Alright, I’ll get started on the report and send it to you shortly :)
Sorry for the delay! The "extreme" mode really hooked me in — it was quite a challenge, but in the best way. I couldn’t stop playing until I beat it, haha :b
Quality Assurance Feedback Report – RogueBlock
Tester: Fabián González (GonzaTester)
Platform: PC – Browser version
Role: Beginner QA Tester in training
🎮 Overview
RogueBlock is a bullet-hell roguelite that successfully blends simplicity with a well-paced challenge curve. The overall experience was very positive: the game is well-built, I encountered no critical issues, and the presentation gave me a strong first impression. The minimalistic visuals, relaxing music, and sound effects all work together to create an immersive experience.
🧩 Controls and Gameplay
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The controls are intuitive and customizable, which is great for player accessibility and comfort.
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The main menu is clear and functional.
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Combat animations feel smooth and satisfying (especially how enemies explode on defeat).
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The minimap is well implemented.
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The tutorial is effective: it explains the mechanics clearly and prepares the player well.
📝 Suggestion: Adding a subtle confirmation sound when selecting difficulty would enhance the feedback loop and improve menu interaction.
📈 Difficulty System
The difficulty system is well-balanced and clearly differentiated:
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Normal Mode: Ideal for new players. Together with the tutorial, it feels like a smooth learning phase.
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Hard Mode: Introduces new challenges without becoming frustrating. Requires more attention and skill, but remains accessible.
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Extreme Mode: Lives up to its name. This mode took the most time but was also the most engaging. It really hooked me into wanting to beat it.
The system encourages players to improve and progress naturally. Excellent design.
🧟♂️ Enemy Design and Balance
✔️ Well-balanced enemies:
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Bush/Plant enemy: Perfect for an introductory fight. Low health and simple attacks make it ideal for learning.
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Spider: Effectively teaches the dash mechanic. A fair and well-designed enemy.
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Mushroom (first boss): First enemy requiring both attacking and dodging simultaneously. The mechanics are understood through prior encounters.
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Crab: Balanced enemy. Its special attack allows the player to focus solely on dodging, which feels fair.
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Flower/Small mushroom: Entertaining and has the right level of difficulty.
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Shark: Very enjoyable to fight. Appears late in the game, which is appropriate. The only confusing aspect is the bite attack—it feels unpredictable and may not be necessary.
⚠️ Potential balance concerns:
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Onion enemy:
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Most problematic enemy overall.
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Projectile speed and frequency are too high—hard to dodge even with dash.
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Its plants follow the player, adding pressure.
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Consistently caused significant damage, even when successfully defeated.
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Especially punishing in Extreme mode, due to high burst damage and tankiness.
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Can make the player feel overwhelmed and unable to react or counterattack.
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Bee enemy:
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Shares many of the same problems as the Onion.
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Frequently appears right after the Onion fight, when the player is already low on health.
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Uses multiple attack types at once (needles, mini bees, circular swarms).
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Hard to dodge and attack simultaneously, especially early on when the player lacks upgrades.
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Tends to appear too often per run.
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While beatable, it demands a steep learning curve that slows down the otherwise fast-paced gameplay.
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🧠 Tutorial and UX
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Popup messages explain the game mechanics well.
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The learning curve is smooth and intuitive.
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Tutorial + Normal mode = perfect combo for onboarding.
💬 Final Recommendations
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Consider slightly nerfing or rebalancing the Onion and Bee enemies, especially for earlier encounters.
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Add a confirmation sound when selecting difficulty to improve UI responsiveness.
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The shark bite mechanic could use clarification or tweaking.
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Everything else — controls, music, UI, difficulty progression, and visuals — is highly polished and impressive.
✅ Conclusion
RogueBlock is a very well-made game. It has a clean design, engaging atmosphere, and a solid foundation that makes it enjoyable to play and replay. The difficulty system is motivating, and the content is accessible but challenging where it needs to be.
Thank you for allowing me to test and share feedback. If you ever need further reports or help testing future versions, I’ll be happy to assist again.
I’d be more than happy to playtest any future updates you release — the RogueBlock experience was genuinely great, and it’s clearly a high-quality and very entertaining game.
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! I’m very glad you enjoyed it!
I’ll definitely look into rebalancing the bee/onion fights in a future update. The reason I made the onion very tanky is because it is large and stationary, so it’s easy to hit often. I wanted the bee fight to be chaotic, but that makes it quite difficult. I haven’t figured out yet how to make it a bit easier while keeping the chaotic aspect.
Thanks again! I would definitely love it if you would playtest future versions as well!