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diabolodev24 days ago(+1)
  • the menu music and the visuals of level 2 are good and they feel authentic to the Dreamcast/GCN aesthetic
  • the tutorial blends in so much i didn't see it for a long time
    • i'm not able to read a timed tutorial while crossing tricky paths without falling off
  • rotating the camera manually feels inferior to the tried and true Monkey Ball camera
    • there's a bug where dying after having rotated the camera and then rotating it the same direction again rotates it twice
    • the camera is so zoomed out that i can't see the center of my ball so i won't even attempt to pass the very thin circle at the end(?) of level 1
  • the level design isn't fun
    • the level design of level 0 is unintuitive, it seems like you want to jump down to the platform you're supposed to arrive at on full speed from another direction
      • another section gives you the push back power, but once you use the power or die you don't get it back and just have to run past the enemy in a straight line
    • level 1 is just the same circle and bumper enemy set piece over and over
    • i couldn't figure out how to pass the wall riding section of level 2 because i lose all momentum after the first wall
    • there must be a trick to fighting enemies because i can't see how to pass the sleeping enemies on level 3, they push me back more than them and i can't build the momentum to push them away without falling off
      • the floatiness of the player is unsatisfying, especially on the ramp of level 3 where i have to make adjustments in the air to land correctly while floating down instead of being launched like an actual ball
  • fighting bumper enemies isn't fun
    • it isn't clear what gives me the push back ability, the green checkpoint? it doesn't give me a visual effect and the tutorial mentions it like it is always possible to push enemies back
      • the push back ability doesn't really do anything
    • the enemies sometimes spontaneously die when pushed back, probably because a small part of them is off the platform and they think they've fallen off the level
    • bumper enemies can follow you seemingly indefinitely if they're close to you as you leave their zone in a way that does not seem well designed or intended
  • i have a 1680x1050 screen, so i can see behind your screen transitions. Unity games consistently have issues related to screen size like that for me

i wanted the game to be more like Super Monkey Ball, but as i understand you're going for something else. i do get the feeling that basing the gameplay on bumping and avoiding bumper enemies is the wrong direction to go, though

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Jeremias24 days ago (1 edit) (+1)

Thank you for your in depth review. I agree with your complaints about the tutorial, I feel like it needs an overhaul in favor of something that more effectively teaches the player basic game mechanics. Camera bugs are something that I have been aware of for some time now but I'm yet to figure out what exactly is causing it. I'm also aware that some people are not too keen on the 90 degree rotations, although that's an intentional design choice in which levels are designed around. I agree that the level designs could use some work, although I don't think that they're just not fun. As for level 02's wall running segments, the player is given more than enough space to gain enough momentum to make it, although I think some issues with this are general lack of opportunities to learn the ball's movement throughout the levels overall. I also feel like this movement would be easier for players once controller support is properly implemented. As for your issues with enemy interaction, the blast attack becomes available once the meter is full. The meter is filled by collecting the green konpeito collectibles. Like I said I do think that the current tutorial struggles to properly teach the player certain mechanics so confusion is partly my fault. The reason the text did not mention the meter is because that line was written before the mechanic was finalized and should have been updated. You are correct about the enemies incorrectly detecting certain platforms and thus thinking they have fallen when they haven't. Although I generally disagree with bumping enemies not being fun and being the wrong direction. I'm not sure if this is what happened to you but I often find that new players approach the game incorrectly and immediately approach the enemy aggressively when they shouldn't The enemy movements are very broad and easy to dodge, so if you do not have a blast attack available it is ideal to dodge the enemy and if near an edge, it will glide past you giving you an opportunity to knock it off. This issue is partly my fault as I have to do a better job at introducing enemy interaction to the player. I understand that if you try to play aggressively the bumping may take over a large portion of the gameplay and some players may have issue with that. As for your aspect ratio problems, support for all aspect ratios has not been implemented at this time. Once again, thank you for playing my game and writing a review.

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