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Roguelike platformer - Looking for feedback on item variety & difficulty curve

A topic by Scewps created Jan 10, 2026 Views: 263 Replies: 4
Viewing posts 1 to 2
(1 edit) (+1)

Hi! I’ve been working on a small hardcore roguelike prototype called Ivory Keep. (Ivory Keep by Scewps)

A single run takes about 5–15 minutes, depending on how far you get.

I’m mainly looking for feedback on the difficulty curve (especially in later areas)

and whether items meaningfully help overcome that difficulty and shape runs.

Gameplay

Details:

- Genre: Roguelike

- Platform: PC

- Status: Early prototype

- Controls: WASD move, LMB attack, RMB shield/secondary, E interact, Tab inventory

Feedback questions:

- Did you understand the core mechanics without explanation?

- Does the difficulty ramp feel fair, even when it gets punishing?

- Do items feel impactful enough to influence how you play a run?

- Did you get stuck or confused anywhere?

- Would you play more of this? Why or why not?

Thanks for your time. I’m happy to return the favor and playtest your game as well.

Hey dude! I played your game for a bit and I will say, I love it but it's very hard. It feels like a lot of things just one-shot me out of nowhere but other than that I love it. It reminds me of the mines in Stardew Valley and exploring the caves. I'm a big fan of the generation because it makes it feel different and interesting each time, however I've found that occasionally I'll get stuck where I can't get out of a certain part of the map and I have to restart. I love the art style, the animations, the sounds and all of that. It's a really nice game that I definitely would pick up and play at anytime with these issues fixed. And just elaborating on the difficulty issue, I'm guessing it's just one of those cases where you're good at your own game lol. That's really not a bad thing in my opinion but I'd just be weary of this when deciding damage, enemy health, etc. With my game I know this is an issue so I'm trying to fix it as well but my main priority is rebuilding it because I've actually been remaking it in a different engine and changing and revamping a lot of things. Speaking of my game, would it be okay if you give it a test and give me some feedback? Remember it is nowhere near done and in fact it's so incomplete that I was skeptical about even asking for feedback but I realised it would help no matter what. And now is an especially vital time for me to get feedback as I'm rebuilding it. Anyway, great game bro, keep it up!

Here's a link to my game: https://proxyfirewall.itch.io/slugger-neo


Good luck,
-ProxyFirewall

(+1)

Hey, thanks a lot for the extensive and honest feedback! It's definitely helpful. I think you're onto something regarding the difficulty, I'm so used to the movement and mechanics myself that it's hard to judge what feels fair and what doesn't. I will try to rework some of the things you mentioned.

I'm down to play your game as well, I'll give it a try in the next few days and let you know on the game page :)

I’m glad you found the feedback helpful. It’s a great game so far and I hope it continues to grow! Keep it up!

One more question regarding the difficulty and things dealing too much damage. Did you feel like the player just didnt have enough health to begin with or was the problem not finding enough healing items along the way?