Really liked the game ! Here are my two feedbacks on the game :
1) (Maybe it won't really a problem for other players, but i'll mention it just in case) It felt a little annoying to aim with the mouse when the rest of the game is played on keyboard. I initially tried to aim with the arrows which would feel easier and more natural. But maybe that wouldn't be confortable or accurate for other players ?
2) Would be nice to have a power to call back the magnet, like the hammer in God of War. Main reason for that is : in some levels, I had to restart the because the magnet was out of reach. It made me shy to try throwing it in the final levels. Second reason : Sometimes it felt like the levels weren't really complete because i would abandon my little magnet friend behind.
I honestly loved this game! It looks great, feels great, and I enjoyed the learning curve + difficulty. When the MVP ran out I wanted to keep playing!
I also think that some of the accessibility features are great examples of the "curb cut effect" where accessible design benefits everyone! Personally I found the -/+ symbols that supplement the magnet polarity to be a really helpful supplement to the colours to keep the "opposites attract" behaviour in my head.
My only nitpick is that I'm personally not a huge fan of the green pipes. My first issue is that the bright green pipe evokes Mario too strongly for me, and I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity to develop the game's own unique cyber-punk aesthetic.
Second, I don't love that the same pipe plays double-duty for spawning and as a switch for activating doors, and it feels a bit clunky to have two steps to pass through a door. (One way around this would be to have the robot zip up the pipe with the magnet like in the puzzles!)
I'm going to dump a lot of negative feedback at once, but I hope this is helpful:
- The tutorial feels very linear, like you're on a conveyor belt being shown one mechanic after the other - It's never stated how to aim - If you tap to throw the magnet it will be thrown not in the direction you're facing, but the direction the mouse is in. - The initial tutorial seems to end in a different way to the actual levels. In the tutorial you throw a magnet into a pipe whereas the levels end by collecting a key - After collecting a key, there's a period where a key and a number below it is displayed in the middle of a black screen, and the number then goes up by one. This seems a little... off(?) as there's no animation - When using pulleys, the object going up should reach the top at the same time as the object going down reaches the bottom - In the final room the background does some weird things as you're going from one side of the room to the other... almost like you're on a slope?
Otherwise I think it's a solid concept. The animations, artstyle and transitions are generally very good. And the last 3 puzzles were very satisfying. Good luck to you Mark!
This! I know there are compatibility layers, but with Unity being a heavy engine by itself (yes, even for such 2D games) and some people's hardware being slow, it's nicer to have a native version to play.
It comes at no cost with Unity either, to my knowledge you literally just have to click that one additional checkbox to also export it for Linux. Why not?
Apparently according to the comments you are supposed to throw the magnet at a pipe and the pipe is supposed to suck it up. But I was not able to get the pipe to do that for some reason. I did try to throw the magnet in to the pipe a few times and then I got frustrated and gave up. This was on the very first level. Apparently you can click on a button that says "Back to Hub" when you pause the game before you even have seen the hub for the first time. So when I gave up on unlocking the door on the tutorial level, I clicked on the button named Back to Hub (which took me to the hub level) to see if I could enter any levels and I couldn't throw the magnet to enter any other level. How do you aim a magnet so that it sucked up by a pipe? do you need to increase particle field sucking up effect?
Edit: after a few trys and reading a few comments, I realized I needed to change the polarity of the magnet but throwing a magnet into a pipe still feels a bit clunky. And if you manage to throw the magnet into a pipe you didn't intend to throw it into in the hub world there doesn't seem to be any way to get it back.
Also, what does the reset button actually reset programmatically? because I got stuck on this level
and when I pressed the reset button the reset button pressing animation played but the scene wasn't reloaded for some reason and if I wanted to re-attempt the level it seems that I would have to exit to the hub and deal with the clunky hub world design and then go back it the level to try again. (At least I thought that was what I had to do but after opening and closing the game a few times I managed to see the reset level function actually work)
Also, after opening and closing the game a few times I realized that your game starts from level zero each time. Maybe you could implement a function to save the game progress when you quit or something similar.
My first thought when i started playing was that it feel really smooth to control. I loved the jump and it felt right. I don't think it should be much higher if at all.
I struggled a bit with the controls because F and E look so similar I would often change the polarity instead of picking up/dropping/throwing the magnet. That might be because I'm not used to keyboard controls, but accessibility wise it might be hard to differentiate for people with dyslexia.
The tutorial was good, but could afford to be a bit longer. It took me a long time to realise I could jump and throw the magnet because you can only do it if you aim first then jump. Maybe take the time to explain that or change it so you can do it either way as it was really frustrating because I knew what to do, but couldn't work out the way the controls wanted me to do it. I also only realised I could cancel a throw when trying to change the settings and that should definitely be included in the tutorial.
The line when throwing seems a bit redundant if you can't properly aim before you throw. This should definitely be a feature in the final game since it's more based on guess work and doesn't feel as good to control. I'm not sure if this is a feature already, but when I tried to toggle the different options the game stopped working. I don't know which option caused which option but at first I could only throw the magnet in one direction, then I could only drop it or pick it up. I played on the mac version so I'm not sure if it applies on the others, but even when restarting the level the problem persisted so I could only use the default. Whether this was a bug or not or there is actually an angled aiming system, this is another thing that should be included in the tutorial. Maybe it could be mapped to the arrow keys/d-pad or the mouse/right joystick (I think that's the one I mean) to prevent too many buttons overlapping uses.
The levels were all well designed. I managed to get through all of them except final door before the one that required six keys. I'm not great at puzzle games and usually use tutorials, so I'm not sire if it's due to that or if it needed a clearer design, but all of the others definitely gave me the "aha" moment you said you were looking for in your videos.
The door system is good and I like being able to do them in any order (even though I went in order anyway), but I think throwing the magnet to get in definitely felt a bit clunky and weird, especially since I had to jump to throw it each time. Maybe it would be better to press a button prompt to enter it and come out of the level you just entered rather than going back to the start each time because I feel like that will get frustrating as more levels are added into each world. A similar system to New Super Mario Bros on the DS could work instead, but without the birds eye view perspective.
The design is good, but a bit confusing at first. When I couldn't get through the tutorial I thought I was throwing the magnet at the wrong thing seeing "+" and "-" on the walls. I think the blank space around the level could afford to look a bit more mechanical or have the patterns repeated a bit more just to make it clearer to less experienced players.
I have a suggestion for later levels. The polarity changing is a really great feature and the gameplay definitely feels centred around the magnet. I remember you saying in one of your videos that you wanted the magnet to be called to the player and maybe you could include switch the polarity of the player to attract the magnet back to them.
Overall this was a really good and professional feeling demo. Aside from the things I mentioned it was really good and I'm really looking forward to any future demos or the final game. I hope you found my feedback useful and are able to use it for future development.
Just wanted to update I managed to work out the solution to the puzzle I couldn't before, but entirely by accident while trying another solution and it was the least satisfying puzzle aside from the first one in the tutorial (which after doing it again is quite hard to do even when knowing as the movement has to be so specific). I've also just learned that the aiming is controlled by the mouse, but again it was by accident and should be explained in the tutorial. It's still quite hard to throw accurately and could be tweaked further.
I still think it's really promising though and hope my feedback was useful.
Level 6 actually had more aha feeling than level 7 as level 7 felt a bit gotcha.
Jump felt a bit heavy.
Restarting is annoying. I actually think some sort of life/score here would reframe it as instead of an externalish waste of time more of an ingame setback.
Everytime I see the game I think you'll run out of levels and ideas and you never do. So that's a good sign.
Feel like moving forward the combination of elements could massively expand the scope of puzzles.
