iaidoka_interlude

quick, fun old school adventure. well worth the low price

Short and Sweet
Iaidoka_interlude is a well-balanced, challenging platformer. The controls feel smooth and responsive. The levels/sub-levels are well-designed and have a good sense of flow to them.
I find it very easy to pick up and play this game for, say 20 minutes or less and put it down feeling satisfied. This game does have a level-select (of which there are 5). It will usually take me about 40-45 minutes to beat the whole game; with practice, it could be done in less time.
I enjoy playing a kind of "meta-game" in finding the most efficient solution to each sub-level (essentially speed-running practice). I feel like every time I run through the game, I find a new trick, timing, or method that saves time.

The graphics and themes are stylish and aesthetically-pleasing. The sounds and music are pleasant, though I always appreciate the ability to mute as I like to multi-task.

I have encountered a handful of bugs, often involving a wall or ledge, but they are few and far in-between. Usually, I don't see any in a single play-through.
The enemy behavior does throw in a bit of randomness that can augment absolute speed-running consistency, but then it might be far too easy if they were more predictable. Nonetheless, there is a decent variety of enemy types.
One small addition I would love is some kind of indication on the exits that the next screen, the player will be going in the opposite direction. It happens about a dozen times, which I like and it only takes some memorization on my part, but a little arrow would make the levels just flow really well together.
I don't have any real complaints. I'd like more levels, but the amount it has is apt for the price tag.

It seems this game used to be a game called "Jump/Boxer." The dev gave the option to revert this game into that game if you want to try it, which I think is cool. I have yet to play it, but it seems most of the negative reviews are for that game.
I hope others will look deeper into iaidoka_interlude despite the mixed rating, because I think it's worth playing, especially for the price.

It's a short indie Ninja-Gaiden type game that gets progressively harder as you go along. The controls are fine and it's not broken in any way, though the final level is designed to frustrate the player. I like the way some levels are stylized as being tiny parts of the screen, almost like comic panels. The graphics are like MSpaint graphics but that makes the experience more charming, and the music is wonderful. Nothing special but not bad at all.

I'm a big fan of NES games in general, and this feels just like a tighter NES game. The platforming is clean, controls are very tight, music is great and I love the artstyle.
I can't fault this other than it's a little short - I would have loved more or a randomizer maybe. Something to make me squeeze more out of this game because as of writing this, it took me 1.3 hours to beat the game, going back to a couple stages to get the "less than 10 deaths" achievements.

Short, simple and surprisingly fun. I wasn't hoping for much considering how cheap iaidoka is, but it is well worth the price. It's just important to have the right expectations before you play; if you're looking for a traditional platformer with fighting elements, this isn't it. It's moreso about timing and figuring out the pattern of each level.

20-30 minute game with simple controls. Fun to play. Plot is... nothing special.

I’ve never posted a review before in all of my time on Steam, but I felt compelled to write this one.
Don’t be fooled by the mediocre rating this game has! It used to be a VERY different (and much worse) game called Jump/Boxer. Ever since it got overhauled into iaidoka_interlude, it has recieved very little but positive feedback. I loved this game, and I am here to help give it the positive rating it deserves.
As a long-time fan of platformers, I highly reccomend playing this one. It’s simple, but the level layouts are clever and satisfying. The controls are tight, and have a surprising amount of nuance to discover. Jumping onto a wall and then wall jumping *upwards* to reach a ledge felt surprisingly refreshing for a platformer, and the game is short enough and it’s used in enough unique ways that it doesn’t get tiring. You never lose too much progress when you die, since you only have to start from the beginning of the screen you’re on. However, if you want all of the achievements, you will need to beat each of the levels in under 10 deaths, which I found to be the perfect balance of adding stakes and encouraging mastery without causing much frustration. Overall, this game offers satisfying platforming and decent combat encounters with deliciously well balanced difficulty, alongside some chill music.
One thing I will warn you about; the ending is very disappointing. Also be warned that holding “down” to crouch near a ledge will cause you to hang onto it when you don’t want to, and if you’re not prepared, continuing to hold “down” will cause you to drop from the ledge, losing you progress. This game also has old-school Castlevania style jumping, which is an essential part of what makes this game work, and makes the game that much more satisfying to master imo, though some players might find it uncomfortable.
For those who are curious, you can still play Jump/Boxer by going into the game’s properties in Steam and enabling it in the betas tab. It’s not terrible imo, but it does have serious problems. Yes, you essentially get an extra game for free.
It took me an hour to finish the game, another hour to get all the achievements, and 30 minutes of Jump/Boxer. The rest of my Steam playtime comes from replaying levels. This is definitely one I’m coming back to now and then.