Helloooooo!
I'm here again, and now that I've tested this first demo and seen the game in more depth, I decided to do a more in-depth mini review sharing my perspective...
so...
...
let's gooooo!
✩Music and sound effects✩
First music, I thought it was good and fit well with the style of the game, I just think there could be more of it, like the fact that there's only one song that plays in each area makes them repetitive over time, maybe if there was a remix in the stage selection or in challenges like the frenzy one, that would give more variety and avoid this problem, but, other than that, I thought they were well done. As for the sound effects, I really have nothing to say, they're great and fit perfectly into the game!
✩Story✩
While this aspect of the game is clearly not the focus, I really liked the dialogues at the beginning and end of each stage, with a nice dose of banjo-kazooie style in the dialogues, they are very interesting and do not interfere with the main gameplay. In addition, I really liked the idea of Kora helping each dinosaur along the way, it is as if each area was an episode of her journey, and a creative way of giving context to each area of the game.
✩Art and Design✩
As for the art aspect, I have "a lot" to say...
- Positives
Starting with the good aspects, I loved the hand-drawn style and the general design of the scenario, the plants, the vines, the rocks, everything has a unique style, with very well done textures and varied structures! In addition, the animations are wonderful, the movement of the plants, the kora itself, everything is extremely well done! I also loved the style of the menu, the level selection map, the HUD, everything has a very coherent style, is well done and full of personality!
- Negatives
However, not everything is perfect, starting with the biggest problem that bothered me the most... visibility, something crucial is missing in the art direction of the levels, the so-called "color hierarchy", that is, the visual separation between main mechanics > decoration > background, during the game, I constantly got confused or lost in the scene, as if the background was competing with the platforms to see who could get the most attention from the player, which is pretty bad for a game that requires quick thinking like this.
Using this image from this game I'm developing as an example, notice how easy it is to tell what the background, the decoration and the playable character are, because the color and saturation of each group are different, they are not competing, but rather cooperating, supporting each other to create a cohesive scenario.
One tip I would give is to increase the saturation of the platforms a little more, or decrease the contrast of the background.
Also, and now this is more of an opinion than a criticism, I think it would be cool to rethink the design of Kora and the other dinosaurs, like, they are very well done, I have nothing to say about that, but they could be more "memorable" so to speak, so as not only to attract more attention from people but also to stand out better among the other games, but, as I said, this is more of my opinion.
✩Gameplay✩
In terms of gameplay, it is by far the most striking part of this game, the movements continue to be fluid and responsive, the mechanics are well done, everything is amazing!
At first, I confess that the game can be a bit boring (to be honest, lol) because it is very easy and there is no penalty for my mistakes (apart from having to look at the screen every time I am hit by an enemy, while I think about my life decisions) but, it starts to shine when the replay factor comes in, I loved replaying the stages later and racing against time, and the challenges like the golden egg, or the one to collect 40 eggs, only improve the experience! And the fact that I need to collect the golden stones to continue in the game was a great decision, because it encourages the player to get to know this part of the game.
I would recommend maybe just rethinking the game's difficulty or the "first time playing" experience a little, because many players just want to finish the game and not get to know the speedrunner part, but the game's current design philosophy is already great! This is something more optional, really, if you want to reach a larger audience.
✩Conclusion✩
I loved your demo, this is a game full of potential that you have in your hands, especially for those who like this style of racing against time, it has personality and an extremely solid foundation, in addition to a very well-thought-out and polished gameplay, of course it needs some tweaking, especially in terms of art, but it's still a sensational and very well-made game.
And sorry if I seem too critical in this review, but I believe that a more deep outside perspective is sometimes important for a game to go beyond where it is.
And that's it! I really enjoyed demo 1 and I hope the game grows even more in the future!!!!