Nitrome's latest "weird critter" physics arcade game has arrived in the form of Canopy, a mouse-driven title about a hungry monster with enormous hands who swings through the trees, searching for delicious fruit to squish. (Look, we already said it was weird.) The goal is to get to the, uh, goal at the end of each level by climbing through the trees, avoiding enemies and grabbing fruit for bonuses. The creature's hands follow your mouse; just click on a nearby branch to grab on, and the other hand will release, allowing you to climb and swing through the trees. Just be careful; there are other nasty creatures lurking in the limbs, and three hits and you're done for. It ain't all just monkey-bars gymnastics, however; you'll need to learn how to shake the tree you're in to propel yourself higher or lower (you can even shake the trees to dislodge hanging fruit and enemies for points!), how to handle different climbing materials, and more.
Canopy just might be the all-around strangest game Nitrome has put out in a while, but darned if it won't make you smile. From the energetic, toe-tapping soundtrack to the bouncy gameplay, to the adorable visuals and sound-effects Canopy is feel-good cute candy for the soul. If it doesn't make you melt a little every time our hero lets out a delighted Wookie grrrrroooonk! every time he reaches the end of a level, well, we just don't know what to say. The springy gameplay can be a little difficult to master; if you try to move too quickly, the movement can feel too snappy and unpredictable, and figuring out how to bounce yourself higher by shaking takes practice. Combine that with how tricky some objects can be to grab while you're moving, and the way just being within breathing distance of the ground or an enemy can count as a hit, and some players may find the game too frustrating to handle. If you can get the hang of things, however, and you'll discover just how creative and fun the game can be. The amount of different content in terms of environment and things to climb on is really impressive, and shaking startled bugs out of trees is never not amusing. Canopy is a game that requires a little time and patience to master, but it's a remarkably endearing and enjoyable little bit of creativity that you'll want to try at least once.
I enjoyed this one, even if the shaking to reach distant branches was at times very difficult to do. Persistence pays off.
The soundtrack was one of few I've really enjoyed from Nitrome. This one feels like a classic Mario theme with a western twangy flair to it. :)
One of Nitrome's most creative games for a while. Very enjoyable, the art and music are fantastic, as always.
I agree that trying to reach branches out of reach can be a little annoying, but never 'I'm-going-to-throw-a-brick-through-my-monitor' annoying.
Nice review :)
Just the newest of Nitrome's wonderful games. I love their characters.
this was the 'please accidentally click our links' game. the window was way to small and trying to swing while clicking made it too easy to mis-click.
I only just noticed that Nitrome's 3 games before this one were all sequels.
This one is what I think Nitrome should do more of: large characters. Not tiny little concrete blocks in Rubble Trouble and Steamlands, not pixelated office guys in Office Trap, not tiny thin platforms in TS series.
And it was very 'please accidentally click our links'.
That factor is my only negative point. I love everything else :)
Good work Nitrome!
Wow! Level 8 was a super long crazy stage!! those stupid wheels. It was way too long
I agree with fattywads. I can't get past level 4, not because of the enemies or the flower stems, but because by the time i make any progress i accidentally click on a link. its rather frustrating.
How do you get past level 5? there's nothing to grab onto after that third slippery branch that comes down :(
I keep getting a section of screen on level 12 that's white and says "null". I have latest Flash Player, using Google Chrome on Windows XP Home SP3. It's making 12 very difficult to beat. Any ideas?
I'm having the same problem as fattywads and Nester64. On top of that,
when holding on to the super-short flower in Level 4, if I shake too hard my Wookie hurts himself on the ground. Frustrating!
GRR. This is one of those infuriating ones (as mentioned before) where you are constantly clicking on the links that absolutely surround the tiny game window. Trying to get through level 4 and keep clicking on the top 5 game links and starting a different game. Not going to be able to continue playing.
I was able to overcome the frustration of level 4, only to reach the frustration of the last level. If you somehow fall there is absolutely no chance of you getting back up onto the vines.
On a positive note, level 19 (although I had already took two hits before I knew what was going on).
People who know me know that I praise Nitrome's games. Every time I comment on one of their games, it will be positive, even if I believe the game is a little less than satisfactory. That being said, let me continue by saying that this game is BAD. I always wait to complete the game before posting my opinions so that I can look at the game as a whole, and this game is no exception. The gameplay gets old after the first five levels, the soundtrack is annoying, and levels are long to the point where I find myself playing the same level for a long period of time. I get the feeling that this game wasn't in any way directed towards Nitrome fans.
This game was really enjoyable. But then, my fav. game by Nitrome must be Chisel 1+2. Felt the steering was perfect annoying and/or intuitive. Just tap the mouse button repeatedly and you're shure to get a grab on something. Also, the flower and slippery levels were probably the best. Rodeo all the way to goal. Great game.
it's cute but not easy to play w/ a wacom pen.
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