Judge feedback

Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.

• I think this is a very successful 7drl entry. The author identified a single novel mechanic, explored the design space around it, and created a nice, consistent progression of levels in which to explore it. There is an interesting variety of enemies, the random wands are nicely implemented, and the different character classes are well differentiated. The graphics and general aesthetics get the job done and are clear to read. A few more bits of information would have helped, mousing over enemies could give info on their strength/movement for instance, or displaying a current score. Also, while I love the moments of 3-D perspective as you move past vertical walls (I always think of that visual effect as belonging to Teleglitch), the general palette of greys and sharp, white, serifed letters left me a little cold. Choosing a chunkier, weighty font could go a long way in changing the visual feel of the game.

  I really liked the scope of the game, it’s the perfect length for a 7drl, and the randomization of the different levels (while still having certain features at certain floors) felt very solid. With all these positives, I have to say that, personally, I didn’t actually have that much FUN with the mechanics. I think this is more to do with my personal preferences than with the success of the game itself. I just didn't like bouncing around all that much. Because of this, I found myself, while playing, often just rushing past enemies toward the exit. I wonder if adding a mechanic other than just raising one’s score could incentivize attacking enemies. Maybe they have a chance of dropping potions/wands on death, rather than having those items spawn randomly on the ground? If so, taking on early enemies would make you stronger against later ones. All in all, a nice solid entry!

• What a great merging of genres, pinball and roguelike... Wonderful job on this, with unidentified wands that have all kinds of relevant abilities, and multiple classes each with their own abilities, and interesting enemies... I did encounter one bug: On dying to the Pinball Wizard the first time I met him, the game froze so I didn't get to see my score. But overall it was a very smooth and enjoyable experience!

• This is a fun entry into the "X as a roguelike" genre. It's not super polished, but it's a very well fleshed out prototype. The billiards-style interaction has been explored a lot here: there are 5 classes, each with minor but important differences. It has item identification, and wands are fired using the same controls as moving. It was well explained and easy to pick up.

  Each game lasts 5-ish levels. I won 2 times (Figher, Rogue) and died once (Barbarian). The map generator seems to be mostly based on prefabs, and maps don't have loops.

  The field of view system looks cool, but I found it frustrating a lot of the time. I think I would have liked some levels to have more open space, and zoom me out so I could plan more complex moves.

  The biggest areas I see for improvement as a 7DRL are aesthetics (so much black!), environmental stuff, and a longer FOV radius. I rated this entry straight threes: not outstanding in any specific category, but overall good work on the whole thing. I almost bumped up to a 4 in Fun, but I found it too easy, and the decisions I was making weren't very complicated. Playing "optimally" felt a little tedious once I learned the mechanic.