itch.io

Hello!

I'm looking for feedback on a game I recently released called The Sons,  It's a 2d top down Shooter where you ascend the levels of crime lord's isolated stronghold to save a kidnapped friend. Set in the near future, within the Sapphire City universe, choose between two protagonists, unlock upgrades and face off against challenging enemies.  

The Game is in early access so any feedback (mainly looking for advice on balance and difficulty) would be much appreciated and will help with future updates. 

Link  to the game - https://pehriska.itch.io/the-sons

THanks!

About the game

The Sons is a top-down shooter where you ascend the levels of crime lord's isolated stronghold to save a kidnapped friend. Set in the near future and within the Sapphire City universe, choose between two protagonists, unlock upgrades and face off against challenging enemies.  

Some  of the Features

Face off against a variety of enemies.

Fight your way up increasing challenging levels.

Acquire upgrades.

Reveal elements of the story and the characters as you progress.

Link to the game - https://pehriska.itch.io/the-sons

Thanks!

Thanks for playing! I will have a look at ways to better highlight the interactive elements. 

Hi there, I played your game and overall I really enjoyed it. Found it quite addictive actually, I managed to max out the blue red and purple souls but felt the numbers to get the others was quite high. Not quite sure what the gold one did?? I liked the art and felt there was a good contrast between the colours. Music was cool but felt it got slightly repetitive after awhile. It's clear it is well made, I experienced hardly any technical issues but later on as more and more stuff was on the screen there was some slight lag but not enough to impact the experience, the control of the cloud was smooth too.  Reading the other comments, the addition of a story could be interesting especially if you lean into the Souls/death aspect of it. Will keep an eye on it as interested to see what additions you make. 

If you have time to check out my game that would be cool, it's more of a story game so will be interested in any feedback https://pehriska.itch.io/sapphire-city-part-2

Great job again, I left a rating on the game too. :)

All done, sorry for the delay.

No problem! Yes I think that happened a few times, that the girl crashed the game. Was cool when I figured out what was going on, nice touch. Will have to go back to try and see that other ending. Thanks again for playing my game, yes I recommend reaching out to Nolan, he's a good bloke and plays through lots of games from Devs like us in his streams. 

Hello! I played through all of your demo and overall I really enjoyed it. Music was solid and gave a chilled vibe to the game, nice details in the art style when you could see aspects of a city through the windows and in greater detail later on. It took me a while to figure out the wall running and was struggling a bit with the controls but switched over to the game pad and it played a lot better, felt the character movements was well balanced and I personally felt the difficulty progression of the levels was good. I didn't have any great trouble with any level in particular (although I fluked it a couple of times) and the tutorials were really helpful. I had a couple of momentary freezes but nothing major and the last couple of levels I managed to just to float the whole way through, not sure if intentional as there were grapple points that I just completely bypassed. I was a bit phased by the missiles from the turrets going through the walls too but it added a sense of urgency to the levels.

Overall really solid, I gave it a rating on your store page. If you  have time to check out my games that would be great. Sapphire City by Pehriska (itch.io)

Good work 

Hello, thanks very much for taking the time to play it. Glad there were aspects that you liked. The plan is to release four parts so this opening Part is laying the foundations/themes for the payoffs (hopefully) later down the line. It ends on a bit of a cliff hanger so hopefully that will hook players to the part 2. A quest log is in the pipeline, at the moment the PC in the protagonists apartment provides clues and reminders on what to do next but I agree it could be better implemented. (the ladder is to the left of the fence bit the lady opened).  i've added some more player engagement in act 2 but thinking about ways to implement more in this first game. Interesting points about the hooking narrative part will have a think about getting more of those in. Thanks again for the feedback, all really useful. 

I played your game and gave it a rating. Not usually my kind of game but actually quite enjoyed the short experience. Bit weird, bit disturbing but in good ways. Song at the start was well done, only minor nit-pick was the text seemed to scroll at varying speeds, not sure if intentional or not. When the game closed a few times was close to walking away as wasn't sure what was happening but glad I went back in and got an ending.

Thanks again. 

Hello!

I'm looking for feedback on a game I released called Sapphire City,  It's a 2d top down game set in a dystopian city with lots of Pixel art! The game has developed quite a bit over time and I'm constantly going back to find new ways to improve it and implement user feedback. I have also recently part 2. 

