aaaah now I get it. Thanks so much for explaining. I was able to get through 4 reflections and hope to come back for more soon. I see comments mentioning a boss fight and I am very intrigued.

Gonna echo everyone in saying that this is SUCH a creative gameplay method. The "maze" idea in and of itself is cool, but combining with narrative is absolutely impressive!

Also I'd like to commend you on the sound design, especially the soft error noise. You did an awesome job providing sounds that not only had variety but that were pleasant to the ear, matched the muted aesthetic and didn't get annoying even when heard multiple times (especially on the error sound for the last one). 

If you were to add music to your game (which, I think it could use it, the silence was a little off-putting, especially during long stretches of time using the notes), make sure to keep that gentle, muted aesthetic. I'd probably lean in the direction of something in the same key as the randomized notes, but in a much lower register. Soft piano or maybe like a slow solo cello. Not too much harmony because that would provide opportunities to clash with the sound design. So something simple, ambient and low. I think it would take the forlorn vibe to a whole new level!

Aside from that, couple other little things that I noticed:

- It would be nice if the squares in the notes still kept all 4 lines in tact even when selected (maybe like a white outline to show up on top of the black?) or like a dot in the middle or something. Something that would make it really quick and easy to count how many boxes are selected in a row.

- Perhaps a keyboard shortcut for opening the notes (something close to WASD like E) if you just wanna quickly check the map while moving through parts of the maze you already know.

- The guess and check for reaching a dead end and figuring out what went wrong by checking every direction on the known right path is a biiittt tedious. I don't really have a good solution for this though... maayybbee... every so often you can get like a hint power up which will highlight the stretch of map (like the squares going in the same direction) showing where the correct direction is? Idk xD

- based on my confusion in the first comment (hehe), gonna echo the others in saying a tutorial is a must.

Hope these notes help you! I can't wait to see what you do with this game, and what you create in the future! 

Keep up the amazing work!

-Sasha

Very cool idea for a mechanic, not being able to see where I was moving as I was moving definitely gave me the feeling of being lost and unsure of where I was going or why I kept pushing. There were definitely points where it was too difficult, and having to switch between looking at the map and getting back to where I was felt a bit clunky. I liked the way the narration presented itself the further into the right path you went, though!

i really love the concept of this game, and i think the gameplay is really interesting !

the gameplay is really tedious, though, and a little hard to really comprehend.  i think a tutorial would've been helpful. 

aside from that, everything is lovely. despite the difficulty, the gameplay does, in a lot of ways, help convey the feeling of the story. that feeling of being trapped, of being lost, and frustrated. i love the meaning behind everything, and i kept wanting to see the end of the story even when i got upset at not being able to figure out the mazes.

I know I've given some pointers on this before, but I still want to vocalize how impressed I am with the creative marriage of gameplay and narrative.  The writing is both evocative and emotional without feeling pretentious or self-indulgent. 

Ultimately the few problems I have are nitpicks: some instructions to avoid confusion, a less punishing 'boss fight' (although I really like the variation here), and a clearer transition between levels. Also I am not sure if this was intentional, but Reflection 4 was completely void of text. I thought the game was unfinished, so I almost stopped here. 

Anyway, keep it up. Looking forward to your next experimental venture.

The gameplay took me a little while to figure out. Since there wasn't much strategy I could apply, it felt a bit tedious and frustrating, especially in the Weaver level.

I really appreciated the story and connected with its themes. It was great to hear your perspective on the issues you explored. Thanks. :) Also, I like how your writing sounded very personal yet wasn't alienating at all. It made me think and reflect.

A small issue: I think there could've been a smoother transition when progressing to the next level to distinguish that event from dying.