itch.io

Happy to give another version of yours a go, just let me know!

Please take a moment to fill the feedback form, it really helps and takes 1 minute max :)

https://forms.gle/hrA3t6et9t2jqkXp7

Thanks for playing! Try out the full alpha with much more now: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/beatbaes

If you haven’t already, would appreciate you submitting a feedback form just 2 mins :)

https://forms.gle/hrA3t6et9t2jqkXp7

Thanks for trying it out! If you haven’t already, would appreciate you submitting a feedback form just 2 mins :)

https://forms.gle/hrA3t6et9t2jqkXp7

The green equation ledger and boss-style accounting screen make the one-trillion-dollar debt feel like a literal battle, which is a strong visual expression of the premise.

Even with the tutorial, the number of mechanics felt overwhelming at first. I would surface the complete controls and a one-sentence explanation of the reel-to-equation loop near the top of the page. In-game, consider starting with a few simpler levels and gradually introducing each mechanic so players have time to understand the core loop before everything comes together.

It is not normally my kind of game, but the concept is genuinely creative and well executed. Good job!

If you have time, I’d value your first impression of Blade Baes. It turns girl-piloted battle mechs into a fast physics roguelike with customizable builds and one-minute showdowns. The feedback form is the best place to share what should stay, change, or tighten.

Enter the arena · Share your impression

Left you feedback on the game page :)

First thoughts: I really appreciate that this was made in Godot. It is always nice to see!

I played both the Knight and the Healer for about 15 minutes. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The game felt very chill, and I appreciated how the instructions were naturally integrated into the gameplay without becoming intrusive. That was a neat way to handle onboarding.

The AI party system also felt surprisingly natural. Even though I knew they were AI-controlled, the way the party moved and behaved alongside me felt cohesive, almost like I was playing with real people.

The voice acting was awesome, the music was good, and the game established a strong atmosphere right from the beginning. I am definitely looking forward to the free Steam release.

I would like an option for a little more difficulty. The cozy vibe is nice, but the game may currently be too forgiving. On the second level, I was able to run from the starting point directly to the end as the Knight. Players probably should not be able to bypass the entire map like that. Requiring them to clear the map, complete objectives, or defeat a certain percentage of the enemies could help.

All in all, this feels like a game made with a lot of thought and care. It is especially impressive considering it was created in only nine days.

I played for about 15 minutes, and first of all, I love the vibe. The UI and overall visual style are really good.

Player onboarding or a short tutorial would help. When I reached the initial character selection screen, it was not immediately clear what everything meant. Given the game’s arcade-like feel, leaving some mechanics open to discovery could work, but I would still provide players with a little more guidance upfront.

The procedurally generated shapes and their spacing could use some refinement. Since many obstacles include openings or paths through them, navigating those paths should feel like a risky but viable option, not something players should always avoid. Ideally, a skilled player can navigate them consistently, while a desperate player still has a small chance of barely scraping through and escaping. Those close-call moments would feel great.

For example, shapes like this should provide a slightly more forgiving escape route:

Regarding AI-assisted development, not sure where to start. I am a developer in my day job, so I already know what to look for and how to communicate with AI. My general advice would be to spend the time saved on coding grunt work to instead work on building game design doc. Ideally, you should be able to design most of the game on paper, or at least describe it clearly, before handing implementation work to AI. AI can also help refine the math and other design details.

Overall, this feels like a fun take on Snake.io. I could see a casual or most gamer-type people picking it up for quick sessions. I would also love to see a massive, possibly procedurally generated map that expands as more players join.

Very cool idea overall. I could offer more specific feedback depending on the direction you want to take it.

First of all, thank you so much for hosting the event, playing my game, and taking the time to write all of this out. I definitely want to see the VOD, so please link it whenever it’s ready!

You’re also one of the first people to really call out the dirty jokes and how they’re worked into the game, so I appreciate you noticing that. And yes, Blade Baes is definitely sailing in some potentially treacherous trademark waters lol. I’m keeping tabs on it and still figuring out what to do there. For now, I mainly wanted a name that immediately communicated what the game was about and got people curious enough to try it, while I make sure the game itself is actually fun and worth pursuing.

Didi is absolutely broken right now, by the way lmao. I’m glad you tried nearly everyone because all of that character feedback is extremely valuable. Funnily enough, around half of the things you mentioned have already been changed or are being addressed in the latest build, so it’s reassuring to see someone independently arrive at the same conclusions.