It's first and foremost a narrative game so would appreciate any feedback on the narrative structure, writing and plot pacing etc. There are some light gameplay elements i.e  adventure style choices when approaching obstacles & minigame puzzles, part 2 contains more gameplay elements like a hacking minigame and stealth sections. Any advice on the effectiveness of these would also be great. 

Link  to the game - Sapphire City by Pehriska (itch.io)

THanks!

Thanks MavLiddo!

Hello again, Thanks for playing through the new build and providing more feedback, I will get to work on the above for the next patch.

On a few of the points, 

1 - The Plugin for the Keyboard config doesn't seem to like it when using a controller and causes the issue when you try to add controller buttons to the configuration options, I will see if I can reach out to the author of it.

2. I agree and working through them redoing the font.

10. I tried to add more clutter/garbage as you start to approach one of the robots to try and signal it but probably not clear enough. Without spoiling too much, If you go through the side quest in the game with the chests, you get something that helps navigate the underground section....

All the other points noted and will look into them.

Really glad you enjoyed the story. Yes Part 2 is out now, link is now on this game's page.

Thanks again!

Sapphire City Part 2 out now!

Link to the game - https://pehriska.itch.io/sapphire-city-part-2

About the Game

Sapphire city is a 2d top-down adventure game set in a dystopian universe. Explore the city and come face to face with its deadliest inhabitants. Use stealth and cunning to complete your mission, discover rich interesting characters, intricate lore and greater freedom in how you progress through the story with new skills at your disposal. Continue to help out your friend and play a part in tale of vengeance that will shape our future.    

Thanks for looking!

Hello, just released an update which fixes the failed to load issue along with some other additions, thanks again for bringing it to my attention. 

Thanks for the heads up, I'll look into the issues. Thanks for playing also.

Hello, Thanks again for playing and glad you found it a step up from the last one.

There are various sections i.e.. getting into the bar, speaking to the foreman on the pier etc where there are multiple ways the player can progress, depending on which choice you make it does impact dialogue and some sections of the story. Similarly, the side content alters the final underground section which you didn't get to. Interacting with certain characters or reading the data pads also opens up new dialogue and fleshes out/provides context to the story. It is first and foremost a narrative game as advertised so most of the mechanics are evolved around that.  

From your point of view in can see how it seems completely linear so that is something that I need to convey better, that there is some agency on how the player can go through the story. 

All good feedback so thanks again.  

Thanks! I've sent you discord friend request. 

Cool, let me know where is best to contact you to discuss the details.

Hello, Thanks for your Message and the offer! It might be something I'm interested in. Have you translated any other games in the past?

Hello! Thanks for playing and really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks also for the feedback, will have a look at those things you mentioned. Part 2 will be coming out soon!

Link - https://pehriska-games.itch.io/sapphire-city

The Game 

Sapphire City is a narrative focused adventure game set in a dystopian future.  

Recently released free downloadable game.

Story 

Escaping a troubled past you have finally found some solace with a new life, in a new city. This comfort is shattered when a call from an old friend drags you back into a world that you had tried to leave behind. Explore a city block, talk to the locals, overcome obstacles and help out an old friend. 

Hello there,

Thanks for playing the game and glad you enjoyed it. Thinking over it I can see how the characters, setting etc can seem a bit overwhelming. There's a lot of story packed into such a small game. I will have a think about how better to introduce new players to the world. Appreciate the feedback.

I checked out your youtube and enjoyed the video. Hopefully I will catch it next time you upload. 

Game Link-

https://pehriska-games.itch.io/project-alldevaih

About the Game

Project Alldevaih is a short narrative focused adventure game set in the near future. 

This game serves as an introduction into a universe where more projects are planned.

Playtime - Approximately 20 Minutes. Experiencing all content will take approximately 30 Minutes.

Introduction

Welcome To Sapphire City 

After a decade of darkness, humanity has emerged intact but fragile. A new societal order has been established, with corporations testing the boundaries of their new freedoms and old powers grappling with the immensity of their decline. One city stands strong against the winds of change, bathed in a sapphire glow, the streets are watching, waiting. This is the stage where old titans clash and new bonds are forged, where one man’s past resurfaces dragging him into a world of deception, intrigue and hope.