The idea is pretty fun and the gameplay is satisfying, but for the art/visuals the game would probably do better in 3D with planar fix, like Getting Over It. Overall it lacks some technical execution and mainly polish.
For example, what is bad technically and for polish:
- The background is “pixel-bound” to the sprite res so it stutters as it moves a lot
- The camera zoom and feel are very restrictive, there is no clear indication scroll wheel can zooms out, took me a while to figure that out
- The movement is stuttery in places, but technically is too direct
- The reload speed is too fast and/or velocity from bullets is too much and the calculation for gains and movement is too direct, you can “fly” by continuously shooting
How to fix technically without changing the game feel:
If 2D pixel design is a core part important to the game, you guys should superscale the pixel assets to around 1 megapixels, directly as a multiplier to it like 2x, 4x. That would keep the pixel art exact at any scale you later scale it down at, while allowing zooming, panning and smoothing in various forms. That would give camera movement and zoom freedom and remove stutter and ghosting. allowing for more technical depth and polish. Here’s an example on how to do it: https://github.com/RaresKeY/pocket-salvage there’s also a python helper script in there.
For movement change the instant feedback to a system more like Getting over it, and for arcadey part shooting/flying cap the max speed, and apply velocities more indirectly
Sorry for the ramble, overall I liked playing the game and I think it has potential. The core loop checks out.