I can see you've put a lot of effort into the game, especially with creating such an expansive world. The idea of collecting friends is super charming, and the potential is definitely there.
That said, I think it would really help to set expectations more clearly. Right now, it feels like some features like collecting friends and interactions aren’t fully functional yet, and that led to some confusion. I found myself wandering through large, empty spaces without much direction, and it took a while to find my first friend, only to realize I couldn't interact with them.
For example:
- If the buttons don't work yet, no need to explain the controls for buttons that do nothing. I was going around pressing A and B on stuff and expecting something to occur eventually, which was just a waste of time.
- If you only have 2 friends implemented so far, don't show all 9 in the main menu - make it 100% clear to the player of the current version what their goals are.
With a bit more guidance for the player and filling in those vast areas with engaging content, I think the game could be a lot of fun. Keep pushing forward! Excited to see how this evolves!
Here was my playthrough: