itch.io

First off thanks for putting this out! My overall experience was very very positive. I'm loving all the improvements from the previous iteration! 

Here're some notes from my playthrough:

- the close button is missing from the options menu (I had to guess that esc closed it)

- a bit jarring and unexpected when levels abruptly end after collecting a key. I was expecting to have to go back to the entrance or accomplish something else to complete the level. Basically, it wasn't clear to me that acquiring the key is the end goal of the level. I thought they were only used to unlock levels, but not complete the current one - like a side mission or a 1-up in Mario

- I couldn't return to the hub from the entrance door of any level. I had to open the pause menu and click the "return to hub" option - overall just felt a bit unintuitive and jarring as it forcibly pulled me out of the game

- unless intended by design, it felt a bit unintuitive that I couldn't move my character while aiming at the same time - especially since you can jump while aiming or aim in the air after jumping. I found myself unconsciously trying to move and aim on multiple occasions as I tried to line up a shot

- absolutely LOVE the "choose your own order" system. I was stumped on level 2, then jumped forward to level 3. In the process of solving level 3, I had that massive AHA moment and ran back to level 2 with the solution in mind

- It wasn't immediately apparent to me that I could step on the slanted green buttons again to reverse their effects. Due to the fact that they're greyed out after initially stepping on them, I assumed they were disabled and no longer functional after the first press

- well done on making it clear to the player that certain paths definitely weren't' the solution. There were at least a couple of levels where I initially thought, "hmm, maybe if I was just a bit faster I could make it to XYZ", but after trying again it was immediately clear to me that that wasn't the solution and I didn't get stuck in that classic player loop of trying the same thing over and over believing that my timing and mechanics were the issue and not that I had the wrong solution (ex: running across the large red bridge in level 4, it's clear that the player has no chance to make it across before the bridge is raised up)

- I'm not sure I solved the 4th puzzle correctly and was left with an unsatisfied feeling after completing the level. After getting the magnet to the large red bridge, I triggered the button by throwing the magnet onto it while I was standing to the side of the bridge. It felt like a bit of a "hack" since, as the button is slanted, I assumed that it was intentionally designed to not be triggered by the button (my first attempt at this solution had the magnet sliding off of the button)

- it would be nice to give the players an option to replay a level for fun after completing it, but instead of a key at the end, have a placeholder collectable or a greyed out key. When I play puzzle games I sometimes like to go back and replay levels I solved. Usually the first play through I waddle around a lot and test. After beating it, I want to replay it in a fast and efficient way, almost like a speed runner, if that makes sense. Despite wanted to do that here, I didn't - as there wasn't anything to collect, so I didn't get that rush of feeling like I had indeed conquered the puzzle

- it wasn't clear to me until after the 5th level that the difference between the slanted and flat buttons is that the flat on needs to have something on top of it to keep it on. Maybe I subconsciously realized it, but that level made the difference to me explicit and it wasn't until I consciously made that realization that I started to include that information in my planning for future levels (i.e. the 6th level)

- I was a bit confused by the key counter. At the start of the game I thought it indicated the current number of keys I had (assuming I expended one to unlock a level) as, after completing level 1, I had 2 keys instead of 1. I assumed this was to give the player the freedom to unlock 2 levels in case they got stuck on one. So I was surprised when the count kept going up. This feeling was reinforced since after each level the key count was shown, much like showing your 1-up count or life count in a Mario game. I eventually realized it represented the total count of keys I had obtained (basically puzzles completed - kind of since it's +1), but then I couldn't tell if I had any keys available to use to unlock a different level if I got stuck on another

- movement feels solid! My only notes are that the little man moves a bit slow and I would like the jump to be ever so slightly more responsive or weighty. The levels are large and there are frequently sections that require a decent amount of movement and back to back jumping, so I found myself getting a bit annoyed at how slow the little guy rolls around or how long it takes to jump 5 times in a row, especially after a level reset or returning to the hub world (side note, I would have loved to use the high jump for the back to back jumping, but it takes so much longer to use that I never used it)

- like level 4, I wasn't sure if I solved the 6th level correctly and was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I effectively got the block stuck on the rotating door and then raced under the falling block to get to the key before it locked me out

- I had no idea I could use the mouse click to aim and throw the magnet until I randomly discovered it by accidentally clicking on my mouse. The options page and UI instructions only listed Q and E as options so I didn't realize the mouse was an option as well. I personally found the mouse much much more intuitive to throw the magnet with as I'm also aiming with it. I suggest maybe listing both options in the options menu similar to how many games display multiple bindings for actions in their settings. Additionally, I would have loved if the right click was added as a binding to toggle the magnet polarity. After I discovered I could pick up and throw the magnet with my mouse, I intuitively found myself right clicking to swap polarity

- In their current state, I'd give these puzzles a 7 / 10 overall. They were enjoyable and interesting, but the difficulty felt non-linear when completed in order and I had very little sense of "progression" in my knowledge and understanding of the game mechanics. Most of the time when I learned about a mechanic it felt accidental and not deliberate from the game. Almost like the game had forgotten to highlight something in the level or explain it before I got in. Basically, the new mechanics introduced in any particular level never felt like the focus of that level. However, there were absolutely a few superstar moments of genuine joy for me, a massive highlight was the interaction I described earlier between the 2nd and 3rd levels