00:00
00:00
CryoGX

Filters may affect review visibility.

Recent Game Reviews

1 Game Review

Pleasantly surprised to see the game's actually done! Since it's your first real finished product I'll go ahead and give some feedback to keep in mind for the next one.

1. The vibe's dark mysterious and esoteric, which is neat as a vibe. But this should not transfer to things like the player's feeling of progression, short-term goals/reward or general gameplay. A real goal or motive should be made apparent sooner rather than later to help hook the player and give them purpose. There's several systems, like the bone and totem things, and screens that appear that are not immediately apparent what they are or what they're for. If you're opting to not explain these things immediately, then they need to at least be quickly intuitive, and figured out in a way that is BEFORE the player can lose interest. Real talk, a ton of people drop games after 5-10 minutes, faster if they don't know why they're there. Assume that you have like three minutes to hook someone and give them a reason to stay interested.

2. My first point also applies to the control scheme. There's too many buttons at play for no real reason. The entirety of the gameplay loop -- every mechanic -- could've been done with the mouse alone and been far more straightforward, and possibly more fun. The simpler the gameplay loop, the fewer buttons you should ever be using for it.

3. Visual/audio feedback could be stronger to differentiate core mechanics. The character builds mana to periodically attack, but you can ALSO press Q off a cooldown to engage the same type of attack. In this case, the more involved version of the attack should look and sound (MORE obviously) the part, if not be an entirely different attack altogether. A single action happening both automatically AND manually is going to wildly confuse people as to what they're actually doing; a numerical difference in strength is pointless if the player can't literally feel that difference.

4. HUD consistency/intuitiveness. The Q icons counts upward on a timer, while the icons for limited resources right next to it count downward as they're used. Comparatively, this one's a nitpick, but still, it likely contributes to that sense of players not gripping what they're doing.

Also, make sure you're referencing other games for the "how" and "why" of your mechanics. From the games I've played, the Xenoblade series comes closest to what this game's loop goes for: auto attacks with manual commands occasionally given to give the player some strategic agency in a fight. Of course I'm not saying try to inject AAA-grade gameplay into your first or second project, rather getting an understanding for why other games' mechanics work will help legitimize your own.

Overall, your first game is always going to be your worst one, so props to getting this one out and having it be fairly decent. Best of luck on your future ones!

HatiValcoran responds:

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ❤

Recent Art Reviews

18 Art Reviews

ye 😳

So this is what you were talking about; hella great work! Wild to see fanart of my fanart lol

DaryXStudio responds:

Thanks man! The moment I saw your take on honey I instantly knew what had to be done

0 is the new 5, right?

Avid Digital Artist that makes music and memes every now and then. Really likes making characters.

Male

Computer Scientist

United States

Joined on 4/17/16

Level:
26
Exp Points:
7,313 / 7,510
Exp Rank:
5,418
Vote Power:
6.78 votes
Audio Scouts
1
Art Scouts
8
Rank:
Civilian
Global Rank:
> 100,000
Blams:
0
Saves:
7
B/P Bonus:
0%
Whistle:
Normal
Trophies:
3
Medals:
6
Supporter:
6y 11m 25d