Princess Amelia (Tony J Barker) Free
Game description: Princess Amelia is a platformer in which the player guides the titular princess up through 20 floors of a castle, collecting the "Letter Shields" that spell out her name along the way. Each floor presents its own arrangement of platforms, gaps and enemies to negotiate, with a time limit adding pressure throughout the climb. Gems are also scattered across the levels, though the game explicitly signals to players that these are best avoided rather than collected, offering a points and life bonus for restraint instead. The princess herself is described as impatient, reinforcing the urgency built into the time-limited structure.
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Production - 65%
65%
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Fun - 48%
48%
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Depth - 57%
57%
Summary
Princess Amelia arrives with a charming premise and an initially pleasant look, but a hands-on session with the game reveals a title that struggles to sustain interest across its full 20-floor climb. The jump control is the first thing to let it down: it carries a floaty quality that makes precise platforming feel less assured than it ought to, and this rough edge is felt throughout, particularly in sections that demand tighter timing around gaps and enemies.
The visuals, while attractive on first impression, do not hold up under sustained play. Each floor draws from what feels like the same template, and by around the fifth level the game has essentially shown its full hand. This is compounded by a design that never breaks from a single horizontal plane of movement; with 20 floors to climb, there was a clear opportunity to use more of the screen space vertically or otherwise diversify the traversal, and its absence is felt keenly as the game wears on.
Audio fares no better, and in fact stands out as one of the game’s clearest gaps. There is no music, and the sound effects are similarly forgettable. A game built around repeated attempts up a tower genuinely needs a stronger audio identity, whether through a fitting soundtrack or effects with real weight, to help carry the player through the repetition elsewhere.
The one genuinely interesting idea, the inversion of collecting versus avoiding pickups via the “avoid the gems” mechanic, is a clever touch on paper. Unfortunately, it is not well signposted within the game itself, and it is entirely possible to play through without realising the mechanic exists, which blunts what should have been a standout hook.
Overall
57%User Review
( votes)Pros
Inverted gem mechanic: The idea of rewarding players for avoiding pickups rather than collecting them is a clever twist on platformer convention, offering a genuinely different way to approach scoring.
Charming initial presentation: The pixel art makes a strong first impression, giving the opening floors a pleasant and inviting look before the repetition sets in.
Cons
Floaty jump control: The core platforming does not feel entirely dependable, with a jump that lacks the precision needed for the game’s gaps and enemy placement.
Repetitive level design: With gameplay confined to a single horizontal plane throughout, the 20 floors begin to feel interchangeable by around the fifth level, and the visual template does little to disguise this.
No music and forgettable sound effects: The absence of any music, combined with sound effects that barely register, leaves the game without the audio identity it needs to sustain interest across repeated attempts.
ADDITIONAL SCREENSHOTS:
