Gameplay: The premise behind Tomb Explorer is simple. You must find your way to the exit, grabbing as much loot as possible. However, the way the game presents this is very different. You have no physical character, but when you open a door, the entire area behind it is visible to you. You use clicking for everything, with no verbs whatsoever- which gives the game a feel unlike anything else in BYOND. I have found no bugs in the entire game, even after fooling around with the editor, which is very exceptional.
Score: 9
An almost-completed level.Presentation: The presentation is almost perfect. The graphics in the game are simple and smooth, which is a double-edged sword. The graphics, while being very nice on their own, do not contribute much to the ancient feeling that the game gives you otherwise. The option to enlarge the playing area only stretches the existing icons, which also seems quite out of place in a game so extremely stylish and intuitive. There is no sound or music in TombExplorer at all. The game feels like it could do for some sound effects or a catchy background track, and it's these touches that would make the game almost perfect.
Score: 7
The TombExplorer Interface
Originality: TombExplorer is a game unlike any other. Not only is TombExplorer original for BYOND, it's relatively original in gaming as a whole. The game takes some small bits and pieces from existing ideas, but pastes them together into a masterpiece.
Score: 9
Overall: Overall, the game is a masterpiece. There are some problems with the presentation at times, but the gameplay and originality are so overwhelmingly incredible that all of my complaints are nothing more than a scratch on the paint. The Level Editor's user-friendliness is incredible, allowing for expansive levels to be made very easily. The replay value is incredibly good for a game of this kind. However, the game could use a custom levels database so players can simply go to a website and find all of the levels they will ever need. The initial experience is quite short, but I feel that Foomer is already working on many more default levels to beef the game up a bit. The game is already near-perfect, though, and should be considered by anyone that likes a casual yet engaging experience.
Overall Score: 9
