I thought this was a really cool game! I loved the overall atmosphere, visual style, and sound design. The gameplay was pretty easy to understand from the beginning, and I liked how the mechanics became more interesting as I continued playing. I also appreciated the little bit of narrative behind everything, especially the jumpscare when you lose!
What I Liked:
- Visuals & Atmosphere: I really liked the overall vibe! The changing table colors were a nice touch, and I thought the visual and sound design worked really well together.
- Simple Gameplay: The core mechanics were easy to understand, which made it easy to jump right into the game without feeling overwhelmed.
- Bumper Customization: I liked that you could move a bumper around to influence where the dice would land! It added a nice strategic element to the gameplay.
- Progression Bar: I appreciated having the progression bar on the left side of the screen. It was nice being able to see how close I was to reaching the next goal.
- Lucky Number Mechanic: I liked how rolling your lucky number could trigger additional rewards! It was a fun way to incorporate the game jam theme.
- Coin Flicking: Once I figured out that I could flick a coin at the dice while they were rolling, I thought that was a really cool mechanic! It added another layer of interaction beyond just throwing the dice.
- Demon Tickets: I liked the idea of scratching tickets to reveal different buffs and debuffs. It added some unpredictability and made each round feel a little different!
Suggestions for Improvement:
- Undoing Bumper Movement: It would be nice to have an undo or reset option when repositioning a bumper. There were a few times when I moved one and immediately wished I could put it back where it was!
- Coin Throwing Controls: I noticed that trying to throw the coin directly to the left or right didn't always work as expected. It felt like the game wouldn't let me aim completely horizontally.
- Red & Green Indicators: When pulling the dice back, I noticed that the circle and line would sometimes turn red or green. I wasn't sure whether this was related to the table color, a combo mechanic, or something else. A small explanation of what the colors indicate (if they mean anything) would be helpful!
- Demon Ticket Explanations: This was probably my biggest area of confusion. I liked the concept of the Demon Tickets, but some of the descriptions were difficult to understand. For example, I wasn't initially sure what being "cursed" meant, what the hunger gauge represented, or how certain effects would impact my dice and bumpers. Some of the wording also felt a little unnatural, almost like it had been translated, which made the effects harder to interpret.
- Buff & Debuff Overview: I think it would be really helpful to have a menu or section of the UI where players could see all their active buffs, debuffs, and status effects. As I scratched more Demon Tickets, I started losing track of what was affecting my gameplay. Being able to hover over an effect to see what it does would be especially useful!
- Text Display Speed: Some of the Demon Ticket text disappeared a little too quickly for me to finish reading it. Having the option to click to continue or review the effects afterward would make it easier to keep track of everything.