Hello, we're french game design students and for an exercise we've organized a playtest session with 3 players. We've taken note of their feedback and are sending it to you here. If you'd like the full notes on a Miro, please don't hesitate to contact us!
ACCESSIBILITY
Interface / UI
- Players did not immediately understand that it was possible to drop items
- Items overlapping issues
- Written information is not necessarily read by the players
- A key reminder of the controls ingame would be appreciated
- Tutorial: too many informations, font not optimized or readable
Controls / Camera
- One of the player did not like the camera in front of the main door
- Players did not sprint because they didn’t know the mechanic exists
- Lost on game objectives
- Players didn’t use most of the mechanics (did not do the tutorial)
- Does not like that the same control is used to escape traps and drop objects
- They like the choice of top-down view and the vision zone system
ART
Visuals
- Feels oppressed by the lighting of the characters (their view)
- One of the player tried to hide in the furniture (which give code)
- Don’t like not knowing if drawers have already been searched
Sound Design
- AI: Reacts quickly to sound (which is good)
NARRATIVE
Objectives
- Didn't understand the usefulness of the key carried by the enemy
- Collects different objects but didn’t know what to do with them
- Easily and quickly understand the mechanic of escaping from the enemy
- Poor understanding of objectives (which are not explicit) : wonders what each collected item is for
Lore
- Finds that the lore is not explicit (used the game's description to understand the context)
GAMEPLAY
Difficulty
- Weak points: Enemy AI is too unpredictable
- One of the player didn’t like the concept of hiding spots: prefers escaping
- Strengths: Feeling of infiltration
- Difficulty: Decent, possibility to learn by doing multiple runs (good point!)
- Weak points: Enemy AI is too fast and unpredictable
- One of the player found the bear traps annoying
- Likes: The two other players liked the variety of content (bear traps, glass, etc.)
- Positive aspect: Random placement of clues in different search zones
AI
- AI: Didn't understand how the AI works, its behavior
Bugs
- Frustration: The enemy can spot the player through certain walls, which ruins the experience
- Feels like the character is heavier (in reality, the game lags)
FEELING
Positive
- Feels the pressure
- Game speed is a bit fast (before sprinting)
- The game is fun
- Immersive and stressful
- Engaging atmosphere
- Positive points: The overall immersive atmosphere (feels adrenaline) and controls
Negative
- Frustration from getting caught too many times
- Negative points: AI + key above the enemy's head (lack of understanding)
Some ideas that may helps:
- Put differents colors to help recognize the place to hide and the place to look in
- Add some feedback when you get caught by a trap
- May forced to play the tutorial, or try to melt it in the first level
- Add some feedback when you find an object like an image of the object that you found in the middle of the screen for a few seconds, in order to be sure the player noticed it.
It may seem like a lot, but remember we appreciate trying out your game, it was really interesting to test it in our exercise. Good luck with the next stages of your game's development - don't give up! :)