Firstly, it felt a bit weird to me that the game just immediately kicks you out upon collecting the key. I thought I would have to use the door to exit the level.
Second, it's a bit too easy to get softlocked on some levels (mostly the sixth one). thankfully though, resetting the level is quick
Third, the sixth level seems the require some very precise throws and jumps, which lead to a bit of frustration because despite knowing what to do, I just didn't manage to input it This jump can caused me some trouble, and if you fail it after throwing the magnet down you have to reset the entire level which is a bit annoying Getting the magnet down there was a bit of a hassle - most of the time, it either bounced around and didn't even fall from the platform I was on, or landed above the hole which meant I had to reset the level
Overall, it was fun, My favorite level was the fifth, it hit just the right balance for the 'aha!' moment for me.
PS. Also, I found a minor bug (also in the sixth level) It is possible to get the magnet between the magnetic block and the electromaget, but if we change its polarity to one that is attracted to the electromagnet... ... It starts to vibrate
Took about 20 minutes to complete, and here's my biggest takeaway:
Building the proper tools to help you design your game really let you focus on building fun, compelling levels such that I reached the end and wanted more.
A couple minor curiosities (played with mouse and keyboard) followed by personal thoughts:
1) When starting the game, the HUD shows Q to Jump before replacing it with Space.
2) A matter of personal preference, I find the mouse unnecessary if the aim mode could be mapped to the arrow keys, especially since targets are quite large.
3) Instead of throwing your magnet away into pipes to open a door, I might suggest recycling an earlier idea you had; a magnetic block that completes a circuit when the magnet is attached.
4) Ending the level by grabbing a key feels a bit abrupt. But given the quick tutorial level sets up an expectation to use keys to clear the stage, I suspect these levels were more focused on puzzle iteration rather than stage flow.
5) Super excited to see where this project goes from here. Remember to take care of yourself along the way!
Really fun and definitely so much room for many cool levels. Character feels nice, visuals are really good for the most part and the small short levels are kinda addicting.
Few things that I noticed though.
When I tried to connect a Switch Pro controller to my Mac to play it the game went crazy. It somehow skipped through all menus and then the character just went left and sometimes jumped. Couldn't open options or anything until I disconnect the controller. It can't be the controllers fault since outside of the game it worked fine.
I head a few performance issues which shouldn't really be the case on an M1 Max.
I wish I could move a little while aiming. Especially since you can jump and then you expect to also be able to move to the left and right but not being able to is a bit of an annoyance. Feel like either let the player move and jump or neither.
The buttons at first are a bit confusing. I thought once pressed I can't turn them off again because they where darkened.
Having to pick up the magnet in the hub world is kinda tedious. Most of the time I just went straight right and then need to turn back because I remembered the magnet I just forgot.
Overall definitely a huge improvement to the previous builds with only some minor gripes.
This game has a lot of potential! Can't wait for the next version! Some thoughts: I think adding a reward for completing the level quickly or without having to restart would be cool (in-game perk). I also think there could be some story beyond completing all the levels. This could be told through a) exposition/scenes in between levels or b) by making the world feel more complete by telling some kind of story more indirectly (ie., things in the background etc). Also, I am not sure I beat the 6th level as intended so I attached the screenshot here of my solution.
Love it, really fun game! On windows there is a bug where the icons for the key and the prompts on how to restart and switch polarity are partway off of the screen, especially in fullscreen mode.
I love it! It feels great, the puzzles are fun to figure out, and I didn't notice any major issues. I really enjoyed myself!
Though there are a few things that need tweaking.
1. We should automatically pickup the magnet when we pass over it (unless we've just thrown it down where we're standing). Having to click or press E to grab it is unnecessary and feels like a chore because if I'm next to the magnet, I'm only ever there to grab it. If we really want to avoid grabbing it (which is rare), we can just jump over it (or walk under it if it's stuck to something).
The most used functions should be the easiest to activate, automatic if possible.
2. Collecting keys to unlock doors makes sense, however. None of the doors look like they use keys, and to open the door you... throw the magnet away? The mechanism of the doors themselves and how they are opened just doesn't make much sense. Perhaps if you collected keyCARDS, that would match with the aesthetic, and the doors would unlock (visually show that the key activated) automatically when you pass in from of them, and you have to choose to go inside them by pressing up for them to open and the level to start. Just default platformer standards.
3. The jump isn't high enough. The jump feels great! I love it! But since this isn't a platformer, the jump shouldn't require any skill to use for basic traversal. This includes needing to hold it down all the way just to get over a small hurdle. This game isn't about being good at jumping, even minimally.
4. Perhaps choose a different button for switching polarity? I sometimes want to switch polarity while moving right at the same time. With my index on D, hitting F doesn't feel right. Perhaps S? Or shift? Or even right click? Those don't currently serve a purpose. Choosing good default controls is important.
5. Maybe have the restart button not be CTRL? ENTER maybe? Also have it visually fill up/rotate/load in some way to show that you have to hold it.
Suggested future additions when making the full game:
1. Themes and decorations. Different color doors for different levels, different aesthetics/colors/textures in the floor, background, and decorations (when you add them). Give visual variety to the game. And when you keep the same theme for a group of levels, make sure the doors are still visually differentiated somehow (small images of the level layout, different decorations or icons for each door, big numbers on each door, etc. Up to you).
Who knows, perhaps the themes you choose can help dictate the "story" of the game whenever you get around the that part.
2. More character (facial expressions) for the robot.
Besides that, this game is turning out fantastic!
The puzzles are smooth and make sense, they escalate really well, and introduce the mechanics well. I definitely had a few "Aha!" moments.
The character feels great to control and move around (with the above noted exceptions).
This really feels like it's coming together, and I'm excited to see where you take it next!
Loved the demo! This game is very promising, and I'll be following the updates (as I follow GMTK for a couple of years now). It makes me want top develop my own games.
Heya, I loved the new demo levels especially with the use of slides/ramps!
I did my best to break the game but only managed to find 1 bug/exploit which I found interesting:
If the player jumps right after throwing the magnet when the arms are fully pulled back, the player can jump really high! (Discovered this using mouse controls and was able to reenact with controller).
One idea going forward is that puzzle games are fun until they get frustrating/difficult which causes players to lose motivation to play.
A game like this would be improved so much if there was some kind of story in the game, that you explore and unlock through levels. A good story can keep players motivated to play to the end.
Overall I like the gameplay and it was fun to play, great job :)
I had just one issue in the settings menu, I used to see some arrow or button to return to the main menu, and it took me a few seconds to try the ESC button to go back to the main menu.
Not sure if you should add hints but probably some people will want hints ( I saw in many other games that you have this option) when they were trying to solve the problem for 20 minutes (the last lever took me that much haha)Thank you for the reply.
I thought that if I rotate the boxes (or at least try to), it alone will affect the rates of foreshortening, and that was my mistake.
I didn't realize that the fact, that when I am choosing about the same distance for my vanishing point makes it looks the same.
my immediate first instinct was to reassign the right mouse button to be the polarity toggle. unfortunately this clashes with the aim mode toggle, which can't be unassigned from the right mouse button
the jump feels a bit too short for me personally. in the fourth level in particular it can be a bit tricky to jump from the moving platform to the platform where the magnet spawns if you don't have enough momentum, and it is a bit clunky to climb up the ladder on the right side of that level. (i recognize that you don't actually have to climb that ladder to finish the puzzle, but i still climbed up several times before i found the correct solution)
i like the puzzle designs themselves. every level took me a few attempts to solve, but none of them were impossible. although it does feel a bit too easy to get softlocked.
