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[willing to exchange feedback/reviews] - MaryAnneEtte: an action-platformer where you decide how you want to play each level.

A topic by silvercricket created 76 days ago Views: 1,406 Replies: 67
Viewing posts 21 to 31 of 31 · Previous page · First page

HTML5 version seems to be run smoother now, still a little lag, but I've posted it again, now with the new content.

Ironed out several small bugs exclusive to browser version, removed features that don't make sense in a browser as well.

*graphical update + bug fixes* 

asset layers are no longer loaded statically, but instead run through an object that manages them, allowing them to be passed through shaders and avoid any ugly pixel bleeding. in the future this will allow for all kinds of effects on foreground/background objects with very little effort.

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sorry not the kind of game  i would play would not  feel comfortable to give feedback about it

hey man, no worries, I would only feel comfortable playing games you actually made, anyway.

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games that i actully made ?

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From what I saw, they really liked it, so I'm giving it 100/100. I have to be fair because I'm Brazilian and I'm always translating for you guys, so I have to give good and fair ratings, and I'll always be here to comment, okay? 

well thank you, I'm glad you liked it :)

Small thing today, but Sorrow now has a much better particle stream coming off of it, this was made to address issues some had with following sorrow at higher speeds:

And for the fun of it, the trail of sprites that come off of Mary while doing the sorrow fall will match her mask color!


A few big changes this morning. but first... 


All masks now provide a particle trail when launched, using a rudimentary self made particle system. 



MASSIVE overhall on the UI level select especially is much MUCH more user friendly.

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a lot of little things this time, but the main features are:

full cutscene fast forward is now optional by holding down the mask_swap key:


speaking of keys, keys are now scattered through each level, collecting them will unlock the bonus stage doors


General thoughts

The mask system is a strong core idea. Giving each emotion a different movement ability and letting players combine them gives the platforming a clear identity, and I like that the masks also tie into the story and performance theme.

What I liked

  • The puppet, mask, and theater concept gives the game a distinct personality.
  • Combining masks to change how you move is an interesting foundation for both platforming and experimentation.
  • The writing and presentation seem to be a strong part of what is pulling players in.
  • Glad to see a browser version available alongside the downloadable build.

What I would change

  • I would keep focusing on making the movement and controls feel as responsive and intuitive as possible, especially because the mask abilities are the heart of the game.
  • UI feels sluggish and I was started to get impatient.
  • Make sure the different masks all feel meaningfully useful and give the player good reasons to experiment with combinations.
  • Keep improving clarity around where to go and what the game expects from the player, particularly during the earlier levels.
  • The browser version has had some performance and input issues reported, so I would continue treating stability there as an important quality-of-life priority.

Overall, I think the strongest thing here is the mask mechanic combined with the theatrical theme. There is a lot of personality in the concept, and I would keep building around that while making the movement, level flow, and mask choices as clear and satisfying as possible.

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 :)

...Did you get an AI to write your review?

Yes, I have hand issues so I use speech to text and use AI to clean it up.

Can you provide an example of when it felt unclear what you were supposed to do in the game? Moments when the UI were was sluggish? Or perhaps when the masks didn't feel meaningfully different? I'm having trouble finding any direction and some specifics would be very helpful.

I think what I really mean is the pacing of the animations in general could be a little faster. The curtain opening at the beginning feels a bit slow, and the scene transitions also drag a little.

The menu buttons could use more obvious hover/click feedback too, just so it feels more responsive when you interact with something. Little delays like that can add up and make it easier to lose attention.

I’m also running into a pretty frequent bug where I get stuck on a black screen after clicking Play and choosing the first game mode. It seems to happen about every other time.

I’m on Chrome on Windows 11.

I was trying to jump back in and give better feedback on the masks, but I keep hitting the black screen issue so I can’t really get far enough right now.

let me boot it up on my windows 11 chrome  and see if I can recreate the crash.

I see what you mean about the lag, it seems there's a stutter on the itch version again... I think that might just be outside my control, as it changes from day to day, I think I'll link the Newgrounds version on here from now on... much more stable. And fair point about transitions between scenes, the animations probably should be a bit faster, and flashier. I wasn't able to recreate the crash, but it might be due to a very subtle bug, could you send me a screenshot of the developer's console? It would really help me out:

itch page is now running smoothly, at least on my end.

Hi, I finished the first tutorial level and wanted to share some rough feedback. In the early single-mask tutorial sections, I mostly followed the intended approach. I quite liked the well-designed abilities (though the Sadness mask is a bit tricky to control—do you think there could be better keybindings overall?). The world's atmosphere was decent as well. However, I wasn't quite sure why I had to follow the rules—I preferred just using Happiness and Anger, cleared the level easily, but got an F rank. I thought this was supposed to be a game that allows flexible playstyles. I also think the character controls could be further polished, but it doesn't really hinder the gameplay for now.

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I appreciate your review. And yes, there is some dissonance between the rules imposed by the setting and the gameplay itself, this is deliberate, but admittedly confusing a lot of the time.

Viewing posts 21 to 31 of 31 · Previous page · First page