Skip to main content

Browse GamesGame JamsUpload GameDeveloper LogsCommunity
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
Vesuvius-Dev6 days ago(+1)

Overall thoughts

sadly my time here run very short because i found your demo unreasonably hard. 

i like everything i saw: the dreamy atmosphere, the dialogue, the artstyle.

I've read i'm the only one to get filtered by this first battle, so i'm surely missing something. 

i'm willing to try your game again in the future though

Random notes

- the tutorial on how to equip your stick stayed on screen for just 1.5s

- lmao the change of tone during battle

- so, every enemy needs 3atk to die, but you die in 4. but you fight against 3 enemies on your first battle. the special "gemini" can hit multiple targets easier, but deals at max half life of an enemy. also you miss a lot if you atk from the front, so you should stab them in the back

  - I tried this first encounter three times. i could not solve this puzzle. Even when using the bonfire and the topside of the arena to juke enemy attacks; using gemini on 2 enemies i simply cannot win.

- Super imo: if even when exploiting enemy ai you cannot win the first effin battle of a demo, it's time to call yourself a noob and move on.

Reply
Bakar6 days ago (1 edit) (+1)

Thanks for trying the demo.

I'm not married to the battle theme myself, but I haven't gotten around to changing it.

Knowing that players are having difficulties with the first battle is valuable feedback. I believe the player should suffer whenever there's combat but frustrating people too much risks alienating them. It's a difficult balance.

Anyway, there is a way to beat it if you are curious for next time, but it involves exploring the level and talking to all the NPCs scattered around before picking up the stick. 

Reply
Vesuvius-Dev6 days ago(+1)

>I'm not married to the battle theme myself, but I haven't gotten around to changing it.

i personally find the contrast very funny. If you want the tone to be "serious" then, maybe it's not a great track

>Anyway, there is a way to beat it if you are curious for next time, but it involves exploring the level and talking to all the NPCs scattered around before picking up the stick. 

lmao. and on minute 0 how is that conveyed to a player? problem is, most dd demos have an unfair difficulty beacuse balance is still not there; i have to admit that probably if this game was an actual release i would have tried to explore. But since we are in a dd setting... <___<

jokes aside; if this is your design, imo a "something" should show up to let you know that this game is not a corridor and you can explore. or you could change the level layout to make obvious that there is another way.Something like that.

dunno if you played nioh2, but there is a great example of "that" in its first stage.

Since you are a shmupper i'll give it another try tomorrow morning.

Reply
Vesuvius-Dev4 days ago(+1)

So i've tried again:
- if i continue from my save with many failures: if i interact with mosca on the left or dog shop at the right, the fight will begin automaticly. i don't thing this is a bug, but i think it should be removed, beacuse only with the yellow jacket found on be bot right you can win that fight.

- also nice that you can gain money on game over. cause my "save" had money, but on new game i had no money.

- i won that battle easly with yellow lancer; game saved, loaded, and crashed at 100%  (-____-'')

- on load i'm at the bonfire area; i go and take yellow; i open my equip screen, and the battle starts (i have no stick equipped, also no shield)

- menaged to win by some lucky miss from mobs and didnt crash again. woke in a accampment.

End of game recap.

Imo, this first dreamy tutorial has to be redone:

the overall setup: "if you trust the your disembodied guide in this dream you fukkin die" is cool. From a gameplay standpoint, as this stands, it's a disaster. 

Yellow jack is pretty hidden, and i searched for him only after i died once more when i picked up the shield on the left; left trail is not hidden but you want it 80% hidden. Yellow jack is hidden for real. the only visible npc it's the only one that dosent offer any help.

I am personally against all of this. both from designer pov, and player pov. you want your player to guess what "the solution is" with 0 tutorial, 0 explaination. Pratically speaking, you don't even setup this scene like there is a solution to find. imo this is your biggest mistake in this dream sequence.

If i was a random player that found out this game by chance i would have given up on this "unwinnable battle 1v3", and bye. refound in 5min

>but net is a thing, and people might share the solution

For sure; but imo this is not something you do to win your first battle in the tutotial at min 0. Overall as a design feature of your game? sure, you can do it no doubt.

imo you need to restructure this scene in a way that a least 80% of blind new players can "find the solution".

Reply
Bakar3 days ago (1 edit) (+1)

Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate the extra attempt despite the difficulties.

I think you ran up into issues because of an oversight of mine regarding the save system. Nevertheless, I figure I need to research ways to nudge players in the intended direction too.

Reply
AboutFAQBlogContact us
Copyright © 2026 itch corp · Directory · Terms · Privacy · Cookies