Cheerio, my good man, pip pip! The name is MoneySeize. Sir Reginald MoneySeize II, Esq. Now see here, chap, I am a man of good name and standing, and I require a befitting legacy. I merely want to construct the world's largest tower. It is for this reason, my well-buttered scone, that I seek your help playing this... what do the little people call it... ah yes, "platformer."
Simply use the [arrow] keys to make me crouch or move left and right. If I should have to jump, you'll need to hit the [S] key or the [space] bar. I know, my crispy little chocolate chip cookie, I know. An aristocrat such as myself shouldn't need to hop about from platform to platform dodging lethal beast and whirring saw blade like some lowly plumber. But though my coffers may be deep and considerable, even one such as I lacks the necessary 1000 coins of gold to construct the world's largest tower.
Scattered about the construction site are scads of doors leading to rooms holding treasure troves of gold coinage. I beseech you to employ your cat-like reflexes and razor sharp precision, my underdone chicken and pork dumpling, for though these rooms are filled with gold, they are also filled with more ways to die than I have secret Swiss bank accounts. And let's face it, my little folkloric eater of goats, I'm simply too well bred and important to die.
Analysis: Ahem. Hold on a moment, I need to rinse the taste of silver spoon out of my mouth. Ah, better. What to say about MoneySeize? Ah. Right. It's ridiculously hard. We're talking Meat Boy better watch out, because MoneySeize is bringing the A-game when it comes to testing the boundaries between really hard platformer and impossible platformer.
In truth, MoneySeize doesn't classify as impossible, though it can definitely feel like it much of the time. This is by Matt Thorson, author of An Untitled Story and the Jumper series, just to give you an idea of the pain to come. Even the very first set of levels serves up nice and meaty platforming challenges. Throw in the facts that in order to win, you have to get every single one of the coins in the game, and that everything is a one hit kill, and it is clear that this is designed specifically for the platformer adept.
Still, just being hard doesn't make a game good in the same way that sauce just being hot doesn't make it good hot sauce. Thankfully MoneySeize comes with lots of delicious flavor to go with the awesome heat. You are a fan of delicious flavor, right?
Retrogamers will no doubt love the big blocky pixels and delightful chiptune soundtrack. The vintage charm exuded by Moneyseize is so strong you may find yourself reaching for a cartridge to blow into. But fear not, the charm doesn't stop at the sights and sounds.
Any serious platformer needs a serious control scheme, and there is little to fault in MoneySeize. Some may not be thrilled with using the [space] bar to jump, but beyond that the controls definitely get the job done. Fast and loose, they still remain precise to the pixel.
Also, you can't talk platformer without discussing level design, and in MoneySeize, the level design just gets downright evil (in a good way). Thankfully, no single level is very long. In fact, they all cram themselves into a single screen, which means that you won't have to live with the frustration of making it so far just to die and have to start all over again from some arbitrary checkpoint. On the other hand, unless you are a freak of nature, you are going to die... a lot. The game design makes up for this, though, by giving you 40 levels (plus bonus levels) to play through. Bordering on a rage-quit on one level? No problem, just move on to a different level for a while. In the end, though, all the levels are fiendishly designed to push your platforming skills to their utmost limits.
Interestingly, MoneySeize also manages to be accessible to the less awe-inspiring platform gamer. This is a result of the fact that you can squirrel away your coin collection in bite size chunks. The game automatically saves your progress every time you exit a level, so you are quite free to pop through a door, grab one or two coins, and head out. You may need to be superhuman to collect all the coins of a level in one go, but we mere mortals are capable of nibbling away at it over time.
Overall, MoneySeize is great fun for fans of very challenging platformers. At the same time, its high degree of difficulty doesn't undercut its inherent charm and addictive qualities.
Thanks for sending this one in, Gryphon! Cheers!
Ummm... The review needs to mention that the game loads relatively slow.
You know the last Kongregate game (fat slice) did that to me too, but I gave up on that one
well, it has been 7 minutes and it hasn't loaded yet, hmmm
I don't get any kudos for suggesting this?
[Sorry about that. I added you to the thing, in the place where you should have been. Kudos! -Psychotronic]
Hmph, loaded for me rather quickly... I'm not really much of an expert when it comes to computers, but Firefox had no trouble with it...
I am the one having trouble with it, however... it is bloomin' hard. Perhaps a tad too punishing for my liking. Still, there is an undeniable bit of charm in here, so...
