I think it is likely a skill issue? I am pretty sure those blue flames only launch to the right. I can use one jump to reach the top most flame of the three in the bottom left corner, which gets me to that first launcher. With the saved jump I can reach sometimes (5% of the time) the next launcher. After that second launcher, I just consistently hit spikes or fall. The only powerups I have are the double jump and parachute and the ability to walk on the grids.
I have also tried launching to blue flames on the other side form those initial three, perhaps made it twice, and they just launch me into spikes or I fall.
If you try to move in the same direction as you're launched, the character will move quickly and may avoid hitting the spikes. Using this method, you can ride the launchers on both walls to ascend upward.
However, this method might be unfamiliar to first-time players, so the spike placement may feel too difficult for an Easy mode. In the next patch, I'll adjust the difficulty and add a bit of guidance.
Ok... made some progress. The room I was stuck in was more manageable, I appreciate the patch.
I thought I was stuck in the room below until I realized I could change difficulty to make the easy blocks disappear.
I could not backtrack out of there (a grate closed off the previous area), so I am thinking the boss fight is mandatory?
There have been a few times I thought I was stuck, for example, once I had the wall jump, but before I had the gravity suit, the top right timer area that leads out of that area I thought I was just really bad. I could get to where I needed to go just not at all within the time limit until I got the gravity suit.
Currently on phase 3 of the boss fight. Been on phase 3 for about 20 minutes. It is pretty brutal, lol.
I saw the update and gave it another go.
The last few boss stages I still found really difficult. 435 total deaths.... 175 or so of them in the boss room. I am not going to punish myself getting the remaining gold. All power-ups and the final cut scenes are enough of a win for me :)
Overall this was really, really well done, especially with using RPG Maker to create a platforming Metroidvania.
Feedback from my play through:
There were several times I felt the difficulty was quite brutal, even on easy mode. Some of the platforming just seemed a little random in terms of outcome, especially with the blue flames.
A little more guidance/hand-holding would perhaps be a little kinder to the player. There were multiple times I followed paths that I could not complete due to not having the required power-up, but did not know that. A power-up was gained in an area and it seemed like an area was accessible when it wasn't. I just thought I was terrible at platforming (well... still questionable on that!) when I just needed something to communicate to me that something was entirely not possible.
Remapping/swapping the controls for the menu and dash ability. It was just a little/lot clumsy feeling to suddenly have to adopt the C key, one over from the option menu, to dash. The amount of times I opened the option menu instead of dashing were many. That absolutely could just be my experience.
I primarily played the web version but also the downloadable. I didn't notice any difference/lag with control input performance, so I am thinking I am just not great at platforming.
There are some incredibly well executed concepts and ideas in this nicely polished Metroidvania, and I thank you for developing it.
Congratulations on clearing the game!
It seems like you still faced a lot of challenges, even with the difficulty lowered.
If you had seen the original boss patterns, it would have been even more terrifying...
Well, since it's a one-hit-kill type of game, it does tend to require a lot of deaths.
So even on easy mode, it can feel quite difficult, especially if you're not used to platformers.
As per your feedback, I’ll definitely make sure to provide clearer indications when you can’t progress through a room without a specific ability.
Since it’s a mix of a hardcore jump game and Metroidvania, it’s possible to get stuck or wander around, even if there’s a path you can technically go through with your current abilities.
Despite the game’s shortcomings, I really appreciate you enjoying it!
