itch.io

I have feedback.

First and foremost, this is a solid basis for a game, some might say short but sweet, I say good enough to show what's present, and what's missing.

The good: The movement, the weapons, the stealth, all feel fairly good to play. The code-based locks as opposed to lockpicking is an interesting alternative, but not my favorite. (I'll explain shortly.) Being able to customize your Kobold is good, but I feel that's something that a beginning of game character creation system would be better to implement, than doing so in the menu.

The bad: The darkness is too dark. It turns using a water arrow into a gamble as to whether or not you'll be able to navigate the area after a torch is doused. The lack of a blackjack or other weapon of unconsciousness feels like it stands out, since the only way to dispose of a guard is to kill them. The use of codes as opposed to lockpicking simplifies how you approach the level, but also makes it harder to choose another approach. That, and the lack of explanation of what things do made it confusing as to how to use the combination, and the lack of direct feedback made me question if the lock system was broken, or if I'd input the code wrong. (I input the code wrong.)

Naturally, the game is very rough, but it has good potential. Having an ability to adjust the gamma so you can see in the dark better (or going with the idea of Kobolds having colorblind Darkvision) would make the game more navigable in the dark. I would like to see this made into a full-fledged game with gameplay to rival the original Thief games and its imitators.

A neat concept. It did induce a minor trance, though the introduction of the blue and yellow notes is rather jarring and requires me to focus out of trance to attempt to hit them properly, which isn't conducive toward the game's purpose.
My advice is, in the full release- or maybe even a future demo- is to gradually introduce the notes. A good antepiece to this might be to have a string of notes (Up, Right, Down, Left), followed by a reminder of yellow and blue note keys, and then the same pattern with blue and yellow keys. (This pattern, coincidentally, follows a spiral pattern.)
Overall, it's promising, and I hope to see what it looks like upon completion.

I did not complete the game, so please bear this in mind when you read this:
Story/Lore: Like many old school shooters, the plot is fairly straightforward and exists pretty much to give context (read: an excuse) for why you're running around slaying monsters and demons. There are words written on walls in Latin- I don't know Latin very well, so if there is lore to be learned, it serves more as a genius bonus than any earnest attempt at telling a story, as far as I'm concerned.
-Note: The Dev has stated that the Latin does come directly from the Bible, which fits the overall aesthetic well.
Graphical Design: To say the game looks muddy is a bit of an understatement. While I understand the aesthetic the developer is going for, many older games, such as Doom, had to convey as much information to the player as possible without explicitly pointing it out. Between the textures and the draw distance, it can be difficult to really see enemies unless you're going slow and paying attention, which for a run-and-gun is a detriment.
-Note: The Dev has stated they are more of a programmer than an artist, so it is within acceptable personal bounds for what is essentially a learner project.
Weaponry: The weapons honestly feel like they're lacking in various ways. You have a sword, a pistol, a shotgun, a tommy gun, a crossbow, and a grenade launcher (that I was able to acquire). You start with a sword and pistol, and will always start with one if you die. The sword swings quick, but it takes a few seconds for you to 'recover' before you can swing again. It is very much an emergency weapon. The pistol is a solid starter, decent ammo capacity, and with the zoom function, it will carry you when all other weapons are out of ammo. The shotgun is best used for close-quarters combat, but is terrible at long range, with a decent ammo capacity, there isn't really much more to be said. The thompson is a god tier weapon, with a good ammo capacity and fire rate, and will rinse through most enemies within five to seven bullets, depending on the enemy. The crossbow is a much slower weapon with, from what I could tell, a piercing effect. On the low end of the ammo cap, but well-balanced for its damage output. Very good when enemies are lined up. The grenade launcher, however, is a nightmare to use. It fires upward, which if you're aiming at an enemy means it's likely to go over them. In the short time I was able to use it, I missed every shot while getting my health drained by what looked like a soldier enemy, even when aiming down to accommodate this idiosyncrasy. Overall, the weapon design is solid and does its job fairly well.
Sound Design: While the soundtrack is good, between it and the muddy-sounding enemies, it can get disorienting trying to pinpoint what enemies you're facing. The idea of having consistent enemy noises to give you a hint as to what is around a corner is inspired, but the effect is lost due to a mixture of it being drowned out by the soundtrack and the overall sound quality. With some volume balancing, this issue can be resolved.
Level Design: The level design is fairly solid, despite looking muddy and samey at times, it's not easy to get lost in spite of a lack of distinct landmarks. (There are some, but they are fairly rare.) The first level has platforming that is very lenient, which is good considering a fall into the void is instant death.
Enemy Design: I have to say, the enemy design is very good and varied. Each enemy is distinct enough that you know what you're dealing with. Though every enemy goes down with a handful of shots, regardless of your weapon, each one does pose a threat. Especially the Soldiers, who will drain your health if you give them a chance. All of the enemies are fast, so kill them before they can kill you.
Gameplay: Though I haven't seen any explicit statement of the game being a run and gun, the overall design lends credence to the thought that you're meant to run around and blast enemies. However, I ended up playing the game more like a tactical shooter, zooming in on enemies and picking them off one by one. The run-and-gun approach will lead to enemies hounding after you, which can lead to chases where you're running backward desperately trying to kill your pursuers. For whatever reason, I could not get Rage to activate, so I can't touch upon that, unfortunately.
-Note: This game does feature some instant death pits that will likely make you rage quit should you fall into them.
Endless Mode: From what I understand, this mode was what the game initially was, and for a procedurally generated mode, it is fairly solid, even taking the above into account.
Overall: Let's face it, you're not here for a deep, story-driven game. You're here to slaughter the forces of hell.You aren't going to get the best, immersive game, but you're are going to get a reasonably run romp with a punishing enough difficulty that you won't just breeze through it. For what is essentially a learner project, all of the above factors taken into account, and for the low, low price of basically free, you have nothing to lose playing this. I personally am excited to see what future games this developer will make, and honestly, I'm hoping they can revisit this concept with a larger (presuming they had one before) budget and with refined assets.
It is my opinion that it would be well worth it to support the dev, and while I don't think this game is worth much in terms of price, I do believe that if you do spend money on this, you're not just buying a game, you're helping an up-and-coming game developer.
Final Score: 7/10, for a good concept with solid gameplay and boundless potential.