I wrote out my thoughts as you play! To start out, really fun and fantastic job!
Here's what my notes were:
A little too slippery: maybe stop more on edges --- Future Nia comment: I didn't mind controls at all later on, so probably not a big issue.
Restart symbol not clear on first playthrough --- Future Nia comment: Maybe just have a blue bar that fills it up ala Smash? Not a huge issue though.
Maybe auto repick up magnet when run into it? I don't think it would change any puzzles, and it would make the magnet feel a lot more related to you.
Magnet only walls are good idea, but maybe make them look different, like transparent, so it makes more in-game sense why the magnet can go through
You're pulled closer to opposite sign doors, but you aren't pushed away by same sign doors? A little strange
Angled buttons are a neat idea, but you just also be able to jump on them rather than fall off
Puzzle with falling magnet was a good aha moment because it required experimentation: I said "aha" out loud". I discovered something important by accident, which is always nice!
It registers mouse clicks when you're in a different window, leading to character throwing as soon as you reopen
I HAD TWO AHA MOMENTS in same level! It seemed impossible, and then it hit me!
It's fun to repeatedly rhythmically press F and swing magnet back and forth through the doors: maybe make that a thing you do? :p --- Future Nia Comment: Yes you do!!
Spawn out of door of previous level? also kind of fun to run through to new door as a victory lap though
Now I'm pulled to door of different sign? This didn't happen earlier
I'm saying "ohhhh" a lot and that's good :D
Kind of weird that the magnet has only one pole---it's a game about magnets, but the magnet does something physically impossible, ha ha. It's a magical magnet!
I'm thinking! :DD
Sometimes a bit boring, but I think music will INSTANTLY solve that problem :D
I said yeah!
I'm talking out loud! :OOO
"ohhhh it's solved" the solution I thought it would be wasn't it, ha ha. But the correct solution was very enlightening that I stumbled into. Blocks (well, doors in this case) can block other blocks!
I said "clever!" :DD
I really do think run auto pick magnet will make the game control so fluidly.
Maybe make it so you can throw magnet while moving? Would be a bit less choppy.
Hope this was helpful! Thank you for releasing this demo! :D
Controls feel nice, but the fact that robot does not stop for a second when the aim button is pressed is annoying - when you are trying to throw the magnet standing at the edge of a cliff and start aiming, you move instead (while holding the aim key) so you roll off the cliff yourself D: (xOne controler)
Additionally, an option to spawn at the last completed stage's entrance would save the robot a lot of unnecessary mileage (or make him go faster in the level selection).
Lastly, would be cool to have the actual name of the level displayed, so it would be "reporting a bug on level 4" not "reporting a bug on that big moving magnet level" ;D
I would suggest that instead of going straight when you clear a level the player can choose to either go to the hub or continue to the next level as having to move through the hub for each new level can get quite repetitive. Maybe when you go return to the hub instead of spawning at the start, you spawn beneath the level you came from.
I really enjoyed this demo, and can't wait for the full game.
Couple of things. Since I needed to end the "tutorial" level by throwing the magnet to open the gate, I was a bit surprised when the first real level just finished when I got the key. I had been primed to believe you finish a level by throwing the magnet into a tube to open a gate, so that was a bit jarring.
And secondly, I know it's only a demo so I don't know why I expected it, but I assumed unlocking the final gate was going to lead to a mega super hard puzzle, so it was a bit disappointing when it just said "Thanks for playing".
Ok suggested improvements out the way. I did really enjoy it. The puzzles were a nice level of difficulty, the magnet was definitely a core game play mechanic, and it left me wanting lots, LOTS more puzzles. Feels like something you could play for hours, or jump into from time to time to complete a few puzzles.
This was really fun to play! Though I'm still very new to game design, I'll try my best to give some helpful feedback without looking at the other comments beforehand. (I'll also take caution to try avoid spoiling the experience for those who haven't played it yet and are reading the comments)
The good things first: The game felt super punchy, switching the magnet and having it snap to nearby objects felt really good, and almost every level had an 'ah-ha!' moment where all the puzzel pieces came together. Additionally, while I didn't play the original demo, I didn't encounter many of the other issues others complained of, the magnet remained central and I was consistently thinking of where it was and how it could help me influence the play area to my advantage.
Some criticisms: A bit nitpicky, but I noted that while it was helpful you had to hold the reset button to activate it (to avoid accidentally tripping it), it did take me a second to understand how it worked. I think it's because the reset icon didn't have a very noticable animation. If the icon 'filled up' as you held it down the way it works might feel a bit more obvious. I also feel like the way the magnet travels through platforms is a little inconsistent. I only noticed this in the first level, where I cannot throw it through the platform, but I can in later levels. Possibly some distinction between platforms that let the magnet through, and those that can't, could be handy in cluing in the player.
Overall though, despite my minor complaints, I really think this game so far is really good! It feels unique and fun to play, and the puzzels are satisfying to complete. I'm excited to see what comes next! (No pressure of course!) Good luck!
Please consider adding a Linux build. it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
In the same way that you have rough placeholder art in the menus, it would be great to have some rough placeholder sound effects, e.g. from BFXR. I think this would add a lot to the game.
I 'cheesed' a couple of the levels and then felt confident it wasn't the intended solution so I went back and re-did them. The final level in particular had me stuck for quite a while. I'd love to add spoiler-text here, but itch.io doesn't support it yet so instead I've encoded it in rot13, it can be easily decoded via copy-and-paste over at rot13.com ... Gur svefg guerr yriryf ner dhvgr rnfl naq gurl grnpu gur cynlre nobhg fraqvat gur zntarg guebhtu n fjvat-qbbe juvyr gur cynlre fgnlf oruvaq. Gur arkg gjb yriryf ner n ovg uneqre naq gur cynlre jvyy yvxryl fcraq zber gvzr ba gurfr, ohg gurl qb abg erdhver gur zrpunavp gnhtug rneyvre. Gur svany yriry vf uneqrfg bs nyy naq vg erdhverf gung rneyl zrpunavp ohg ol guvf cbvag vg vf ab ybatre serfu va gur cynlre'f urnq. V guvax vs gur svany yriry jnf cynlrq vzzrqvngryl nsgre gur svefg guerr vg jbhyq or rnfvre. Fb creuncf zber sberfunqbjvat bs gur erdhverq zrpunavp jbhyq uryc. Nyfb, nf na rneyl-tnzr chmmyr, creuncf zbir gur fjvat-qbbe bar havg gb gur yrsg gb znxr gur oneevre n yvggyr zber boivbhf gb ortvaaref.
> it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
It was pretty straightforward for me, I just opened it with Wine and it ran pretty well. The only bad thing is that it would freeze completely and need a restart whenever I changed to another window. But yeah, a native Linux build would be very much appreciated :3
The freeze is caused by a Wine bug that affects all Unity games.
There is a patch for that since Wine Staging 7.8 applied automatically, so switch to Staging if you can (I think that forks like TKG or GE also include the patch).
Moving through the hub after each level gets longer and longer. I suggest having the player come out of the door/pipe of the level they were just in after each level.
OK, after reading plenty of comments, it's time for my rant...
Dear Future Mark,
I really enjoyed this version. I liked how the small jump was just enough to get over platforms so you could just spam jump and boom, you're at the top.
Here is the biggest suggestion:
The end of a Level is a door that only opens if you hold Iman (Magnet in Spanish), and there is no way of soft-locking yourself. (if the puzzle is done wrong, more steps are required to get back) BUT there are batteries or keys scattered around a Level which can lead to soft-locks if the puzzle is done wrong. This allows bonus Levels, re-playability and more challenges.
