Rising Islands

While I can see a good game in here, it's far too amateurish for me to recommend. I will keep an eye on this dev, because I want them to improve.

tl;dr : game is unoptimized, can freeze your computer and potentially damage your hardware. i personally can't play this game anymore as i think it's risky for my hardware. it's unity-made and everything about it is cheap and unoriginal. there's not much reason to avoid playing it if it runs fine for you though and there's a demo so can try that. i still mark it as not recommanded due to its bugs and overall cheapness and clunkiness

i bought it a while ago and just ran it for the first time. my graphic card that should be way enough to handle this game roared like it was bringing apocalypse with 100% GPU usage, fans running at 3000RPM, the CPU goes nearly to 100°C. and the game locked my computer for 1-2 minutes after changing the graphics presets (it's from a list of presets only in the options menu) when i wanted to close it. edit : even running the game with default "fastest" preset and default antialiasing turned off, the game makes the hardware cringe. i can run black desert online with everything maxed in remastered mode at 60 fps and that one's known for being unoptimized.

as for the game itself it's an unity-made game, a very unpolished one and it's actually much worse than what's displayed on the screenshots and trailers. everything is cheap ; the graphics, the animations, the story, the dialogs, the character's movements, the camera being PS1 era level of bad etc. the game looks rather decent even if unoriginal, basically it's a game where you use an ability on the go to make some elements appear and other disappear and it's switched every time you use it and you gotta use that to run around and finish levels

Nice music. Ok visuals. Subpar perfomance and gameplay.

Is fun at first until you get to the last 3 levels. They have moments that are a bit eyerolling and almost take the fun out of the game. Platforming requires too much precision sometimes and gets placed at somewhat unexpected times during the game.

Overall I did somewhat enjoy it but a game like this shouldn't cost $10 and I'm saying that as someone who got it on sale for $1.

Rising Islands is a 3D Platformer focused on fast gameplay optimized for speedrunning.
You run through the 13 levels with the goal to reach the end of the levels.
Your character owns the ability to change colors which makes you able to stand on certain platforms, grind on certain rails, walk up certain walls, you get the gist of it.
The platforming feels nice but sadly the game is really short. You'll finish it in about 1.5 h.
The cutscenes also are really boring because there is no music and also no voice acting.

Still if you like fast platforming games, you might like this game.

Rating:
Gameplay: 3/5 - Some bugs, but it feels good
Level Design: 3/5 - Standard
Soundtrack: 3/5 - Standard
Story: 1/5 - Boring and uninteresting
Graphics: 3/5 - Pretty
Length: 2/5 - Very short only 1.5 h
Replay Value: 3/5 - Speedrunning challenges
Enjoyment: 4/5 - I really liked it

Very casual parkour 3D platformer. I enjoyed it (3h of gameplay for 100% achievements). Don't expect too much, technically it looks like a PS2 game but gameplay is actually quite good with a bit of a challenge in some parts. Gamepad is highly recommanded. Current price of 10$ is not appropriated in my opinion, it's more a 3-4$ game, so get it when on sale, and there's a demo on the store page to get an idea. 6.5/10

I went into this game a bit hesistant since it currently has a mixed rating on steam. I enjoy 3d platformers and good 3d platformers are really hard to come by so I figured I would give it a shot when it went on sale, I'm really glad I did.

This game is not a collectathon style 3d platformer like so many games in the genre are, despite the fact that it is 3d, the levels themselves are very linear, there is virtually no exploring other than running to a random corner to find hidden gems which don't do anything other than unlock an achievement. In my opinion this is a good thing, and rather than focus on exploring every nook and cranny, the gameplay is solely focused on solid platforming.

Platforming in this game is a lot of fun, the controls are simple and responsive and the camera is surprisingly good for such a low budget title, and it will rarely get in the way. Your main character can switch between red and blue, when you are red, then you have access to various red pathways(walls you can climb on, rails you can grind on, platforms to jump on etc) but you will also be susceptible to red hazards such as landmines, gears, and electrical fields, while you will be safe from blue hazards but unable to access blue pathways. With a touch of a button, the world is reversed. Platforming involves some fairly tricky sections where you are forced to quickly switch colors as you jump through and around red and blue environments.

The platforming is fast, a ton of fun, and it feels really satisfying to traverse the environment. The challenge level in this game is just right, you will die, but you will rarely get frustrated, checkpoints are everywhere, and every time you complete a tricky section you will hit a checkpoint so you almost never need to redo a part that may have frustrated you. The game is on the short side, 13 levels which took me about an hour and a half to beat which is not bad but if you feel like that is too low playtime for $10 then wait for a sale.