A few endgame questions:
1) How do I get the golden bird in Level 32? Is there some sort of trick? I can't even make it half the distance in the allotted time.
2) How do I get to
Secret Areas 7 and 8? I've gotten to 1-6 and 9, as well as Secret Area X, but 7 and 8 have eluded me. I figure they're located in other secret areas, but I can't for the life of me figure out which ones.
Yeah, loaded fine for me, and I don't have a fast modem...
When I first read the title, I read "Monkey Seize". =P
Fun game, but yeah bloomin' hard indeed. Got to level 7 before giving up, even though I could have gone to 8.
A question though; what are those birds for? In Level 1, I could only get 22/25, and I suspect the other 3 have something to do with the bird that flies out of the nest a couple of seconds after the game starts.
Please don't tell me I have to reach the bird before it flies away...
To Pixelated
Sorry, but YES. You have to reach the bird.
You know, the game is at the creator's site at http://mattmakesgames.com/games/MoneySeize/. It even offers a downloadable version, too!
Maybe this will help the slow loading problems everyone has...
Pixelated:
You have to double jump on the ledge, jump on the platform with the 2nd message bubble on it, double jump to the lower right corner of the platform where the door is, walljump right, walljump back left, land on the door platform, then double jump on the bird.
It's not as hard as it sounds. XD
I need help on level 3 with the chest on a big floating block, you can't wall jump up because there are spikes near the top.
I thought about using the blue bird enemy as a platform, but for some reason I can't make it. Getting close, though.
Well-buttered scone? Crispy little chocolate chip cookie? Underdone chicken and pork dumpling?
I say, good sir, I say.
I've gotten to the bird multiple times, but touching it does nothing. Do you have to jump on it before it moves?
According to the creator's site, some birds are on a timer, and some aren't.
The pink birds will fly away as soon as you jump on another creature.
The game doesn't have 1020 coins. it only has 1010. And 10 of them are bonus. Basically, change that line to 1000, not 1020.
[Sorry. My fault. I added the number 1020 for mysterious reasons, which we may never be able to fully comprehend. -Psychotronic]
I've gotten to level 10 so far, with 100% on 6 of them, and I realised one of the reasons why this is so difficult when I was trying to get to the bird on level 2. Figuring out how to get them is part of the game, so don't read this if you don't already know:
You have to get to it in a limited time, and without jumping on any enemies. But right at the end you have to make a jump where you go underneath an enemy. You can't just wait for him to move, or the bird flies away. He hit me about 10 times, sending me right back to the start. I eventually managed it. But in any other platformer it wouldn't be this difficult!
You always jump the same height in this game. In most games like it, you can tap the button for a short hop, or hold it for a full jump. But in the example I gave, you have to drop off a platform, then jump in midair, above a death pit, just to make a simple jump. It feels as though a basic platforming mechanic has been taken out just to make the game harder.
What's more likely is that the developer just didn't think of it, but either way it makes the game harder to enjoy when it seems to be aimed at people who play a lot of these games, yet then takes away one of the tricks they rely on.
Their are better ways to make a game hard, like maybe implementing this mechanic and then having different jumps that require precise timing on how long to hold the jump button.
...
I'm going to keep playing though. The level design is pretty good :P
Yay, I love Matt's games! Even though they make me pull my hair from frustration.
And this one just might as well be called Jumper 4. Especially since the fat rich dude handles exactly like Ogmo.
neon flame:
Having played (I think) all of Matt Thorson's other platformers, I can assure you that the absence of variable jump height isn't a thoughtless omission, but rather a deliberate design decision. He has made a lot of platformers; in some, you can control jump height (An Untitled Story, FLaiL), while in others you can't (Jumper series). Which is "better" is, I suspect, largely a matter of personal preference.
I actually prefer a fixed jump height. Although it means you have less control, it also means you have one less way to screw up. I like being able to just tap the jump key, then focus on timing my double-jump, rather than having to hold the jump key long enough to get the full height, then quickly press it again. It also feels somewhat unintuitive and unphysical to me to be able to change your jump height after you've already left the ground. Plus, you can just imagine the fiendish obstacles he could (and WOULD) put in a game like this if you had to use split-second precision not only in -when- you press jump, but for how long.
Actually, there are three birds.
The yellow bird flies away after a certain amount of time.
The green bird flies away as soon as you double jump.
The pink bird flies away as soon as you kill an enemy (but other birds are okay).
