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Spheromancer: incremental RPG, looking for general impressions

A topic by Alex Kostin created 1 day ago Views: 85 Replies: 6
Viewing posts 1 to 4
(1 edit)

I've been developing my game for almost a year: it's an incremental clicker with RPG elements. You fight elemental Spheres, each with its own weaknesses, collect and evolve minions into a squad, learn skills and spells, craft gear, lock captured Spheres in your Prison for passive income and go on raids for loot.

I released a big update a few days ago and would love any feedback and a fresh look. The first round of player feedback at launch was really helpful!

Play (browser / Windows): https://lexiany13.itch.io/spheromancer

Some questions, going from first impressions deeper:

- Does the page look good? Does it make you want to try the game?
- The first minutes of the game: what hooks you and makes you want to keep going, and what's annoying or off-putting?
- Do you like how the game looks? What don't you like?
- What does it remind you of? Just by feel, any associations. Who do you think would enjoy it?
- And if you played for more than 10 minutes and didn't drop it, I'd love to know why :)

Feel free to share any feedback on any part of the page or the game. Thanks!

(+1)

First impression of screen: I'm just some dude who doesn't know this genre, but it felt like a lot of information at once. I imagine you are quite used to it, and so may not see how it feels to a first-time player. I'd encourage a simpler screenshot that's almost like App Store ones explaining the mechanics and what makes your game different, with that screenshotted UI being built towards over time. 

I actually dig the page, it feels like Geocities. But the game itself - very information dense and now it's animating. I'd clip down to the essentials and maybe add some Word Art. I'm being fully serious by the way. 

OK game itself is doing what I just typed above - so well done. Music slaps. Mysterious and important. The twitch overlay is fighting with your "x" button which may leave a lot of players confused. Not a problem with my platform by the way ;) 

The music reminds me of "My Little Box" from Ghost Ship, coupled with some Resident Evil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_(2002_film)) style music. Maybe a little bleak at first but it builds beautifully. 

The only reason I'm not playing it more is because I have to keep working. But, overall well done. 

If you'd ever like to watch how other first-time players get through those first minutes, I make Betacade (betacade.com) and I'd be happy to set you up.

(+1)

For incremental RPG first-look: tip — hide secondary panels until the first fight ends. One clear click → damage → reward beat beats a full HUD on minute one; prune the store-page GIF to match that first screen.

Thanks for answer! Do you mean the very first GIF that a user sees on the game’s page? Yes, I think that’s a good idea.

(+1)

Hi! Just played it for a bit, nice work!

What I liked:

- The atmosphere and the art are really pleasant

- Running straight in the browser is great, no download, I could start right away

What could be better:

- When the game starts, I didn't know what to do. A small tutorial or a little help window on the first launch would really help new players get into it.

- When I want to buy something, I can't see how much money I have. Showing it near the shop (or next to the prices) would make the buying decisions much easier.

- To buy, I have to click a tiny icon. It would feel much nicer if the whole card was clickable.

- After buying an upgrade, I didn't realise it had increased my damage, or that I still had to keep clicking. I thought it would attack for me. A short message after the purchase (like "+2 damage per click") would make it clear what changed and what to do next.

Good luck with it, I'll keep an eye on the updates!

(+1)

Thanks a lot—these are really useful observations. 

Regarding the very first hint: do you mean the absolute beginning, where there’s just a small sphere on the screen? Are you suggesting some kind of prompt to indicate that the player should click on it? 

As for the purchasing process and the small button—are you referring to the minion card shop? That’s a genuinely good idea. 

Regarding upgrades: I’m not sure yet how to implement your suggestion, as there are quite a few different upgrades on the skill tree, each with a unique effect. The descriptions explain exactly what they unlock or improve, and there are actually very few upgrades that simply provide a flat damage bonus. Still, I’ll give it some thought! 

Thanks, bro!

(1 edit) (+1)

Yes in the absolute beginning when you open the game for the first time and/or when you restart a run.
Exactly, i refer to the minion card shop.

Keep up the good work !