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Hey, drop your link—I’ll give you some genuine feedback from a player’s perspective. Let’s improve together!

A topic by Elysianx created 3 days ago Views: 567 Replies: 59
Viewing posts 1 to 20

Making a game takes so much time and effort, but sometimes the hardest part is getting anyone to actually play it.

I recently released my second indie game, and I'm experiencing exactly that. Barely any players, and almost no feedback.

So let's help each other out! ❤️

🎮 My game: https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution

Drop your game links below! I'll play as many as I can and share honest feedback. I'd love to hear your thoughts on mine too!

No fake reviews, no forced ratings. Just genuine feedback and indie devs supporting each other. 🤝

I would like feedback, for my puzzle game Dualspace. I will be willing to play your game.

https://codergenius72.itch.io/dualspace

hey! played dualspace for like 10 min.

the day/night swap is a really cool idea, and the two palettes are so different you instantly see what changed. when I walked into the reality hazard and it told me to switch realities to turn it off, that clicked right away. nice.

honest stuff tho: I didn't solve a single puzzle lol. hit the checkpoint, wandered around, and had no clue what I was supposed to do next. some kind of "go here / find this" hint early on would help a lot. controls weren't shown upfront either, I just guessed WASD, and sometimes a keypress didn't move me right away.

also the embedded window was cropped for me until I went fullscreen.

cool concept though, would def play more once I know where to go!

mine if you want to swap: DNA EVOLUTION

https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution

free in browser, you mutate creatures and push the enemy lab on 3 lanes (air, ground, underground). would love to hear if the mutation menu makes sense 🙏

I didn't solve a single puzzle lol. hit the checkpoint, wandered around, and had no clue what I was supposed to do next

There was a portal right at the end of the tutorial. After that, there is only one direction to go for the first puzzle. Did you struggle to find your way out of the tutorial, or did you glitch away from it?

I don't think it was a game glitch—it was my fault, haha. I reached the checkpoint, switched to night mode, and wandered around that area for a while until time ran out. I probably just didn't recognize the portal. Are those glowing circular tiles the portal? If so, I walked right past them, haha.

Maybe making the portals a little more noticeable—like having them glow, make a sound, or having an NPC point them out—could prevent people like me from getting lost. I’ll give it another shot!

Oh, and I tried it on my phone—it doesn’t seem to be very mobile-friendly, and I’m not quite sure how to navigate it on a phone.

Oh, and I tried it on my phone—it doesn’t seem to be very mobile-friendly, and I’m not quite sure how to navigate it on a phone

Dualspace has no mobile features at all. If you reached that spot on your phone, I am surprised.

The portals do glow, but they are not on your screen, they are the other Circular tiles. 

I will add a NPC that points them out.

Hey i just tried your game out, I like the idea but i got stuck i pushed the block into a corner and cant work out what to do from there i also have a couple games on my page im looking for feedback on if you have the time thanks.

Thanks for trying. You will need to use Z to undo. Did the NPC explain that?

Hey no problem i didn't see the npc and being on the checkpoint i cant go back far enough to move the box either.may be just me but thought id let you know

Moderator moved this topic to Get Feedback
Moderator

(moved to the right category)

Hi, I want to join in on the feedback train. I tried you game, mutations the feel too complex for too little benefit. Or at least I did not feel the benefits as I just spammed the meat shields + one or two of the range and have no idea if the mutations helped or if I just spammed enough. You may want to look in to making that harder to do.

As for my game I finished the game for the 20 Second Game Jam 2026. I am still testing and have not submitted it yet, or taken it of from restricted. Can you try it and lay on the criticism.
20 SEC: DOUBLE OR NOTHING?
The password is: SilverTest

(2 edits)

Nice game! I like the quick and simple betting options. I played on mobile, but needed to zoom out to 80%. I would also like a feature to save your username and not put it everytime. Leaderboards should show each person once (or each username). also think I will stay at the top of the leaderboard for a while. I also never needed a Same bet. For a post jam update, I would consider adding a settings menu. I like the audio! I suggest taking it out of restricted.

