Turn The Key is good. I very much enjoy the tension it adds to a game. You also have the option for your expert to set a timer to remind you before it goes off, which is fantastic on larger bombs. The animations and sounds are lovely as well. This module is fantastic.
There is only one small things I don't like about this module. Why do bosses ignore it? You can easily plan around its solve time. In fact, The Heart makes you do exactly that. Ignore lists in general are more rigid than I'd prefer, but that's a topic for another time.
Adventure Game is aggressively mid. The defuser interface is bland but inoffensive, and the expert's rules, while kinda funny, are ultimately uninspired. The potion changing your stats is neat, but it ended up being pointless for experienced players who always use it immediately. I hate the visuals and I loathe how easy it would be to add rule seed support. Two and a half stars.
I like Crazy Talk. It feels like the perfect spiritual successor to Who's on First, but while WoF is overly complex and tedious for an expert, Crazy Talk turns it down a little. In my opinion, it might have overcorrected a bit too much, but when this came out Ctrl+F hadn't been invented yet (it wasn't until much later that digital manuals became the norm).
This is a good module for the defuser. The expert's part is… well, it sure exists. Finding the skull is kinda weird, and the prefered constellation has become entirely vestigial. The only time it's better to find that is when you absolutely must not solve the module before a specific point. This scenario is incredibly rare.
I suppose this module should be important for introducing a staple modded mechanic to the game (namely, boolean logic gates). Unfortunately, it's bad. Neither party's half of the gameplay is good. Plus, it's quite easy to memorize all eight logic gates, especially now that they're used so frequently. I also dislike how the module implements NOTs, but that's very minor.
I like the communication aspect of this module quite a bit. It feels quite similar to Keypad, but it uses distinctly modded mechanics. Unfortunately, the module's polish falls quite flat. In addition to using the default shader, the layout is bland and the sounds are bad. The puzzle also wears thin quite quickly.
This needy is pretty good. I like how it forces defuser-expert interaction. Unfortunately, the defuser's role is heavily lacking, and the expert's role isn't much better. This just barely passes as a good needy.
Oh boy, Forget Me Not. I have some opinions on Forget Me Not. This module, and every other boss, should have been a needy. I'm still salty about this.
First, what is a needy module? According to the original manual,
‘Needy’ modules present a special case
when compared to normal modules. Normal modules are
discrete and can be disarmed in any order.
By this definition, bosses are needy modules. They are not discrete and cannot be solved in any order.
Just looking at the definition doesn't give the complete picture, though. We also need to consider the gameplay purpose needy modules serve that regular modules don't. Needy modules, in my opinion, exist to add an additional layer of complexity to the game. They add extra challenge to everything else, much like spices in a pie. Putting a Knob on a bomb means that your Who's On First will get interrupted, for example. It adds a new type of interaction to what you had to deal with before. Boss modules serve this purpose pretty well. Organization is the prime example; everything else gets just a little bit harder to do when you have to do it in order.
So why isn't Forget Me Not classified as a needy? I think it's because needy modules at this point sucked. It was and still is hard to make a good one, and literally only Filibuster had done a good job up to this point. Needy modules are unglamorous to make because they're unglamorous to play most of the time. Nowadays, bosses have all but replaced needies in competitive play. The cooks still want to use their spices, after all.
Why is this a bad thing? The reason is simple: bosses are grouped in with normal modules. I will often run small (23 module) bombs in zen mode with a random assortment of modules to EFM. It's hard to overstate just how often bosses show up. (If you want to run this experiment for yourself, use Red Arrows to highlight them.) More than that, a significant fraction of the time, the bosses that show up actively ruin the rest of the bomb, either through their specific nature or their sheer volume. They add extra to everything and I don't want that. If they were classified as needies I could easily turn them off by default and include them in reasonable quantities.
Back to Forget Me Not. It's a very good needy, and its effectiveness does not dwindle during EFM. Its systems are impressive, and BMM (which was made in part for FMN) is extremely cool. (It wouldn't need to exist if bosses were needies, though.) I'm very upset at the precedent it set for the future of modded KTANE, but that's not the module's fault. The defuser's half of the module was very unique for the time, and the expert's half is servicable. Four stars.
This is just about the gold standard of lazy design in this game. You get blurry text on an example module and rules that leave me wanting to go play Wires to actually have a challenge. Modders sure do love to have the only information on a module be letters and numbers.
This module is kinda boring. The defuser has basically nothing to do, and the expert's task is mediocre. I'm also mad that its ID is
graphModule.
I think this module could be heavily improved simply by replacing the numbers with symbols. It would work well in the manual and improve the defuser-expert dynamic.
This is a fantastic module. The read is fun, the expert's task is interesting, and the input is so good that it became a de facto standard. There's not a lot of communication, but it doesn't seem like it would add anything — the module is complete as it is.
