Skip to main content

Browse GamesGame JamsUpload GameDeveloper LogsCommunity
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
lrdazrl2 years ago (2 edits)

I just tried out your game. It was fun to play but super difficult and I unfortunately got stuck. It was shame because I would have liked to see the rest of the game too. I attached picture of the last checkpoint that I reached.

Here are my thoughts and comments about the game:

  • Very fitting theme for Neighbors Jam! Friendly postman character immediately gives me some neighborhood community feelings.
  • Graphics looked good and I especially liked the detail of the hat in the falling animation! Almost everything looked clearly what they are. Only exception for this was that the first trap elements which kills when touched. The first time I did not realize they were supposed to be avoided but it was quick to learn.
  • Music also fit the game and the visual style well. 
  • The narrative explanation on the first house was intriguing. I was hoping that I would get something new from each house but at least I did not manage to get far enough that I would have got more narrative. 
  • The game was super difficult! I'm not sure if it's intended that way or not but that's how it feels playing. If it is intended, then all good I guess. If not, this might be an area that you could consider for improvement if you plan to do postjam edits. Here are some specific comments :
    •  All of the jumps have to be super precise to not die and in respect to that the checkpoints are places quite sparsely.
    • I died at least 5 times only for the first jump!
    • Later there was section with some spikeplants(?), first time they were introduced, where I died something between 10 and 20 times (only for the first plants, not including any deaths afterwards).
    • The part where I quit was after the checkpoint in the picture. I died during the jump from that platform over 20 times! I managed to get forward maybe 3-5 times only to die later to some other obstacle. It would have been interesting to see more of the game but I just couldn't take retrying the same one jump over and over again.
  • As a minor detail: the game window looks bit weird having the Unity WebGL text cut in half. One can see it also in the attached picture. You could try adjusting the Viewport dimensions setting. I think the height value could use some extra pixels.

Overall the game was fun to play and I would enjoyed playing more than what my skills allowed me to.


I see you already gave some feedback to one of my games Travelling Neighbors. Thanks for that! If you have a chance to try my other game DNA as well, please consider leaving some feedback for it too. It would be greatly appreciated.

Reply
HinmanLantern2 years ago(+1)

Thank you for playing, and thank you for this very thoughtful feedback -- I really appreciate it!  The youtube gameplay video shows a full walkthrough, if you're curious, and it also shows the other checkpoint houses (representing the four countries of this jam).  It's always tough to know how to calibrate the difficulty -- I didn't want it to be too easy (not fun) or too hard (frustrating).  Sounds like I maybe I pushed it toward the latter.  Thank you for the tip on the viewport!  And yes, I had plans for more narrative, but the deadline got me and I had to focus on gameplay.  Thanks again!

Reply
lrdazrl2 years ago

I started to watch the video and it was almost ridiculous to see that the game can be completed in 3 minutes. Then I noticed that I had almost got to the next checkpoint with my best attempt. I just didn't manage to grab the last platform before the checkpoint (1:39 in the video). Now I wondering if I should stop watching and try to still finish the game on my own.

I'm very familiar with the problem of creating games too difficult. It has happened to me in many, many projects and for some reason that is a mistake that I find super difficult to learn.  Even when I think that this time I will make it easier, it still ends up being relatively difficult! So I'm starting to think that the game should be almost boring simple for the developer to have the right amount of difficulty to others. When testing ones own game it must be remembered that one always have had a lot more practice that the players will have when starting to play the game. One is also likely to be more motivated to play their own creation compared to average player so they also do not get frustrated as quickly as the player. The best case scenario would be to have a playtester that does not know how to play the game previously, let them try it out and then edit the game afterwards accordingly. Especially if the player dies many times at same point (I pointed some examples on my first message) there is a high risk of getting frustrated and those would be the most important points to fix. I don't mind dying and restarting if I feel I'm making progress with (almost) every attempt but dying on the same spot too many times can get me to quit. 

Reply
lrdazrl2 years ago

I beat the game!

It still took like 10+ additional attempts for the section that I was stuck in put then I got forward. The last overly difficult challenge (in my opinion) was where one had to jump over a plant and then grab the platform under the plant That also took many attempts to consistently get past. The rest of the game was actually quite good regarding the difficulty level. I died a few times but in most attempts I got further than the last one so I felt progressing.

Reply
HinmanLantern2 years ago(+1)

Ah, it's very satisfying to hear that you beat it!  And thank you for this additional feedback, it's very helpful.

Reply
lrdazrl2 years ago

It was also very satisfying to beat it! I noticed that usually winning a game is more rewarding if it has been really challenging. But finding the balance is really hard because if it's even slightly frustrating the player might quit playing and never got to the end.

Also, I enjoyed the ending scene. The music and animation added a lot to the winning satisfaction. There was something really nice espeacially in the music.

Reply
AboutFAQBlogContact us
Copyright © 2025 itch corp · Directory · Terms · Privacy · Cookies