Feedback exchange? I have a in-browser puzzle game that needs critiques.

https://codergenius72.itch.io/dualspace

I tried your game, love it. It has fun puzzles and it's not too bad wean I mess up the puzzles, I did not check every puzzle to see if you can't soft lock your self but with the Z button there that won't be a problem. The only criticism I can give is that the way the camera follows the player is not one I would prefer, but that is a me not like not a bad design.  Thank you for pointing out the mobile problem, but may I ask how did you get that high of a score? The best I ever got was 4500 or something like that and then quickly lost it down to 1012.

thanks for playing mine! and yeah that's fair, if spamming meat shields + a couple ranged works then the mutations aren't pulling their weight. gonna look at making that strat way less safe and making mutation effects more visible so you actually feel the difference.

played yours, like 26 runs lol. best was $1,010 in 15 bets (13 wins). the loop is super easy to get and the 20 sec timer makes it really "one more run". hitting SAME and seeing JACKPOT! is the best moment in the game for sure.

honest notes:

- it's mostly luck right now. all in, win once, lose once, back to $0. maybe some small thing you can control besides bet size? like peeking how many of a card are left, or a one-time skip

- 20 sec felt a bit rushed at first, I spent the first few runs just reading the buttons

- the embedded window is kinda small, I'd make it bigger by default

fun little jam game, good luck with the submission!

Hey Silver, tried your game! Managed to get from $100 to $800 with three all-in wins lol. Also got lucky guessing SAME on two Kings.

The betting is pretty fun, and I like how quick each round is. It definitely makes you want to try again.

One thing I noticed: I lost all my money with about 13 seconds left, but it still said “TIME’S UP” haha. Maybe a different message for going broke? It would also be nice to see the actual dollar amount when choosing a bet percentage.

Nice little game!

Up for a feedback swap? I’m working on AstrialWorld, a story-driven 2D fantasy RPG. I’d love to hear what you think, especially if anything feels confusing or could be improved.
https://astrialworld.itch.io/astrialworld

Firs, not my type of game, so I did not play more then the first three quests. I like the art and the fighting is fine, biggest problem I found was the inconsistent controls. Some buttons you can use with keyboard, some with mouse, some with both. You need to pick both or one of them, In the class I tried with mouse, nope okay a key board game, I go to pick avatar, can't conform with keyboard, try mouse it works, I start playing with mouse as that is what I prefer and think the class thing is a one off. Then I end up incapable of doing something with mouse, I am not sure what was the first thing that stopped me, and then again and again. Every action I had to guess mouse or keyboard. I think you need to pick one or make all work with both, I am not sure how big of a problem this is as again I did not play long, maybe as I play more it will stick what is what and I wont be confused by it. 

Thanks for your perspective, I will see about the end message and adding the dollar amount next to the options was in the next batch as you are not the first to ask about it. And again Thank you for playing and your in put.

https://chesskingmaster.com/

Firstly, please use descriptions about your link before posting. I had no idea what the link was and most people won't click.




The site contains way too much marketing for a puzzle game, especially to make a account. The main menus are extremely confusing, and mostly all market making a account. To make it worse, a single wrong click can lock the site up, trap you in account creation, or wipe progress. There are also 3 different ways you market this account, including "ads" and alerts that show a blank screen, wiping guest progress.


At the very least, remove the notification bell, the extra step for guest creation, and the ad after the first puzzle. Also add device saving, and basic stats. There should be no in-game ads for account creation.


For puzzles, the first puzzle is difficult to start. However, most of the following puzzles use the same mechanics over and over, breaking user engagement. I personally left after the 4th puzzle, due to a account request that resulted in a empty page. The tutorial is also too long.


Some suggestions to get people to make accounts are:


Extra in-game currency.


Showing that you can access save data from multiple devices.


Having just 1 area that shows account benefits and a proper login screen.




I played all of this on mobile.


Feedback Exhange.


I have a sokoban puzzle game, playable in the browser. 


https://codergenius72.itch.io/dualspace

checked it out! got 7 out of 8 king moves on the first puzzle and then got stuck lol

took me a sec to get that it's not normal chess, the name made me expect a regular game vs a bot. once it clicked it's a really neat idea, clearing a path for the king on a 3x3 is a fun little brain teaser. the jewel pieces look great and moves feel snappy.

few things:

- the landing page has a LOT going on (account, VIP, ranks, daily, community). I'd lead with just "play" + a one line "this isn't regular chess" pitch

- the rule that pieces have to alternate wasn't obvious to me until the long tutorial. maybe show it right in the first puzzle

