Ok so i finished the demo (I think)
To note that i played on PC windows and I don't know how to check the version sorry ;(
Overall that was a great game! an 8/10 for me. The main problems i had were directions , combat, and the save system.
What i DID love was obviously, the movement and the secrets, along with the challenging platforming to access such secrets.
Directions :
A main problem i had was that i didn't know were to go. As a 100%-er person i would always find the right way to go by just trying everything there is to try. However, a lot of the time, i was stuck not knowing why x-event didn't happen, just to find out i needed to talk to a character again. Perhaps having a sort of quest system would allow to help this? As in, when you need to go somewhere, a Huge text appears shortly to say that "Use the secret entrance to go to the lake" or "Go talk to the cat". I don't think an arrow pointing at the location would work, it'd be too handheld. Also, you have a fun system where characters that have nothing new to say have a different icon on their head. The problem is that this icon resets when you change zone. I ended up talking to the same NPC like 4 times because of this.
Combat :
I actually enjoyed most combats. My problem comes with the number of button that needs to be pressed. In a fight you need to A. move around with arrow key, B. Attack with Punch OR kicks, C. Dash out of the way of some attacks, D. Shoot eye guns and E. Make sure your character is facing the right way for an attack or dodge to work. With all of that, i also learned parry at the garden (But that isn't a problem in this particular demo). You need to do all of that whilst learning enemy patterns and paying attention to the next attack. Another problem i has was the size of the arenas. They are quite small which is not the problem. The problem is that you don't zoom?! Like i needed to squint to see the lady of the lake! She was so small on my screen D:
I think you should zoom in for the bosses.
(Note that my problem isn't that the bosses are too easy or too hard! I enjoyed every fight except the rematch with that one dude from the start!)
Save system :
Well. I was confused. Not only as stated before, even after saving whilst having talked to an NPC, the bubble will sometimes still appear as if they had something new to say. Also, the autosave is strange. I thought it worked everytime i loaded in a new area. But nope. I think the only autosave is in the undertown. Cause one time i was replaying through the game to get the secrets, but i died in night city. I was surprised at being respawned in UNDERTOWN like dude!? Also, to note that the blocks that are destroyed by the dive aren't perma destroyed, which made me confused as it's a shortcut? But like, from only one side?
The movement :
Oh god the movement was so fucking GREAT! I love EVERY time i gained a new movement ability. And moving through the map at mach speeds whilst learning how to conserve momentum was a heck of a blast! But even in the early game when i was limited, the movement was still fluid and fun! Like the bouncy slime were fun to use even if all of my late game abilities rendered them useless. The only thing i think was bad with the movement is how float-y you are. It's very frustrating for precise jumps.
The secrets :
I loved the sheer volume of secrets. Pretty much everything i tried was rewarded with a secret! The one thing I'm disappointed in is that sometimes, places where i thought a secret would be, wasn't. Like in the lake area below the Undertown. Like, i needed to jump down some platforms and i just saw water?! And then, i gained the surf at the end. I was happy! But there was NOTHING at the end of that lake! The same thing happens with a random lake behind a secret wall in the secret tunnel to lake lady, NOTHING IN IT. Same for most of the houses. I did like that they were mostly to scale with the outside which helped my immersion. But you could've made them bigger on the inside and made some platforming challenges there! Cause except Lauren's, no house is useful nor challenging at all.
Challenges :
I LOVED THEM. I spent most of my time in game doing tricky jumps to see if there were a reward for it!
Other notes :
- Disappointed nothing happens in sewers. (Especially the green arrows thingy. THEY DO NOTHING?!)
- Perhaps some more lore clues based on texts rather than dialogue. Like a note in a lab or something.
- I was 100% sure they were gonna be side-quests, but except the one with the cigarette pack, there were none. Like i thought FOR SURE destroying the blocks behind the lady camping would get me SOME recognition. Same for a pumpkin. I had it for the WHOLE game and NOT ONCE was it useful. I think side quests could've been a fun way to bring mechanics, lore and exploration to the table.
- Graphics were awesome though lacking in details for Sewers and in the bonus regions at the end (Which i have no problem with the later)
Bugs :
Not a lot. The main one was certain death with the surf board.
Things i'm proud to have done.
