itch.io

so the first area is home

Okay, then add something saying that to the level select screen. Make it obvious to the player that there’s something there. Otherwise, the player is naturally going to try entering level 1 and then realizing ‘wait why can’t I enter level 1?’ and presumably get frustrated and either quit or accidentally enter the ‘home’ area out of boredom.

Or, even better - why not start the game within the ‘home’ area, and only spawn in the ‘return to world map’ hook after the player has obtained the first worm, to make it even more obvious?

It tells you that after collecting the first golden worm. I really didn’t think it would be that difficult. The worms unlock levels

Yeah, I know. There’s no need to be so passive-aggressive about that.

Your ment to play with 2 hands on the keyboards.

*Meant. And seriously, there’s no need to be so passive-aggressive.

The lobster kills himself randomly in under a minute.

Okay, so how is the player meant to work that out? All they see is an obvious opening from the area (blocked by an invisible wall) so, y’know, how is ‘oh I just gotta camp the lobster out for a minute’ the obvious conclusion the player is supposed to reach?

Don’t fight

I’d suggest changing the character design from a fish with a big mouth (with big ‘me eat other fish’ vibes) to a more passive-looking fish (with more ‘I do not want to get eaten’ vibes), to communicate that to the player from the get-go.

Find hidden worms

yeah I did that already

Having to hold a button makes it more challenging

But is it fun? Does it meaningfully contribute to the gameplay experience, or does it just feel like a chore to compensate for some horrible programming?

Honestly, please think about things objectively for a second. When designing a game, consider what the average player, with no prior knowledge about yourself or your expectations, is going to think upon first playing your game.