The single opponent for the first fight is a really good call. I think that would make the opening less overwhelming while giving players a better chance to learn the enemy personalities, names, descriptions, and quotes. Then, if they keep playing, we can open things up into the larger battles afterward.

And yes, more characters are absolutely foundational to the idea. I kid you not, my notepad already has over three dozen character concepts representing a lot of different countries. I love the international representation in games like Valorant and Overwatch, so I’ve definitely stolen a little inspiration from them there.

Good call on Didi’s voice too. I literally replaced it today because it was starting to annoy me as well. The repetition certainly wasn’t helping either.

On the artwork and AI usage, I completely understand the concern. The current alpha is partly about validating whether people actually enjoy the idea before I pour my own money into it. I have no problem investing in my own game and replacing the placeholder artwork as it develops, but I also don’t want the prototype to have fewer features, less personality, or weaker presentation than I can reasonably give it right now. Also, yes, Miyu’s bonus finger has been noted. 😂

The tops and arena presentation are something I’ve been thinking about a lot too. In fact, I’ve recently been experimenting with a 3D version of the battles while keeping the existing gameplay and HUD. I’m not deciding anything officially yet, but honestly, it’s already looking pretty sick. If you want to try that experimental build, let me know.

And hearing that you’d actually download the game to keep playing it is genuinely one of the most encouraging things you could have said.

Again, I really appreciate the time you put into both playing and giving such thoughtful feedback. I’m looking forward to the VOD, and I’d also love to connect outside of itch if you’re up for it.

Discord: @bladebaes

Oh yeah, please leave feedback if you have a sec: https://forms.gle/hrA3t6et9t2jqkXp7

I’ll try out your game as well :)

Any feedback you’re specifically looking for?

Feel free to follow and add me on discord @bladebaes, always looking for real bb fans to playtest!

Working on a new build right now that’s experimenting with…3D ;)

Thank you and done.

Also, don’t beat yourself up about UI. I come from web dev world but every game dev I know hates UI because UI sucks to dev in almost every game engine hahaha. That’s why I ran with Phaser + TypeScript for this game.

Holy shit, I am honored and grateful you played for that long! Thanks for giving it a go and including great feedback. Feel free to add me on discord @bladebaes, happy to playtest any of your games as well :)

EDIT: BTW I’m working on a 3D build of the game, would really appreciate your thoughts on it!

Thank you for trying it out and leaving feedback!

You’re welcome! I hope I helped a bit.

Looking forward to your feedback!

Really weird that you’re still attacking me while asking for my feedback.

Good luck on your projects.

This is VERY valuable and I’m very grateful thank you!

Glad I could help at least point you in the right direction!

I appreciate you checking out my game too, please definitely submit feedback on the form I am looking forward to your input as well!

No worries! Gotta take care of yourself and core responsibilities, I understand :)

Thank you so much! Really looking forward to your feedback!

Thanks so much for trying it out!

Would you like to try the full alpha build?

I did not, it was too confusing for me so it was a rather quick drop.

Thanks for checking out my game, I appreciate it.

That’s very deceptive of you and I don’t appreciate that.

Screenshot of our recent interaction below:

That’s very deceptive of you and I don’t appreciate that.

General thoughts

Playtime: about 10 minutes

The memory-based combat mixed with a roguelike RPG is a pretty distinctive idea. I like that you are taking something normally treated as a simple memory exercise and building an actual game around it. Though, I’m pretty bad at games like this so they’re usually very frustrating for me.

What worked well

• The memory combat hook gives the game a clear identity.
• Click-to-move feels like a natural fit for this style of game.
• I like having things like the lockpicking challenges to break up the main combat loop.

What I would change

• I would prioritize onboarding and combat clarity. The player should understand what they are supposed to memorize and how to respond almost immediately.
• I would lean harder into making level 1 feel like a true tutorial, then build the difficulty once the player understands the rules.

Overall, I think the unusual combat concept is the strongest part but I’m not sure if the mechanics are tight/legible enough yet. I would mainly focus on getting new players comfortable with it as quickly as possible.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

General thoughts

Playtime: about 15 minutes

There is a lot here for a demo, and the pixel-art Souls-like presentation has a strong identity. The world feels cohesive and there seems to be enough combat and progression depth to keep experimenting.

