Done! 100%! here is a review. if you don't know whats behind the switch, don't read the rest.
This puzzle game is amazing. I'm going to go in depth on every mechanic.
first of all, the fog of war is annoying. I know there is a spell to remove it, but it's strange i need to spend the first moves every game to remove it because there is no reason not to. my suggestion, remove the fog spell, make fog not regenerate when you restart. I do understand the importance of it being there on the first run, but it should be out by the second.
the notes are overall great and all of them have a purpose
the home spell is annoying, but its never something that prevents a solution and that feels nice.
key is awesome. its one of the three that can gain height and the short command list can add interesting elements to trying to prevent using it.
fire is cool, casting becomes very intuitive to cast after a couple of runs. fire and key are used a lot, because they are a prerequisite to the other spells until G
(flower and flip should be swapped on the home space/tile/hexagon to avoid confusion. I'm going in list order.)
flip is the first of the spells that feels really complicated, but the list of things it does is actually quite small; it flips gravity and it flips the controls. this is also the only spell I haven't memorized while playing because the act of using the spell changes 2/5 of the commands.
I am both grateful and disappointed that switching gravity mid-cast wasn't ever required, but i do hope it gets established upon if there is a sequel.
flower is strong but balanced. i am constantly surprised on how thorough the map design is to make flower cheese impossible. the note that says flowers keep gates closed is misleading to what i think its trying to teach you. I used flowers to close gates, not to keep them from opening.
size is perfect, don't change size.
bush is broken and useless at the same time. bush is so overpowered that including it in a trophy instantly makes it infinitely easier. it's fun in the G challenge but that is about it.
bee is a bit of a disappointment. it's nice as a QOL feature to quickly get all spells, but i feel like the switch puzzle could have been much better.
goat is cool and all of their challenges are HARD.
commands for fog, bee, and goat should remain on the side of the screen after reset.
if you didn't know, the trophies on the right are just easier versions of the ones on the left, so only 11 trophy runs are actually required. here is a short note about each one:
key + flower: easiest of all runs (besides bee)
fire + flip + bush: the main challenge is getting to bush. just goes to show how strong bush is.
fire + flower: hardest of the bottom row, should be swapped with key+flip.
fire + flip + size: utilizes the jazz note clue very well. i love size runs.
key + flip: too easy for where it is in the hub
key + fire: hardest of the non-goat puzzles. I love the restrictive uses of key.
bee: not necessary
goat + bush: the lack of flip makes bush less broken, but still broken
goat + flip + flower: OMG! it's so fu***** hard, but its the most rewarding I have ever felt in a puzzle game. the home tech is so brilliant.
goat + fire + size: I like this one. not much more to say
goat + key: note tech is cool, but its like the only requirement for these last two. if you got one, you likely got the other, but the top right star is better in goat + fire + size.
music is my least favorite aspect of this game. same for N Step Steve too. the tracks definitely have a style, but that style gives me a headache when I'm puzzling.
some questions for you dev, if i may
1. how do you design this type of multipurpose level?
2. did you design the spells around the level or vice-versa?
3. are all of the trophies intentional, or did some just happen to be possible so you included them?
thanks for reading. I wrote this on the shitty steam deck touch screen, so I put myself through hell writing this.