Bernard & Hank
Created by: The Peasants -- Review by: Rikus Kras

What you will notice right from the start folks is that the graphics of this game are in my opinion very well drawn, from the intro to the wonderful menu system you have to admit it the graphics have a nice vibe to it. Each main level is divided in a couple of sub levels, and it amazes me how much work went into creating the graphics for each level this goes especially for the background sprites. From rain to snow its all there and it does make you want to complete the next level to see how the next world is going to look like. Its a shame that the main sprites in the foreground did not get the same attention in the sublevels, as lots of the foreground sprites are re-used often, also Hank and Bernard could have used some additional animations. Other then that the graphics are very well done and I compliment the creators on a job well done.

So how does the game hold up, I would say its right in the middle, you see why the game tries very hard to keep you entertained with each level, but the more you go into the game, game play wise the levels become a little bit the same. The graphics do change often and every main level has its own look and this is one of the reason why I kept playing because I wanted to see what would come up next, but after a while there was something missing, I think one of the reasons is the lack of -sub quests-, like in the mario games you can collect your mushrooms to get bigger, in donkey kong you can collect the letters to gain an extra life, this adds depth to a game. In Bernard and Hank this is missing, its not a huge problem but its just a suggestion for maybe in the future that can turn a good game into a classic. Programming wise the game has its up and downs to, what I really liked was the fact that you could jump on your enemy's to destroy them, besides shooting them, this adds some more fun into the game and I would like to see this option in more click platform games. There are some nice little touches to like you can jump on a sleeping person's belly and jump really high, its little things like that makes the game more fun to play and I whish there where more things like that, little things in the level to keep you entertained. The down side for the programming portion is that there are a couple of bugs, one of them is that sometimes you get stuck in the floor, while you can just retry the level it does draw you out of the game wish is a shame. Other then the bugs, the programming was still very well done. The game even includes its own little configuration software so you can choose what screen size you want to play the game in and if you have a slower pc you can even turn the backgrounds off so speed things up. If you want some more background information the team also included an interactive manual with lots of detailed information about the game and its characters.  Also worth noting is that in the first couple of levels you play 1 character but this changes after a while, this adds a bit more depth to the game but I whish Bernard and Hank had more different abilities from each other, other then that its a welcoming change.

The music in the game is also specifically made for the game, its actually quite nice to listen to and also give the game that certain vibe that you feel in every level. Well done, the sound effects are ok and do there job sometimes the effects are a bit on the loud site but still its not a big concern.

Overall Bernard and Hank is a very well made game with wonderful original graphics, lots of levels to enjoy and great music to listen to. It has its share of bugs and the levels could have had more interactive elements in them because you can only do so much with jumping on platforms but its still a good game that is certainly worth your time, Recommended.

Rating: /5

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 DC INTERVIEW WITH HAYO

Hi there Hayo, grab a seat, how are you doing?

Hello, I am doing fine, thank you.

How is your day going so far?

I just got home from my job, I am a teacher on a highschool, I had to kick 9 kids out of my classroom today and it was the deadline to submit the scores to the school network. So I am glad I am home now.

Tell us something about Bernard and Hank, how did you guys come up with the idea to make a game about 2 farmers that have to get the deed to there land back?

Well, I saw this picture its Neil Young and Willie Nelson at Farm Aid, an organization that helps family farmers who are getting screwed by the government. I was like "let’s make a joke game about that". I was playing some NES games at the time so that’s were the low res, low color thing is coming from.

How was it like working with a team of people? Did it all go smoothly or where there some bumps along the way?

It was nice, I just picked some people I knew, and I didn't really choose them because of their talents, I just wanted a team with nice people I could work with. It wasn't an easy ride though, the first 10 levels were done in a week, but after that the team kind of fell apart. At the end I was just working with Johan "Hooghaar" Jansen, and that actually working better than working with the whole team. Still the game would not be there without these other people, they did some great levels, and Matt Olver was the main music guy. Its too bad we didn’t have a real coding guy in the team, I don’t like coding at all, and the game would be so much better without all those little bugs in it.

How long did it take you guys to create the game?

15 months. Pretty long for a game that started as a joke (it still is a joke to some people).

The game reminds me a bit of the good old platform games from the past, can you think up of any that inspired you while creating this one?

Adventure Island 3 for the graphics, and a bit of all good old platformers for the rest. Its nowhere as good as those games though. Just a fun little game.

Did you play any type of music while creating the game?

Country music. I actually started liking that genre making this game. I even bought a banjo.

How was it like creating the sound effects/ music? Did you guys made them yourself or did you find them somewhere it has a unique style to it.

The sound effects are just some generated and edited waves in Cooledit pro, I think that was pretty lazy. Making the music was fun, Matt Olver really knows a lot about music. I would send him some songs that sounded like what I wanted for that stage, and he would do the chords, bass and drums. All I had to do was putting a melody line in. The only bad thing about this approach is that the songs sound a lot like one of the “inspiration songs” sometimes. Compare the stage one track with Neil Young’s “Old man” for example. Later on Matt Olver couldn’t work in the team anymore, and I had to do the rest of the music, like the beach song and the boss. I really don’t like making music like that, putting all those notes on the right spot, I am more of a feel musician.

Do you have any last comment for all the people out there?

Well, I just want to thank everybody for the kind comments and bug reports. I will upload a new version of Bernard & Hank very soon, and I will sure forget to mention some people in the credits.

Thank you so much for the interview, its been a pleasure.

No problem.