Hey guys!
1. What upgrades/weapons would you like to see in the game?
One upgrade I would like to see is something like thicker skin or better wiring that allows the character to take less damage and lose less health. Maybe an upgraded weapon would be nice, or one that extends and brings enemies to you.
2. What was your favorite mechanic? How can it be improved?
My favorite mechanic was the one where if you stood too long in radiation it would deplete your health and the enemies could spread the radiation. However, I was able to get to negative health values. There should definitely be a game loss screen when health gets to 0%
3. What did you dislike and why?
I disliked the fact that there seemed to be no end goal at all. There was no goal for me to get to, and what I was supposed to do was very confusing. As previously mentioned, my health/battery going to 0 didn't net me a game loss. I didn't figure out that the spacebar was used to shoot until I accidentally hit it while running around the arena, so there's another thing I didn't like. I also didn't like that upgrades didn't seem to do anything yet and getting upgrades would consume both types of upgrade material (spring and screw) even though it said it would only consume one type. It really hurt my resource management. Then again, the pickups worked the same way (picking up a screw or a spring picks up both a screw and a spring), so it is balanced that way. I would like to see enemies do something more than just roam around, but if that is what you are going for, then it fits. The most egregious thing, though, and something that has to be fixed, was the misdone bounding boxes on the walls. It really sucked that there were springs and screws on the ground that I couldn't pick up due to the fact that an invisible wall seemed to stick out from everywhere. This game would definitely be much more enjoyable if the bounding boxes were put in properly, allowing me to move throughout the map a lot more freely. I mean, it's so bad that a lot of the enemy robots would get stuck on some part of the map because they ran into a bounding box that was way too big for the item it was on.
4. What did you feel was missing and why?
I mentioned this before: some form of end-of-game and a goal to achieve. I feel like there should have been something that I could pursue while avoiding the ever-expanding radiation spots that would tell me when the game was over. As it is in its current form, unless I am missing something, the game is nothing more than run and gun over and over and over.
5. Was there something you wanted to try but couldn't?
The various lockers around the room made it seem like I could interact with them, maybe get some loot. Of course, that was not the case. I kept running around trying to find something. Again, maybe I'm missing something, so I don't want to seem too harsh, but a few lockers with hidden secrets would definitely add to the game.
6. Was the aesthetic cohesive?
This was most definitely the most enjoyable part of the game! I loved the vibe you guys went for. The way the robot turned and had different, unique faces was amazing! For the most part, everything definitely felt super clean. I admire your ability to use pixel art to capture the vibe you were going for with your aesthetic. So yeah, short answer is yes, the aesthetic was cohesive.
7. Did the controls feel natural?
Honestly, not fully. I was confused at the use of spacebar for shoot when it's usually left mouse click. I also didn't like the lack of the ability to aim, but that's really just a nitpick. I liked the use of WASD to move, but the problem I found was that I feel like how far the character stepped was tough to figure out. Sometimes I would be able to move and pick up a drop just fine, other times I could not, even if I barely tapped the key to move the direction I wanted to. C to interact was actually quite nice, I have rarely seen it before. It was a good transition from spacebar to WASD, which I will admit seemed pretty natural.
I'd love to see the improvements you guys make to the game, it looks like it has a good start! Just needs a tweak or two.
Eric Hillmeyer