You can take your sweet time reaching the green and pink ones. A lot of stages have more than one bird, of course.
As for secret levels 7 and 8:
The door to secret level 7 is in secret level 1, and the door to secret level 8 is in secret level 7.
Also, if you think this game is hard, try playing Jumper. And if you think Jumper is hard, try playing Dim. (Yes, both are by the same author and on his website.)
@Sheer_Cold
From the start, skid jump to the right, wall jump to the left, double jump to the right, now you're stadning on the chest.
Bird spoilers ..
Yellow:
Hates slowpokes.
Green:
Hates double-jumpers.
Pink:
Hates violence.
Wow, I posted that comment WAY before and it only appeared now. Weird.
minmay's comment with a URL is broken and now all the text in every following comment is linked to that same URL.
[Edit: Fixed. Thanks. -Jay]
Also, I just figured out that the premise for this game is taken from Tingle's Rosy Rupee Land.
Played this on Kongregate yesterday, but just couldn't be bothered to play for very long.
This is A LOT more difficult than it first appears. I'm not a skilled gamer in any stretch, but I've already died 18 times ... Level 2! I like the concept but its just too much of a headache for me.
Why took you guys here at JIG so long to review this game? I mean, it's been out for days. I always know when these games come out 'cause I like to keep updated. I guess you guys here have so many reviews to do that you don't have time to look when new games from popular developers come out.
Arkatox - the game has been out for only 2 days. We are not a link blog, we write reviews.
That being said, we were aware of the game upon release, and were playing and discussing it immediately.
We already had our Link Dump Friday feature scheduled for Friday, and our weekend download game reviews ready to go as well (we limit our download reviews to weekends, and browser games mainly to weekdays). We squeezed this review in just as soon as our schedule permitted it.
PS: cut us some slack, plz. kthxbai.
Yeah, I know, I was a little quick to comment. I should've thought about it.
With the really long reviews (plus the fact that you have to beat the game before you review) it should be expected.
Awesome, thanks for understanding! ^_^
haha Jay, that "P.S." is best.
Oooops. Sorry about the link. That error wasn't visible until someone else commented.
Am I the only one having trouble with the controls?
On the opening screen with the doors, all I can do is run forward to the small wall and then he seems to get stuck. I can't jump, I can't go backwards, he won't move at all.
Am I being completely stupid and doing something fundamentally wrong?
anybody have any recommendations for getting to the yellow bird on level 8? I'm going as fast as seems possible but I still can't reach it.
Wow, I finally got it after 108 deaths. It IS that hard. Basically, get to that bird as recklessly as you can through all of those spikes.
The level design is really clever. Level 40 is the best example: every jump is just a pixel away from being impossible. I died over 350 times in that level... Also, I managed to get all 1010 coins, with 2285 deaths. Not a bad score, if you ask me.
Also, has anyone noticed the huge floating Ogmo in the background of Secret 9? |O.o|
Aaargh, can anyone figure out how to get the last coin on level 12? The one in the upper right-hand corner which appears after the un-stable blocks dissapear? I can get the coin, but how to I beat the level?
stevedave: Try landing on just the one box that leaves the coin, without disturbing the other one. Let yourself fall into the coin, then air-jump onto the remaining box.
This is one of those games that's really well designed, but after a while of playing when you get to the later levels, you realize that it's tricking you into thinking that it's fun. The way the level design works, you frequently end up with a level that's designed in two separate parts, where the first part is a really time-consuming portion of it. You want to (and will of course need to) practice the next portion, but when there's a good delay between attempts because you must navigate some first part (and god help you if it's difficult and you're still failing at that a good bit), it eventually occurs to you that you're primarily playing a portion of the game that isn't really a GAME anymore, it's just replaying something by rote so you can get an occasional stab at a next section.
I get it, it's supposed to be difficult, but it's different when it's one whole, difficult level, instead of several mini-levels tacked onto each other. Frankly, I think that it was partly a compromise to deal with the fact that all the levels are the same size, with puzzles to fill space. Was this a necessary choice?
I really want to like this, but I feel like this game is wasting my time-wasting.
I agree with that, JIGuest. I think the level design is mostly terrific, but there are a few levels where it's just too frustrating to have to go through that first half over and over, sometimes hundreds of times, just to fail again on the second part. I want to start at the second part.
The green bird on 19, for instance, can bite me. Also level 38.
