Excellent visuals. Spawn rates could've been tuned down a bit. I was also confused by damage and health read-offs. I would be doing hundreds per hit only for an enemy to have ~5 points knocked off their health, yet they would end up dying in the next hit regardless of how much they had left.
Starting off weak was interesting, required me to be strategic about what enemies to pick battle with at first.
It was a bit confusing for me. Dodging was ineffective because it opened too much distance & took too long, so combat boiled down to left-clicking and upgrading max HP. The Head and Big Man didn't seem to have any purpose.
I do appreciate the ragdoll physics/animations, though.
Interesting game, pretty fun too. Felt like a first-person Armored Core. I enjoy the dystopian sci-fi backstory, and how tactile the mech sounded.
I was a bit unsure if mech customization would add anything to the gameplay, but it did end up working with the enemy design in a cool way during my experience, with me becoming overpowered on the second-to-last mission, followed by me having to switch from a heavy build to something ligher on the Diplomat mission.
My main complaints- Q,E shoulder weapons didn't seem to work for me. Explosive splash damage hits through walls, something especially evident during the desert level (I would reccomend using a raycast to prevent this if you plan on working post-jam). Player objectives could be a bit better communicated.
I'm really sad to see this one didn't make it past the tech demo stage because the idea, and what's been implemented thus far, is really cute and charming. It feels like something that would come out during the PS1/Dreamcast era. It would be worthwhile to work on it post-jam, I think. Movement is good as-is with the bunnyhopping. It has a lot of potential.
IMO atmosphere is one of, if not the most important parts of a horror game. There's a lot of tiny elements that can help add to a game's atmosphere, but the two most important things are lighting and sound. Sound especially, a simple droning track can instantly make a place feel far more foreboding.
I recommend that you play through a horror game that you yourself find scary, and see how atmosphere is used. Think about what subtle things make it scarier while you play.
As for making monsters, I personally think that the best monsters make me say "what the hell is that thing." A monster that has an uncanny design, makes weird sounds, acts strangely, and just feels wrong or off is super effective to me.
The lack of a proper ending represents Mr. Krabs crippling ketamine addiction. You can only be in a state of ecstasy for so long before the high wears off. You can play through the game again and again, but you'll never reach that true satisfaction.
I'm not even done with the game yet and I'm seriously impressed with how much love and effort was put into what could be regarded as a shitpost on the surface. Seriously, this little game is great. Such an interesting idea. Good job!
