Hey, I got a chance to play the game. Overall, I liked it, however, I did stop at 1-6, so hopefully what I say is still helpful and/or relevant in some way.
I love the soul and energy of this game. I'll be upfront and say that I'm not a fan of classic D&D stuff like the worlds and vibes, but I can see the appeal much more after playing this game. There's been a lot of love put into the game. Even adding something small like an intro cutscene makes a big difference in how I felt playing the game. Makes it feel like a full experience, which is moreso something I say bc I am working on a game that currently has no proper intro cutscene, but still.
The dialogue in this game is really entertaining, with humor and wit without sacrificing gameplay function or being too shallow. My favorite moment was when the sword shopkeepers were poking fun at eachother in a very sibling manner. I also really like the hub world, things are closeby eachother, but theres also space for the characters to just be a part of the world without necessarily serving an in game function. I'm sure those bottom areas open up later in the game to do something, but I figure I mention that.
I felt pretty overwhelmed when booting up the game, and seeing all the stats and the possible items. I suppose that is kinda like starting up a D&D character, and since I'm pretty unfamiliar with these types of games, I had no idea at first what I was looking at. I can see myself getting used to it though. There's just a lot of options that are frontloaded, which isn't my favorite feeling in the world, but I can imagine the alternative would also be frustrating, so I suppose it's not the end of the world.
One thing I wasn't able to figure out was a way to respec feat points. I accidentally put some points into the first skill, not knowing exactly what was going on, and then now it was gone. I would appreciate a way to respec, or at least being forced to confirm before moving forward if non resetable feat points is what you want, since I feel like it's too easy to accidentally put a point in something random.
My main issue with the game is the combat. I don't think much has to be changed, but I feel like the enemy placements and the player's innate ability don't mesh together well. Maybe I'm bad, but I think the player is not mobile enough to take on these hordes of enemies, even with the lure out strategy I found to be the best strategy by a longshot. I'm not asking for a dash or anything, but I feel like the attack animation pauses movement for too long considering how easy it is to get swarmed, even when luring. I also feel like luring them out isn't that fun to do, but also going straight in is a death sentence due to how stuck in place u are when you attack. I think luring them out could be more fun if you're actionable sooner.
For spells, I got chilly, flamethrower and the star one, and they were alright. They felt kinda expensive to use considering you stand still while casting. I suppose using them to pick off enemies b4 they aggro onto you mightve been the optimal strat, but they dont feel too exciting due to their limited functionality. It was also hard to aim the star spell at the exact target I wanted, since it felt like it magnetized to another enemy, instead of picking off the strong slime in the center. I am curious to hear from u what direction you wanna take combat in, because despite everything I wrote, there is hardly a right or wrong answer depending on what you intend.
Speaking of attack animations, I'll be honest it doesn't feel that good to attack. The animation speed feels too linear, the posing and the smear are servicable, but lacks any impact. I think the timing of the animation is the big problem, so hopefully that's a relatively simple fix. It's not the end of the world, but I think it could definitely be touched on and improved for a pretty sizable difference.
The music is neat, it does fit in the world, but it's not that memorable. Same w/ sound effects.
The graphics may be rudimentary and amateur-feeling, but I think they were successful! Perhaps color choice is a bit on the duller side imo, but I really like and appreciate how expressive the characters and world are. To me, that makes up for the lesser technical aspects.
There is a lot of love, soul and potential in the game, and I did enjoy playing it for the hour I played, but at the moment, I don't feel too compelled to go back and play it without any updates, mostly due to the awkward combat. I'm probably not the target audience, but I hope you found any of this to be helpful. If not, oh well lol.
Sorry if I come off as blunt or harsh here, but since feedback is encouraged here, I figured I speak truthfully. I don't want to tear you down, since IK being a game dev is a tough, yet fulfilling position to be in. There was way more good than bad here, and I think you're onto something great! Keep up the good work.
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Thank you taking the time to leave a such a comprehensive review, this was incredibly insightful and helpful!
I really appreciate that you liked the way the world was built - this game indeed owes its existence to D&D. I grew up playing the old 2nd and 3rd edition CRPGs, and in some ways this game is a love letter to those games. It even spills over in the design - which is actually simpler than those old games! I think having a Readme file included will help with being able to fully grasp all of the mechanics, on top of the one I put in game. There is a lot here and I did my best to stagger out introducing the mechanics, but there is still room for more improvement.
For feat respecing, you are 100% correct - this is a feature I plan to implement in a future build as it is one that has been requested by several other players. I have found myself also wanting to do this during play. I've also got plans to be able to replay older stages for gold in case you get stuck on a level.
Thanks for the feedback on attacking and combat. So I will admit that right now it feels pretty one-dimensional due to the few stages and low power level starting out. This one is still somewhat of a work in progress and there will be more balancing and tweaking done to how the game plays. Spells are currently a bit underpowered and I plan to address that.
Combat will also become more strategic as you advance through stages and enemies have more ways to engage with the player - this will definitely be true when the next build is published. Combat animations are the only thing that won't change as all of the armor and weapon animations are tied to it, but I will definitely continue to tweak how you actually engage with enemies in combat. I have several plans to build enemy AI that doesn't reward just luring them out - that does indeed get boring and I don't want that to be the only strategy that works.
I will say in regards to being stuck in place when you attack that there are several ways to increase your attack speed later on. There is a Feat that does this, and starting with the next build of the game you can forge magical gear that will boost it further.
Don't apologize for what was said at all - reviews like these are the ones I value and appreciate the most. I want people to point out things they didn't like - if they didn't, then I would never know what things need to be addressed!
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to play the game and address so many different points!