A new game from JP at Pepere.org has graced the internet today, and this time it's an ultra-sleek motion puzzle game with a built-in level editor. Capsules is a simple game where you must maneuver an orange shape around red obstacles in order to reach blue spheres throughout the stage. The levels are remarkably unique and bend the formula in every possible way. One look at the game and you can feel JP's distinct style and flair for game design. And the gameplay is elegant enough to trap almost any player that wanders by.
Capsules is a very easy game to play and a very difficult one to master. Making it through the levels requires a mixture of speed, patience, a steady hand, and luck. Sometimes you can carefully map out your path then fling the cursor across the screen to the goal. Sometimes all you can do is sit, wait and watch. And some levels you'll have to try dozens of times before you get it right. All part of the learning process. Keep in mind that the faster you are the higher your score will be!
Play through the game's official levels first by clicking the green arrow just above the game screen. After you get the hang of the physics, register at Pepere.org and you can create your own levels with the editor. Levels can be saved or shared through custom URLs, and a favorites system pushes the best to the top of the list.
Analysis: I always enjoy JP's games if for nothing more than their presentation. Capsules has a very clean, smooth look to it, almost like I'm playing the game on a computer... in the future! As usual the idea is simple but implemented with finesse. I really like the "mouse out" feature that ends the level if you move the cursor outside of the game screen. I go a little crazy with the mouse, sometimes...
My one bone to pick with the official levels is that they get a bit too hard too quickly. Yes, it's a good way to learn the game's mechanics, but it might scare off some of the more casual players on the web. Stick with it and learn the ropes, though. You won't be disappointed.
The editor and game engine for Capsules was developed with Flash 8, while a combination of Javascript and AJAX forms the level management section. It's a simple, challenging, stylish and addictive game that will only get better as the community grows.
For more Pepere.org goodness, check out a few of our favorite games from the site: Ringmania, Ringmania 2, and Soccer Challenge.
No. I mean it looks beautiful & looks like it'd be a fantastic game, but,
no. I can't even do level 1 without dying. Am I supposed to dodge for 5 minutes till something drastically changes so I can actually grab the blue sphere? That's not "playing", that's work.
sounds stupid, but... how do I start this? all I see is a pink square with the capsules logo flashing the different letters, and the little site symbol at the bottom of the box. is there some sort of hidden start button? >.<
btw Jay, awsome site. just got round to signing up =)
oh, nevermind. i'm blind, or must be close ito it. didn't see the "play official levels" button :P
Oops, spoke too soon. Kinda tricky finding out if you were successful or not. I'm on level 4 now.
This game, unfortunately, doesn't let people with low framerates save their score. This isn't so bad, except for the fact that it will not progress to the next level unless your score is saved. So I'm stuck on level 3.
Thats thing is very frustrating.
First I took me aons to figure out how to start the game (is this the new cool webdesign, you take much longer to find anything?)
Then level 1, very lucky win. Level 2 you can rush through at the very start, but it is very depressing.
And whats so web 2.0 about this all? That the level jump code is not inside the flash but in the html? Now that gives which advancement except trying to be cool?
If you want something good html-javescript+flash just point at gpokr or kdice.
I had similar game in youth. I was killing hours playing with it
I can't get past level 3. No, I'm serious, the level with the spinning maze is IMPOSSIBLE for me. I can get to the exit easily, but a "low framerate" sign always pops up. All 47 times.
Argh! Two words: INSANELY difficult. I'm up to "Assasins" .. I must've tried it fifty times already to no avail.
The "mouse out" feature is nice, but the zero tolerance factor really gets on my nerves, particularly since the orange blob isn't stuck to the cursor - it follows with some delay. Which means if you need to get somewhere fast, you'll be flinging the mouse and waiting for the blob to catch up - but if you fling just a pixel past the edge, you get a mouse out even though the blob is nowhere near out of bounds. Adding a buffer region would make life a lot simpler.
