RATINGS
HOW THE GAMES ARE GRADED?
"The words Mason, what do they mean?!" - Reviewing anything is always subjective. With enough reviews, you, the reader, can get a feel for whether what the reviewer likes aligns with you. But to make this process a little easier, it is good to know what the words actually stand for. Here, on Tiny Gaming, I'm using a descriptive, 6-scale grading system:
An outstanding achievement. A game that will stick with you, likely forever. Masterpiece is not a perfect game as this is an unreachable standard, but it comes as close to a perfect game as anyone could dream of. A masterpiece can be a title that redefines a genre, makes a new one, or uses established formulas in such an impeccable manner that nothing can top it.
What's written on the tin! A great game does many things more than just right - it can have an impeccable story, superb visuals, an amazing soundtrack, or fresh and innovative mechanics. But it doesn't have every aspect of it polished to the highest degree, landing just a bit short of a proper masterpiece. It still stands above its peers, but not to such a titanic degree to put it on a pedestal.
A perfectly fine game. It might not have more than one element of its design standing out in some exceptional fashion, but everything is done well. It's good across the board, a pleasure to play, but you won't be exactly in awe of any of its elements, nor try to talk about it to all your friends for weeks after you're done with it.
Not much to add here - it's solid. It's a game. You can play it. You can even enjoy it, and have a solid bit of fun. But - And it's a big But! - it doesn't do anything special or unique. It doesn't cross the line of excellence in any of its aspects. It's run-of-the-mill, a rudimentary example of its genre. Nothing wrong with that! Sometimes just having a competent game of its kind is more than enough to have a good time. But I doubt this one will stay in your memories for long.
Missed the mark. It can be attempting something new, but sadly, didn't stick the landing. Or it can be a very baseline example of its genre, without anything standing out at all, barely just reaching the average level of competence and fidelity amongst its peers. Mediocre to the max, and happy to swim in the muck of its mediocrity.
I'm sorry. You've tried. Making video games is a tough challenge, riddled with obstacles and hurdles to overcome, and it seems that sadly you've stumbled over one of them. A lackluster game with obvious issues, be it technical and game-breaking or of simple lack of quality in many fields of the game. Hopefully your next project will be better!