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Sugary Chamomile2 years ago(+1)

I really liked it! 

The upgrade system was awesome and the classes felt very distinct. The sky's animation was wonderful and really set the tone, and I think some props on the ground, like trees or bushes, could have made the vibe even better. 

I really liked the detail of how many shots you have left being indicated by the number of orbs in your hand. It really was a nice touch! 

The only problem that I felt was quite important is not being able to tell when you get hit and what hits you. A simple sound effect or screen overlay may help.

Other than that, after playing for a while, I felt like I was getting swarmed by a thousand enemies and that there really was not much I could do about it. 

If you ever find yourself coming back to this, consider adding AOE abilities or something like that. It would really be satisfying seeing a giant mass of enemies getting demolished.

I also found the time-slowing mechanic really cool. I always love it to see it in games, although I feel like it is kind of underutilized.

I really liked it!! I am not good at FPS's, but I think having it magic-focused is a very nice change of pace from the usuals!

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Aver2 years ago (1 edit) (+1)

Hello,

Thank you very much for your kind feedback! My first main goal was to make exactly this atmosphere and than build a game around it. I always wanted to make the Aurora Borealis effect and I finally did it for this game! :)
The bushes and rocks props were planned but I didn't decide to do it due to lack of time. 


"The only problem that I felt was quite important is not being able to tell when you get hit and what hits you. A simple sound effect or screen overlay may help."

There is a dynamic border around the healthbar that flashes purple when you get hit or green when you heal. Additionally there is a small shield icon after you get hit (next to the healthbar) that indicates the invincibility after getting hit.
I totally agree that this is not enough and I have just updated the game and added sound effects + vignette on hit (same vignette as when you get to the darkzone)

"Other than that, after playing for a while, I felt like I was getting swarmed by a thousand enemies and that there really was not much I could do about it. "

Balancing the diffuculty was way harder than I though it would be and I'm aware that it will take way more time to get it right.
The game was balanced around my own experience and knowledge which skills to upgrade when. Sometiems I failed the first 2 minutes and sometiems I was able to survive +10 minutes. It should be possible to survive for nearly infinitie ammount of time assuming that you choose the right skills and have some luck + fast reflexes. There is also easy mode which should be way more managable. 

Btw. Sky (and enemy damage) changes at 300s and 400s and enemy spawn frequences stops growing after 460s. 

"If you ever find yourself coming back to this, consider adding AOE abilities or something like that. It would really be satisfying seeing a giant mass of enemies getting demolished."

Haha, i thought about that. I was also thinking about bullets penetrating enemies (passive skill) and alternative active skills for classes (one class would have time slowing and second one some AOE ring of fire thingy etc.) Might develop it later, thanks! :)

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Aver2 years ago (1 edit) (+1)

One more thing regarding the difficulty - burning the present to increase fire give you way bigger area to explore/run which also vastly improves your chances of survival as avoiding enemies is much easier. Sometimes leveling the fire is more impactful than leveling skills. You just need to watch out for the dark thingy that tries to destroy the fire once it notices that it leveled up :)

I prefer to quickly level up the fire and than immediatelly reach the next present that you now have access to due to the increased play area.

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Sugary Chamomile2 years ago(+1)

I absolutely understand that the time constraint did not allow for all the things I suggested to be implemented (and I for one would have no idea on how to actually implement them XD). After I wrote the review I played a little bit more and I had the sky change, and it was so very cool! It really gives an ominous vibe to it all!

I noticed that keeping the fire leveled all the way up is fundamental to going farther in the hordes and that some powers are better than others (automatic reload did it for me,  it was essential), and that nails all the fundamentals of a very nice roguelike! 

I still feel like there could be something that could be done to expand and "use" the atmosphere to your advantage and have something regarding exploring the environments in search for items (maybe while going to one bonfire to another? Gifts in excess could be used to light more bonfires?)

I feel like there is some genuine potential.

Very nicely done!!

:)

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Aver2 years ago (2 edits) (+1)

Thank you! These kind of feedbacks really give me purpose!

There is something magical when you see that someone else enjoys your hard work and understands the design decisions behind it. :)

"I still feel like there could be something that could be done to expand and "use" the atmosphere to your advantage and have something regarding exploring the environments in search for items (maybe while going to one bonfire to another? Gifts in excess could be used to light more bonfires?)"

Funny that you've mention that as the exact idea of multiple bonfires came to yesterday :D

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