Post by Bretton Hamilton in Design Discussion: What do you SPECIFICALLY want feedback on?

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I did the design for our single screen Metroidvania. I think the biggest thing I want feedback on is whether or not the Dragon, disappearing walls, and torch is enough to justify having a single screen? Anyone can make a small metroidvania, but to compliment this concept, there should be additional mechanics!
MICROVANIA - A One Screen Mini-Metroidvania with a Twist!
https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2019/rate/462198

*Dragon*
The dragon was our way of giving the player a reason to be able to see the whole castle at any given point. You've got to keep an eye on them as you explore.

*Disappearing Walls*
The disappearing walls means we don't have to spoil puzzles in advance (Without them, you could just stare at the screen until you figure it out right from the start.) and also means we don't need a Mini-Map which is usually required from Metroidvanias because they are often sprawling labyrinths.

*Torch*
Ok, ok, ok... I know its WAY too dark. But the player carrying the torch is supposed to make it easy to spot the character against the background. You should be able to squint and see where the player is in relation to the camera. (In the newer internal build, we have the character actually HOLD the torch, it's on the main path, so you can't miss it, and the global illumination is lighter so you aren't blind without the torch.

We've also added screen tilting in the internal version to allow the player to properly SEE into each room and keep the player character framed.

What other mechanics or ideas could we push to compliment our mini-metroidvania? <3

MICROVANIA - A One Screen Mini-Metroidvania with a Twist!
https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2019/rate/462198

And a few notes to help you play it! (The Game Jam build has a few bugs and quality of life issues)

- It works with Keyboard OR Gamepad
- You can view the controls in the menu (Esc or Start)
- The Player has 3x Health but will be instantly killed by Dragon Fire
- If you die twice, you should close and reopen the game (it breaks more and more with each death)
- There are two Winning Endings (You Kill the Dragon, or You Give the Dragon What it's Looking for!)
- There are 5 secret Gems hidden throughout the game if you can't find the last one, keep looking!

Crime Dog4 years ago

Hmm, I think you could maybe lean harder into the one screen thing?

Having to keep an eye on the dragon is good, but I think it would be great if there were more mechanics which required you to see what was going on in different parts of the screen, as that's your main mechanical twist.

I'm sort of torn on the torch, because it effectively undoes your twist! A small light radius is effectively the same thing as a small screen, right?

I think if some of the other mechanics were based around characters and unexpected interactions, you could get a chuckle out of seeing a wizard who's been working in his workshop the whole time becoming a roaming enemy when he gets annoyed at you flooding his workshop during solving another puzzle, that kind of thing.

Have you heard of a game design technique called the false ceiling? It's when a game looks like it's going to end at a certain point, but then surprises you by continuing past that point.

It's usually a nice little addition to a game, but in your case I think it may be mandatory to get the most out of the concept.

Having the castle transformed, or the context changed, by player actions which create new challenges would be excellent.

Effectively, I think you want to basically design dozens of levels, but then contrive a way that they can all be the castle, modified by some event (usually caused by the player).

Does that make any sense?