"For me personally knowing that the lvl up system was a last minute add it worked pretty decently. ... But as a last minute add, it did add quite some extra value to the prototype for sure."
This was crucial for the build, no matter what level of detail, because the players needed to know why they were even collecting pickups at all!
You're right, I really zipped through that feature as fast as possible, and paid as much care as possible to upgrade weightings to give it a chance to function at least okay. With more time, we'd focus more on interesting counterplay, and less on the obvious fixes, like speed and pickup range, though some of those would still be in play.
What did you think of the critical hit system added in at the final hour? Do you think that added to the gameplay at all?
Thanks for your valued feedback.