The hub world was an interesting choice for Level select, and because it is a hub world, you could possibly have more fast pasted, platforming-esck routes to each Level (or just to bonus Levels). That would make it more interactive and enjoyable.
Constructive criticism:
Level/Door 1, the platform that keeps you from jumping across to get the key:A laser would be more consistent rather than a sideways platform, that way you can keep the puzzle while introducing lasers that will deactivate your robot friend but Magneto can pass by, like in your first version.
Level 6 could show the solution more if the box was taller and the press was longer, that would prevent any cheese. Before:
After
In case you missed it, voidfluid created a song for the game if you have any interest in that: a quick sketch.
Overall good demo. The movement of the robot felt smooth. the puzzles were fun and some of the later ones did make me have that "ah-ha" moment, but I did accidentally slove some of the earlier ones by just testing out what the elements did. I did get stuck on the last level, however, I'm not good at puzzle games so if the levels individually are optional then having puzzles above my level, or ones I can return to later for "keys" is probably a good thing.
Here is some specific feedback, I noted in which level I found them but most are applicable to more than just the level I first noticed
level - Lift up:
Jumping platforms are awkward. There is no way to jump down them. Having to jump up 4 times for something that feels like a sort of distance feels cumbersome
When you jump on one there is the initial "puff" from jumping then an additional jumping puff when you pass the platform, then finally a puff from landing on the platform, this makes it look like the robot is making an additional jump when it passes the platform but that's not the case.
The magnet force deleter looks unintuitive in what it does. Perhaps something which kills the magnet's magnetic power before it vanishes. Additionally, if you had to manually push a button to get the magnet back, it could form a bond with the magnet like the companion cubes in the portal
level- weights and pull me:
In the L-shaped one way, if you change direction immediately after going through it, it won't let you through and you have to back up and walk through it again for it to work
level - blocked by the block:
The magnet slides immediately really quickly down the slope. looks off with the robot's very slow glide down. There also needs to be a ramp-up in speed feels off when it goes at 100% speed the second it hits the slope
I don't like the look or feel of the switch button
Having the switch polarity button be F, means it feels awkward if you have to quickly go right after switching polarity
The impact when you hit something with the magnet feels good
Hub:
the pipes you throw the magnets into then something happens feels really satisfying, although the pipes do look out of place
Menu:
"enter" should be the confirmation button instead of "space"
Resolution options, windowed mode is a bit useless without it (I prefer playing games in windowed mode)
Tutorial said E was to aim/throw, but didn't mention LMB too. Using LMB to throw felt more natural than using E to me.
There's a cheese in the last level where you can stand on top of the L shaped gateway as it's moving to get up to the platform.
Platforming controls feel pretty nice, though jumping gets a bit janky when you're on top of a magnetic platform in the air.
The level ending when collecting the key was nice, didn't have to worry about going back.
Not being able to fall through one-way platforms by pressing down felt a bit weird, but that might be intentional. Same with not being able to move while aiming.
Being able to replay puzzles is cool, but you can't complete them since the key is gone. You could try something like a transparent key that you can still collect and end the level, but it won't count towards the key count.
Maybe add an option to reverse aim direction, similar to how aiming works in Angry Birds.
In level 4, you can throw the magnet through the incinerator if you stand and aim in a specific position.
In level 5, it's possible to launch yourself on top of the big magnet by letting go as you're being pulled towards it (it's very difficult though)
I just played through the game and thought it was really fun. I've been watching your youtube series for a few months, and that has been one source of inspiration for me. Now seeing how this sort of game can be created from Unity and actually playing it makes me even more inspired. I eventually am interested in making my own game, but for now have just been watching tutorials and trying to copy them so that I can understand better how both Unity and C# work, and maybe eventually create something on my own. Since I am so new to these things, I'm not sure how feasible any of the following comments would be to implement, but as a person who enjoys playing games, I do have some thoughts.
When I minimized the game and then opened it again, sometimes the character would get stuck for a few seconds if it was holding the magnet, or not be able to pick up the magnet for a few seconds if it wasn't holding the magnet. I was playing on a computer. I think these might have something to do with the game treating clicks on the minimizing button and the rest of the space in that top part of the game like any other click to aim or throw the magnet.
Also, in the tutorial level you have at the start, there is a white door with arrows on it that the character runs into, to have it flip and allow the character to pass. I found that if I ran the character into the door just enough to get the door to open but then stopped, then I couldn't go back through it without moving away from the door on the other side and coming back towards it.
One thought I had during my playthrough was that it would be nice to be able to cancel my aiming of the magnet. I hadn't seen that there was an option for this in the settings. Maybe making this more known to the player in some way, perhaps at the start of the game like the other actions the player can take, could be helpful.
I really liked the last puzzle, because I struggled with it for a bit before I realized that I could throw the magnet down the hole with the ramp and flip the door there to have the side of it extending out, blocking the block from going up. That allowed me to jump on it, and then go through the space under the other barrier that was held up because the other block wasn't on the ground. I had to think differently about the problem to solve it, and I enjoyed that. I've been reading through some of the other comments here and it seems like other people solved it differently. I think it's cool that a puzzle can have multiple solutions. I went back after I played and took a screenshot of the solution I found.
Overall, I thought this was a very good game. The things I commented on are pretty minor, all things considered, and it felt like a solid game that I genuinely enjoyed playing. I liked how the character felt, and I liked how the magnetic doors, like the one in the image above, would drain and fill with color after the magnet moved them.
Also, a minor thing that might just be based on my own experience with games in the past, is that I expected the aiming mechanic to go in the opposite direction of where my mouse was dragging away from the character. I got used to the controls though, and I don't think there's anything wrong with how it is.
A lot of the puzzles felt fun, most of them giving me a nice feeling of satisfaction when I completed them. However, I do feel like the ordering of the levels can be changed a little, as the first 2 levels felt a little too challenging to be the first levels of the game, as well as level 3 being essentially a tutorial level. The game may also benefit from offering hints if it helps the player.
I would like to see the ending of each level change a little, maybe instead of just collecting a key, returning back to the entrance or exit to make the level feel a little more satisfying. And maybe its just personal preference, but I did feel a small urge for the character to be a little more floaty, or to jump a little higher. Can't wait to see where this game goes!
Great experience. Had fun all the way. It was, however, too easy to softlock myself, including when first picking up the magnet, where you could throw it at the non-magnetic doors, and they would separate you.
Movement felt fine. If this was a game I created for myself, I would be satisfied. But I would find it weird if I encountered this movement in a bought product. It feels like it cannot decide if it should feel floaty or chonky. I would increase the deceleration, make the character stop waay sooner. Increase the speed of everything in the air, to obscene, Jupiter-gravity levels, maybe add some chonky screen shake. That's what I would do. You could take it the other way, if it feels more appropriate.
I never got the 'aha' moment, all the way to the last puzzle. They all solved themselves sooner or later, not really getting me stumped. The moment I touched everything in the level and seen what it does, I could intuit the general solution. The last puzzle took me some time, in part because the door protruded so little into the space of the metal block I didn't realize that was intended (or that it was something that happened at all), so it took me a while to try and abuse that. Felt like I was cheated, if just a little. I would also like to see more uses of the magnet. I feel like all I had to do in order to solve the puzzles was place the magnet somewhere, then press F once, later. Make the magnet more involved. That is really shallow advice, but that's what needs to happen for your vision of the game (if i understood it correctly).
Now, this may sound like a lot of bad rep, but it really isn't. There is so much right with the demo, this is everything I really can complain about. The art - chefs kiss. Your iterative workflow - ingenious. After seeing all these comments 'dissing' your game, make sure to keep track of everything you did right. Keep up the good work!
