Hi! I'm working on Jarlings, a small browser game where you grow tiny creatures in a jar.

Drag items into the jar (a mushroom, a feather, an ember…) and a jarling eats it and grows a new part: a cap, wings, a flame tail. Customers ask for a certain mix, you sell it, and each jar hides one legendary creature to discover.

Play (free, browser, works on phone): https://cedardesktools.itch.io/jarlings

I'd love honest answers to:

1. After your first minute, what did you think the goal was?
2. Where did you get stuck or confused?
3. Would you come back tomorrow? Why or why not?

Happy to play and give feedback on your game in return. Thanks!

Five minutes is a kind ask. Tip for first impressions: ask each tester only “what did you think the jar creature wanted on the first screen?” — if that answer scatters, fix the opener before measuring the rest of the loop.

Hi! Gave it a try, here are my honest first impressions. Just so you know, I'm probably not the target player for this kind of game, so take this with that in mind.

Overall, the art is really nice and the sound design too, it all feels cozy and well put together.

1. After the first minute, I understood the basic loop: you give items to the creatures, they change, and you can sell them. It felt like a collection game, a bit like a Tamagotchi, but I didn't see the bigger goal behind it.

2. Where I got confused: why one item rather than another, and what selling a creature brings me. A clearer link between what I give, what the creature becomes and what I get from it would give a reason to experiment but maybe it s done on purpose 

3. Would I come back tomorrow? Not yet, mostly because I didn't see what I was working towards. With a clearer goal, the cozy jar idea could definitely make me come back to check on them.

The concept is cute, I think it just needs a clearer "why". Good luck with it!

Hey I spent about 25 minutes / 35 minutes on the game (I'd say 20 in game + 10/15 writing this up as I went...)

Here is step by step what went through my mind. It's slightly rough as a feedback comment, but I wonder if you'll benefit from seeing how I experienced the game as I was learning about it...
1 - First I would have liked to click on my last jarlings (right side panel) to get some informations on them, re-check their names, anything that might help me figure out how to "assemble" the next jarling the Bumble required.
2 - Then I tried to click the UI elements especially Mossy Glade... It looked small on my display (2550 x 1440) so I initially thought the jar was a book and the lable was "Mossy Guide" rather than Mossy Glade so I thought it was some kinf of encyclopeadia... I found it strange that I almost couldn't clic any of the UI elements (or hover for more information).
3 - It took me 7 or 8 jarlings to realise (still not 100% sure whether it is the case though) or rather assume that jarling colours and forms (tear drop / round-ish / square-ish / different eyes / etc.) did not lead to different creatures when "fed" the same "food".... It would be cool if it did... (Might make the roster swell too much though, idk)
4 - It's slightly frustrating when the jar becomes full to try and give a food to a jarling without it being gobbled up by another one... But I guess that's part of the jar management mechanic. I don't think it's an issue per se.
5 -  It also took me a while, (maybe 7 / 8 min in) to realise you couldn't sell just any ANY jarlings... And instead that you could send them "exploring". I'm now wondering if I need to be careful not to get the jar over populated before I manage to get the next item I need for my next sale from exploring...
6 - Ok, one more minute and I guess the jarlings will still come back to your jar even if it was over populated before... It feels like a bit of a hack to continue growing the jar beyond what you wanted the player to experience maybe?
7 - Okay, 10mins in... I've been stuck because I can;t find bee stripes from exploring and both the sales I need to do require bee stripes before the new item for sales arrives.
I'm giving up here.
Ah wait... Hints appeared and I have just realised that I shouldn't have been looking for bee stripes but for honey... Makes sense ^^ Ahahah... I feel slightly dumb. ;) Let me try that.
8 - Maybe 15 mins in, I realise that you can immobilise a jarling to feed it what you want... GREAT! Would have loved to realise this before ^^
Oops... The game seemed to crash. I think the last thing I read was "story finished"... I don't know if this isfor the game as it stands.

Would I come back tomorrow? Yeah, maybe why not... I enjoyed the discovering the game, but thetruth is that it might not have "grabbed" me enough that I can guarantee I'd come back... It willbe competing with tons of other things I have on my mind and as much as I enjkoyed the distraction right now, I would probably forget about the jarlings and not come back. Maybe with a prod (not really realistic in a browser game, but mobile notification?)

I enjoyed the art direction enough that I don't have anything negative to say about it, but also it didn;t blow me away... I would have liked to see the jarlings form "evolve" more (as in almost a new sprite with each new characteristic they absorbed)... But I understand that this would require A TON of work!

I hope this helped you. Best of luck with the game, keep going!
Aymeric