Thank you so much for the feedback and for taking the time to write this out. I appreciate it! I agree with most (if not all) of your points.
This is a bit long (so apologies!), but it helps me reflect:
As you may or may not know, I had one month to create this jam game. Of course, there are lots of things I would have liked to do differently or iterate on, but for most parts, I got something working and moved on.
Based on feedback and watching others play, I noticed several times that certain things weren’t clearly communicated to the player. That stems from the design approach I had in mind (one that was a bit risky and, as in your case, could lead to an experience like yours). That said, with some fine-tuning, I think those issues can be avoided. I also plan to expand the idea into a proper vertical slice of a larger game.
1. I tried this approach: letting players discover the controls more organically through context-based prompts. For example, when selecting an item in the inventory or looking at objects (which is also lacking, there shouldn’t be a prompt when something isn’t even possible, and/or the failure messages need to be clearer).
Still, I fully understand the importance of having a proper control reference (especially when you're setting up a custom controller layout like in your case).
In a more complete version, I would absolutely add an options menu where you can
a) view all controls, and
b) rebind them freely.
I also want to add full controller support from the start (maybe even gyro aiming if that's feasible in the godot engine).
2. I intended to encourage players to figure things out on their own. That’s why the starting area is quite limited and the number of possible interactions is small.
There is a bit of dialogue if you try to give the dryad a lavender seed (she tells you to pick up the spade, dig a hole, plant the seed, and water it). But of course, not everyone will do that, and I assumed that confused players would try different things and eventually discover that hint or the mechanics on their own.
I’m not personally a fan of games giving you a hint/tutorial for every single action (but that’s just my preference, and this approach doesn’t always align with everyone's expectations). I need to find a better middle ground here.
One idea is to let the dryad explain exactly what to do (and how) if you speak to her a second time.
The nightmare messages were meant to be randomized quotes referencing other games (like Malenia from Elden Ring, who also talks about dreams). Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to implement them, even though it wouldn’t have been a huge task.
In an expanded version, I’d love to include dreamlike scenes where you reflect on events from the previous night (planting your first seed, meeting a new character, etc.) in a subtle, non-intrusive way.
3. I understand what you mean. The idea was to gradually introduce mystery: at first, it feels like a standard farming game. Then, after meeting the second dryad, you get some lore and learn that something is missing. Later, you stumble across wall paintings that serve as clues, hinting at a puzzle and an end goal. But right now, the world can feel a bit trivial or meaningless until you reach that point.
Originally, I had planned to include enemies that appear during certain moon phases and attack the dryads. The player would help defend them. In the second cave, the player would find musical instruments, which, when returned to the dryads, would allow them to play together and permanently ward off the threat.
Because of time constraints, I could only include one instrument and the final cutscene. Even some dialogue was not finished. For example, I wanted Syll to apologize to the player for being harsh/mean earlier in the game.
I want to expand on this idea with clearer stakes and a stronger sense of urgency from the start. The player character will also have a more defined role in the story (including a clear reason why the sun must be avoided).
Thanks again for your feedback and for pointing out these things!