I have seen many reviews criticize the story, and I have to say that is probably the dumbest criticism ever levied against a game like this. Yes, the story is nonsense, but it does not get in the way, and this is a 3d platofrmer, they virtually always have a throwaway story, why should a game of this budget get held to a higher standard then the greatest 3d platformers ever made(yes, Mario, I'm looking at you).

Overall, rising islands is a great game and is well worth your time if you enjoy platformers, wait for a sale if you feel like $10 is too much for a short game but definitely do not overlook this game.

Really nice Baseline Idea of Gameplay, absolutely poor execution.

-> the camera is randomly spinning wildly, or completely bugging into objects (even in cutscenes)
-> half the Dash Jumps go randomly in a completely ridiculous Direction
-> the graphics are ridiculously low in comparison to for example the main character

For Fun: 4/10
For Completing: 7/10

Summary: If you just want to get some easy achievements, this is the game to do it in. If your looking for a game with good plot, solid graphics and long enough to savor the game, then look else where.

I played the game 100% and I had high hopes for it when I got it, when I played through it I discovered it wasn't that great. I loved the concept and how cool some of the sound and visuals were, but that didn't hold up to bad plot and PS2 graphics. Most of the game is a breeze with only a few points of difficulty and the rest is bad controls. The sad part is that this game had so much potential to become something way better if the creator kept adding to the game and perfecting it.

If you have the 90% off coupon or want an easy game to complete, grab this game. I even made an achievement and crystal guide for the game to make it easier for anyone who wants to complete it. If you don't want to complete it or have the coupon, then its not worth your time.

You run/jump along walls while shifting between a red and a blue dimension(?) to collect gems, avoid traps, and reach the goal.

Rising Islands is short, has some occasional awkward controls and wonky camera angles, as well as a couple of bugged out cutscenes.

Despite all that, I still enjoyed the ~90 minutes that it took me to beat the game, so I'd say Rising Islands is worth the dollar that I paid for it.

Just don't get it at full price.

Bought it at 90% in a steam sale, I remember playing it ages ago at EGX 2016 and thinking it was really good fun so I was kind of skeptical of all the negative reviews. I couldn't even load it. First it would say "Couldn't switch to requested monitor resolution" after playing around with the local files compatibility settings it would start up but I couldn't see it (I could hear the music but there was no game) closing the application would result in a crash which advised me to send to the developers, which I intend to do.

I really don't no what to say except avoid or at the very least try the demo first.

Don't make my mistake.

I honestly say that I tried to enjoy this game. It seems like a fun game but there are a few issues that cause me to not want to play any more than past the 3rd level. Keep in mind i used KB/M for my experience.

-Bugs. One specific one I've noticed is in level selection. You go in, can't select your level, exit out, go back in and can select it again. Easy bug to go around, not a big deal but on top of other things it's quite annoying.

-Incorrect tutorial prompts. One specifically that tells you to use Shift+Space to wallrun, coming from Cloudbuilt, that makes sense. In reality to wallrun all you have to do is have shift held when near a wall. If you try to press space when around a wall, you'll immediately jump off, caused quite a few unnecessary deaths. Admitidly so, it is partly my fault for not fixing my habits, but the game tells you how to do an integral part of the game incorrectly.

-Camera. The camera work is absolutely terrible. For the three levels I did play, it felt like I was constantly fighting the camera to see where i wanted to look. I even changed my mouse's settings for max DPI and it still felt like the camera was constantly trying to snap back to where I wasn't trying to look. It's hard to explain, but it felt like it kept pushing back towards the MC's line of sight. With lots of corners and trying to move fast, fighting with the camera isn't something I want to have to do.

-Respawn. I have three points with this one, the first is that there is no quick respawn. You have to wait for the whole scene for the MC to die, even if you know you've missed a jump, you don't have a button to just respawn. The second is that there is no key locking while respawning, after the screen turns dark you can move from the respawn point, changing the camera angle, and changing from red to blue or vice versa. Lastly you keep the same camera angle that you had when you died. If you took a 90 degree turn before you died because there was a corner before the next checkpoint, you respawn facing a wall or a cliff, if you missed your jump and tried to salvage it because theres no quick respawn and you end up dying facing the wrong way, you start facing backwards. Minor complaint, but on top of fighting with the camera, it's quite annoying to come back like that.

