itch.io

The one thing I am not digging about combat is the Flash mechanic for melee attacks. It feels too much like a 'Press X to not die' mechanic and I feel it can be improved upon. Instead of being surprised by a flash, I feel a shrinking white ring around your character could accomplish the same thing without feeling like a surprise each time. It would allow players to anticipate the right moment to press the proper action button (though again, be a little more forgiving on that score in general) with a visual cue. You could vary the speed of the shrinking ring for various attacks, but always ensure that the 'Flash' occurs at the same ring size each time.

Okay, sorry for the delay but I've really only just gotten around to playing this game and I too am stuck at the fight with the three droids (Big, medium and small). Now I think I see what you are doing, but the combat system (Especially how/when to properly use the various skills) could be explained better, as at times I fear I am doing something wrong. I'll admit, once I got the hang of the ranged dodge and the melee dodge/guard I felt confidant about those aspects of the game (At least during the 'rest' period).

I would also argue that you can be a little more forgiving on the PC's melee attacks, perhaps extending the amount of time before and after the flash that the player has to input attacks. Honestly, I would suggest putting in a mode/setting/etc where the user's melee attack always does damage when properly matched against the enemy...it just does significantly more damage when timed properly. I think it would help alleviate the frustration factor if this suggestion was implemented, because, as it stands now, combat is intense but not really fun to me.

Overall you have designed an interesting combat system that demands you pay attention...however I think (this early in the game) it's a spiked too high in the difficulty between what you are asking gamer to learn and do just about on the fly. A gentler ramp up in the difficulty curve with better explanations might make my concerns go away completely.

On the positive side, your narrative system is off to a great start with plenty of options to handle situations and visible impacts on your characters growth based on the choices you've made. I also like your MC character design and intro, and the other characters are are likeable. The world you're building looks very interesting and I loved the opening music choice.