Controls are horrible.

[kia256]

I don't want to sound mean, but the controls are really non-intuitive, badly designed and feeling wooden and unresponsive.

This is especially apparent at the hedgehog boss fight.
I know you're supposed to use the rings to fly around him, but the controls are so clunky I'm either missing the ring or failing to time the RB right to get the upwards thrust before I hit the boss hitbox.

It's incredibly frustrating in the exactly wrong kind of way - where you have to fight the controls and bad design instead of learning the bosses movesets, timings and weaknesses.

For a platformer and metroidvania - tight and responsive controls are paramount.
You don't need to reinvent the bicycle all over again. There are tons of amazing metroidvanias with excellent control schemes from giants like Hollow Knight and Nine Sols, to interesting experimental ones like Doomblade. There's nothing bad about studying them, taking what works and adding your own spin on it.

And if the current control scheme is a deliberate decision as some sort of nod to the classics - it's a very unfortunate one. Some schemes should be left with the dinosaurs.

I'm sorry, but while I really liked the idea and the artstyle and was going to purchase the game - the demo had turned me away.

[Ci8ird]

I agree. Really want to love this game, but will be removing the game from wishlist and waiting for better times.

[Zan]

I couldn't even hande the game's control scheme - I always control my character with WASD, but in this game I can't remap those specific actions. I don't even know how my hands should be positioned on the keyboard for the current control scheme.

[Terron]

I am still getting the game for switch as there is a physical available for 20 euro on amazon which is reasonable and I love the music and overall vibe of the game but I agree the controls need a lot of work at least where it comes to platforming, ledge grabbing and especially swinging from rings. Very clunky. I left similar feedback and it seems to be the most common critique so heres hoping it gets ironed out for release.

[Julien_storybird_studio]

Hello,

Thank you for your initial feedback.

We are working on refining some of the game's mechanics. The hero does indeed start off a bit weak and not very agile, but as you progress through the game, you will unlock new abilities that enhance their capabilities.

Regarding the difficulty of grabbing onto platform edges and latching onto rings during jumps, we are currently working on some adjustments.

We hope this will improve your experience with the game and allow you to fully enjoy it.

[kia256]

Here's an idea for a very basic improvement:
When you're connected to the ring - RB button should serve as a pull\snap modificator instead of a boost.
Once you hit a ring and start swinging - you can hold RB to snap the character up to the ring and hold him there as long as you're pressing down on the button.
From this position you can let go of RB to start swinging again, you can press A to boost up or sideways, or press direction+X to shoot a new chain to the next ring if it's within reach. And as long as the RB is still pressed - you'll auto-snap to the next ring instead of beginning the swing animation on the next ring.

You don't have a luxury of retries in boss battles. If you want to add acrobatics to the already stressful situation - they should work flawlessly and be intuitively understandable.

[Plaid]

They are a bit unresponsive. I had to play slower and much more deliberately in order to make sure my moves translated properly. Its like the game has trouble stringing together quick movements without dropping some of the inputs, or sometimes jumps don't register correctly.

Also diagonals are a little finicky; it reminds me a bit of how the arcade version of Ghouls n Ghosts feels (this is why they added the diagonals option in the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version).

Other than this I'm liking the game. The different moves and using the whip chain thingy to do puzzly stuff intrigues me.

[FreakingLombax]

I think the controls are good enough for the most part. Though fight the final boss of the demo, you could REALLY benefit from being able to HOLD the attack button so that you don't accidentally walk forward whilst trying to do a forward up attack and such. \
Another side note, the fire cackling sound effect resets abruptly and it's not the best on the ears when it loops. Overall, I had a ton of fun with the demo, can't wait to play the rest of the game.

[FreakingLombax]

Also, playing through the demo again I have to wonder, do you intend for the player to use certain specific attacks against the shielded enemies? Like the HOOK PULL and HEAVY ATTACK to get around their guard? Cause it seems a little redundant if all you have to do to either is simply low attack at the legs. Is this intended? Just something I thought I would bring up.

[Gauner]

I understand, but personally disagree. There's deffo a learning curve to it, but after around 15 mins or so with the game it clicked with me. I think the grapple boost should be tutorialized a bit earlier or more clearly, it's a pretty satisfying speed boost.
I like how weighty the game feels, while the whip and its abilities feel very empowering.

[Lyzrac]

Tried it out myself, controls feel a bit too clunky for me IMO. There's also WAY too much screen shaking going on, it's kinda ridiculous.

[jiggilowjow]

fully 100% agree... so clunky its not funny im no dummy this feels junky n funky and bunky

[FreakingLombax]

I feel like enemies should hit harder and falling off a cliff should do a lot more than like 5% of the health bar. Hopefully we will get a least a harder difficulty level. : )

[Maxen]

I found the controls mostly okay, but I had a lot of trouble getting reliable diagonal inputs which made chain swinging too frustrating.

[Evair]

Originally posted by Julien_storybird_studio:

Hello,

Thank you for your initial feedback.

We are working on refining some of the game's mechanics. The hero does indeed start off a bit weak and not very agile, but as you progress through the game, you will unlock new abilities that enhance their capabilities.

Regarding the difficulty of grabbing onto platform edges and latching onto rings during jumps, we are currently working on some adjustments.

We hope this will improve your experience with the game and allow you to fully enjoy it.

Originally posted by Julien_storybird_studio:

Hello,

Thank you for your initial feedback.

We are working on refining some of the game's mechanics. The hero does indeed start off a bit weak and not very agile, but as you progress through the game, you will unlock new abilities that enhance their capabilities.

Regarding the difficulty of grabbing onto platform edges and latching onto rings during jumps, we are currently working on some adjustments.

We hope this will improve your experience with the game and allow you to fully enjoy it.

HEY
There is a way to change the movement speed? The character is too slow, its very frustrating

[graveisthis]

Originally posted by Julien_storybird_studio:

Hello,

It's perfect the way it is.

We hope this will improve your experience with the game and allow you to fully enjoy it.

Facts. Love it. It's retro chic