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Really liked the game !
Here are my two feedbacks on the game :
1) (Maybe it won't really a problem for other players, but i'll mention it just in case) It felt a little annoying to aim with the mouse when the rest of the game is played on keyboard. I initially tried to aim with the arrows which would feel easier and more natural. But maybe that wouldn't be confortable or accurate for other players ?
2) Would be nice to have a power to call back the magnet, like the hammer in God of War.
Main reason for that is : in some levels, I had to restart the because the magnet was out of reach. It made me shy to try throwing it in the final levels.
Second reason : Sometimes it felt like the levels weren't really complete because i would abandon my little magnet friend behind.
Thanks and congrats !
I honestly loved this game! It looks great, feels great, and I enjoyed the learning curve + difficulty. When the MVP ran out I wanted to keep playing!
I also think that some of the accessibility features are great examples of the "curb cut effect" where accessible design benefits everyone! Personally I found the -/+ symbols that supplement the magnet polarity to be a really helpful supplement to the colours to keep the "opposites attract" behaviour in my head.
My only nitpick is that I'm personally not a huge fan of the green pipes. My first issue is that the bright green pipe evokes Mario too strongly for me, and I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity to develop the game's own unique cyber-punk aesthetic.
Second, I don't love that the same pipe plays double-duty for spawning and as a switch for activating doors, and it feels a bit clunky to have two steps to pass through a door. (One way around this would be to have the robot zip up the pipe with the magnet like in the puzzles!)
I'm going to dump a lot of negative feedback at once, but I hope this is helpful:
- The tutorial feels very linear, like you're on a conveyor belt being shown one mechanic after the other
- It's never stated how to aim
- If you tap to throw the magnet it will be thrown not in the direction you're facing, but the direction the mouse is in.
- The initial tutorial seems to end in a different way to the actual levels. In the tutorial you throw a magnet into a pipe whereas the levels end by collecting a key
- After collecting a key, there's a period where a key and a number below it is displayed in the middle of a black screen, and the number then goes up by one. This seems a little... off(?) as there's no animation
- When using pulleys, the object going up should reach the top at the same time as the object going down reaches the bottom
- In the final room the background does some weird things as you're going from one side of the room to the other... almost like you're on a slope?
Otherwise I think it's a solid concept. The animations, artstyle and transitions are generally very good. And the last 3 puzzles were very satisfying. Good luck to you Mark!
Make your game for linux.Some players are linux gamers
This! I know there are compatibility layers, but with Unity being a heavy engine by itself (yes, even for such 2D games) and some people's hardware being slow, it's nicer to have a native version to play.
It comes at no cost with Unity either, to my knowledge you literally just have to click that one additional checkbox to also export it for Linux. Why not?
Apparently according to the comments you are supposed to throw the magnet at a pipe and the pipe is supposed to suck it up. But I was not able to get the pipe to do that for some reason. I did try to throw the magnet in to the pipe a few times and then I got frustrated and gave up. This was on the very first level. Apparently you can click on a button that says "Back to Hub" when you pause the game before you even have seen the hub for the first time. So when I gave up on unlocking the door on the tutorial level, I clicked on the button named Back to Hub (which took me to the hub level) to see if I could enter any levels and I couldn't throw the magnet to enter any other level. How do you aim a magnet so that it sucked up by a pipe? do you need to increase particle field sucking up effect?
Edit: after a few trys and reading a few comments, I realized I needed to change the polarity of the magnet but throwing a magnet into a pipe still feels a bit clunky. And if you manage to throw the magnet into a pipe you didn't intend to throw it into in the hub world there doesn't seem to be any way to get it back.
Also, what does the reset button actually reset programmatically? because I got stuck on this level
and when I pressed the reset button the reset button pressing animation played but the scene wasn't reloaded for some reason and if I wanted to re-attempt the level it seems that I would have to exit to the hub and deal with the clunky hub world design and then go back it the level to try again. (At least I thought that was what I had to do but after opening and closing the game a few times I managed to see the reset level function actually work)
Also, after opening and closing the game a few times I realized that your game starts from level zero each time. Maybe you could implement a function to save the game progress when you quit or something similar.
My first thought when i started playing was that it feel really smooth to control. I loved the jump and it felt right. I don't think it should be much higher if at all.
I struggled a bit with the controls because F and E look so similar I would often change the polarity instead of picking up/dropping/throwing the magnet. That might be because I'm not used to keyboard controls, but accessibility wise it might be hard to differentiate for people with dyslexia.
The tutorial was good, but could afford to be a bit longer. It took me a long time to realise I could jump and throw the magnet because you can only do it if you aim first then jump. Maybe take the time to explain that or change it so you can do it either way as it was really frustrating because I knew what to do, but couldn't work out the way the controls wanted me to do it. I also only realised I could cancel a throw when trying to change the settings and that should definitely be included in the tutorial.
The line when throwing seems a bit redundant if you can't properly aim before you throw. This should definitely be a feature in the final game since it's more based on guess work and doesn't feel as good to control. I'm not sure if this is a feature already, but when I tried to toggle the different options the game stopped working. I don't know which option caused which option but at first I could only throw the magnet in one direction, then I could only drop it or pick it up. I played on the mac version so I'm not sure if it applies on the others, but even when restarting the level the problem persisted so I could only use the default. Whether this was a bug or not or there is actually an angled aiming system, this is another thing that should be included in the tutorial. Maybe it could be mapped to the arrow keys/d-pad or the mouse/right joystick (I think that's the one I mean) to prevent too many buttons overlapping uses.
The levels were all well designed. I managed to get through all of them except final door before the one that required six keys. I'm not great at puzzle games and usually use tutorials, so I'm not sire if it's due to that or if it needed a clearer design, but all of the others definitely gave me the "aha" moment you said you were looking for in your videos.
The door system is good and I like being able to do them in any order (even though I went in order anyway), but I think throwing the magnet to get in definitely felt a bit clunky and weird, especially since I had to jump to throw it each time. Maybe it would be better to press a button prompt to enter it and come out of the level you just entered rather than going back to the start each time because I feel like that will get frustrating as more levels are added into each world. A similar system to New Super Mario Bros on the DS could work instead, but without the birds eye view perspective.
The design is good, but a bit confusing at first. When I couldn't get through the tutorial I thought I was throwing the magnet at the wrong thing seeing "+" and "-" on the walls. I think the blank space around the level could afford to look a bit more mechanical or have the patterns repeated a bit more just to make it clearer to less experienced players.
I have a suggestion for later levels. The polarity changing is a really great feature and the gameplay definitely feels centred around the magnet. I remember you saying in one of your videos that you wanted the magnet to be called to the player and maybe you could include switch the polarity of the player to attract the magnet back to them.
Overall this was a really good and professional feeling demo. Aside from the things I mentioned it was really good and I'm really looking forward to any future demos or the final game. I hope you found my feedback useful and are able to use it for future development.
Just wanted to update I managed to work out the solution to the puzzle I couldn't before, but entirely by accident while trying another solution and it was the least satisfying puzzle aside from the first one in the tutorial (which after doing it again is quite hard to do even when knowing as the movement has to be so specific). I've also just learned that the aiming is controlled by the mouse, but again it was by accident and should be explained in the tutorial. It's still quite hard to throw accurately and could be tweaked further.
I still think it's really promising though and hope my feedback was useful.
Excellent fun.
Level 6 actually had more aha feeling than level 7 as level 7 felt a bit gotcha.
Jump felt a bit heavy.
Restarting is annoying. I actually think some sort of life/score here would reframe it as instead of an externalish waste of time more of an ingame setback.
