Strap in for a STACK of feedback! (Literally played with a notepad window open...!
In general, a very nice demo and I'm very excited to play the full release!
Most of these criticisms are QoL changes but some are pretty major and there are a couple of potentially game ruining ones...
Problem Ranking: (in my opinion obviously)
- Major is ! (potentially game ruining)
- Medium is +
Minor is - (mostly QoL)
Controls
- ! Switch Pro controller seems to be unsupported
- - E feels unwieldy for throwing, maybe shift by default?
- + There's no prompt for the button to cancel a throw when you're taught how to aim, I had to learn it from the menus
- + The dedicated button to cancel a throw is a bit unwieldy, just have any player movement cancel a throw? (after a half-second window probably just in case of overlapped button presses)
- - The aiming angle is set by the mouse, having the arc intersect the mouse position allows for much better aiming since I can then just click when I want the magnet to be rather than try to figure out an arc in my head on the fly
- - A short level reset press doesn't work (good call) but the delay still feels too short just in case, maybe a full two seconds?
- - (If adding the above) there's no indication you are holding down control, maybe have the reset element fill up to indicate how long to hold?
- - Holding the button to pick up the magnet as you go past it would be nice QoL so I don't have to think about timing my press
- + WASD and arrow keys do movement in levels but WASD doesn't work in menus
- - If I can left mouse to throw, why not also right mouse to change polarities? (When not aiming of course)
- - No way to drop down through semi-solid platforms
# Gameplay
- + Gravity feels a bit too heavy on the jump, feels like I have to REALLY hold down the button to get a full height jump
- + Jump in general just feels bad, maybe get a proper platformer dev to have a go and see what they say? Since they'll have better criticisms and solutions
- - The height adjust if you just miss a jump is very noticeable on some jumps
- + It's possible to go through the kissing gate things in such a way that you're pushed up against it but it's closed (very quick turn around as you go through)
- - The window on how quickly you can change the magnet polarity isn't indicated by the white flash so why is it there? Just have it instantly change colour or (preferably) have the two match up
- - The window on changing polarities seems needlessly long? Having it shorter would be cool (and, puzzle idea: maybe a level where you have to figure out you can "fly" over a gap by changing the polarity back and forth in a field pulling you up?)
- - The walls in the kissing gates don't disappear quickly enough as you're going through them, there's a very slight but noticeable bump
- - Feels like they change too late in general, If I'm 80% of the way into going through one, I'm definitely committed by that point
- - Switches are cool but there are a lot of ways where it feels like it should activate but doesn't (walking over slowly, hitting but on the wrong side) if they're going to have specifics like this they should be useful in a puzzle or not present (puzzle could be a switch you want to activate but it's facing the wrong way from where you are right now?)
- + Kissing gates will steal magnets out of your hand but the tutorial one only does it once leading to the assumption it was just stolen to show the kissing gates can move, not that this is normal behaviour
- - Game doesn't remember if you've finished the tutorial
- - The hub could be better arranged, the robot is slow so walking all the way down for the last one takes a sec, a more radial arrangement would be easier and reinforce the non-linearity too since they're not implicitly sequential
# Menuing and Options (I know you're cleaning it up later so these are all just functionality based)
- + It's not obvious that the escape button quits the options, if you're going to include mouse-driven menuing you need buttons for EVERY interaction you could do with button
- - If I'm mouse menuing preferably don't have an option selected already, it's not clear why I have an option marked in a different colour
- - The above is especially true since moving the mouse over a different option doesn't move the highlight
- ! You can "return to hub" in the tutorial, potentially skipping it forever
- ! Your grey is way too close to white in places when an option is ticked or for text on buttons (this is not an aesthetic problem imo, it's quite hard to read at a glance in places so might cause accessibility issues)
- + The fullscreen option on the title screen is nice but it seems to be missing from the options? Forcing a level quit if I want to change mid-level
- + Selecting a magnet colour indicates using both a symbol and circle? Just do the symbol since:
- - None of them are set to a circle to begin with but the symbols are present
- + Selecting an invalid colour for the magnet sets that colour to the circle but the symbol stays where it is, which do I have selected? Why has a circle suddenly appeared?
- - Also rather than deny the user from changing it so they're the same colour, maybe swap instead? If I want the colours swapped I have to go through a third colour to free up the one I want
- - Having multiple ways to do a thing is great (WASD/arrow keys for movement, E or click and hold for throwing) but these should really be listed as secondary controls in the menu
# Aesthetics and HUD (options aren't prettified but levels are fair play right?)
- - There are some decorative elements on the walls but they feel a bit like weak tea, have more variety, more boldness and more of them or don't bother imo
- - Key doors with numbers indicate I need keys, those without indicating I can get keys? Feels inconsistent
- - Inactive magnet fields should still display their symbols and faded colours to show what they will be when on
- - Chevrons in magnet field for some elements and not others
- - No key count in the pause menu in levels
- - Key and count in level clear fade separately?