itch.io

Played the current browser build in desktop Chrome: the floor 1 slime fight through to the card reward, then stopped at the floor 2 choice for time. So this is a first-fight read, not a full run.

1. Would I keep playing? I stopped for time, not because anything put me off. The first fight was over in two turns and the card reward gave an immediate reason to take the next floor.

2. What confused me?

• I finished the fight on 84/85 HP, but the floor 2 screen showed 85/85. If there is a small heal between floors, a line saying so would help. If there is not, that may be a display bug.
• On turn two the slime's intent changed from an attack of 7 to "Weak 1". How to Play explains the debuff icon, but not what Weak actually does, so I did not know whether it mattered for my turn.

3. What was fun? The intent number made blocking a real decision: one Defend for 6 against an attack of 7, and the log line confirming the slime hit me for 1 showed the maths was honest. Then drawing Heavy Blow for 15 into a slime on exactly 15 HP was a satisfying finish. The reward choice (Piercing Hit, Guard, Double Strike) felt like three genuinely different directions.

You mentioned returning the favour. If you have five minutes, my game is Closest Call, a dice betting game. It is on my profile and a few threads down this board, and I would value a blunt first impression.

Glad that was useful, and more bot levels sounds good. I will come back for another go once the short-screen fix is in.

A small ask in return, only if you have five minutes: I am looking for first-time players for my own browser game, a betting game with dice. I would really value your blunt first impression: Closest Call feedback thread. No worries at all if not.

One small ask in return, only if you have five minutes: I am looking for first-time players for my own browser game, a betting game with dice, and you clearly think hard about what a new player sees. I would really value your blunt first impression: Closest Call feedback thread. No worries at all if not, and good luck with the preview rework.

Played solo in desktop Chrome on a Windows laptop, with a fairly short browser window (about 640px tall). I only got part of the way, and the reason is probably the most useful thing I can tell you.

1. Where I first felt unsure: straight after taking the key. The message says to select it below the scene, but in the embedded frame the satchel was below the visible area. Scrolling the mouse wheel over the game moved the itch.io page instead of the game, and dragging the game's own scrollbar did nothing for me, so I never got the satchel on screen. On a taller screen this may never come up. Putting the satchel beside or on top of the scene, or making the frame shorter, would avoid it.

2. Selecting and using an item: I cannot judge this, because I did not reach the satchel.

3. Ending: not reached, no hints used.

4. What I would change: after I took the key, the line under the scene still read that an envelope waits on the stone bench, and the envelope kept its marker. Updating that line to point at the door would have told me what to do next.

What worked: the diamond markers made it obvious what could be clicked, and opening the letter and taking the key was clear with no instructions. The writing and the look of the first scene set the mood well.

Hi! I am looking for first-time players for Closest Call, a browser betting game that plays like poker with dice instead of cards.

https://closestcall100.itch.io/closest-call

The idea: everyone secretly picks a number from 15 to 90. Five dice are rolled three times, with a round of betting after each roll. The highest number at or under the total of all 15 dice wins the pot, unless someone bets everyone else out first.

To try it: click Run game, then the big Play now button. That gives you a random name and a seat at a table with bots, so there is no sign-up and you can play alone. Five minutes is enough.

What I would like to know:

1. Did you understand why you won or lost your first hand or two, without opening the rules page?
2. Picking your number: did you have any idea what a good number was, or did it feel like a pure guess?
3. Was there a moment you did not know what to press, or what the game was waiting for?
4. Does the betting feel too fast, too slow, or about right? Each turn has a 20-second timer.
5. It runs inside a frame on the itch.io page. Did it fit your screen, especially on a phone or a small laptop?

Blunt answers are the most useful. If you post your own project here I am happy to play it and return the favour.

Note: it is free, with play chips only and no real money. Because it is a betting-style game it asks you to confirm you are 18 or older.

Great, Thanks

Played the first few walls of this. Having the first wall wait while I worked out the controls was a smart touch. I bent the wire the wrong way, the wrong segment turned red with an arrow pointing at the key that undoes it, and I understood the undo rule without reading anything.

Clearing a wall, watching it shatter and seeing the streak tick up to x1.25 feels great.

One small thing: the NEXT preview in the top corner was easy to miss at first, because my eyes were on the centre of the tunnel. A brief highlight on it during the first wall might help new players notice it.

Nice work on this one.

Gave this a few throws on a laptop. The drag-up-and-release throw worked first time with a mouse, so I was playing before I had read the instructions. The wind readout and the cornhole / woody / dirt breakdown on the scoreboard are nice touches, and the cemetery venue looks great.

One thing I ran into: on a short laptop screen (about 650px tall) the scoreboard and the bag do not fit on screen together, so I was scrolling between throwing and seeing where it landed until I spotted the fullscreen button. It might be worth nudging people toward fullscreen, or making the frame a little shorter.

My first throw landed well short in the dirt, so the Easy bot is safe for now.

Hi everyone! I just released Closest Call, a multiplayer betting game that plays like a poker night without the cards.

How it works: everyone secretly picks a number from 15 to 90. Five dice are rolled three times, with a round of betting before the first roll and after each one. At the showdown, the highest number that is at or under the total of all 15 dice wins the pot. Or you bet everyone out of the hand and never show your number.

What's in it:

• 9-seat tables that are always running. Bots fill the empty seats, so you can try it on your own.
• One tap to start: no email, no download.
• Private tables with an invite link for friends.
• A one-minute Daily Call challenge where everyone gets the same 15 dice.
• A daily tournament and leaderboards that reset every six weeks.

It is free, with nothing to buy and no ads. Chips are play chips only, with no real money anywhere. Because it is a betting-style game, it asks you to confirm you are 18 or older.

Play it here: https://closestcall100.itch.io/closest-call

I would love to know two things: did the rules make sense within your first hand or two, and does the betting feel too fast or too slow? Thanks for taking a look.