So is it a skill game or RNG? Considering refund.

[Rusted Corpse]

So while a couple levels felt like I was learning. The stick man level is just arbitrary? I like how "try different HQ abilities" is suggested but this requires monotonously farming early levels. A game isn't "good" just because it's impossible, it's good when you feel you can learn to beat it. Am I just going to encounter more rng walls as it goes on?

On the two hour mark and considering refund, anyone played through and felt satisfied?

[Brofie]

Hey there, sorry to hear you're having trouble on that level. As the dev I am a bit biased, so I'll let others chime in, but one tip for that boss fight is to focus on head shots. You can also try enabling "Arcade Mode" from the game options, which still allows you to progress as normal when you beat it (you just get a silver star instead of a gold one, but you could always come back to it later if you're a completionist). I hope that helps. Thanks for the feedback!

[Rusted Corpse]

@Brofie. Thanks for the prompt reply. It's your game, and your labor. It's a gorgeous piece of work. I've done the arcade mode as well, the issue I have is more with the timing. 3:15 stall is possible by stringing out characters, however, the ratio of spawner to the blue push seems out of wack? Unless it's just meant to be a race. I've deployed heroes and even farmed the first levels to re-align hq abilities. It just feels arbitrary. The other levels have been quite satisfying as they teach mechanics, I can see beating the tall guy with sniper head shots, but the rush and rocket with the spawn times just creates instant loss situation with very little player feedback.

As an aside, I apologize for the review, I didn't realize how new the game was, not trying to crush dreams. As a game it's wonderful, great theme, well executed, clever writing and the "feel" is wonderful. But, it begs for some sort of teaching mechanic?

[Brofie]

@Rusted Corpse. I've been thinking about it some more and I have some ideas about how to change the Stick Man boss. My original idea I think was that that level just requires a different approach, namely rushing the boss with as many (short-lived) units as you can, but upon reflection that's not a very satisfying approach or one that focuses on any sort of refined skill. A main issue, as you've helped point out, is that the rockets are too hard to avoid. I'm going to think about it some more, but a couple ideas are 1) have the boss shoot a single rocket that hones on to the target but can still be dodged with a well-timed roll 2) replace the rockets with the boss spitting out paratroopers (and possibly remove the barracks), requiring the player to balance between focusing on the boss or attacking units. The goal is to retain the difficulty but, as you say, make it a bit less arbitrary and more in-line with the skill required on other levels.

No worries about the review. I think it was fair given your experience with the game. I also very much appreciate the effort you put into the game and your thoughtful feedback. It's brought my attention to an issue and will hopefully allow me to make TWBI a better game. Cheers!