Hey, thanks for making this game, here is my feedback:
- thanks for making a web build! I’d recommend changing the settings on itch to allow players to play full screen
- I like that is clear where I have to go with the red circle that is moving
- consider adding background music to help communicate the mood
- changing movement direction in a sidescroller is rather unusual - the best way to communicate this would be to place wall on the right. its ok to change convention but you have to be aware that players may not expect it and get frustrated, so the first time you do it, help your players understand. making the character face the correct direction was already a good step. since most of the game
- the character suddenly walking without me controlling it doesn’t feel good, why did you take player agency away here? (the scene where there are paper floating in space)
- encountering the poster for the second time feels strange, like you didn’t use it to tell the story, but to fill up time and make the game longer. The 3rd time I encounter it I really don’t know what its meant to represent. I probably saw it 5 or 6 times before I realised it means I got caught in the loop.
- there is a lot of repetition of scenes, would be nice to interrupt the monotony with changing music and the characters inner dialogue that helps communicate the story and what they are feeling
- players might get stuck in the same loop for a long time, not realising that you don’t want them to walk towards the first red circle you see. You should introduce this type of choice sooner in a way that helps the player understand that sometimes there are more than 1 place to go and it might have different outcomes. Its a bit unclear what the choice of going left or right mean in the context of this story. we need more feedback for correct and wrong choices. not being able to see both choices on the screen at the same time (when I encounter the “wrong choice” I need to see that there was another one available so I don’t get stuck in the loop. also consider what it means. leaving the underground means staying stuck, staying underground means progess. Why? When the player makes one wrong choice they lose all progress, that is very punishing considering how hard it is to tell the difference between the choices
- I like the metaphor of color to represent a better life choice, would definitely be stronger with music and some narrative