Oh man, after a probably 30th try I managed to get past that 4th level! Of course such a difficulty spike is not ideal, but because I was expecting a boss fight and hero told me this is the last level, I was motivated enough to push it through! And I'm glad I did, this really good experience overall! :) And boss fight was also super cool, refreshing but still familiar with the mechanics.
Some ideas how maybe one can address this difficulty spike on 4th level:
- Make the level shorter, if you manage to beat that tricky sequence, then finish the level quicker (as finishing the level also works as checkpoint)
- Communicate minion AI a little better - the particle above his head is a great start to that! But it doesn't do all the job, as minion will shoot instantly after reaching his range, also I believe there is a small time gap between minion turns and shoots, maybe change particle color for that moment? Just random thoughts :)
The game had some decent amount of polish (dialogues are really nice implemented), but some occasional bugs still can occur, like colliding with torch or getting stuck mid-air on the platform ledge. Also it was sometimes hard do differentiate walkable platform from background wall, they look very similar. The art style and visual ideas were really nice, the execution on them wasn't perfect, but solid :)
But most importantly, I totally LOVE the concept and idea for mixing things up gameplay wise and how it was supported via the story! Really great job in embracing the jam's theme, kudos to you, sir! :)
Edit: If you want to try out our game, as you kindly offered in the forum, I wouldn't be offended at all! :D