- on desktop the board feels small with tons of empty space around it

nice job overall!

mine if you want to swap: DNA EVOLUTION

https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution

free in browser, mutate creatures and push the enemy lab on 3 lanes 🙏

(1 edit)

Hi I'd like to be a part of this. I'm making a game called Block Forge. It's like minecraft but with guns and you build vehicles. If you're interested this is my gamepage so far on steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/5279730/Block_Forge/. I'm willing to play your game if you would playtest mine also. I can go first. Plz contact me for a gamekey

hey bro, would love to try block forge! minecraft with guns and vehicles sounds like a blast. drop the key link here or send it to elysianx138@gmail.com, whatever works for you 🙏

(1 edit)

I did not play the game, so I won't ask for feedback.

  1. Please find a asset pack for icons. You are so close to no AI that you should just remove all AI.
  2. Please add a video. I don't use Steam, but am 100% sure you need a video/trailer
  3. You need more than 3 tags.
  4. You may struggle to get playtesting here because everyone else has browser itch.io games.

Hey, I'm up for a FEEDBACK SWAP! I'm working on AstrialWorld, a story-driven 2D fantasy RPG. It's a free demo on itch.io.

https://astrialworld.itch.io/astrialworld

I'd be happy to try your game too! Could you send me a Steam key?

here : https://polarclaw12.itch.io/yolk

played yolk! the tapping feels really good, the egg squish and particles are super satisfying. couple things I noticed tho:

- mashing too fast broke my egg and took like a third of my yolks, but nothing told me I had to tap on the beat. a quick hint would help a lot

- it said yolka needs a x180 combo but the combo meter stayed at 0/180

- after buying a hen the hud still showed 0 per second

also the page calls it an idle clicker but in game it's more of a rhythm thing, might be worth matching those

Do you have any suggestions for my game? Any advice is welcome 🙏

(2 edits)

I played until ~12k total yolk on mobile. 

At this point: Clicking was not enough to hold 4k at once due to yolk lost.

Firstly, please use descriptions when sharing links. I personally have more trust in itch.io links, so I clicked.

  • Yolk rush combo scaling was completely off. I think you are multiplying instead adding. It reached 4.3M combo requirement
  • Effects for 3x yolk are too much and blink.
  • Keeping the beat has no effect on egg, or yolk (defeats the purpose)
  • No way to prevent egg cracks (should decrease when not clicking, preventing mashing too fast)
  • Pro mode price increases don't make the game harder, it just makes it longer 
  • Same effect as if you just Tripled enemy health in other games.
  • Hud does not show decimals
  • Add a tutorial 
  • Yolk millionaire is granted at 10k yolk.
  • Description is AI generated and has only three truthful statements 
  • Please document AI usage.
  • Chick's should help more or cost less
  • Price balancing is correct ( each upgrade is worth buying)

Edit: Make it to 50k with ~20 min of offline. (Offline Works)

Feedback Exhange?

I have a sokoban puzzle game, playable in the browser. 

https://codergenius72.itch.io/dualspace


Nice changes!

Hey there, I've played your game and have posted review there.

As for you, you could play this game of mine : Ruvoroid.

thanks for playing dna evolution and for the honest review! yeah the early pace is definitely too fast, i felt that too once i started watching people play. already working on slowing down the first minute. one-click mutate and stronger team colors are both really good calls, adding those to the list. the burrower not hitting the lab is actually intended, only surface units can damage it, but i can see how that wasn't clear, so i'll make that more obvious in the game.

just tried ruvoroid as well! really nice start, tutorial is super straightforward and the game boots up instantly, no long intro or anything. i liked that.

a few things from my run though. the jump being on L kinda threw me, i kept hitting space out of habit, so i spent the first bit just fighting the controls. also didn't realize the first checkpoint was a save point until later, it blended into the background a bit for me. and i died once to something that looked exactly like grass, so i had no idea what even hit me. later i got completely stuck at this tall plant/vine section and just couldn't find a way past it no matter how i jumped. still, it's a really fun classic platformer so far, just wanted to flag those in case they're useful 🙏

Thanks for playing, I'm going to review background contrast issue later including the spikes.

As for tall blocker, you are supposed to find something to break it first. That thing will be useful to progress elsewhere also.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts and suggestions about this game! I will try my best to reply !
/t/7357003/my-personal-project-hallucination-is-currently-undergo...

