Nightmare Reaper: A review so far (Spoilers)

[Sharpshot]

So I just finished up the available content of the game, and wanted to give my impressions and suggestions so far.

First, I want to start with that I ENJOYED this game. It was fun and different enough to keep me going through the whole thing whenever I had time. The levels do not get very stale even when i saw the same rooms more then a couple of times. The overall environment changed often enough that I never felt irritated to see a room again. There is a wide variety of weapons and a decent selection of enemies that kept getting added to as the game progressed. The Skill Tree was different enough change in pace and flow that it was a nice break between levels. The music was great.

I would say that mostly the game just needs more content. It has a solid core of what is fun and enjoyable and as long as it keeps to this line of progression as the game goes on it will remain fun.

Suggestions/Criticisms

Skill Tree. It is already hotly debated as to how people view it. I will say, that if I got irritated and just ignored enemies/coins. I had only some trouble getting through the toughest levels. I enjoyed it even as it is right now, but that does not mean it is without issues. As many have said, the hit box for your character is too large for how unforgiving the mini-game is. If you allow for 1 or 2 pixel crossover before confirming a hit, or just added a 3 HP system, then I would think most of the complaints will die out. I still think that how to base further changes should reflect how you want the players to view the mini-game, but it is a little too unforgiving at the moment.

Guns. You have a wide variety of weapons in the game. This is good, something for every play style and such. The issue is that I never needed more then 1 weapon, and was rarely challenged to change past mostly convenience. The game currently sits in a bit of a hole here. I feel like I could beat the game with ANY weapon, even without upgrades, if I was skilled and patient enough. I think enemies that are resistant to certain weapon types could really change this around. Some enemies carry wooden shields, blocking normal bullets till it breaks or you just use explosives and smash it away instantly. Have a mystic bubble shield that does similar for magic. Explosives already have a counter enemy in the game. Enemies that dash and teleport into your face.

Levels and Progression. I never felt like I NEEDED a upgrade to beat a level. All the jumps were doable without double jump, dash, or movement speed upgrades. This is good in that it means anyone with any style can beat the game. Even those who do not want upgrades. The flip side is that you cannot design any rooms or levels that take advantage of these upgrades. Double jump made all of the later "puzzle" rooms trivial. I would suggest changing certain upgrades into mandatory upgrades you receive for beating bosses, and design later levels to change according to the players newer, guaranteed upgraded abilities. Leave enhancements to current abilities in the skill tree. (You get dash from a boss, but faster dashing is unlocked in the tree.)

The potions. I forget what their official name is. The blue horse, reflection, ect. To me they always felt largely useless. I often found these AFTER clearing out a room, and thus waste half their time with them getting to the next room to try and get a use out of it. I never unlocked upgrades for the time in the skill tree because of this and it probably only compounded my issue with it. I am unsure on this one, but perhaps having a second inventory for potions (they all come in bottles.) where you can pick them up, and use it later at a key press. Perhaps this is too overpowering, but as I said, this is the one issue I am unsure with.

Difficulty curve. For me the game was... easy. Largely. Most of my deaths came from getting suck behind a wave of enemies or simply falling to death. I think the game could do with a improvement in difficulty, and I hope what I suggested above could facilitate that.

[ItBurn]

Thanks for your feedback and I do think you have good ideas, but let me explain why things are the way they are and why I think it makes the game more addictive.

The fact that you can complete the game with any weapon is by design. I want people to play the way they want to, the way they enjoy. There will be many more enemies later with all kinds of special abilities that will challenge you differently.

It's also by design that all rooms can be completed without upgrades. BUT, rooms often are much easier and also give access to bonuses if you have the upgrades. This is like this because I want players to play the game the way they want to. You can't buy everything from the tree and you have to choose what you like and what you think is useful.

Potions are extremely useful if you use them strategically. Scanning the room for them before engaging enemies, waiting to be ready for another room before using one, etc... With the skill tree bonuses, you can effectively make a build that is centered around powerups(potions). I personally love these upgrades, but once again, it's all about using what you want to use.

I think the difficulty is at a good spot right now. Some people are really frustrated because the game is too hard. Most people are fine with it. I want to add ways to increase difficulty, but if I do it, it'll be a whole gameplay system and not just a setting. I had a pill system with a risk and reward kind of thing, but I axed it because it wasn't ready. I might add that later.

But all of this is subject to change depending on feedback, so I'm taking your opinions into consideration.

[Sharpshot]

Thank you for the prompt reply. I'm glad to see your seriousness in taking critique.
Perhaps you can have sets of rooms that only unlock with the unlocking of specific abilities? I only worry as you keep adding content to the restriction of always assuming a baseline non-upgraded character will lead to rooms with the same answers, and thus blandness because why try when answer A just works too well? Gamers are well known for optimizing the fun out of games.

Regardless, I look forward to future updates. Whatever they may be like.

[ItBurn]

Originally posted by Sharpshot:

Thank you for the prompt reply. I'm glad to see your seriousness in taking critique.
Perhaps you can have sets of rooms that only unlock with the unlocking of specific abilities? I only worry as you keep adding content to the restriction of always assuming a baseline non-upgraded character will lead to rooms with the same answers, and thus blandness because why try when answer A just works too well? Gamers are well known for optimizing the fun out of games.

Regardless, I look forward to future updates. Whatever they may be like.

That's a valid concern. It could be limiting in a way. I favor adding new level elements like jump pads and elevators instead. We'll see how it goes as I work on the next episodes.