Inoculation by Nmodern

Is this gameplay too conceptual ?

Are the colors too bright or sensitive ?

Should it have more ?

Of what ?

Are instructions necessary ?

How can I provide a more minimal experience ?

Any feedback would help since it's my first game and I don't know of many games that try to convey such a direct approach to basic elements of game design. I don't think I was being lazy, and I was certainly stressed enough...but even if you think so the feedback would be appreciated. I don't want to guess that making a more "complex" version of this game would be worth the try if people aren't receptive to it. 

If you're bothered by a lack of diverse colors at the end the executable does a better job at rendering the different colors in the display.

🎮 QA Report – Inoculation

Playtest & Feedback by ArcaTsu – Freelance Game QA Tester

🧑‍💼 About Me

Hi ! I’m ArcaTsu, a freelance QA Tester currently working in the video game industry. I specialize in manual testing, UX feedback, and bug reporting, with a focus on player experience and game polish. I played Inoculation in its WebGL version and here’s my structured feedback.

🧪 General Feel & Experience

Inoculation offers a highly minimalist, conceptual experience, and it clearly does so intentionally. The absence of UI, music, and clear instruction pushes the player into a reflective, exploratory mindset, which aligns well with what feels like a philosophical or symbolic theme. The game stands out for its raw simplicity — and that simplicity works as long as it's framed as deliberate
From a pure design perspective, the core mechanic is extremely simple: you move, you touch things, you change. And yet, it communicates something
The lack of instruction is effective. I believe that not telling the player what to do enhances the contemplative tone of the experience. It invites discovery and interpretation. That said, for players used to structured systems, it may create a sense of aimlessness — which is not necessarily bad, depending on your intent

⚙️ Mechanics & Technical Notes

There are no collision limits on the edges of the screen. Once your point (player) moves too far out of frame, it becomes extremely difficult — or impossible — to return. This could be frustrating for players who explore too far, especially early. A minimal wraparound or boundary feedback could help, unless the intent is to embrace loss or dissociation through movement
The interaction mechanic (color changes on contact) is readable and functions as expected. Still, some visual or audio cue would greatly reinforce the feedback loop — currently, it lacks any gamefeel, which weakens the impact of interaction
You could consider camera shake, color pulse, or a subtle sound when an interaction occurs to create stronger emphasis without adding complexity. Similarly, the final color flow sequence is visually hypnotic, and could be enhanced with minimal audio feedback or subtle movement to make the moment feel more “earned” or immersive

🎧 Audio & Feedback

There’s no sound design at all — no music, no SFX. While this silence may serve the philosophical tone of the game, even a minimal ambient background or few abstract sounds (like a "hum" when moving, or a soft chime when touching black points) would enhance immersion
The absence of sound also leaves the player without sensory confirmation — something that matters more when the visual world is reduced to basics. It doesn’t need a full soundtrack, but one or two sounds would add depth

🧠 Conceptual Thoughts

The game is rich in interpretation. From the very beginning, I had the sense that I was meant to experience, not solve. The moment I reached the color-shifting phase, I found myself asking philosophical questions — Was this the end? Did others see the same? Was the blue hue unique to me, or shared?
That moment of introspection is powerful. Really.
This tells me the game works. It provokes thought and disorients — not by confusion, but by design

✅ Final Suggestions

- Consider adding a minimal form of gamefeel: either visual (camera shake, pulse), auditory (SFX), or both
- Add soft screen boundaries or feedback to prevent the player from disappearing off-screen permanently
- Keep the lack of instructions, but maybe include a soft “meta” hint, like the dedication line, to suggest this is more of a journey than a system
- Even a single ambient layer of audio would elevate the atmosphere without diluting its minimalism
- Consider how you want the end sequence to be received — and whether reinforcing it with audiovisual elements would serve your message

🧾 Final Note

Inoculation is a bold piece. Whether or not you decide to evolve it into something more "complex", it already achieves something many bigger games don’t: it makes the player think and feel (At least it was for me).

Thank you Nmodern for this !

– ArcaTsu Freelance Game QA – Available on Fiverr https://www.fiverr.com/arcatsu?public_mode=true