Some sort of system of checkpoints might have been nice, but it would have to damage the purity of the concept a bit.
It's too frustratingly hard to be any fun. I gave up after the first dozen levels.
Thanks for the Kudos :)
Seriously, I can't find any secrets level other than secret 1
And 7. Anyone?
Secret level 4 is
in level 25, on the leftmost edge, in the "cup" of sawblades
. Haven't found any of the others yet.
Fun game so far. I really like those semi-impossible platformers, like N+, meat boy, I wanna be the guy. It's fiendishly hard, but luckily you can save after every teensy bit of progress.
Managed to get 100% on levels 1 through 16 so far but it doesn't get easier. xO
Don't really know whether I'm going to finish this one. I really like hard platformers but that's just a bit over the top.
Only gotten 100% on 3 levels: Lvl 2, 4 and 18.
For the life of me, can anyone figure out how to get to that green bird in Level 10? Ok, so I get to the door without double-jumping, but I can't find anyway to then get upto his nest without double-jumping. Any help?
And I can't find even the first secret level either v_v.
Green bird at level 10
You got to skid-jump to get on the ledge.
Is there anyway to save my coin progress without reaching the door? 'Cause this doesn't make the game any different to me. I can die before reaching the door and lost all my cions from the level.
I've gotten 100% on most levels before and several after, but both 16 and 18 are obscenely hard. Anybody have any suggestions?
Whew. This game is HARD. Every time it seems like something is impossible, it just takes more time. I have over 650 deaths on one level! I've found you just perfect one step after another until muscle memory takes over.
On the one hand, yes, there are definitely frustrating parts to do over and over. On the other hand, some of these levels seem to be masterfully built, and it can be VERY satisfying to have finally conquered a particularly difficult one.
Dylan: it automatically saves when you go back to the map screen. So just press shift after you die.
@stevedave - what specifically are you having trouble with?
If you having trouble with the right side of 18, make sure that as you're landing on the springs, you're moving to the side to get out of the way of the spikes.
I tried that, but it didn't save the number of coins I collected, and when I came back, the coins are still there.
It often counts it as a double-jump when I just tap the button once. This is a really frustrating bug, especially when I'm trying to get the green parrot.
Sorry Dylan, I read too fast and misunderstood your comment. No, unfortunately there is no way to keep your coins without reaching the door. So no suicide runs. I often found it helpful to ignore certain coins temporarily; go for the easier challenges to get a feel for the level, then when you're feeling more confident go for some of the out-of-the-way ones. Grab one group, go for the door, then go through again and get another.
I need help with the yellow birds on 30, 32, and 39. I watched a video walkthrough of level 39 and I'm pretty sure the bird leaves earlier in my game than it does in the video, which is strange... I've 100%'ed everything else except those three levels.
Gah! I'm so sick of this bug! I've died more than 50 times in level 25 because it WON'T DOUBLE JUMP after I get through the first five barrels.
Ah! I figured it out. I don't know if this is a bug in the game, or a problem with flash in linux, but if I hold in an arrow key while I'm in a barrel, there's a delay after it shoots me out between when I press a key and when the game responds.
I have no idea how to get the secret levels. Where are they?
Old School gameplay at it's best!
Since any single run will last under 2 minutes, how come I've been at it for hours?
Any help on level 33? I can't manage the jumps to reach the green switch...
@ LodeRunner
Level 33:
You need to skid-jump off the first single disappearing block. It took me a lot of tries, but I finally managed it.
Really good game, I've managed 100% on 30 levels so far (1-29 and 33), the last ones are very frustrating! Though so were some of the earlier ones but very satisfying when I finally completed them :)
Finally finished level 30. Took me 593 deaths - getting that bird is HARD!
Here is how to get the level 3 chest.
You need to get it on the side you start on. Now he mentions the skid jump on that level, so I would start on the place you start on. Now skid jump to the right (you run left and jump right) and at the peak of your jump, wall jump, double jump again at the peak, and then you should make it. Don't wall jump a third time.
how do you get to the bird in level 8?!?
i died 34 times trying to get to it
I loved the Meat Boy reference, since I got every band-aid on Meat Boy, then proceeded to play this and on Kongregate commented on how much harder it was. Hope to still beat this though.
945 coins and im stuck on level 40! need help!!
Level 5 help, please.
I remember playing this three summers ago, and it was really fun. I think I might try to replay it now.
I'm at 683 coins... I think I'll give up for now.
Update