Hey there,
had a lot of fun with the demo - great to see some fresh ideas being thrown into the Vampire Survivors type of game! The following is not an exhaustive list, I tried to limit myself to core points. If anything is unclear or you'd like to discuss further, please feel free to reply here or reach out via DM :)
Highlights:
- Very cohesive overall dystopian 90s vibe, supported by great sound design with a thumping soundtrack and impactful effects, as well as the pixelated vaporwave aesthetic and grim story setting.
- Fun lobby menu, twitch integration will be very interesting to see.
- Starting out with a choice of weapons every run instead of the same pre-determined one is good.
- Interesting mechanic of money being the sole resource required to purchase upgrades in-run and unlock new items, while also needing to be hoarded to win.
- Having weapons triggered by players feels better than the VS-like auto-firing convention, especially with different input styles combining (like katana + revolver).
- Recharging active dash ability is also a welcome addition.
Needs improvement:
- Level-up shockwave effect could have a little more oomph, feels underwhelming with everything else screaming at your senses, especially lacking any sfx.
- The arena could do with some variety, unless I missed something it's all just one big square of squares with no landmarks aside from the walls?
- Fullscreen mode needs an option to limit frames and/or activate V-Sync, to prevent screen tearing or unnecessary 1k fps.
Suggestions:
- Make more interesting non-standard weapons like the Bee Gun available sooner, and guarantee that you'll get to start a new run with a weapon you just unlocked from the vending machine.
- Some small bit of extra feedback to let you know the dash is off cooldown would be nice (beyond the bar being filled).
- Make things like explosions from motorbikes harm enemies too, so players can feel clever for using hazards to their benefit - classic exploding barrel situation.