Everytime I see the game I think you'll run out of levels and ideas and you never do. So that's a good sign.
Feel like moving forward the combination of elements could massively expand the scope of puzzles.
Some feedback:
Firstly, it felt a bit weird to me that the game just immediately kicks you out upon collecting the key. I thought I would have to use the door to exit the level.
Second, it's a bit too easy to get softlocked on some levels (mostly the sixth one). thankfully though, resetting the level is quick
Third, the sixth level seems the require some very precise throws and jumps, which lead to a bit of frustration because despite knowing what to do, I just didn't manage to input it
This jump can caused me some trouble, and if you fail it after throwing the magnet down you have to reset the entire level which is a bit annoying
Getting the magnet down there was a bit of a hassle - most of the time, it either bounced around and didn't even fall from the platform I was on, or landed above the hole which meant I had to reset the level
Overall, it was fun, My favorite level was the fifth, it hit just the right balance for the 'aha!' moment for me.
PS. Also, I found a minor bug (also in the sixth level)
It is possible to get the magnet between the magnetic block and the electromaget, but if we change its polarity to one that is attracted to the electromagnet...
... It starts to vibrate
After reading a bit of the comments, it has become apparent to me that I didn't beat the sixth level as indented
Took about 20 minutes to complete, and here's my biggest takeaway:
Building the proper tools to help you design your game really let you focus on building fun, compelling levels such that I reached the end and wanted more.
A couple minor curiosities (played with mouse and keyboard) followed by personal thoughts:
1) When starting the game, the HUD shows Q to Jump before replacing it with Space.
2) A matter of personal preference, I find the mouse unnecessary if the aim mode could be mapped to the arrow keys, especially since targets are quite large.
3) Instead of throwing your magnet away into pipes to open a door, I might suggest recycling an earlier idea you had; a magnetic block that completes a circuit when the magnet is attached.
4) Ending the level by grabbing a key feels a bit abrupt. But given the quick tutorial level sets up an expectation to use keys to clear the stage, I suspect these levels were more focused on puzzle iteration rather than stage flow.
5) Super excited to see where this project goes from here. Remember to take care of yourself along the way!
Really fun and definitely so much room for many cool levels. Character feels nice, visuals are really good for the most part and the small short levels are kinda addicting.
Few things that I noticed though.
Overall definitely a huge improvement to the previous builds with only some minor gripes.
Please include a Linux build! Since you're using Unity, it's just a couple more clicks...
This game has a lot of potential! Can't wait for the next version! Some thoughts: I think adding a reward for completing the level quickly or without having to restart would be cool (in-game perk). I also think there could be some story beyond completing all the levels. This could be told through a) exposition/scenes in between levels or b) by making the world feel more complete by telling some kind of story more indirectly (ie., things in the background etc). Also, I am not sure I beat the 6th level as intended so I attached the screenshot here of my solution.
Really enjoyed the demo.
Would love there to be a time rewind and for the level restart to be instant (rather than a ~1 second hold).
Love it, really fun game! On windows there is a bug where the icons for the key and the prompts on how to restart and switch polarity are partway off of the screen, especially in fullscreen mode.
Feedback:
I love it! It feels great, the puzzles are fun to figure out, and I didn't notice any major issues. I really enjoyed myself!
Though there are a few things that need tweaking.
1. We should automatically pickup the magnet when we pass over it (unless we've just thrown it down where we're standing). Having to click or press E to grab it is unnecessary and feels like a chore because if I'm next to the magnet, I'm only ever there to grab it. If we really want to avoid grabbing it (which is rare), we can just jump over it (or walk under it if it's stuck to something).
The most used functions should be the easiest to activate, automatic if possible.
2. Collecting keys to unlock doors makes sense, however. None of the doors look like they use keys, and to open the door you... throw the magnet away? The mechanism of the doors themselves and how they are opened just doesn't make much sense. Perhaps if you collected keyCARDS, that would match with the aesthetic, and the doors would unlock (visually show that the key activated) automatically when you pass in from of them, and you have to choose to go inside them by pressing up for them to open and the level to start. Just default platformer standards.
3. The jump isn't high enough. The jump feels great! I love it! But since this isn't a platformer, the jump shouldn't require any skill to use for basic traversal. This includes needing to hold it down all the way just to get over a small hurdle. This game isn't about being good at jumping, even minimally.
4. Perhaps choose a different button for switching polarity? I sometimes want to switch polarity while moving right at the same time. With my index on D, hitting F doesn't feel right. Perhaps S? Or shift? Or even right click? Those don't currently serve a purpose. Choosing good default controls is important.
5. Maybe have the restart button not be CTRL? ENTER maybe? Also have it visually fill up/rotate/load in some way to show that you have to hold it.
Suggested future additions when making the full game:
1. Themes and decorations. Different color doors for different levels, different aesthetics/colors/textures in the floor, background, and decorations (when you add them). Give visual variety to the game. And when you keep the same theme for a group of levels, make sure the doors are still visually differentiated somehow (small images of the level layout, different decorations or icons for each door, big numbers on each door, etc. Up to you).
Who knows, perhaps the themes you choose can help dictate the "story" of the game whenever you get around the that part.
2. More character (facial expressions) for the robot.
Besides that, this game is turning out fantastic!
The puzzles are smooth and make sense, they escalate really well, and introduce the mechanics well. I definitely had a few "Aha!" moments.
The character feels great to control and move around (with the above noted exceptions).
This really feels like it's coming together, and I'm excited to see where you take it next!
Nice game! Few things:
1. Make magnet stay with player when going through polarity doors
2. Make player able to move (at least very slow) while in aiming mode. It will make the game feel much better
3. In levels where magnet is near start, make player hold the magnet when spawning. This will make resetting much less painful.
Loved the demo! This game is very promising, and I'll be following the updates (as I follow GMTK for a couple of years now). It makes me want top develop my own games.
Heya, I loved the new demo levels especially with the use of slides/ramps!
I did my best to break the game but only managed to find 1 bug/exploit which I found interesting:
If the player jumps right after throwing the magnet when the arms are fully pulled back, the player can jump really high! (Discovered this using mouse controls and was able to reenact with controller).
Amazing Game!
One idea going forward is that puzzle games are fun until they get frustrating/difficult which causes players to lose motivation to play.
A game like this would be improved so much if there was some kind of story in the game, that you explore and unlock through levels. A good story can keep players motivated to play to the end.
Why cant you bind any controls to E?
Overall I like the gameplay and it was fun to play, great job :)
I had just one issue in the settings menu, I used to see some arrow or button to return to the main menu, and it took me a few seconds to try the ESC button to go back to the main menu.
Not sure if you should add hints but probably some people will want hints ( I saw in many other games that you have this option) when they were trying to solve the problem for 20 minutes (the last lever took me that much haha)Thank you for the reply.
I thought that if I rotate the boxes (or at least try to), it alone will affect the rates of foreshortening, and that was my mistake.
I didn't realize that the fact, that when I am choosing about the same distance for my vanishing point makes it looks the same.
Thank you, now it is more clear to me.
my immediate first instinct was to reassign the right mouse button to be the polarity toggle.
unfortunately this clashes with the aim mode toggle, which can't be unassigned from the right mouse button
the jump feels a bit too short for me personally.
in the fourth level in particular it can be a bit tricky to jump from the moving platform to the platform where the magnet spawns if you don't have enough momentum, and it is a bit clunky to climb up the ladder on the right side of that level.
(i recognize that you don't actually have to climb that ladder to finish the puzzle, but i still climbed up several times before i found the correct solution)
i like the puzzle designs themselves. every level took me a few attempts to solve, but none of them were impossible.
although it does feel a bit too easy to get softlocked.
