Interesting replies in this topic! I haven't really managed to get my game to take off at all, tried a few reddit posts without much luck. Of course, there are loads of games looking to be played out there, so not surprising. :) Still, if anyone has any advice, I am all ears!
Do the interactions on social media posts actually translate into plays on Itch?
For instance, I had a YouTube Short with 2,000 views and another video with 1,500 views, yet they only generated 30 visits to my Itch page.
In contrast, a post on Reddit brings in far more traffic. I’m not sure—perhaps this is just because I’m not very successful on social media.
You got to be careful with those posts. reddit.com will provide no results with direct marketing in most cases.
I played your game (on Android)
- Onboarding
- Explain powerups, I thought they were bad to hit
- Explain the boss, ended up losing instantly
- Tried to redo the boss but reset the game
- Is there only 3 levels?
- UI
- Confusing
- Rotated 90 degrees from the game
High Score: ~7391?
To answer your questions:
1. Pickups: The red triangles are enemies. The round glowing objects (green/blue/gold) are pickups — hovering over them collects them. They are all good!
2. Boss & "3 Levels": The game is actually a roguelite with no end. You die, keep your Skill Points (SP), upgrade your tree, and try again. Level 3 is just the first boss. You get stronger every run!
3. Resetting: To keep your progress, always click "Next Run" after dying, not "New Game" (New Game wipes your run).
4. Mobile UI: You are 100% right. The game is designed for PC right now, and the forced rotation makes the UI too small on phones. I am actively working on a dedicated mobile update (v3.8.0) to fix the layout and touch controls.
Thank you, appreciate the feedback! The game is definitely clunky on phones, and there is not much in terms of onboarding besides the "How to play".
There are no retries, the game is structured as a 3 x 5 level run, with meta progress unlocked between runs (like a roguelike), and I certainly take your point that it is not sufficiently well explained. I aimed for it being progressively discoverable, and without tutorial boxes, but that might very well be something to change!