Also, the game really becomes more frustrating than fun very quickly. Not a good formula if you want to keep people coming back, I think...
I agree. It pretty hard. I think I'm on level 5, and it would have been a good deal more fun if they would have ramped up the difficulty a little slower!
Hmmm I can't figure out how to start this game...
It says "start the game above" but I don't see any button or option to do this :-(
Not too thrilled about this game either. I could echo all the above comments, and there is one more thing: game over on mouse-out? What the heck? I start to think that perhaps there is a good reason why such a feature has not been implemented in other games before. :-)
The low-contrast, hard-to-read messages and the start button buried in the sea of ads outside the game itself just increase the feeling that we're playing a rushed and thus not user-friendly game.
Hmm, got to "Escape!" with 3209 points.. dying within seconds of starting a level is not much fun :/
Off to play poker :)
Alright. This game is actually quite fun (especially, right after you complete an annoying level) :)
Trying to beat "Assasins" at the moment, 6775 points.
It would seem like the order of the levels isn't fixed; I saw several I hadn't encountered before when I played again. Being able to save properly without having to register would be nice...
Awww, now I feel sorry I bashed this game. It IS a great game but it needs tweaking, like having it front and center on its own (not embedded within a page), brightening the very low contrast words up a bit, and making the mouse-out more forgiving or non-existent.
Some levels use great color schemes and some don't (but that's subjective). A game like this in 'full-screen' would be amazing. Good moody ambient music would punch it up.
I didn't get the chance to explore beyond the 4th level (I had to save a planet somewhere). I hope the designer continues with this unique style of gaming.
:o)
Hey, guess who's in the top ten (=
Turned out to be a pretty good game!
Hi all, I've listen to you and I've added a big "Start playing" button to make it more easy.
I've also added more easy levels for the first stages.
To reply to grid "And whats so web 2.0 about this all? That the level jump code is not inside the flash but in the html? Now that gives which advancement except trying to be cool?"
I talked about web2.0 because you can create your own level online and share it with all players. That's all. I didn't put the "level jump code ... in the html" for my own pleasure, or to be cool. I don't find it cool anyway, and I am, as you are, not totally satisfied with this way of starting the levels. But the html system can be re-used in all my next games, which will make it a looot easier to develop level sharing games.
Thank you so much for all those interesting comments that improved the game. Don't forget that the game was released 2 days ago and that the levels are yours.
Cool, I just registered there & watched the tutorial. I didn't realize I could create levels. I haven't tried that yet, but I've gotten through about 8 or 9 levels so far. It seems to start off with the 1st familiar one & then randomize after that. Some are harder than others but in no particular order.
Each one is quite different in an enjoyable way. Okay, some are murder, but like wOne it grows on you.
Wow, good going RiNSpy! How the heck did you get past Assasins? I can get past the "alleys", but the rotating part at the top has a hiding blob too (halfway through) which always gets me...
Cheers Valarauka (=
Strangely enough, I had some problems with the "alleys" on that one, but never had any problems with the top part - just went through it without stopping.
I'm stuck at the Waves now myself, this level seems to be reaaaaly tough :/
Update: I've just logged on to the game again, and, for some reason, it started me with the "Double Trouble" level, instead of the "Waves". Oh well, good for me though :)
'Doh, completed those two additional levels, back at the "Waves" :(
Heh .. managed to get through Assassins with a steady hand and a speedy run. The next one for me was "Prison" which was hellishly frustrating (as usual) but finished it in probably twenty or so tries. Now I'm stuck on "Waves" too. I've managed to survive long enough to grab the first blue capsule, but that's the best I've ever done. I usually die shortly after the extra blob shows up in the middle and starts following me around...
Finally!!! I've just completed the "Waves" :D
And back into the top 10 too (=
To survive in the "Waves", you should keep in mind, that you the level is "looped". That means, if you miss one of the blue capsules, you can still take it later and win the level. Just let the screen scroll after you die to see what I mean.