(+1)

played hallucination for a bit, love the black and white look and the opening text really sets the mood. for the remake:

- a short tutorial night would help a lot, the rules are pretty hard to figure out

- some visual tell for "unusual" objects, like a slight flicker, so it's about noticing and not guessing

- a progress ring on hold E, right now it feels slow and I wasn't sure it was working

- show which night it is and how many keys you have on screen

- the game didn't take input until I clicked it, and space scrolled the page

the atmosphere is already there, it just needs the rules to be easier to read👍

Thank you very much for your suggestions and feedback! I will note them down! Also, thank you so much for playtesting (since this is the old Game Jam version, it's very rough and crude, so playing it is not highly recommended, LOL).

Some feedback on my survival game would be much appreciated: https://h32interactive.itch.io/planetary-prospectors

Hey i had a try of your game i like it seems pretty cool idea. played for around 5 mins i like the concept of it, if you get time checkout my current games too looking for as much feedback as possible thanks.

just played planetary prospectors, the art is really nice, i love this kind of low poly look. the world feels good to wander around in too.

one thing that got me though, at the start i genuinely didn't know what i was supposed to do or where to go. i like the idea of letting people explore freely, but a few early goals or little objectives would help a lot, just so you have something to aim for at first. also this seems like it would be even better with friends, co-op would be awesome.

the hud is pretty, but most of the icons on the bottom left don't have labels. o2 was obvious, and i guessed the others were maybe water, temperature and power, but i wasn't totally sure. a quick tooltip or a short prompt at the start would help a lot.

if you get a chance, would love you to try mine too, it's a browser strategy game where you mutate creatures and push an enemy lab: https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution 🙏

I played a game for like 10 minutes and  here is my feedback:
Great thing it has a tutorial  but  if this is supposed to be the first level that it is too long and hard (at least for me)
Also it seems overwhlmed with UI especially mutate window. 


Would you try the first case of my detective game? It’s free in your browser, and even 10 minutes would help. I’d love to hear where you got stuck or, if you solved it, what made the case click. Play The Art of Deduction

(+1)

hey, played the first case, the missing parcel, took me about 10 minutes and i solved it. really liked it. the shop and packing room art feels warm and inviting, and the evidence cards are easy to read. the best part for me was how the physical clues and the witness stories had to line up, once the wet wrapper and the dry print clicked together the answer felt earned, not guessed. nice that it wasn't a "someone stole it" twist either, the ending was small and kind of sweet.

the notebook (bookmarks, connections, notes) is useful without being forced on you, i like that. only small ui thing: a few witness topics seemed to just highlight on the first click and needed a second click to actually open, so it felt a bit inconsistent. no bugs or typos stood out.

and thanks for the honest notes on dna, you're right that the first level runs too long and the mutate window throws way too much at you at once. both are on my fix list now 🙏

https://andre-fressatti.itch.io/spike-arena

I’ve tested the game with friends, and now I’m looking for feedback from people who enjoy volleyball or sports games, especially players trying it for the first time.

If you give it a try, I’d love to hear:

  • Could you understand the controls and your role without help?
  • How do movement, serving, passing, setting, spiking and blocking feel?
  • What was fun, confusing or frustrating?
  • Would you want to play another match? Why or why not?
  • Did you encounter bugs or performance problems?
(+1)

hey, just tried spike arena, honestly the polish surprised me. i didn't run into any bugs, and the simplified chinese was completely clean, no weird translations. the tutorial is really thorough too, even as someone who doesn't usually play volleyball i could follow the rules. there's a lot to remember, but that's just the sport, not a game problem.

the serve receive and the shoe-on-court sounds are super immersive, it actually reminded me of watching volleyball on tv lol. i could understand the controls, though if i were playing a real match i'd probably just mash left click or shift, that's on me though, not the game. movement, serving, passing, setting, spiking and blocking all felt great, very satisfying.

the one thing i'd look at is performance. the tutorial ran smoothly, but once i got into a normal match it stuttered a lot on my machine. maybe that's just my pc, but a bit of optimization would help. still, i'd play another match, the feel is already really solid.

if you get a chance, would love you to try mine too, it's a browser strategy game where you mutate creatures and push an enemy lab: https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution 🙏

