Getting a wall-jump to register correctly is a test in patience (provided there's a floor for you to start again) and many platform jumps which look like a sure-footed landing may turn into a ledge-grab, or you just may fall off and have to backtrack a significant amount. Small movements to rotate in place to set up for a series of jumps don't seem to exist. In 2D sections (particularly single-action levels) 3D controls still rule; you can miss a wall jump very easily because the game things you're slightly moving in/out of the plane of movement. Which for purposes of a 2D level is impossible. I could go on
2. Camera. Requires a lot of manual moving as you play. Navigating small spaces, and the camera doesn't show you any hazards, falls, or anything around you; just a lot of environment that obstructs you.
Gosh. It could be a lot of fun. I really want it to be. But until the controls get cleaned up, the game feels like more of a chore.

As someone who has missed the bygone era of 3D platformers, I decided to give FreezeME a whirl and fortunately, I wasn't disappointed.

FreezeME pays homage to Rare's classic platformer Banjo Kazooie and Nintendo's Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy so people familiar with those series will feel at home with FreezeME. The worlds are big, bright and colorful with puzzles/tasks spread across each of them. People who have played Super Mario 64 will be familiar with completing individual tasks and being rewarded with a star for their troubles; it's the same premise with FreezeME but instead of stars, you're rewarded with golden cubes. The scope of the worlds is impressive with individual planets (al a Super Mario Galaxy style) reached by launching R from a cannon.

I was at first hesitant to make my purchase after reading other reviews and thoughts about the control system and mechanics. Controlling R certainly feels "heavy" and not as fluid as controlling Mario in Super Mario 64. Jumping and landing can be sporadic in places but controls, at least in my case, have began to grow on me and fortunately, it hasn't deterred my enjoyment from the game. The camera work is also not as refined though still adaptable with free reign to adjust camera options and predictability in the settings. I personally use an Xbox 360 controller's right stick to control the camera and hitting the "Y" button to center the camera behind R when needed.

The soundtrack is very bright and colorful; I'm fondly reminded of Grant Kirkhope's Banjo Kazooie effort and Koji Kondo's Super Mario 64 score. In no way does it grate on you and it's pleasant to listen to.

To conclude, FreezeMe is a good effort from an indie developer and while it certainly lacks the polish and fluid controls I had come to expect from Nintendo and Rareware platformers, you can't go far wrong with FreezeME for its price-point.

7/10.

("Too long, didn't read" person? Skip to bottom for conclusion.) ;-)

Back in the good, old days, we had classic after classc like Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot and Beyond Good & Evil. Then... nothing. Super Mario Galaxy was great, but it was also the last, awesome 3D platformer. We could debate whether SMG2 was better, but personally, I felt it was more a SMG 1.5, or expansion to Galaxy 1. It wasn't exactly as new and refreshing as SM64, SM Sunshine and SM Galaxy were. But nevermind that. Way off topic, sorry.

Ever since Super Mario Galaxy, I've wanted a new 3D Platformer, but no one has delivered. Mario was scrapped, returning to his 2D roots and the semi-2D Super Mario 3D World. Banjo was abandoned. Crash, uh, crashed. But just when all hope seemed lost, we got a game called FreezeME. True, the title is a bit generic and off-putting, and yes, it's an indie game from people you have probably never heard of. The main character doesn't even have a name, and the story is something generic like a dog being kidnapped. Something tells me it might be in another castle... hehehe.

But get past all that and take the game for what it really is, and you'll be well rewarded. We're talking a 3D platformer in the style of Super Mario and all those, and it's pretty darn good. It might no be the *best* game out there, and it's not the longest game out there. But what it is, is a very old-school, excellent 3d platformer with a whole lot of style, and, even more important, a whole lot of love put into it. This isn't a quick cash grab from greedy publishers who don't know what makes these games popular. This is a game by gamers, for gamers. A game that really shines with love. These guys aren't just games like you and me. These guys really love their games, and most of the time, it feels like this is a game by them, for themselves. A love letter to themselves, in a way. We are just fortunate enough to get to take part in this and enjoy the game for ourselves.

Too long, didn't read? Mario, Banjo, Crash, FreezeME. 'nough said.

What I would like to say is even though I'm rating this game negatively, there is potential here, but right now it's just way too buggy and lags too much even on the lowest graphical setting, but again, there is potential, and I wish nothing but the best to the game dev

I wish there were more of these games on Steam. FreezeME is a full Super Mario fix and plays well on the Steam Controller. Would I say it's perfect? No, but there's a lot it does right:

Pros:
-Surprising amount of professional polish to: area designs, menus, animations, etc.
-Great game layout as far as traditional Super Mario like game goals go. With bonus/challenge areas, revisiting same locations to get more challenging gold cubes, etc.
-Captures that Super Mario platformer "themepark" feel pretty much spot on. Where you can see all the challenges around you that makes you want to keep exploring more.
-Lastly, GREAT VIEW CAMERA. It doesn't try and get too smart and most importantly, it lets you flip the axis to what you like.

Cons:
-Freeze Camera aiming is a little weird/takes some getting used to. A more intuitive control scheme where the view stays in 3rd person, but auto locks onto the freeze camera target and back again might work better. Or t least make it a check box, so you can have either/or, depending on what works for the player. To me, it's weird moving a little tracer line around from whatever side angle your view happens to be at when you bring the camera out. Also, the aiming is a little dicey, it needs an acceleration curve or some kind of smoothing.
-Wish there was a sprint feature where you would start to run a little faster outside, like the LEGO games do in open world exploration areas.
-I wish the main character had a little more personality, the black haired glasses thing is fine, just a little too "Plain Jane" to stick in your mind and remember.