The single worst part of Morsematics is 36 not being a square number, and that's an incredibly minor quibble that you never forget once it's burnt you once. Plus, it's definitely clearly explained in the manual. Most people just suck at following basic instructions.
Orientation Cube suffers heavily from cheatsheet syndrome. KTANE players, more than anyone else, absolutely refuse to read the manual at any point. Many alternate manuals exist to remove extra calculations or pre-assemble useful solutions. This module is one of those.
The concept could have been interesting if it weren't strangely executed and poorly implemented. Imagine the cube turning more dynamically, or a wider variety of start and end positions. Unfortunately, the defuser has exactly two bits of information, and the expert just needs to look up a sequence of buttons to press.
This is a fine needy. It's not good, but it's not bad. There is no expert interaction (unless you can't remember your inputs), and the questions are painfully easy. As with Round Keypad, I'm glad it got the visual and technical overhaul it did, but it simply can't make up for underwhelming gameplay.
The new questions (June 2024) are somewhat better, but not by a ton. It's nice to see people caring about old stuff, though. So much of KTANE is abandonware, so it's good to see things that still see updates.
This is an interesting concept, but the gameplay execution leaves a lot to be desired. There isn't any hard communication and the defuser has nothing to do. Also, the newest version of the API is rather janky to use for the expert.
This is one of only a few modules to connect to the internet (especially for non-frivolous reasons), and I respect it for that. I just wish it were less mediocre.
Listening is a very funny module. I like the concept a whole lot, and it hasn't been done to death since (unlike e.g. Morse code). The communication aspect is good, although it might be a bit too demanding on the expert if they don't have the audio clips in front of them. The expert's puzzle is underwhelming at best.
On a technical level, I really enjoy the tape rewinding itself with some delightfully chunky noises. The module also looks good in KTANE's art style. It's not quite perfect, but it's much better than most other modules.
Hexi's "V2" modules have a very weird history that I will not be going over here. These reviews are from a modern perspective, and I don't have enough experience to talk about it anyways.
As a module, this one is pretty good. It feels almost exactly like Keypad while still being a unique puzzle with its own thing to do. I very much like the required communication element, although people have given the symbols pseudo-standard names at this point.
Technically and aesthetically, the module isn't particularly polished. I'm tempted to give it a pass because of what it used to be, but honestly the existence of a review pass makes me expect it to be better than a module without one. Still, it's very much servicable, and I'm glad it got the updates it did.
This needy module is pretty good. I even used it in my misson Three Baker's Dozen and Eight . It's a nice added challenge for the defuser, although there's very minimal expert interaction. For EFMing, it ends up being less impactful than usual, since you can be doing expert work while it's active a lot of the time.
I do very much appreciate the technical aspect of this module. The mechanic itself seems like it should be finnicky but it ends up working very well. Plus, it's balanced pretty well.
Filibuster is one of the best needy modules ever made. The way I view it, needies serve to add a layer of difficulty and complexity to the game that can't be provided by normal modules. At that, Filibuster succeeds with flying colors. (This is, by the way, why I classify boss modules as needies.)
Directly disrupting your communication channel is a genius layer of complexity. If it's harder to keep talking, it's easier to explode. It's especially fun that you can sometimes strategize around the module; perhaps you give your expert a long task but have them switch to interactive modules when you have a moment to do so.
For an expert, the module can get rather frustrating, especially if you can't hear when it activates. Plus, Filibuster can start to really drag on larger bombs. Otherwise, though, the module plays well for both teams' gameplay systems.
For EFM, the module ends up being pretty bad. It ends up as a sort of pseudo-Capacitor–Discharge with a lever that you can pull concurrently with other tasks. That, or you just end up moaning into your mic for 90 seconds at a time. That's not to say that this can't happen with a team; it's just much more likely.
Combination Lock is a fine module all around. It's not great, but it's not bad in any way. Any aspect of communication is lacking, but whatever. It's not a huge deal.
What is a huge deal is that this module is the first to use the Two-Factor widget. Two-Factor is the world's leading modded widget to this day, which is quite a tragedy. Most of its fame is from coming out very early in the game's history. The widget itself is complicated and difficult, and nothing can really make good use of it. Everything that uses it has to assume it's optional, and anything that uses it (properly) has to be reasonably solvable within a minute. These are hard limitations to work within, so barely any modules consider the widget.
The runner-up for the world's leading modded widget is in a very different boat. Voltage Meter is quite a good widget; it's simple and primarily makes modules easier. It's cursed by a lack of support, though. It came out four and a half years after Two-Factor. No mod older than it can use it by default, so, to begin, it wasn't used in many modules. Because of this, no players really began to use it. Seeing as such, it wasn't worth it to use it in a new module. With a concerted community-wide effort, it might be possible to push it more into the mainstream, but it's unlikely to ever happen.
