Forums > Submission Feedback > Masters's Boss 101 review

The game looks interesting. And like you said, different. I'm not big on boss battles in shooters (they're more something I endure), so a game that is essentially nothing but boss battles doesn't really seem like it would appeal to me, but the art style is pleasant and I like the sound of the RPG customization elements, too!

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

Hey all - Tim (one of the developers on Boss 101).

First of all - thank you so much for the review! We appreciate the look and the support.

Jason, we do hope you give it a go. We did our best to make something different that would appeal to people and their own play styles. For the most part we think of Boss 101 as an action adventure story. It has shooter elements of course but that is only part of the game.

I also wanted to drop a few thoughts for those that might be interested after reading the review.

The tutorials are optional - totally optional. In fact that is the first choice you have (Tutorials on or off). You can just dive right on in without them if you like. If you want them though - they are there and you can speed through or skip any one of them - at any time. Your choice. We assumed if you wanted them, well, you are ready to listen.

Also, there are three difficulty settings for you - Easy, Normal (the default) and Ultra (if you really want a challenge). These can be changed at any point in the main game according to what you like. If you are banging through the levels and want to up the difficulty we suggest Ultra.

I do want to reiterate Boss 101 is as much about the story as it is about the shooty bits. If anyone just wants to load up the game and rapidly skip through cinematics, phone calls, tutorials and everything else we put in - that is totally their choice. Though they would be missing a lot of the spirit of the game. We never would put our dialogs on a pedestal but we do think they add a lot to the ‘why’ of what is happening and we do aim to entertain more than a standard TL;DR type affair. Again – the final judgment will be up to you the player and we know it might not be for everyone.

It might be obvious we love the game and think highly of it, of course, we developed it. We’re proud of the game and hope it finds an audience with people. Hard core shooter people looking for the next Ikaruga or Cave masterpiece might not find it in Boss 101. We did what we could within our framework to entertain those people though (Endless Boss more, Ultra settings, etc). Boss 101 is, as mentioned, trying to do something different - with story, with player choice, with the general presentation. You have hats, kites, visitors and pets, rescue missions, escort missions that all fold into the narrative and actually mean something. We added tons of secrets for people to find. That can all be ignored of course but if you are already bought the game why not give it a go?

Finally – we made the price as good as we could make it. $9.99 – no lootboxes, no paid DLC, no season passes and we are STILL tweaking and adding stuff according to community feedback.

What we are hoping with our first release, Boss 101, is to bring people on board, create a community and work to bring people more of what they want as best we can. This game was three people working three and a half years. I’ve been in big games for a while and Boss 101 was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had.

We promise your support and purchase will go to improving the games we make. We’re doing this because we love making games and we want to make more.

Thanks for reading and FULL DISCLOSURE - I am passionate about Boss 101!

Best,

-Tim

Help me, help you.

Tim, thanks for reading, and taking the time to post here. I did get the impression that a great deal of care was put into developing the story, and lamented that it might not be fully appreciated. From a strictly shooter standpoint, I still rather enjoyed my time with Boss 101, and I am looking forward to your next project.

Cheers.

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

Thank you! Appreciate the reply. We love any and all support for Boss 101. It's a big deal to us and we aim to make more games. At the same time we are always open to suggestions and ideas from our friends and fans. We do listen!

Best,

-Tim

Help me, help you.