What worked well

• The art and overall atmosphere work really well together.
• The mix of melee, magic, equipment, and other systems gives the combat room to grow.
• I like that the world encourages exploration rather than feeling like a sequence of isolated fights.

What I would change

• I would keep prioritizing clarity around secondary mechanics and controls so players do not have to guess what an indicator or interaction is asking them to do.
• Key rebinding and broader keyboard-layout support would be a good quality-of-life improvement.

Overall, this feels much further along than a lot of demos I have tried. I would mostly keep polishing clarity and accessibility around the existing systems rather than dramatically changing the core experience. Tightening the core game loop would be my top priority if I was building this game at least.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

General thoughts

Playtime: about 15 minutes

I like the combination of a simple matching puzzle with the late-night convenience-store theme and customer stories. It gives a familiar mechanic a more specific identity.

What worked well

• The basic three-matching-items concept is very easy to understand.
• Gradually introducing more food types and limitations makes sense for the progression.
• The small customer stories are a nice way to give the puzzle loop some personality.

What I would change

• I would focus heavily on visual clarity, especially making items easy to distinguish quickly on both desktop and mobile.
• Keep a close eye on the difficulty ramp. I would rather see the challenge build gradually than have additional mechanics pile on too quickly.

Overall, I think the cozy presentation and simple puzzle loop work well together. I would keep the experience very readable and approachable as the stages become more complex. Easy understanding is very important to me for cozy games overall.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

I think what I really mean is the pacing of the animations in general could be a little faster. The curtain opening at the beginning feels a bit slow, and the scene transitions also drag a little.

The menu buttons could use more obvious hover/click feedback too, just so it feels more responsive when you interact with something. Little delays like that can add up and make it easier to lose attention.

I’m also running into a pretty frequent bug where I get stuck on a black screen after clicking Play and choosing the first game mode. It seems to happen about every other time.

I’m on Chrome on Windows 11.

I was trying to jump back in and give better feedback on the masks, but I keep hitting the black screen issue so I can’t really get far enough right now.

General thoughts

Playtime: about 10 minutes

The classic arcade shooter inspiration comes through immediately. It feels very focused on delivering that older arcade experience rather than trying to reinvent the genre completely.

What worked well

• The retro presentation and arcade identity are very clear.
• The basic controls and objective are straightforward.
• I like the progression through different rounds, bosses, and additional weapons as a way to build on the simple core loop.

What I would change

• I would keep the important combat information and power-up behavior extremely clear, especially as the player starts unlocking more options.
• I would make sure the early difficulty curve gives new players enough time to learn enemy behavior before asking too much from them.

Overall, this feels like a focused tribute to classic arcade shooters. I would mostly keep polishing readability and progression so the simplicity stays approachable while the later rounds provide the challenge. Fleshing out the core game loop further would be a good use of time too.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

General thoughts

Playtime: about 10 minutes

I think the core concept is interesting, but the current browser experience created too much friction for me to really settle into it.

What worked well

• The fortune-teller concept is simple and has a clear atmosphere.
• I can see the appeal if the goal is more of an experimental interactive experience than a traditional game.
• The 3D presentation gives it more personality than a basic card-reading interface.

What I would change

• I know you disclosed that the browser version has issues and needs to be played in fullscreen, but I would still prioritize fixing that as soon as possible. I had to refresh multiple times, and that level of friction made it hard for me to even want to continue playing.
• I would think more about the core game loop. Right now it reminds me a little of some early VR experiences that were more about being inside an interesting scene than actually playing a game. If that is the direction you want, I think you are on the right path. If you want it to feel more like a game, even an experimental one, I would explore giving the player more meaningful interaction or progression.

Overall, I think there is an interesting idea here, but I would focus first on making the browser experience reliable and then deciding how much you want this to be an interactive experience versus a more traditional game.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

Yes, I have hand issues so I use speech to text and use AI to clean it up.

General thoughts

Playtime: about 5 minutes

The hook and concept seem like they could be interesting, but right now the experience feels underdeveloped and it was not very clear to me what I was supposed to be doing.

What worked well

• The dating-app concept is easy to recognize and has room to be fun.
• The short format makes it easy to try without much commitment.
• I like that it is playable directly in the browser.