Hi! I'm developing Residential Phenomena Hotline, an indie narrative horror game where you work the night shift for a paranormal support service. Residents report strange things happening in their homes. Your job is to question them, examine evidence, search the company intranet, and figure out what's really going on

Itch.io - Residential Phenomena Hotline by Enabler Games

hey, played residential phenomena hotline through to the end of the prototype, about 15 minutes. really into the vibe. the dark terminal workstation fits the corporate-paranormal idea perfectly, and the dry corporate writing makes it creepier than a jumpscare would. digging through the kb, resident history and old cases, then pinning a doc to unlock new questions, made the whole thing feel connected, like i was actually building a case.

a few things from my run:

- text and buttons are pretty small in the embed, i was squinting a bit

- the ask panel says there's nothing to ask until you pin a document, which i almost missed, a nudge toward pinning would help

- the overseer tips sometimes covered parts of the ui

- in the voice note player, the M shortcut was clearer than the mark button itself

i ended up sending the door repair tips instead of a handyman, and the shift report just said the resident went "unresponsive"... which was unsettling in a good way, though i wasn't sure if that was a fail or the point. can't wait to see where night 2 goes.

if you get a chance, would love you to try mine too, it's a browser strategy game where you mutate creatures and push an enemy lab: https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution 🙏

Thanks for your feedback. We are working on new cases and intend to add them in a demo shortly.  
I will check DNA evolution shortly and give you feedback.

thanks for setting this up! my husband and I just released our first free demo of AstrialWorld, a 2D fantasy RPG with party-based combat, exploration, and a few hidden clues along the way.

it's around 30 minutes long, and we're still figuring out what works and what doesn't. we'd especially love to hear how the first 10 minutes feel to someone playing for the first time.

here's our demo: https://astrialworld.itch.io/astrialworld

happy to check out your games too, just drop a link!

hey, just played the opening of astrialworld. the intro really caught me off guard, in a good way, it felt surprisingly cinematic. i also didn't expect simplified chinese support, that was a really nice surprise. one small thing: the class confirmation screen had some garbled chinese characters, though it didn't block anything, and the rest of the translation looked solid afterward.

the tutorial is really well done, and the art style is gorgeous, those sepia illustrations and portraits give it a storybook feel. showing esc as the menu key right at the start is also a great touch.

one suggestion though: in an rpg like this, following the quest is kind of the core loop, so after you accept a commission it would be nicer to see the quest progress on the main screen, instead of having to open esc and then click into the journal. i also couldn't find coordinates like (7,12) anywhere, so the sign and cache were a bit hard to hunt down. a few other small notes from my run: the "quests" button at the town hall didn't seem to do anything, the skill list in battle was empty with no hint why, pressing enter on the map kept opening the item menu by accident, and tester called erin "eileen" once. the browser canvas is also pretty small with no fullscreen button.

thanks for playing mine too 🙏

Hey, thanks for giving it a go and writing all this up! Really glad you liked the opening and the storybook feel.

The quest tracking point makes sense. Having to keep opening the journal to check where to go sounds clunky. We’ll look into making the current objective and coordinates easier to see.

My husband and I will check the garbled text, the quest button, the empty skill list and the Enter key issue too. Thanks for catching the name mix-up and mentioning the browser size as well.

This gives us a lot to work with. Glad we got to try each other’s games!

My indie horror game is now playable — looking for feedback!

I've just submitted Project 13: The Thirteen Curses to the 2026 Unity Game Jam!

You're trapped in a haunted motel with 13 minutes to break 12 curses and defeat the final boss.

The game features supernatural puzzles, shadow enemies, random haunting events, and a luck system that can help you survive.

It's free, plays directly in your browser, and doesn't require installation.

I'm an indie developer looking for honest feedback on the gameplay, difficulty, atmosphere, and controls.

Play Project 13 here:
https://shadyfella13.itch.io/project-13-the-thirteen-curses

Thanks to anyone willing to give it a try!

