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Can you tell me where my game loses you? 10-15 minute browser playtest

A topic by Northline Venture Studio created 20 days ago Views: 230 Replies: 7

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Hey y'all!

I'm trying to determine whether Grimchain's core loop is genuinely fun before spending money to publish it on iOS.

It's a short, portrait-first gothic puzzle roguelite. Enemies telegraph their next move, and you drag through matching sigils to attack, defend, burn, or build focus before choosing power-ups (relics).

I'm specifically looking for blunt feedback on:

Whether the controls make sense without coaching
Whether enemy intentions are understandable
Whether relic choices feel meaningful
Whether you actually want another run

Please play at least one complete descent before taking the anonymous survey. The browser build is free, contains no ads or purchases, and works best on a phone in portrait mode.

Playtest: https://northline-venture-studio.itch.io/grimchain-cathedral-of-ash

I'm happy to return a thorough, detailed playtest for your game, as well, if that helps. This is my own in-development project, and my first one, so all feedback is welcome!

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nknknk320 days ago(+1)

Hi, I tried to complete a full run. The game's UI art could use some more polish, enemy intent needs to be clearer, and the ability builds seem a bit too straightforward in terms of effects (I mean, there aren't any active abilities).Everything else is acceptable.

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Northline Venture Studio20 days ago(+1)

Hey there, thank you for giving it a try!

The enemy-intent is very useful to hear, and I've made a note of thew UI finish and passive-feeling ability builds. I'm holding off on changing anything until I get more feedback, but this is a great start.

Thank you again, and there will be more updates in the future with added polish!

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ligoski19 days ago(+1)

Hello, I finished a "descent" and the game has potential but there are some issues,

1. there is a LOT of text on my face the second I try to play, I tried to read but I was a little tired and skipped past it like a "normal" player would
2. the gameplay needs FEEL (feedback, sfx, vfx etc..), a good example you can look at is other games like candy crush, or Dragon Chess minigame from dota 2, just to give you an example, I was expecting explosions, fireworks etc... makinga 10x combo, but it did nothing, it felt the same as doing a 3x combo, also the enemy doesn't feel important, it could be attacking you on timer like the dragon chess, playing some animation or even talking a bit to distract with some puns.
3. I don't really understood the mechanics as I skipped the texts but with some symbols (I did notice something falling into the sigils but it's not enough for a player to understand it without a lenghty explanation) you could ease this, as I kinda got it on the go playing the game, and reading again your description you said "Enemies telegraph their next move", I didn't noticed it.
4. the "relics" felt a little disapointing, and I didn't really needed it to complete the first run

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Northline Venture Studio19 days ago

Thank you very much! I'm currently working on 1.8.0 which will address a lot of these pain points.

This is my first game, so I'm definitely learning quite a lot, and cannot thank you enough for your detailed feedback! Every little bit helps :)

Stay on the lookout for the next version!

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Zachi Mann18 days ago

Whether the controls make sense without coaching

I completely skipped reading any instructions and just played. The connect-3 (or more) kind of games is very common.

Whether enemy intentions are understandable

Never got to understand the enemy - except the obvious of hurting me

Whether relic choices feel meaningful

Too much text and too unclear how they help.

Whether you actually want another run
Not exactly my type of game, but nevertheless, unfortunately no.
Need polish, feedback to player, cool animations & effects, sfx, clear method of learning skills by trying, powerups etc. as you play.
UI felt like web UI generated by Claude. Nothing wrong with it if it is - but IMO game UI should have its own appeal.

Hope that helps and no offense if a bit harsh.

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tobygunn7 days ago

Hey. I left a first-pass read and an offer on your game page; this thread looks like where feedback actually lands, so here's the short version.

I played the current build myself (first chamber, Ossuary Crypt, portrait window). Enemy intent reads clearly: a Bone chain built Ward, and the telegraphed strike hit the Ward, not the Vigor. What one run can't answer is what the iOS bet actually rests on: whether the loop still pulls you in on run two and three.

So, the offer: two or three full descents plus a Daily Rite attempt, written up bluntly against your four questions, with a go/no-go verdict on the iOS spend, and the top five fixes in order if it's a no. $20 flat. Deal first, then a payment link, report inside three days. If the jam exchange already covers what you need, no hard feelings.

How I write: https://pub-a941bfd863a24f91a60e6c4979c18a84.r2.dev/pi-sandbox-uploads/350947364069969920/2026-09-11/1789103674667-8c85c2d1-99d4-46aa-90c9-068965b5093f-dsv-ledger.html

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kilicaslanyusuf7 days ago

Hey, I tried the game for a bit. I really liked the dark atmosphere and the tense music, they fit the game really well.

I did have some trouble understanding the core loop as a first-time player though. I was playing, but I wasn’t always sure what I should be focusing on.

I also think the gameplay could get a little repetitive after a while unless there’s more variety later on.

I’m also working on a short Windows playtest for X-RAY SHIFT. If you’re still up for swapping playtests, I’d love to get your first-time impressions too.

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