SWEEEEEEET! Much classic! So nostalgia!
Boscoe
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A member registered Jan 04, 2019
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Ok, this is one of those games that should be taught in game design 101 classes. Absolutely perfect execution of feel, world design, level mechanics, exploration, power ups, difficulty progression, twitch challenge and enticement to continue. Instantly one of my favorite NES games EVER. Utterly brilliant!
I initially grabbed this using "No thanks, just take me to the downloads", but after playing it, had to come back and donate a few bucks to support this effort.
Now, when are we going to get a full version of Super Bat Puncher? :D
I'm finding this to be unplayable. After about 3 minutes, the rear jet on the suit turns on and won't turn off, yet isn't actually moving the character, and the left stick becomes completely unresponsive. Tried multiple time, always the same amount of time before the left stick stops working. Suit appears to still have power, the yellow bar has three or more cells lit up.
Sorry to hear financial pressures may force you to split your focus, but I think relieving some life stress can only be a positive thing overall. :)
I think the rework on the white one looks pretty good! The other one is fine too, though for some reason I keep feeling like I'd like it better without the low cut neckline. Maybe the story context makes it work better? The white one works because it makes sense that you'd just be in underwear for cryosleep. The other one seems like normal beachwear which is pretty incongruous.
Again, I don't know what the context for the new outfit is, but I find myself thinking something more like a high-neck neoprene diving bodysuit would make more sense, even if the arms and legs were still bare. :)
LOL I'm definitely NOT advocating for hand drawn maps! I just pointed that out because I routinely see it flogged as a "design flaw" by youtubers who clearly did not play the game in the context of when it was originally released.
Yeah, I dunno what to tell you if people STILL aren't realizing they need to interact with the helmet. But I like the way you have it set up. You either learn that you should try to interact with anything that looks out of place or unusual, or you die.
I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but the thing I'm loving about this game (besides the awesome creepy ambience) is how I keep finding myself in that classic Metroid situation of feeling like I've gone everywhere I can access and don't know where I'm supposed to go next, so I retrace my steps more carefully and have that euphoric moment when I discover the hidden thing I had overlooked that lets me progress. I think that is super good design for this kind of game.
Seems like exploration tends to get sidelined in favor of monster fights in Metroidvanias these days.
Interesting... the very first time I played the demo, I almost thought the helmet wasn't interactive. But not because it needed a highlight, it was because I kept trying to interact with it and nothing was happening. I think I also died. In the end, it took some wiggling around to find the sweet spot that would let me pick it up. On further playthroughs I had no problem. But visually, it definitely stood out enough that I noticed it as unusual. I just think it's a little silly to put a big highlight on a button that already has a flashing light on it. lol And your game has such incredible mood and atmosphere that I hate anything that disturbs it. But I get your point.
But my thoughts should probably be taken with a grain of salt. I am one of those weirdos who think Metroid 2 on the original Gameboy is the best of the original trilogy and that Super Metroid is grossly overrated. I also LOVED the fact that I had to make my own map for Metroid 1 with graph paper and colored pencils! Back then, that was VALUE to have a game world that complex! lol
Please, PLEASE sell it here as well. I don't use Steam. I HATE STEAM. I just can't support a system where the games I've paid for are tethered to some other software that could, at any time, make it so that I can't play my games anymore (if, say, they decided to stop supporting my OS or something or my internet connection is down and offline play is bugged) or ruin my experience by injecting ads or some pop-up or cycle-stealing garbage onto my system. I only buy my games from Gog. Itch and Humble (when they're DRM free). But, you know, that's just like, my opinion, man. ;)
Devlog - 45 [Discord server available] comments · Posted in Devlog - 45 [Discord server available] comments
Awesome news! Yeah, I think ANY creative endeavor is easier when you rough out the whole structure first and then refine and fill in details.I'd think it would be really easy to burn out otherwise. With everything roughly mapped out, you're free to jump to whatever part you're in the mood to work on, and plug the results in where they actually go, rather than building up a random pile of assets that you have to remember to put somewhere.Makes it easier to see how much progress you're really making when things are in context.
Okay, I love the concept and the art style, so I'm going to be honest with you guys: IMHO this is virtually unplayable in its current state. There's SO much potential here for fun! For whatever it's worth, here are the things I would humbly suggest looking into:
1. CONTROLLER SUPPORT!! Seriously, this would be AMAZING with a controller. I know this because I set up an Xpadder profile for my Xbox 360 pad, where I assigned WADS to the left stick, MOUSE to the right stick, LEFT & RIGHT MOUSE BUTTONS to the left and right TRIGGERS, ESC to the Back button and SPACE to the left & right bumpers and also the A button, 'cause I'm not sure where I like it best yet. (Mainly because I'm not sure that feature even works. Does dash actually do anything?)
2. Let me use button presses to skip through the dialog faster. It's annoying to have to wait through that whole thing every single time I play.
3. I do not understand why I have to get so close to the planet to initiate combat. It's way too close to begin with, I can hardly tell what I'm even doing. And then when I arm a spear, it moves even closer?
Also, when I hold the button to aim a spear, the camera orientation changes and the controls get really weird and unpredictable, making it way harder to aim a shot than it should be. I can't actually line up a shot, I kind of just wait until a target happens to move under the targeting line.
Then when I release the spear, the camera changes back to its initial orientation, which just makes the whole thing feel awkward and disorienting. I feel like I'm fighting against the controls, not the planet.
Personally, I'd make the combat snap volume much farther away from the planet, and not reorient the camera when I'm aiming a spear. I think if you did that, you might not even need the aiming line, because it would actually be possible to develop a sense of what the spear's trajectory will be. Also, with the planet farther away, dodging the red balls and lasers etc. would feel less frustrating and unfair and with dashing, would actually be really fun. Zipping around the planet, evading attacks and lobbing spears!
Anyway, those are my initial thoughts, expressed with love for your cool project, for whatever they are worth. :) Like I say, I love the concept and the style, and I think there is a LOT of potential for amazingly fun gameplay here. Just support controllers, let the player fight the planet from farther away, and keep the camera view consistent. :D
Peace.