Extremely well made game for a 0.11 level release. It is aesthetically fantastic, combat is classic hack-n-slash, it reminds me a lot of games like Gauntlet and Champions of Norrath.
The following are issues with the game that I found that I think ought to be improved on in future builds, and some suggestions on how to improve them.
Before anyone loses my intentions in translation, my intent is to be as constructive as possible. Because misunderstandings happen when interpreting written form.
- I am guessing the dev is a not a native English speaker? Your introduction window is full of grammatical errors. Consider using this instead:
"Welcome to your castle. Take your time to prepare for all of your upcoming battles here. From this location, you can buy weapons, armor, and items you may need. You can store extra items, and also buy furniture to decorate your home.
When you are ready to fight, go up to the gate, press the "interact" button, and choose the battlefield on the map you want to play on. Be warned, your enemies are merciless and you will lose all of your gold and gear if you die. However, any items you have stored away in your castle are saved."
- I about lost my shit when I saw "loose" instead of "lose" in your weapon shop menu. I'm tired of seeing people make this error. The word "loose" is for things like "loose pussy" or "stray dog on the loose!" You want "lose" for whenever something is dropped, lost, or taken. But I digress. Try this instead:
"Consider your purchases with care. There is no perfect weapon. Learn how your enemies move and choose the weapon you need to fight them."
Your weapons shop should probably
always have arrows available.
- For the armor section:
"Your outfits utilize both form and function. Enjoy
"
- The personal storage chest, wardrobe, and furniture store need "Close" buttons. Also, would like to be able to back out of them via game pad. I haven't found the button to do that yet, if there is one.
- A number of your other in-game pop-up windows are redundant. You could probably lose most of them, like the one that pops up over the battle map for example. You don't have to tell us we risk losing all our gear three times. We got it the first time.
- Some of the weapon hit boxes are pretty bad. I've only tried short sword, mace, club, and longbow so far. A lot of the swing animations are too high and right-side biased. More centralized hit boxes would be preferable. The longbow is extremely useful, but doesn't work at all with a game pad. You
have to use a mouse and keyboard if you use the longbow.
- Combat is missing the mandatory block button. Unless I need a shield? I haven't been able to buy one yet, but I know trained swordsman can totally block without a shield.
- Some kind of "focusing" camera effect would be nice to have. In this free form, I have to manually make sure my character is facing the enemy. It's easily manageable, but a very dated issue. Being able to toggle focus on and off, and switch between enemies would make combat better.
- The loot menu currently does not work with game pad. I have to switch between controller and mouse and keyboard to pick up items. I think implementing an auto-pickup would be better, as it would eliminate the need of an extra menu entirely.
- I do not see the point of the timer after killing the boss/last enemy. I won, let me loot in peace!
- Accidentally using a potion while at full health can be an issue, especially with game pads. Please disable being able to use health potions when at full health.
- Similarly, the game will not let me change the button designations on the game pad because one is already in use. Please consider being able to
clear all the default keys/buttons so we can fully customize the controls to our preferences.
- The game is excruciatingly difficult to get back into when you die. I guess that's the point? But even if you replay lvl 1 again and again, having nothing but an ancient sword, working back up from below square one is killer and you'll probably just end up dying again. Might be kinda over doing it?
- I have yet to find any explanation as to what the buffs do. That information is way too important to be left out. (edit, I figured it out eventually)
Looking forward to the next build!