I did not do the tutorial so had no idea the character was Piper. Glad to have learned a new thing :-)
benstylus
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A member registered Feb 13, 2023 · View creator page →
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Since you posted on bsky about not enough people playing it, I went ahead and downloaded the demo and played all the way through it. Took maybe 2 hours to get through all 30 puzzles plus the 20 blobun mini puzzles as well. I will preface my thoughts with this: My favorite nonogram games have been Jupiter's "Picross" series, and Score Studios' Piczle Cross. I haven't played Squeakross, though my understanding is that a lot of folks are comparing your game to that one due to it being both very recent and very good.
So here we go. Things I like:
- Mouse controls work exactly as I expected, no issues there.
- Game runs smoothly, graphics and motion are pleasant and not distracting.
- Cursor speed with gamepad controls feels just about right by default.
- Multiple music options are a plus (though I didn't really explore the options until after I had cleared all the puzzles in the demo)
- Color solutions - I really like the additional color detail put into the pictures once they have been cleared.
- Overall, this is a great way to play picross.
Things that I think need to be improved before the final release (with a brief explanation):
- Controller key binding - My personal default (on a PS5 controller) is to hit X for fill, which matched with the game. However, my preferred button for marking a tile as non-filled would be Square. Here, that defaulted to Circle, and I did not see a way to change it in the options.
- Analog controller sensitivity - I mostly used the d-pad on the controller to move around, but at one point i found myself using the analog on the puzzle select menu, and it seemed a little too sensitive for up and down movement. I pushed right with just a hint of down angle, and it would also move the cursor downwards.
- Selected row/column blocks the view on larger puzzles - I found in the 15 tile or larger puzzles, that the highlighted row grew a little too high, and partially obscured the numbers in the adjacent rows, making some of them harder to read. Having the highlighted row be larger is a pleasant visual effect, but not if it impairs the functionality of the game. I'm not sure whether having a transparency effect would help, but it definitely caused some issues for me.
- Non-standard grid sizes - my personal feeling is that nonogram-style puzzles should keep to multiples of five for the grid size. If the puzzles don't fill all the rows of the grid, that's fine, you can have columns or rows with zeroes. It's just easier for my brain to locate and to count if everything is gridded in fives. That way I can focus on the puzzle itself instead of having to use some of the cognitive load to remember that it's 12 instead of 10 so I have to be extra careful, count both ways, etc.
Other things that I would personally like to see added at some point (and maybe they are already being discussed amongst yourselves as possibilities for the full release):
- Themed puzzle sets - Other than completing the puzzles and moving to the next one, there didn't seem to be any kind of overarching theme to either of the two sets of puzzles. There were a few food items, some animals, etc. I'd like to see the pages have themes in the full game (even if the game doesn't necessarily reveal the theme until you clear them all).
- Multiple fursona characters - Seeing the one character (Jess?) after each puzzle was fun, but also a little disappointing since the puzzles listed the creator's name as well. It would be fun for that alter to be the one to cheer you one when you beat one of their puzzles!
- Animated solution pictures - If I recall, Nintendo's old Picross DS did this, it was a lot of fun seeing a few frames of animation on the pictures. (For example, the car driving out of frame). This would probably be too much extra work for now - but if the game really takes off maybe consider adding it in a future patch.
- BIG PUZZLES! Sometimes you just want a large puzzle, whether it's one of the mosaic style where you fill in a bunch of smaller puzzles to create the picture, or just one extremely large single puzzle.
- Progression / Cool unlockables - I'm not sure whether adding an in-game currency is the answer, but using that as an example... giving coins for completing puzzles and using those coins to unlock additional sets of puzzles can gives a sense of progression and accomplishment. Coins could also be used for buying things like new background styles, new music tracks, etc. (You don't even need to use coins, maybe just complete 50% of a set of puzzles to unlock a new set, and if you do 75% or 100% of a set, you get cool bonus stuff). Rewards are fun :-D
I really hope you find this feedback helpful, and I look forward to buying the full game when it releases!
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