Ok so, lemme tell you my story with this game:
At first I looked at the splash screen and thought: oh uhhh, ok, this doesn’t look that good but lemme give it a shot. something something not judging a book by its cover.
And then the game started and… oh hey it looks waaaaaay prettier. Then I was a bit confused trying to remember the main mechanics. I died then and tried again… and then I noticed: this is procedurally-generated. Oh, that’s cool.
Another annoyance was that I needed to go from keyboard to mouse input, which due to my personal setup was a bit cumbersome but probably just a skill issue of mine. Probably just me, but maybe someone else would have the same problem.
Then noticed the power-ups and details, and it turned my impression on a sharp 180° turn. Ok this game def took me for a fool and turned me round. Clutching a mixed first impression and turning it good takes some legit skill. Indeed, that’s one helluva skill advantage.
In summary: first impressions are hella important, even if you have a hidden gem of a game behind.
Less is more. Games don’t need a title screen if they do a disservice to their aesthetic. At least in my (very humble) personal opinion: I would’ve just skip it and use the game to introduce itself, instead of doing an MSPaint intro screen. let the game cook, bro has skill
Apart from that, I had a good time. The lil’ mushroom guy was so cute I really wanted them to survive.