General thoughts
Playtime: about 10 minutes
The classic arcade shooter inspiration comes through immediately. It feels very focused on delivering that older arcade experience rather than trying to reinvent the genre completely.
What worked well
- The retro presentation and arcade identity are very clear.
- The basic controls and objective are straightforward.
- I like the progression through different rounds, bosses, and additional weapons as a way to build on the simple core loop.
What I would change
- I would keep the important combat information and power-up behavior extremely clear, especially as the player starts unlocking more options.
- I would make sure the early difficulty curve gives new players enough time to learn enemy behavior before asking too much from them.
Overall, this feels like a focused tribute to classic arcade shooters. I would mostly keep polishing readability and progression so the simplicity stays approachable while the later rounds provide the challenge. Fleshing out the core game loop further would be a good use of time too.
Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl
Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8
Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)