The strategy is to try and make the red stick in the middle (which follows you) get to the right part of screen to give you enough room to avoid the next "wave".
The double vertical sticks (the one exactly the same as the ones you encounter first thing in the level) would be a nuisance. To avoid them the first time after you encounter them with the red blob floating around, you need to stay still in the left part of the screen right next to the border, wait till you get in between the two, then go to the bottom of the screen - the stick on the right will then go up and let you move to the right. You can practice the movement with the first pair of sticks you encounter in the level
Hope that helps, and good luck :)
Heh, I finished it too - and the game, apparently; at least, it didn't load another level. Ended up with 7913 points, which would put me in top10 if I registered, I suppose...
Oh, hmm .. that highscore list seems out of date. And either I missed some levels or I was really slow - I see you at #7 with 9k+.
Now the real question is do I want to register and go through all that aggravation again?
Well done, "Wave" is the last level because it's the hardest. I've created it and I didn't manage to complete it myself :) . I knew somebody could do it! There are many levels added everyday, as it seems some members start to master the level editor and they are great level designers.
Valarauka, I suggest you to register as you could keep trace of your scores and only play the level you didn't completed when you come back. Moreover, you can re-play the levels you already completed and try to improve your score ;).
How exactly do people get 476 on Accordion?
It would be really nice if there was a "save replay" option built in, so that one could show others how he played a particular level, and see other people play.
476 on Accordion baffled me, too - I just don't see how it's possible...
Replays would be awesome.
I don't know if the other have this problem, but for me laggy mouse kills this game quite efficiently.
The game is hard, REALLY hard, and it requires superb eye/hand coordination. However, if the circle you should be manipulating relentlessly lags behind the hand cursor, and what's even worse lags inconsistently, the game is frustrating and unplayable.
Replay is too heavy for mouse base games. I don't think I do this one day :)
how do you do level 12, its really hard, there are only 9 blue dots on the screen and you need 10, wheres the 10th dot.
am i completely stupid or what?
i got to level 28 ("one capsule") without any real trouble, but now i can't seem to figure out this level!
whatever i do i can't get close to the blue capsule.
hints anyone?
ta.
I'm having the same problem as Liam (Posted 3/20/07) except I show it as level 15 (Title - Camera Mind)Game Version 0.44. There are 10 blue dots, when I click on the "GO" dot one of the blue turns green. I can ge the other nine, but I need that tenth to advance.
Thanks
im up to the level assassins, but every time i try to get round those top spinny things, the 'back' sign gets in the way and gives me a mouse out, which is veeeeeeeery annoying. any tips?
i need help with double trouble 2
does anyone know how to beat the level jokari?
jokari: shake it as fast as you can from left to right
OMG this is REALLY HARD. between the lag between mouse movement and dot movement, ZERO tolerance on some levels (off by 1 pixel? sorry), absolutely INSANE timing needed on some levels (smasher...only dumb luck can solve that one), this game is was just not worth my time.
why did I randomly die in the smasher level? I had to zig right, up, left, up, and right in the time span of just 1 "pulse" of the walls. if I stopped anywhere at all, I just randomly died. nothing hit me, i didn't hit anything, i just randomly died... it all had to be 1 quick movement. given the lag between mouse movement and my dot moving it took dumb luck to pass that one. I finally gave up a few levels after that when i got frustrated that being even 1 pixel off would start me over.
great concept. but the difficulty is just out of this world. levels that make me use my brain are good and fun. levels that make me thank God that I passed because no mortal can pass just aren't fun. this game was about 20% mouse skill, 20% critical thinking, and 60% prayer.
if something pops up saying low frame rate, play on a faster computer.
it pops up something saying low frame rate; i can't play on a faster computer, so i made my computer faster by killing processes so i could make it to the next level (sorry if i have errors here, english isn't my native language)
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