The demo went well, and I got enough useful feedback to re-evaluate the game. What I found is that the core loop (type -> gain health -> enemy die) is fun, but it's drilled too explicitly into every encounter, so it loses its appeal fast.
Main issues:
- Enemies all have the same stats, so each fight feels the same
- Bosses are too similar to normal enemies, so boss fights aren't that interesting
- Each floor feels the same, and searching for the exit is boring
What I'll do to solve them:
- Adjectives attached to enemies will modify their stats, instead of just being something else to type
- Make boss fights memorable with dialogue/camera zoom/healthbar etc.
- Distinct "biomes", each with unique enemies, adjectives, and maybe even appearance. Each floor is randomly assigned a biome.
Minor things I found were needed when playtesting:
- On-screen indication that capslock is active
- Tab/enter movement hints for players who don't work with spreadsheets
Other features like highscores and juice are still on the roadmap but at a lower priority until I implement these fixes. I'll also be pausing development as I'm participating in the GMTK Game Jam this weekend. Have to stock up on sleep beforehand so I can spend more time jamming ;).