Overall though, I'm very happy with this game as a pretty good Super Mario fix, of which there are not many this true to form on Steam. I paid full asking price and would do it again.

FreezeMe is exactly what it promises to be: a 3D platformer in the style of the 90s era. Between all of its influences, the most noticeable are Super Mario 64 and to a lesser degree Super Mario Galaxy.

Instead of Gold Stars your main collectibles are Gold Cubes, there are 40 distributed around the game's 4 levels. Less important collectibles are Green Pig Coins, Screws, Red Pig Coins, most needed to 100% the game, they add a collectathon exploration and task solving to the experience.

The levels are enjoyable although a lack of variety can be noted, the challenges vary from very easy to very hard, which is good. The boss battle aren't really that great, but they are passable. The music is pretty on point to other entries in the genre.

Overall I had a blast playing it and it really helped with that 3D platformer dry we've all been experiencing the past years. I'd completely recommend it for any fans of the genre.

FreezeME is a truly wonderful homage to the great 3d platformers of yesteryear, and a fantastically fun game in its own right. Anyone who has played such classics as Mario 64, Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Galaxy will feel immediately at home with FreezeMe - and quite surprised, I think, with how well it matches their look, feel and quality.

As with the best Nintendo games, FreezeMe has a timeless age-spanning quality to it - it appeals to and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike due to its bright, joyful visuals and audio, accessibility and pure, refined gameplay mechanisms.

The game's camera is a little glitchy, occasionally clipping through objects and scenery in an unsightly way, but I think that this can be easily fixed by a patch (fingers crossed!)

It's shocking, quite frankly, how good this game is. I highly recommend it.

I post this after only a few hours in the game so keep that in mind. There is nothing wrong with the content in this game. The levels are huge sweeping playgrounds with tons to do. Some of the puzzles are a little humdrum, the majority of the platforming and objectives you have to go for are challanging and creative.

Sadly, the controls in this game need lots of polish. I frequently found myself glitching into the world geography and the controls are rather rigid, especially when considering the momentum and fluidity the game seems to want you to achieve.

Lots of what i have played so far has stayed fun after you get used to the controls, but there are some puzzles i found i had to abandon for the sake of my own sanity because of the shoddy tools the game provides, so buy with caution.

Note: Game was played on Xbox One Controller

I was really looking forward to this game and was very excited when I saw it released on steam. However, I was quite disappointed by the experience. Despite playing for only a short amount of time, what I had played was very off-putting.


My impressions of the game:

1. The controls and "feel" of the game:

Growing up I played a lot of other 3D platformers such as Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario, etc and I strongly believe that one of the reasons they are so highly acclaimed is because of their control scheme and character movement. In FreezeMe, I constantly became frustrated by the clunky movement and "heaviness" of the character. Perhaps this is intentional, but I found it both tedious and annoying. Good luck trying to perfom percise jumps with ease and fluidity.
Also, when trying to move the "Camera" to freeze objects or enemies, the inversion of the joystick made it so much more difficult than it should have been. There is not a fix to this as far as I know.

2. Level Design:

Yes, FreezeME is definitely a bright and colorful game with large environments to explore. There is no doubting that. However, I wouldn't say that numerous floating squares and other shapes in the sky that must be jumped on to progress is good level design. That, coupled with poor movement, left me pulling my hair out as a missed jump meant falling all the way back to the ground and having to restart my climb.

3. The Camera:

The game camera in FreezeME can be finicky at times but after messing around with the settings, I found a workaround.

4. Music:

From what I experienced, the music was well composed, but it was easy to see how the repetitiveness of the track (the first one at least) could get annoying.

5. Artwork:

As previously noted, the artwork of the game is quite enjoyable with bright, cartoony colors.


Overall, this game has the potential to be great but as the reasons state above, I cannot reccommend it at this point in time. If you were looking for the next Crash Bandicoot, Banjo-Kazooie, or Spyro, you, much like I, will be disappointed. I hope that these problems will be fixed in future updates.

5/10

It's a really nice game, reminds me of some good old N64 platformers. While this game is clearly inspired on Super Mario 64, it also reminded me a bit of Banjo-Kazooie and other Rare games from back then, and that's no small feat.

The puzzles are pretty good, and use well the unique abilities of the character. From the little I played, I can see there is a lot to find, and lots to do on each level.

The only negatives I can say about this are that the game can be a bit overwhelming at first, it kinda makes you read the whole text tutorial - without interaction or anything - to learn the basics. There is some strange camera jank/bugs, but nothing old platformers didn't also have.

Worth buying for the genre fans, for sure.

I would compare this to several games in the mario series, mostly 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy. It is a collecthon, I've found two main collectibles along with just regular "coins". You leave the world after collecting one of the "stars", and you can mostly collect them in any order that you wish, except for certain event ones, like how you couldn't race against Koopa the Quick when you chose Battle on Bo-omb Hill. Several moves like the somersault, wall jump, and dive work similarly to sm64, except that you can chain dives and the somersault covers way more distance. The number of collectibles though isn't techinally the same amount, there seems to be 40 "stars" and 80 "star pieces", with 10 of those giving you one star. Since you don't leave the world when you collect the star pieces, I can say you could probably complete this game faster then a run of 64 if you're very familar with platformers and "collectathons." I do recommend this game a bunch, though, as it is a great 3D platforming collectathon.