(+1)

hey, just tried project 13. i started in room 01, the "13 steps / follow numbers" puzzle, and the goal was clear right away: walk the tiles in order from 1 to 13. that first room already shows you put real thought into the level design, it's not just a hallway with enemies.

the shooting sfx also stood out. they already feel tight and experienced, like this part of the game has been paid attention to.

that said, overall it still feels more like a prototype than a finished demo. the systems are there, the loop makes sense, but the art, assets, and animations aren't quite carrying the same weight yet. if those get a stronger pass, i think this has a lot of potential. the hook is already interesting: 13 minutes, 12 curses, then the final room.

if you get a chance, would love you to try mine too. it's a browser strategy game where you mutate creatures and push an enemy lab: https://elysianx138.itch.io/dna-evolution

thank you all so much for the links and the honest notes on dna evolution. i didn't expect this thread to blow up like this, and it's been really fun seeing so many swap threads pop up since. i've turned your first-minute feedback into a fix list, and the next update will be built around it. i'm still working through the games here, so if i haven't gotten to yours yet, i will. and if you drop a new link, i'll still play it 🙏

This is so cute! I love the art. This reminds me of a game called Post Knight (I believe) meets tower defense which is a cool combo. I felt like the tutorial was good but it was pretty long. It might be worth breaking things down a bit more or having the level be more attainable quicker? Or maybe it was supposed to be long. I didn't understand what it was trying to get me to do when the tutorial was pointing to the settings. I almost got to the other base with my creatures but i went to pan my view towards my base and accidentally went back because of my browser mouse controls? Not sure how to explain but something I did in game triggered back button I think. I like the music. It made me want sound effects too I think that would make things feel even more legendary. It would also be good to know or have a better idea when I defeat a creature and when one of my creatures gets defeated. It's a fun game! Thanks for sharing.

Here is my link: https://cynamonshop.itch.io/pagala Hope to hear from you~

thanks so much for playing, and for the kind words on the art and music! post knight meets tower defense is a really fun way to put it.

you're right about the tutorial, it runs long, and the bit that points at the settings is confusing, i wasn't clear enough about what you were supposed to do there. the browser back thing is a big one too, almost taking the other base and then getting kicked out of the page is rough, that's going straight onto the fix list. also want to make it way more obvious when a unit goes down, on both sides, and layer in more combat sfx.

pagala looks great, i'll play it next and come back with notes.

hey, played pagala vs the standard ai on the classic board. started with the tutorial, it got me moving in a few minutes, the steps are clear and well paced.

the part that really clicked, and also the part that beat me, was realizing a full 5/5 bowl isn't a permanent block. if it still has your color, you can pick it back up. i had plugged a 3-white stack to 5/5 thinking i was safe, and next turn the ai picked that bowl up, walked a little loop, and dropped two whites into c3 in one turn, including the 4th on shard 5. i had 3 blacks on b2 and would have been one short of winning the turn after. that moment is the hook, it made me want another game.

a couple notes:

- the tutorial is on a 4x4 board, the live classic board is 4x5, threw me a bit at first. column 1 being on the right was also easy to misread.

- a tooltip about sealing vs temporary full bowls showed up mid-game; it'd help even more in the first tutorial, since that's what decided the match.

- confirm stays greyed out until the placement animation finishes, so it looks stuck for a second.

- if auto-choose first shard is on, clicking a destination too fast can drop the wrong piece.

the wood-and-shard look is really warm, and the teal rings plus the numbered path preview made moves easy to read. the standard ai is no dummy either, it stacked, clogged my threats, and used that loop i'd only just understood. fun game, thanks for sharing it!

Hi Elysianx,

I’m playing dna-evolution and will post some feedback here.

Here is my game: TCA

I enjoyed it, but it’s a really hard to beat, I wasn’t able to, even after playing for quite some time. The very first problem was figuring out the UI, the systems, the DNA, energy, etc. There is no easing-in at all, you are presented with the entire game and are left to figure it out, which I find ok, but I feel you should not have all mutations from the very beginning of the game, you should have to beat a few rounds and unlock them one by one, to allow a smoother controlled progression and allow the player to learn each mutation and game systems instead of having to read through them all in one go. Mutation should be greyed out when no mutations are possible, just to avoid wasting time setting things up and discover you don’t have any DNA points. I’ve also found some mutations to be redundant or uninteresting. I’ve also been disappointed by the flying unit healing mutation, it does not heal enough to make any noticeable difference during the battle. I’ve struggled to understand systems and UI because it’s a little all over the place, may be there is just too much info at once so it makes it hard to figure out. The cap system for example. Overall I feel it could be quite a good game with a more staggered introduction of each system, and much easier AI at the beginning. I hope that helps :-)

(+1)

thanks so much for playing, and for such a careful writeup! really glad you still enjoyed it even when you couldn't find a win.