I'd say it was rather fun to play. It's a pretty short and easy game despite some tricky jumping places.
In fact there is one particular location with falling platforms - and it's $#&% awful.
I made this freaking combo-jump like in 100 attempts or so.
Maybe due to camera angles, or maybe there are issues with platforms speed or something.
However, I still recommend the game if it comes with a price-drop.

---
В русской аннотации сказано "игра-приключение, в которой нужно не только сражаться, но и быстро соображать".
Это ложь, т.к. сражаться за всю игру надо чуть менее чем 1 раз.

I will definately give creds for a cool 3D Platformer game but the controls in this game are clumsy. I loved the artworks and the enviroment of the game, it was interesting and all that but I don't seem how this game really is that great. It's a bit short for 10 dollars. I have 2 hours gametime and I finished the game just so I could unlock all of the Achievements. Unfortonately I can't refund. Main reason why I dislike the game is because the controls are clumsy and the camera is awkward aswell.

Pros

Cons

When to buy

3.0/10

Summation:

List of problems:

• Definitely need to test the game with people before releasing it.
  
• The cutscene after acquiring a powergem is not needed for each one.
  
• Cutscenes can have lingering animations from the last frame which looks amusing.
  
• Often times clicking with the mouse does not select an option.
  
• When you respawn, if you run in any direction other than forward the camera snaps to that direction.
  
[*]While I understand camera angles are very difficult to get right, the camera often times does more harm than good.

This is one of those games whose trailers look a lot more appealing than the game itself actually is. What is present has some care put into it, and has a good concept overall, however the execution is pretty bare bones. When similar titles i.e. any Prince of Persia cost a similar amount and are made with more polish (such as character models, or music -the same music track repeats often in this game-) it's hard to recommend this. If you look at the trailers for the game closely, there is very limited actual gameplay shown, I think this is because the lack of polish would begin to show relatively quickly. While you're running along and flowing with the levels is fine enough, but the concept of "shifting dimensions" similar to the game Outland or Ikaruga begins to wear thin early. Simple cutscene animations attempt to weave an intricate storyline, however their bland presentation fails to invest the player toward much.

The game feels like it's still in early access in many ways, from the bland UI to the poor translation, it feels almost as if it were developed on a limited budget for ios. Some may find it enjoyable but I found myself with immediate buyer's remorse after actually playing it for a bit opposed to the expectations the trailers had crafted.

I think the game has a good premise for a story and the mechanic is an old and fun one but the way the game currently controls and how janky it plays makes the game frustrating more than fun.

I dont know if this is exclusivly me but the issues i had were:
1. Unresponisve controls. (sometimes it changes colors when you want it to sometimes it wont.)
2. Akward camera. ( hard to see what is coming up sometimes and thats important in a game where you need to know whats going to happen in 2 seconds.)
3. level select glitch. (might have been exclusive to me but for every level i had to enter the world level selector then leave and re enter it every single time.)
4. very slow "fast-pasted" action. ( Since the controls are as funky as they are the levels feel more like a drag rather than the smooth and quick pace i presume the designer is going for.)

So currently not worth getting maybe if things get patched it might be worth the buy but otherwise boring and irritating platformer as is.

A fun, fluid Platform game. I tried it at an event, and bought it on the spot I liked it so much.

The game is based around a simple mechanic - shifting between two different colour dimensions, red and blue. You can only interact - for better or worse - with anything in the same dimension as you. This means you can make floors dissappear, create paths to run along, or dodge an explosion by shifting between the two.

Built on top of this is a parkour platformer, with fluid, intuative controls, and a wonderful "Lost World" asthetic.

about the only minor issue is the automatic camera doesn't always follow you, but easially fixed with full manual camera control always availiable on the second stick. Controller is highly recommended for this game

Perfect if you liked the time trials in mirror's edge, the polarising mechanic in Ikaruga or pretty much any part of CloudBuilt. Great for SpeedRunners.

Nice "flow" in this game. It rewards quickness and having your eyes on where you are going rather then on where you are - similar to when riding a bike or running. That is something I like a lot about this game

Quite enjoyable while perhaps a bit short if you don't like time trials.

There were some graphical glitches and a couple of areas where you can get stuck but mostly it didn't matter much.

Some parts are a lot harder than others but overall a nice game, and if you like Time Trial you can probably get a few more hours from it.