Fun game, main feedback is I wish you could move while holding the throw magnet button
I wrote out my thoughts as you play! To start out, really fun and fantastic job!
Here's what my notes were:
A little too slippery: maybe stop more on edges --- Future Nia comment: I didn't mind controls at all later on, so probably not a big issue.
Restart symbol not clear on first playthrough --- Future Nia comment: Maybe just have a blue bar that fills it up ala Smash? Not a huge issue though.
Maybe auto repick up magnet when run into it? I don't think it would change any puzzles, and it would make the magnet feel a lot more related to you.
Magnet only walls are good idea, but maybe make them look different, like transparent, so it makes more in-game sense why the magnet can go through
You're pulled closer to opposite sign doors, but you aren't pushed away by same sign doors? A little strange
Angled buttons are a neat idea, but you just also be able to jump on them rather than fall off
Puzzle with falling magnet was a good aha moment because it required experimentation: I said "aha" out loud". I discovered something important by accident, which is always nice!
It registers mouse clicks when you're in a different window, leading to character throwing as soon as you reopen
I HAD TWO AHA MOMENTS in same level! It seemed impossible, and then it hit me!
It's fun to repeatedly rhythmically press F and swing magnet back and forth through the doors: maybe make that a thing you do? :p --- Future Nia Comment: Yes you do!!
Spawn out of door of previous level? also kind of fun to run through to new door as a victory lap though
Now I'm pulled to door of different sign? This didn't happen earlier
I'm saying "ohhhh" a lot and that's good :D
Kind of weird that the magnet has only one pole---it's a game about magnets, but the magnet does something physically impossible, ha ha. It's a magical magnet!
I'm thinking! :DD
Sometimes a bit boring, but I think music will INSTANTLY solve that problem :D
I said yeah!
I'm talking out loud! :OOO
"ohhhh it's solved" the solution I thought it would be wasn't it, ha ha. But the correct solution was very enlightening that I stumbled into. Blocks (well, doors in this case) can block other blocks!
I said "clever!" :DD
I really do think run auto pick magnet will make the game control so fluidly.
Maybe make it so you can throw magnet while moving? Would be a bit less choppy.
Hope this was helpful! Thank you for releasing this demo! :D
Really Nice MVP!
Other than the Button in the Tutorial, which sometimes got activated twice, so the door didn't open, no complaints.
Also did Speedruns of it:
Fun game!!
Controls feel nice, but the fact that robot does not stop for a second when the aim button is pressed is annoying - when you are trying to throw the magnet standing at the edge of a cliff and start aiming, you move instead (while holding the aim key) so you roll off the cliff yourself D: (xOne controler)
Additionally, an option to spawn at the last completed stage's entrance would save the robot a lot of unnecessary mileage (or make him go faster in the level selection).
Lastly, would be cool to have the actual name of the level displayed, so it would be "reporting a bug on level 4" not "reporting a bug on that big moving magnet level" ;D
Looking forward to future develompent!
Try holding the restart button in the hub *wink*
Intended or not, it made me laugh.
hah, very funny
hope he keeps it!
Really fun and engaging puzzle mechanics.
I would suggest that instead of going straight when you clear a level the player can choose to either go to the hub or continue to the next level as having to move through the hub for each new level can get quite repetitive. Maybe when you go return to the hub instead of spawning at the start, you spawn beneath the level you came from.
I really enjoyed this demo, and can't wait for the full game.
Yes, the hub is too long. Where's the "Wheely" button?
Yeah that was fun, very much enjoyed the puzzles.
Couple of things. Since I needed to end the "tutorial" level by throwing the magnet to open the gate, I was a bit surprised when the first real level just finished when I got the key. I had been primed to believe you finish a level by throwing the magnet into a tube to open a gate, so that was a bit jarring.
And secondly, I know it's only a demo so I don't know why I expected it, but I assumed unlocking the final gate was going to lead to a mega super hard puzzle, so it was a bit disappointing when it just said "Thanks for playing".
Ok suggested improvements out the way. I did really enjoy it. The puzzles were a nice level of difficulty, the magnet was definitely a core game play mechanic, and it left me wanting lots, LOTS more puzzles. Feels like something you could play for hours, or jump into from time to time to complete a few puzzles.
Keep it up, it's awesome!
This was really fun to play! Though I'm still very new to game design, I'll try my best to give some helpful feedback without looking at the other comments beforehand. (I'll also take caution to try avoid spoiling the experience for those who haven't played it yet and are reading the comments)
The good things first: The game felt super punchy, switching the magnet and having it snap to nearby objects felt really good, and almost every level had an 'ah-ha!' moment where all the puzzel pieces came together. Additionally, while I didn't play the original demo, I didn't encounter many of the other issues others complained of, the magnet remained central and I was consistently thinking of where it was and how it could help me influence the play area to my advantage.
Some criticisms: A bit nitpicky, but I noted that while it was helpful you had to hold the reset button to activate it (to avoid accidentally tripping it), it did take me a second to understand how it worked. I think it's because the reset icon didn't have a very noticable animation. If the icon 'filled up' as you held it down the way it works might feel a bit more obvious.
I also feel like the way the magnet travels through platforms is a little inconsistent. I only noticed this in the first level, where I cannot throw it through the platform, but I can in later levels. Possibly some distinction between platforms that let the magnet through, and those that can't, could be handy in cluing in the player.
Overall though, despite my minor complaints, I really think this game so far is really good! It feels unique and fun to play, and the puzzels are satisfying to complete. I'm excited to see what comes next! (No pressure of course!) Good luck!
This was a lot of fun. Thanks!
Please consider adding a Linux build. it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
In the same way that you have rough placeholder art in the menus, it would be great to have some rough placeholder sound effects, e.g. from BFXR. I think this would add a lot to the game.
I 'cheesed' a couple of the levels and then felt confident it wasn't the intended solution so I went back and re-did them. The final level in particular had me stuck for quite a while.
I'd love to add spoiler-text here, but itch.io doesn't support it yet so instead I've encoded it in rot13, it can be easily decoded via copy-and-paste over at rot13.com ...
Gur svefg guerr yriryf ner dhvgr rnfl naq gurl grnpu gur cynlre nobhg fraqvat gur zntarg guebhtu n fjvat-qbbe juvyr gur cynlre fgnlf oruvaq. Gur arkg gjb yriryf ner n ovg uneqre naq gur cynlre jvyy yvxryl fcraq zber gvzr ba gurfr, ohg gurl qb abg erdhver gur zrpunavp gnhtug rneyvre. Gur svany yriry vf uneqrfg bs nyy naq vg erdhverf gung rneyl zrpunavp ohg ol guvf cbvag vg vf ab ybatre serfu va gur cynlre'f urnq. V guvax vs gur svany yriry jnf cynlrq vzzrqvngryl nsgre gur svefg guerr vg jbhyq or rnfvre. Fb creuncf zber sberfunqbjvat bs gur erdhverq zrpunavp jbhyq uryc. Nyfb, nf na rneyl-tnzr chmmyr, creuncf zbir gur fjvat-qbbe bar havg gb gur yrsg gb znxr gur oneevre n yvggyr zber boivbhf gb ortvaaref.
Thanks again, keep up the great work!
> it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
It was pretty straightforward for me, I just opened it with Wine and it ran pretty well. The only bad thing is that it would freeze completely and need a restart whenever I changed to another window.
But yeah, a native Linux build would be very much appreciated :3
The freeze is caused by a Wine bug that affects all Unity games.
