Hi everyone! I just published my first game and would really appreciate specific feedback.

Pixel Wash: https://pixelwashgame.itch.io/pixel-wash

It's a color-matching puzzle where you power-wash dirty pixel art to reveal hidden images. The twist is a water limit — you can't just swipe randomly. Wrong colors re-dirty nearby pixels AND waste water, so there's real strategy involved.

What I'd love feedback on:

1. Is the core mechanic (color-match + swipe to clean) satisfying or tedious?

2. Difficulty curve — Level 1-3 feel easy, but Level 5 (Cat) gets tough. Is the jump too sudden?

3. Does the wrong-color penalty feel fair or frustrating?

4. Lock mechanic (some pixels can't be cleaned until neighbors are done) — does it add strategy or just confusion?

5. Would you keep playing past level 3? What would make you want to?

Plays in browser, mobile friendly. 8 levels so far. Thanks for any thoughts!

Hey, cool concept! The idea of power-washing pixel art with color matching is really clever — it's one of those mechanics that's immediately understandable but has hidden depth.

Going through your questions:

1. Core mechanic: Color-match + swipe to reveal hidden images is inherently satisfying. There's something almost meditative about "cleaning" pixel art. The water limit turns what could be a mindless activity into an actual puzzle, which is smart.

2. Difficulty curve: Heard you already pushed v5 with better water budgets for early levels — that's great dev responsiveness. One thing that helps with difficulty spikes: give players a "preview" glimpse of the full image before they start. It turns the puzzle from guessing into planning.

3. Wrong-color penalty: Re-dirtying neighbors is a really nice risk/reward mechanic. It punishes carelessness without being random. As long as the player can see which color they're about to apply, it feels fair. If they can't see clearly, it feels like a gotcha.

4. Lock mechanic: Forced solve order adds genuine puzzle depth — it's the difference between a coloring book and a puzzle. I'd suggest a subtle visual hint (maybe a small arrow or glow) showing which pixels are unlocked, so players learn the system through play rather than a tutorial wall.

5. What would keep me playing: The "reveal" moment when you finish a level is the hook. I'd lean into that — maybe a gallery of completed images, or let players see a zoomed-out view of their progress. Collectible completion is powerful motivation.

One suggestion: since color matching is the core mechanic, a colorblind accessibility mode would expand your audience significantly. Even a simple icon overlay on each color would work.

For a first game this is very polished. The scope is well-controlled and the core loop is tight. Good luck with development!