"Vykolejen" is one of the few 3D entries of the jam, and one of the two PvP projects featured. It leaves the "wrong-going" on the wrong-doing of one of the players, and it offers a lot of things which could go wrong. :)
The game is built for players, starting with the first menu screen, followed by a (loading?) screen with the control hints and simple summary of objectives for both players. Everything is clear throughout the game, and the variety of actions is serviced by the contextual hints in a textbook example of player guidance.
What strikes immediately is the degree of polish of the 3D art with distinct and well applied low-poly art direction. Accompanied with the sounds and consistent GUI, the overall presentation is the one of a polished indie game at launch. During my tests at the jam, some effects were temporary, but the final version shows the informative character effects.
The environment is well thought out, allowing parallel passages, with even distribution of devices to break and mend (see balancing note below). Also, I have noticed the camera covering both avatars well regardless of the distance, good job!
Resulting experience is very impressive, the game plays well and feels balanced (under normal circumstances, further balancing would probably occur based on huge volume of tests). It is easy to grasp and get the objectives, find the interaction points and even in the turmoil of the brawl, I mostly felt informed and in control.
- Sometimes I got stuck when trying to pass from one carriage to another - character is less visible there, and it takes some effort to center it towards the passage. Minor issue, resulting rather in increased tension rather than frustration. :)
- While characters are mostly well visible beyond the central obstacles, sometimes I found it hard to figure out if I could reach a particular object (highlights mostly do the trick though).
- Balance-wise, it is possible for e.g. Saboteur to block an inter-carriage passage as the characters collide. It seems that in order to stop a train, Saboteur needs to break 3 devices, and it might be possible to block Conductor and prevent them from fixing stuff. Is this accounted for?
Thank you for your amazing contribution and congratulations to the silver position and the RB prize, both are well deserved.