The blocks are very big compared to the player, compared to minecraft, which makes walking sluggish. The weak jump also forces you to be humiliated if you try to navigate terrain or go for the time bonuses in the domes. The focus is on flying, but you also mix it with landing to get the time bonuses, which kills your velocity, and I couldn't get back up to speed easily and satisfyingly enough to escape the onslaught of squids. Maybe the bonuses should be shootable?
I didn't understand what the red rhombussies are, and why they sometimes exist in the top left and top right alongside the squid icon. Originally I thought they were incoming projectile attacks after killing enemies, due to their colour. But it seems that all squids give them after dying. I didn't understand why the last squid of a group turns red and if its behaviour changes? I personally think it would be nice if squids shot ink or something to cover themselves but also retreated in the process. Think of the minecraft squid animation. To give you some breathing room and a chance to even lose them in terrain.
The ladder coming down is decently communicated with enough glow and being visible in the sky. Maybe it could have a grappable hitbox, and a directional 3D sound (like a chain?) as it descends. Even though the level 0 bell always spawns in front of you, I had to find that out in the comments here. It seems the bell could have more indication as to its location - if not an on screen arrow, then maybe the bell should change the nearby terrain into a unique material/biome? The performance being so good allows for epic particle effects across the whole world or bosses like someone said. More intelligent dogfighting around terrain and not just small enemies?
The bullets colliding a bit liberally is good. By flying around I guess I accumulate all the squids, and can't shake them off. I think the shotgun comes too late, and I only almost beat level 1 with the gun cheat, and even then died after shooting the bell. I think level 1 should be easier considering it's the first time you're forced to fight enemies and you want the game to ramp up into 30 minute runs (if I understood the page correctly. Because players certainly aren't beating this 30 minutes after first touching it). So while curious for the rest of the levels it would take a couple more hours for me to progress past the many squids required in level 1. I would like it if enemies were introduced gradually in levels, maybe with new themes for the whole world, maybe different generation style and colouring/biomes, so it still gets hardcore and exposes my skill issue, but I can at least think "hey, I reached the snow level this time". It would make levelling more interesting and make me excited to discover new things. Think of the binding of isaac with its different layers connected by ladders, or the backrooms. Has potential
i loved it. took me a while to figure out that the bells were at the top rather than at the bottom though, they aren't super visibile unless you know what to look for the game is relatively hard, so being brought back to level 0 after dying in level 1 felt somewhat unfair in general, some things need to be better communicated to the player, like how much time you have left
Played this a bunch previously, so I'll forgo my usual format. Game runs very smooth now :). The grappling hook works nice, not struggling against it. However balance is weird.
If I'm swinging around enemies can't hit me, but if I'm walking on the ground, I die within seconds. It sucks because it doesn't feel like it was my fault that I got stuck on jagged terrain blocks. The few times I'm on the ground I try to get off as ASAP as possible. The death sound effect is also a bit obnoxious.
There's also the existential issue, I'm not sure if this game would keep people playing for a long time unless there were something more to bite on. I do have a wishlist of what could be nice:
If there were bigger, boss-type, enemies that filled the screen with their own hitbox and bullets (maybe you can swing off them). Similar to the ones that clump up.
Smooth walls you can slide off of like in tribes ascend. (march those cubes) Or wall run on.
If maps were more grounded in reality, like if there were buildings floating around or pyramids or something neat like that.
Hey, thank you for playing! If you ever feel like trying again: You get to the next stage by moving straight forward from where you are spawned, you should see a glowing gold bell, shoot it and the ladder to the next stage will drop.
Comments
The blocks are very big compared to the player, compared to minecraft, which makes walking sluggish. The weak jump also forces you to be humiliated if you try to navigate terrain or go for the time bonuses in the domes. The focus is on flying, but you also mix it with landing to get the time bonuses, which kills your velocity, and I couldn't get back up to speed easily and satisfyingly enough to escape the onslaught of squids. Maybe the bonuses should be shootable?
I didn't understand what the red rhombussies are, and why they sometimes exist in the top left and top right alongside the squid icon. Originally I thought they were incoming projectile attacks after killing enemies, due to their colour. But it seems that all squids give them after dying. I didn't understand why the last squid of a group turns red and if its behaviour changes? I personally think it would be nice if squids shot ink or something to cover themselves but also retreated in the process. Think of the minecraft squid animation. To give you some breathing room and a chance to even lose them in terrain.
The ladder coming down is decently communicated with enough glow and being visible in the sky. Maybe it could have a grappable hitbox, and a directional 3D sound (like a chain?) as it descends. Even though the level 0 bell always spawns in front of you, I had to find that out in the comments here. It seems the bell could have more indication as to its location - if not an on screen arrow, then maybe the bell should change the nearby terrain into a unique material/biome? The performance being so good allows for epic particle effects across the whole world or bosses like someone said. More intelligent dogfighting around terrain and not just small enemies?
The bullets colliding a bit liberally is good. By flying around I guess I accumulate all the squids, and can't shake them off. I think the shotgun comes too late, and I only almost beat level 1 with the gun cheat, and even then died after shooting the bell. I think level 1 should be easier considering it's the first time you're forced to fight enemies and you want the game to ramp up into 30 minute runs (if I understood the page correctly. Because players certainly aren't beating this 30 minutes after first touching it). So while curious for the rest of the levels it would take a couple more hours for me to progress past the many squids required in level 1. I would like it if enemies were introduced gradually in levels, maybe with new themes for the whole world, maybe different generation style and colouring/biomes, so it still gets hardcore and exposes my skill issue, but I can at least think "hey, I reached the snow level this time". It would make levelling more interesting and make me excited to discover new things. Think of the binding of isaac with its different layers connected by ladders, or the backrooms. Has potential
i loved it. took me a while to figure out that the bells were at the top rather than at the bottom though, they aren't super visibile unless you know what to look for
the game is relatively hard, so being brought back to level 0 after dying in level 1 felt somewhat unfair
in general, some things need to be better communicated to the player, like how much time you have left
Played this a bunch previously, so I'll forgo my usual format. Game runs very smooth now :). The grappling hook works nice, not struggling against it. However balance is weird.
If I'm swinging around enemies can't hit me, but if I'm walking on the ground, I die within seconds. It sucks because it doesn't feel like it was my fault that I got stuck on jagged terrain blocks. The few times I'm on the ground I try to get off as ASAP as possible. The death sound effect is also a bit obnoxious.
There's also the existential issue, I'm not sure if this game would keep people playing for a long time unless there were something more to bite on.
I do have a wishlist of what could be nice:
Oh yeah, the settings an UI are very very crisp and nice. Would use your OS lol
Nice artstye. Bit too synonymous. Didn't know how to get to the next stage.
Hey, thank you for playing! If you ever feel like trying again: You get to the next stage by moving straight forward from where you are spawned, you should see a glowing gold bell, shoot it and the ladder to the next stage will drop.