What I would change

• My first impression was that the UI and icon styles feel too inconsistent. There are several different visual styles competing with each other, and it makes the game feel more amateurish than it needs to. I would rather see a much simpler, more cohesive set of icons and UI elements.
• The core loop and objective need to be clearer. The concept seems promising, but I was not always sure what I needed to do or what counted as progress. I would spend more time fleshing out the basic flow before adding more complexity.

Overall, I think there is an interesting idea here, but I would focus first on visual consistency and clarity of the core experience. A cleaner UI and a more obvious player goal would make a big difference.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

General thoughts

Playtime: about 15 minutes

I like the survival horror direction and the atmosphere you are trying to build. The prototype feels focused, but there was one opening presentation choice that confused me quite a bit.

What worked well

• The short, focused format works well for getting a feel for the concept quickly.
• I like the atmosphere and the direction you are taking with the horror presentation.
• Having keyboard, controller, and browser support makes it easy to jump in.

What I would change

• The black screen at the beginning lasts too long without any visual information. If I had not had my audio on, I genuinely would have thought the game was frozen or completely broken.
• I understand that the darkness and breathing are there to establish a mood, so I would not necessarily remove it. I would just give the player some indication that the game is intentionally running. Even a subtitle such as ”[heavy, strained breathing]” would preserve the atmosphere while also improving accessibility and making it clear that something is happening.

Overall, I like the aesthetic you are going for. I would just be careful that atmospheric ambiguity does not become technical ambiguity. The player can wonder what is happening in the story, but ideally they should never be wondering whether the game itself is working.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

Thanks for your feedback!

Curious, did you have a favorite bae?

General thoughts

Playtime: about 10 minutes

Very simple concept, but it works well for a quick physics puzzle game. The goal is immediately understandable, and the colorful toy-box presentation fits the gameplay nicely.

What worked well

• Very easy to understand: stack the toys, reach the line, keep everything stable.
• The physics feel pretty tight and satisfying to use, which is probably the strongest part of the experience.
• The short level structure works well for something you can jump into quickly in the browser.

What I would change

• I would make the rotation/grab behavior slightly clearer in the first level, since that is the main interaction that is less obvious than dragging.
• The UI could be tighter and more focused. Right now it feels a little spread out, and I think bringing the important information and controls closer together would make the screen easier to read.

Your questions

1. Is the core stacking loop fun?
   Yes. The physics are satisfying enough that placing and balancing the objects feels good.

2. Did you want to keep playing through all 8 levels?
   Yes. The short levels and quick resets make it easy to keep going.

3. Would you play more levels if there were more?
   Probably yes, especially if later levels keep introducing new shapes or slightly different challenges without overcomplicating the core idea.

Overall, this is a clean little game that understands what it wants to be. I think the simplicity is a strength here, so I would mostly focus on UI polish and keeping the controls immediately intuitive.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

General thoughts

Playtime: about 10 minutes

I like the combination of store management and delivery routing. The concept makes sense quickly, and there is enough going on that I can see the planning side becoming satisfying once everything clicks.

What worked well

• The store + delivery combination gives the game a clear identity.
• I like that preparation is not timed, so the pressure comes from the decisions you make rather than rushing through menus.
• The two-day demo structure works well for showing the guided experience first and then giving the player more control.

What I would change

• The first few minutes still feel like a lot of information at once. I would simplify what is visible initially and reveal secondary information as the player needs it.
• I would keep working on UI hierarchy and readability, especially making the most important controls and information immediately stand out from everything else.

Overall, I think the concept is solid. My biggest focus would be making the onboarding and interface easier to scan so the player can get into the management and routing decisions without having to work as hard to understand the screen.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)

General thoughts

Playtime: about 20 minutes

I like the core idea. The incremental city-building loop is easy to understand once it gets going, and there is enough placement and progression strategy here to make me want to experiment.

What worked well

• Strong core concept. Building around the resources on the map gives placement some actual thought.
• The incremental progression starts to feel satisfying once things begin to ramp up.
• The overall presentation is clean and fits the relaxed strategy/incremental style well.

What I would change

• More onboarding would help a lot. A very short tutorial explaining the basic placement and upgrade loop would make the opening much easier to understand.
• I would look at the early pacing and economy. The beginning feels a little slow and restrictive before the progression starts opening up.

Overall, I think there is a solid foundation here. I would mostly focus on getting new players through the first few minutes more smoothly so they reach the more satisfying part of the loop faster.

Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl

Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8

Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)