This game has potential, it does have a good amount of flaws in its current state but with refinement it should become a lot better.
Some key changes that should make the experience a lot more enjoyable:
1. Fast travel between vending machines, this should drastically lower travel time and reduce frustration.
Also vending machines now heal players full upon interaction since there’s little point in them not doing so.
2. Map and minimap, considering the game is a metroidvania this is basically a must-have because players would get stuck looping areas they’ve already been without one.
3. Major combat changes:
Combat needs a rework. It’s mainly spam and isn’t fun right now, so how can that be fixed?
3a. The overcharge meter, there’s no real reason for only air attacks to fill it, and it doesn’t feel rewarding when enemies just dodge it. So how can that be fixed? Rather than filling with air strikes, enemies have a “whiff” period after some attacks (most enemies already have a time that fits for this in their animation) and hitting them during it fills the bar. The bar is a lot slower to fill but lasts longer both in duration and stun, so it’s much more effective. Also rather than draining over time for nothing, if allowed to drain it restores hp while there is bar left, meaning balancing between damage and healing is important. Additionally while struggling, the overcharge bar drains rapidly but blocks all damage while it remains even the smallest amount full.
And to make overcharge feel more special, the player is unable to lose hp while in overcharge and attacks that would deal damage simply reduce the time left in overcharge. This does not block being grabbed, just the damage from such. (For the rare enemies that can recover from the stun at the start of overcharge mode, grab the player, and eat them before the overcharge mode ends)
Also, while holding attack the beams fire in the direction held so you can hit flying enemies as they rise in overcharge mode.
This should make overcharge a lot more fun, and incentivize more varied combat.
3b. Sword upgrade changes, right now being able to/not able to hit something solely based on upgrades owned isn’t fun, so how can that be fixed?
Sword upgrades no longer apply in normal mode and instead boost the Overcharge mode, so they’re not expected against weak enemies, making overcharge feel like an ultimate and not just a casual ability.
Range increases beam range, speed for swing speed and damage increases beam damage.
3c. Dive move changes, while this is a cool concept for a move it isn’t very effective vs sword spam, so here’s how to fix it.
Dive now has a cooldown on its charged form, which does massive damage and fills a lot of the overcharge bar if it hits, but has a longer cooldown if you miss with it. A fully charged successful dive gives 1.5 seconds of invincibility and causes an explosive wave like dive from hollow knight.
dive has a cooldown of 5 seconds on success and 10 seconds on a miss. This only is for the charged version. Normal dive should bounces the player off the enemy to the ground so it’s more of a movement ability than attack, but gives a good amount of I-frames as a result.
3d. Melee swing changes, while melee is decent in overcharge, the sword swing hold to auto swing kinda sucks outside of it, it’s just spam. So to fix this it should be more similar to hollow knight, normal sword swings are a good amount slower but have lots more damage to compensate along with slight knockback. A good example of where this would shine is against shielded enemies. With this change holding swing doesn’t spam swing, you have to press every swing. Now you should no longer be stuck clipping into shielded enemies so their combat doesn’t break immersion.
3e. Roll tweaks, roll has a slightly longer cooldown but jumps have their height boosted by roll in full instantly, and roll allows you to jump the frame it starts along with the entire time you continue to roll, and a few frames after for balance (look up coyote frames).
3f. Melee charge. Replacing holding attack, similar to nail arts you can charge your melee into a stronger blow by holding the button but move slower while doing so and it has a shorter range.
The reason for this heavy vs light attack is for the new melee cancel system I propose. If a player and enemy melee attack collide and both are weak or both are heavy, they are both knocked back and take no damage. If one is heavy and one weak the heavy attack succeeds while the weak attack fails. This should make dealing with enemies that string together melee attacks a lot more fun.
Some attacks of heavy or stronger also will have some amount of enemy armor piercing since shields aren’t unbreakable.
4. projectiles, projectiles aren’t really fun to deal with right now and feel like spam, to fix that here’s a more fun system rather than “dodge them”. Energy balls from the jetpack enemies reflect back when struck by a melee attack, doing damage to their sender. (Some enemies may dodge this sometimes)
Meanwhile other melee attacks such as “hypnosis rays” are not affected by light melee attacks BUT if hit by a heavy attack are destroyed.
Note that Overcharge beams count as a unique “super-heavy” attack, which simply means they destroy other attacks they come into contact with.
5. Easy mode changes. The biggest issue with easy mode is that… it’s too easy. It’s almost impossible to die in it even while being eaten, so how can that be fixed
Milk usage time is sped up 25% in easy mode, and milk slowly recharges over time (1 milk evedy 35 seconds). Additionally invulnerability frames increase 50% (easier dodge moves) and escaping the insides of an enemy is 20% easier. This is enough to clearly make easier mode… easier, while still making it possible to lose.
6. slow passive regen, this feels like something in general good to have so players don’t have to go back and forth for play forming sections. Basically players just have very slow regen at all times (faster when the overcharge bar is draining).
Outside of these issues the game is quite good, sorry if I sounded a tad harsh in listing things I believe need to change with the game, I don’t intend to be harsh, just want the game to be the best it can be.