It saddens me deeply that the opportunity to have new modded widgets is essentially closed forever. Two-Factor is the best we're going to get. I see are a few ideas floating around, but nothing can work without widespread support — and we're long past the point where that's possible for something new.
Word Scramble is identical to Anagrams in gameplay, and is somehow even lazier on a technical level. I lied earlier, by the way, when I said that Anagrams doesn't act broken. On both modules you can input an unlimited number of letters which then go off the screen. Absolutely awful.
Anagrams is a very boring module. Sure, there are a few tricky words, but once you've learned the module's very small vocabulary, it's trivial to solve within seconds. Worse, it requires no expert interaction even if you don't know what the word is.
At the very least, there is a way to strike the module, meaning it's not entirely pointless. Plus, it doesn't look, sound, or act completely broken. That has to count for something, right?
Two Bits is a very janky module. I appreciate what it was trying to do, but I don't think it succeeded at being fun. The delay on the defuser's interactions don't add anything, with the notable exception of final submission, where it adds a tremendous amount of value. The buildup of suspense very much works when you're guaranteed to either strike or solve and no longer have any agency. The expert's work is fine.
The module does try to have a communication challenge by using all of the letters that rhyme with E, but it ends up failing due to the prevalence of the NATO phonetic alphabet. Overall, Two Bits tried very hard to be good, and I can't hate it because of that.
Switches is a great French Vanilla module. The defuser interactions are solid, and the expert's puzzle is simple but interesting. The concept itself feels vanilla, and the visuals don't look too out-of-place with the vanillas.
Unfortunately, there isn't any challenging communication involved in Switches. So many modules don't change at all when EFMing, and that's quite unfortunate for a cooperative game. It's a very hard balance to get right, though.
Lights Out is quite a good defuser-only needy. Of course, as with every solo module, I wish it would involve the expert in any way. The skill ceiling is higher than many modules, which is good.
It can get rather annoying to EFM any needy module, especially with how quickly they can activate. Lights Out suffers from this, especially on bigger bombs. The lights themselves are satisfying, though, so it's a great module for small bombs.
Emoji Math very much feels like a modded module. The concept is cute and the execution works well. As a defuser, it's decently fun, and as an expert, it's passable.
The module doesn't gain or lose anything when EFMing, which is common. Mostly it speaks to how bland the module ended up being. I hate to say that, though, since I generally like Emoji Math. Still, bland is leagues better than bad.
We're at the very first modded needy module, and already I'm disappointed. There is absolutely no expert interactivity, and the defuser portion is weak at best. Sure, two of the vanilla needies also fail this test, but others' inadequacy is not and excuse for your own. I appreciate the effort, but the module isn't good.
This is the third entry in a long series of bad needy modules. Eventually, people would create bosses to fill the gameplay role left empty by bad needies, but we're not nearly there yet. This is also the start of a long trend of soloable modules. I believe solos wouldn't exist in a perfect world, but alas, the world is not perfect.
For how simple it is, I really like the aesthetics of Semaphore. The custom button press sound works very well, and the flag turning animation is great. It really makes you want to click through its pages. Unfortunately, you will have to click through many of its pages.
The experience of solving this module is one of intense tedium. Read the flags, next, read the flags, next, read the flags... It doesn't take long, but it gets boring fast. The expert at best gets to find a bunch of letters in a lookup table, and at worst does nothing because the defuser knows semaphore.
Even the more tedious vanilla modules know when to cut it short. Wire Sequence and Memory have valid reasons to add stages, and Simon Says makes a lot of thematic sense (while also going on for less long than Semaphore). Who's on First is comparable in my opinion, but it's less bad due to its variety in communication (ideally, at least).
Piano Keys very much feels like a "French Vanilla" module. It could almost be vanilla, but it's just weird enough to be interesting. The piano itself is fun to use, especially for those who aren't familiar with it. I like the limited use of symbols to add an element to communication.
The module is fun to defuse, and a large part of that is that you can hear the song you're playing. The expert's role is fine - it's not great, but it's inoffensive. The module retains most of its challenge and all of its charm while EFMing, which can be difficult to get right.
Oh, Colour Flash, what a history you have. It was the very first modded module. That's quite impressive on a technical level! Unfortunately, the module ends up looking and performing quite uninterestingly. This is a common fault, though, so I can't be too harsh on it.
As a defuser, the module is pretty simple. the same is true as an expert. It's trivial to come up with a strategy to play the module well. Namely, have the defuser read the one relevant piece of information, have the expert read the rules until one applies, then solve. Unfortunately, none of the rules are interesting by modern standards.
EFMing the module is basically identical to team solving it, since there is very little communication in the module. Overall, while the module is important to history, it's not very interesting today outside of that.
*My task is Sisyphean and will never be finished.