Okay the foundation of this game is like actually awesome! What I've played so far is like incredibly fun but uh... the rng is crazy. I only beat the first 2 levels and think I'm just gonna wait for an update or something now. Level 3 feels practically impossible, and with how long levels take (in typical PVZ fashion), I'd rather not fuck around and find out. For 2 minor critiques:
- I wish the game had like small descriptions for each toy telling you what they do
- I found it annoying how I couldn't put a plant back if I accidentally clicked on it and didn't want to place it
OTHER THAN THAT THIS IS COOL, KEEP IT UP!!! I wouldn't be surprised if this was inspired by Toys VS Nightmares, and boy did you do an amazing job taking that game and... making it good and also stand-out from the primary inspiration (Plants VS Zombies). I love all of the unique little extra spices you add onto the PVZ formula, like all the point-and-click interactive elements (with the solider and balloon) and how you get sun (or whatever it's called here) when killing enemies. It really feels like you're trying to develop on PVZ's gameplay concepts instead of just copying it, even if this could still be argued as derivative either way by some.
Oh and the art, GOD THE ART!!!!! I love mixed media and it's used amazingly here! The bitcrushed real photos mixed with the cute-sy sprites of the toys really are an amazing contrast, and add to this game's horror. Speaking of, the atmosphere of this game actually had me terrified, which I found surprising. The sound design and the game's use of like darkness and stuff, plus all horror the art style brings, make for a REALLY creepy little game. I especially like how long it takes to game over, with the nightmare creatures having to go ALLL the way to the end of the screen despite having already past your defences. It was SO tense, I didn't know what was going to happen!! Thank God there are no jumpscares though. Not just because their cheap but because they would've gotten me SO good, thank you for your mercy I guess lol.
I really hope you update this game to have the difficulty of things be fairer and less rng-reliant because I REALLY want to play more. You have like something AMAZING on your hands here!!! Though I do understand if you don't want to though, since this is a student project and all. Either way, can't wait to see what you do next!