There is a patch for that since Wine Staging 7.8 applied automatically, so switch to Staging if you can (I think that forks like TKG or GE also include the patch).
Oh, thanks for the info, didn’t know that!
Moving through the hub after each level gets longer and longer. I suggest having the player come out of the door/pipe of the level they were just in after each level.
Needs a clickable button to exit the options menu
No criticism here, just ideas.
OK, after reading plenty of comments, it's time for my rant...
Dear Future Mark,
I really enjoyed this version. I liked how the small jump was just enough to get over platforms so you could just spam jump and boom, you're at the top.
Here is the biggest suggestion:
The end of a Level is a door that only opens if you hold Iman (Magnet in Spanish), and there is no way of soft-locking yourself. (if the puzzle is done wrong, more steps are required to get back) BUT there are batteries or keys scattered around a Level which can lead to soft-locks if the puzzle is done wrong. This allows bonus Levels, re-playability and more challenges.
The hub world was an interesting choice for Level select, and because it is a hub world, you could possibly have more fast pasted, platforming-esck routes to each Level (or just to bonus Levels). That would make it more interactive and enjoyable.
Constructive criticism:
Level/Door 1, the platform that keeps you from jumping across to get the key:
A laser would be more consistent rather than a sideways platform, that way you can keep the puzzle while introducing lasers that will deactivate your robot friend but Magneto can pass by, like in your first version.
Level 6 could show the solution more if the box was taller and the press was longer, that would prevent any cheese. Before:
After
In case you missed it, voidfluid created a song for the game if you have any interest in that: a quick sketch.
Overall good demo. The movement of the robot felt smooth. the puzzles were fun and some of the later ones did make me have that "ah-ha" moment, but I did accidentally slove some of the earlier ones by just testing out what the elements did. I did get stuck on the last level, however, I'm not good at puzzle games so if the levels individually are optional then having puzzles above my level, or ones I can return to later for "keys" is probably a good thing.
Here is some specific feedback, I noted in which level I found them but most are applicable to more than just the level I first noticed
level - Lift up:
Jumping platforms are awkward. There is no way to jump down them. Having to jump up 4 times for something that feels like a sort of distance feels cumbersome
When you jump on one there is the initial "puff" from jumping then an additional jumping puff when you pass the platform, then finally a puff from landing on the platform, this makes it look like the robot is making an additional jump when it passes the platform but that's not the case.
The magnet force deleter looks unintuitive in what it does. Perhaps something which kills the magnet's magnetic power before it vanishes. Additionally, if you had to manually push a button to get the magnet back, it could form a bond with the magnet like the companion cubes in the portal
level- weights and pull me:
In the L-shaped one way, if you change direction immediately after going through it, it won't let you through and you have to back up and walk through it again for it to work
level - blocked by the block:
The magnet slides immediately really quickly down the slope. looks off with the robot's very slow glide down. There also needs to be a ramp-up in speed feels off when it goes at 100% speed the second it hits the slope
I don't like the look or feel of the switch button
Having the switch polarity button be F, means it feels awkward if you have to quickly go right after switching polarity
The impact when you hit something with the magnet feels good
Hub:
the pipes you throw the magnets into then something happens feels really satisfying, although the pipes do look out of place
Menu:
"enter" should be the confirmation button instead of "space"
The Restart should have like a "fill up" so I know how long to hold the button to restart
I just played through the game and thought it was really fun. I've been watching your youtube series for a few months, and that has been one source of inspiration for me. Now seeing how this sort of game can be created from Unity and actually playing it makes me even more inspired. I eventually am interested in making my own game, but for now have just been watching tutorials and trying to copy them so that I can understand better how both Unity and C# work, and maybe eventually create something on my own. Since I am so new to these things, I'm not sure how feasible any of the following comments would be to implement, but as a person who enjoys playing games, I do have some thoughts.
When I minimized the game and then opened it again, sometimes the character would get stuck for a few seconds if it was holding the magnet, or not be able to pick up the magnet for a few seconds if it wasn't holding the magnet. I was playing on a computer. I think these might have something to do with the game treating clicks on the minimizing button and the rest of the space in that top part of the game like any other click to aim or throw the magnet.
Also, in the tutorial level you have at the start, there is a white door with arrows on it that the character runs into, to have it flip and allow the character to pass. I found that if I ran the character into the door just enough to get the door to open but then stopped, then I couldn't go back through it without moving away from the door on the other side and coming back towards it.
One thought I had during my playthrough was that it would be nice to be able to cancel my aiming of the magnet. I hadn't seen that there was an option for this in the settings. Maybe making this more known to the player in some way, perhaps at the start of the game like the other actions the player can take, could be helpful.
I really liked the last puzzle, because I struggled with it for a bit before I realized that I could throw the magnet down the hole with the ramp and flip the door there to have the side of it extending out, blocking the block from going up. That allowed me to jump on it, and then go through the space under the other barrier that was held up because the other block wasn't on the ground. I had to think differently about the problem to solve it, and I enjoyed that. I've been reading through some of the other comments here and it seems like other people solved it differently. I think it's cool that a puzzle can have multiple solutions. I went back after I played and took a screenshot of the solution I found.
Overall, I thought this was a very good game. The things I commented on are pretty minor, all things considered, and it felt like a solid game that I genuinely enjoyed playing. I liked how the character felt, and I liked how the magnetic doors, like the one in the image above, would drain and fill with color after the magnet moved them.
Also, a minor thing that might just be based on my own experience with games in the past, is that I expected the aiming mechanic to go in the opposite direction of where my mouse was dragging away from the character. I got used to the controls though, and I don't think there's anything wrong with how it is.
A lot of the puzzles felt fun, most of them giving me a nice feeling of satisfaction when I completed them. However, I do feel like the ordering of the levels can be changed a little, as the first 2 levels felt a little too challenging to be the first levels of the game, as well as level 3 being essentially a tutorial level. The game may also benefit from offering hints if it helps the player.
I would like to see the ending of each level change a little, maybe instead of just collecting a key, returning back to the entrance or exit to make the level feel a little more satisfying. And maybe its just personal preference, but I did feel a small urge for the character to be a little more floaty, or to jump a little higher. Can't wait to see where this game goes!
Great experience. Had fun all the way. It was, however, too easy to softlock myself, including when first picking up the magnet, where you could throw it at the non-magnetic doors, and they would separate you.
Movement felt fine. If this was a game I created for myself, I would be satisfied. But I would find it weird if I encountered this movement in a bought product. It feels like it cannot decide if it should feel floaty or chonky.
I would increase the deceleration, make the character stop waay sooner. Increase the speed of everything in the air, to obscene, Jupiter-gravity levels, maybe add some chonky screen shake. That's what I would do. You could take it the other way, if it feels more appropriate.
I never got the 'aha' moment, all the way to the last puzzle. They all solved themselves sooner or later, not really getting me stumped. The moment I touched everything in the level and seen what it does, I could intuit the general solution.
The last puzzle took me some time, in part because the door protruded so little into the space of the metal block I didn't realize that was intended (or that it was something that happened at all), so it took me a while to try and abuse that. Felt like I was cheated, if just a little.
I would also like to see more uses of the magnet. I feel like all I had to do in order to solve the puzzles was place the magnet somewhere, then press F once, later. Make the magnet more involved. That is really shallow advice, but that's what needs to happen for your vision of the game (if i understood it correctly).
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Now, this may sound like a lot of bad rep, but it really isn't. There is so much right with the demo, this is everything I really can complain about. The art - chefs kiss. Your iterative workflow - ingenious. After seeing all these comments 'dissing' your game, make sure to keep track of everything you did right. Keep up the good work!