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Intuitive idea with a flawed execution.

A topic by Niven Hedinger created Sep 30, 2023 Views: 105 Replies: 7

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Niven Hedinger228 days ago (1 edit)

When the game combines puzzle and horror elements, there is a safe balance that needs to be sorted out first. I love the idea of 1 minute stress inducing gameplay, which this particular piece has. The atmosphere is great, sound design and neat, visuals are raw and creepy. Yet, the main aspect of it - gameplay - needs a fix up.

To start with, I tried to interact with the keypad, as told via a short text/tutorial by pressing E and for the first 2 tries it did not work. The movement is a bit dizzy, in terms of a character leaning towards one direction. I tried to fix that by tilting the screen a bit, which was fun to do actually, but still, there is tilting, which personally was not my cup of tea. But, the main issue is definitely the first puzzle, which I did not complete and after couple of tries gave up on the game. Now, I don't say I am an expert in puzzle solving, although I've had a chance to play some unique games with puzzle elements and the main key about it is to challenge the player without them being frustrate. The complexity sometimes breaks the immersion and you don't want that with the game, considering that this also is a horror game.

In short, a simple update could fix some of those things and I definitely am interested in what the game can offer to the players. Best of luck with the project. Cheers!
Edit: The foggy effect is great btw.

HomeMadeLemonadeGamesDeveloper227 days ago

Thank you, Niven, for your great and detailed review. It means the world to us that you are our audience. It was unfortunate that you couldn't solve our puzzles. We know it might be difficult, but we believe that in the journey of a game, difficulty is everything. Because when a game is too easy, why should you play it, and when a game is too hard, why should you play it either? So, we are very thankful for your feedback that will help us find balance in our next game

P.S.: I don't Wanna(1) spoil anything, but the writing on The Wall is the only key. Would You try it again? :)

Niven Hedinger227 days ago

Well, it might be a surprise to you, but I actually tried to solve the first puzzle and I saw the writing on the wall roght away, maybe it is a game developer in me or something. Yes, many possible combinations, but none of them worked. It is not as easy as "0081" or "1800", the rest went over my head, because there is no indication of what exactly you want the player to detect. Is the code in the text, which corresponds to the letters on the digits? Tried that too, but nothing.

It is not about the challange, but rather thinking, why is the code that specific number/combination. And there are only 4 numbers, so you can't make up more than 4 digits. Nevertheless, there is no point in playing again, sorry. Wish you best luck with this.

HomeMadeLemonadeGamesDeveloper227 days ago

Thank You Niven, Thanks Again For Feedbacks

Mrdodgex225 days ago

Tried a few goes at the keypad puzzle and couldnt crack it. But agree with above, remove the head bobbing or make it much less aggressive as its quite dizzying.

I've tried a few different combinations of the key code and knocking next to the door but no luck sadly

HomeMadeLemonadeGamesDeveloper224 days ago

Thank you Mrdodgex, for being our audience. We've fixed lighting and Knocking Bugs. We know the first puzzle might be difficult to solve

but if you wanna (1na) solve it you just have 2 read the wall writing very carefully.

Niven Hedinger222 days ago (1 edit)

Alright, I did not want to continue with the conversation, but here is the issue:

After you wrote the comment "if you wanna (1na) solve it you just have 2 read the wall writing very carefully" I immediately went on, downloaded the game AGAIN, played it and found out the code. Basically, it is the combinations of the letters and if there is some letter like "for" it means "4" and it just bugs me even more.

No offence, but this is just straight forward criticism, which must be said, because clearly you are a good developer, but lack the comprehension of someone else's perspective. And trust me, I made the same mistake numerous times. As a developer, no matter the genre, you must be able to convert your ideas, even if they are complex, to the basic level and build it up from there. You can't possibly ask a player to think the same way you are thinking and blindly guess that some letters fully correspond to the number, but some are just "half-numbers". It is insane to me, because I bet there are people, who wanted to showcase your product and share it (like me), but the issue is just that you give 0 explanation to the player up front on how to maneuver the puzzle and at what level should "thinking outside the box" come in play. Even the hardest puzzle games like "The Room:4" or "Rusty Lake Hotel Series" give players the indication for the puzzle and then, of course, then the player must think on their own. Your game just has the code and your perspective on how to solve it, that's it. If you had not written that sentence, I would have been clueless. Nevertheless, I still don't want to continue the game, just because it would mean to play the game and try to figure out how "your perspective" is. Sorry.

Edit: I would also assume, if you pardon me, that your game has low downloads and the reason is very clear. You might think my criticism is not important, but it is if you want to develop and improve something. I like every single thing in the game, literally everything is superb, but the main core aspect of puzzle solving has to be changed or modified.

Wish you best luck with this. Good day.

HomeMadeLemonadeGamesDeveloper222 days ago

Hi Niven,

Thank you so much for your review. No, we didn't think your criticism wasn't important. As you mentioned, my game was downloaded by a few people, and you were one of those who dedicated your time to help us improve our development. We are at the beginning of our journey in the game industry as an indie game studio, and you being a developer yourself, you know that even one review means the world to us. I've learned from your criticism, and it makes sense what you said about perspective.

I believe that in the long term, if you continue making the games you'd like to see, audiences will gradually align with your perspective. I mean, if you enjoy our next game and continue to support us, you'll understand how we think. However, we must also ask ourselves whether someone like Niven will play our next game. Have we lost an audience? I think the answer to this question will help us improve.

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Intuitive idea with a flawed execution.