you're right about the opening: throwing the whole game at you at once, every mutation included, is a lot to read through before anything has clicked. unlocking mutations over the first few rounds, and walking systems in one at a time, is going on the list. same for making the early ai easier, so the first games are actually there to learn with.

the grey-out when you don't have dna points is a really good catch too, no reason to let someone set up a mutation just to find out they can't afford it. i'll also look at the redundant ones, and at the flying heal especially, since a mutation you can't feel in the fight isn't doing its job. the cap wording and the crowded ui are already on the fix list from other players as well.

i'm playing the corrupted ascent now and will come back with notes. thanks again, this helps a lot!

(+1)

just finished a session of the corrupted ascent — the quality here is genuinely outstanding, not hype.

the art is basically flawless. the enemy death effects genuinely shocked me, and the backgrounds did too; i love this atmosphere so much. the sound hit even harder: the impact effects and the music are incredible, they actually got a reaction out of me. and that industrial / cyber look was a real little surprise. this whole game feels excellent, and there's a lot i'd love to learn from it.

a few notes from my side, as someone who doesn't play this kind of game much:

i got lost pretty easily, especially at forks in the path, and i sometimes wandered into dead ends.

not sure if this is on me, but if i hold a/d during a jump, there seems to be a short hitch when i land, like the character sticks for a moment. it breaks the flow a little.

the game itself is already excellent. if the menus got a bit of a polish pass, and the play button was more prominent, it would be easier for people to jump in faster.

thanks for the swap, and for the careful notes on dna evolution too. this was a joy to play.

Thanks for the feedback Elysianx, I’m also glad you enjoyed it! The landing pause you felt is based on the height you land from, the higher the longer the pause, it’s meant to bring a feeling of weight but needs to be tuned. Menu polish and map 👍️ Cheers!

Hi! Thanks for offering to help other indie developers!

I recently released THE LAST PLATFORM: The Vanishing Map, a free printable detective mystery.

It's a PDF-based investigation game rather than a traditional video game. Players examine security records, witness timelines, and station documents to solve a mystery.

The estimated playtime is 15–30 minutes, and it's available in both A4 and US Letter formats.

I'd especially appreciate your thoughts on:

  • Whether the clues are fair and understandable
  • Whether the investigation is enjoyable
  • Whether the ending feels satisfying

The project was created with generative AI assistance and is currently in playtesting.

https://penciltide.itch.io/the-last-platform

No worries if printable mysteries aren't your thing. Thanks for your time!

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hey, thanks for sharing this! i played case 00 solo from the a4 pdfs on screen, not printed, and started with the read-first file as instructed. i didn't use the hints, and i only opened the sealed exhibit after i had a locker, then the solution after i'd filled in the report.

i finished in well under the 15-30 minute estimate — clearly under 15 minutes — but that's mostly because i was on a screen and could jump between the ledger and the camera still instantly. on paper, with pages spread out, i think it would sit more comfortably in that window.

the investigation was really enjoyable. the best moment was lining up the dispatch monitor in the still with the departure ledger; once that clicked, the rest of the timeline locked into place, and it felt fair rather than tricky. the later documents have a satisfying "wait, this doesn't match" turn too, and i liked that the ending answers the immediate decision without pretending every loose thread is solved. i'd play another case.

a couple notes from a first-time playtest:

- the instructions for when to open each file were very clear. i never felt tempted to peek, and page 14 being its own file is the right call.

- the locker step was much easier than the camera/timeline puzzle. once you have the orientation key, it's a single straight path, no real chance to go wrong. if you want that beat to feel like the rest of the case, it could use a little more resistance.

- one small thing on the movement log: the "next" column is just a time, not a place. i could infer where that person needed to be from the route diagram, but naming the location would make the window even clearer.

clues felt fair, the ending landed, and the archival layout is really easy to read. thanks for the playtest, and good luck with the kurose files!

Thank you so much for actually playing through the whole case and sharing such detailed feedback!

I'm really glad you enjoyed the camera and timetable puzzle, and that the ending worked for you.

Your points about the locker puzzle and the missing location in the movement log are really helpful. I'll definitely take those into account for the next revision.

It's also useful to know that the case took less than 15 minutes when played on screen.

Thanks again for taking the time to play. It means a lot, especially as this is my first playtest feedback!