CAUTION: SPOILERS BELOW
Summary:
An interesting concept for a puzzle/memorisation game with gameboy-esque graphics, set in a limbo-purgatory. The bound player needs to solve each level to continue to the next. Each level only allows 4 moves, exceeding which resets the game, and the later ones play on the motif of them appearing impossible whilst still actually being solvable.
My Experience:
The gameplay is simple and relatively short, offset by having to repeat levels several times. Failure resets the player back to the beginning of the game, including rereading all the text. This was the most annoying part; where some levels are quite unfair, they often require the player to simply guess the correct direction with no hints. I think even something as small as not repeating the opening text and teasing the player with almost-but-not-quite manageable routes could be an interesting way to play with the deliberately induced frustration, but as the game stands, it ends up being tedious. The art is cute, but due to the gameplay, it ends up a little too small to fully appreciate, which is a shame. Overall, I had fun and really thought the idea had a lot of merit, though it needs some reworking to reach its potential.
Theme Fit:
The player sprite is bound and as part of the theme, the player is "trapped" in a loop, with the restriction on jumps . Beyond that, it doesn't seem overly like the bondage is integral to the gameplay, and is mostly there for appearance.
What Could Be Improved:
- Better resets: I think it's okay to have unfair elements that set you back to the start in such a short game, but it would have been nice to not have to skip the (fairly long) text every time!
- More complex puzzles: The idea of some limbo that the player is stuck in, with puzzle movement is a really intriguing space to explore, but sadly it feels as if there wasn't enough time to flesh it out. With some more complexity, there could be a lot of merit to it in the future.
- More variety: Again, I suspect one needing more time, but with the current set up, levels are quite empty with the challenge being to memorise the correct path for each. This is fine, but just a few small mix ups would make it much more interesting for the player.
- Theming: The hint of deeper integration is there with the restricted movement, but otherwise it would be great in the future to see some contrast between being more or less bound, perhaps with more or less moves to complete a level.