Reviewing games using the judges' categories, just for fun
Gameplay
Neat, solid warp mechanic that feels easy to use and control. The level design was good for the most part, allowing you to figure out things as you went along without holding your hand, although I wish the game told you in some way how to use the warp ability when you first got it.
As I said before, the warp mechanic was great to control. The main character, not as much, particularly because of how little aerial momentum they have. It made certain parts of the game more frustrating than they needed to be
The level was a blast to play, until the final few sections. The difficulty ramped up and it quickly became one of those platformer sections where you needed to fail countless times to the point of memorizing what you needed to exactly do to get through it. I got stuck in the final section for about 15 minutes, but I kept going, so I suppose that speaks for the game's ability to keep you trying more. I would have preferred to have those few sections be broken up into more checkpoints or to be slightly more lenient however
[16/20]
Presentation
Solid. If you wanted to produce a mysterious atmosphere with a sense of wonder, you totally succeeded. It also looks really pretty and impressive, with no hit to performance. Music and sound effects complemented the aesthetic quite well. I didn't quite get what anything meant in terms of narrative, but I don't think that can count as a negative for this game, specially since it is a prototype.
[19/20]
Engagement
The main mechanic has that "fun factor" that keeps you wanting to use it to challenge the perils ahead, and checkpoints are placed in such a way that failure is a learning experience rather than an exercise in frustration.... until the last few sections. I was almost ready to give up. I think players that are not super fond or skilled at platformers would give up pretty easily at these points, so I cannot say this can retain all kinds of players
[14/20]
Potential
I see lots of it. This can easily become a full fledged game using only the warp mechanics and a couple more objects for the main character to interact with. With an expanded narrative that keeps showing the player more of the game's world added on top, this could seriously become a good commercial indie game, albeit on the short side
[17/20]
Total: [85/100] (5 Stars)