Just Finished The Game - Here is my feedback

[PapaMike91]

I found Earthlock very interesting in a good sense, but even finishing the game on 100%, I still feel like this could have easily been a better game with some minor changes. Though there are some genius ideas that made me go "This is awesome!", there where also some holes in the gameplay that got me thinking "Why nobody made this better? Did nobody test-played this?".

Please, take these words as kind and constructive criticism. I really hope to see Earthlock 2 or a new game from this studio soon. Here we go:

POSITIVE

Farming/Crafting: awesome. A simple and straightforward idea for making your own ammo, potions, perks and everything you need without having to rely on shops and money everytime. Bonus: gardening is a relaxing mini-game that helps to break the constant fighting of the game.

Talent Board: again, genius ideia. I don't have problems with RPGs that require constant upgrade of weapons, armor, necklaces, etc. but the talent board makes things so much more interesting! The possibility of changing the cards between characters lets you remodel the streghts and weaknesses as you like before a tougher boss.

Bonding System: bingo, right again! The passive perks gained with the bonds make sure you always update the party and keep everyone on the same level. SUGESTION 1: instead of using pairs, make the bonding happen to the group as a whole e.g. If your party is Olia, PAT, Amon and Ivy, their bonds would grow with each other, and not only with their pair. The passive perks could be aplied to the whole group, instead of a special perk to each of the characters. SUGESTION 2: add some type of 'collab. special attack', like they used to have in Chrono Trigger. Two, or even Three characters using their special habilities at once, saving time in the battle timeline (maybe even damage multipliers, special status effects, etc).

Multiple Enemies/XP Multipliers: simple yet effective, making players having the choice to evolve faster as they battle larger groups or thougher enemies.

THINGS THAT CAN GET BETTER

Characters Levels: I dont't think that XP gain between diferent leveled characters is righly calculated. If I have Amon at Lv16 and Olia at Lv10, it would be ideal that Olia received more experience from killing beasts, yet the two receive equal amounts. When I got Olia back, everyone in my party was level 13-14, and Olia was level 10! When PAT came to my party, again he came at a much lower level than the party. The result is: I spent almost 6 hours of boring playtime using the Tournaments to level everyone to the same amount and to better bonds between characters, so I could use these two in upcoming battles. SUGESTION 1: use some tipe of leveling system for the monsters too, so If Olia (Lv10) is fighting a Lv 12 monster, she gains more experience than a Amon (Lv 14). SUGESTION 2: When a character has been away, and comes back to your party, make the system average that character up to your party - e.g. If I have my party at Levels 15,14,14,13, Olia should be back between level 14.

Stance System: Why? WHY? Wouldn't it be so much simpler to put a menu with every ability in it? Changing stances takes time, even if little. In later bosses, changing stances mean losing time, losing HP and losing the oportunity to hit the boss with a more powerfull attack right now. Some stances are just useless: I finished the game with Amon and Ivy only on their ranged stances, never used an ATK/MAG-Up from Gnart or defense from PAT, neither Counter-Stance for Olia. The only thing I ever used was Taika's Howls. Why I didn't change stances mid battle? Because Time Costs!

Boss Battles/Strategies: I think the difficulty curve was kicked up too fast in the bosses. You start with easy enemies, or thougher beasts that can be defeated using just enough effort. Then came the bosses and their "strategies". I got my butt kicked by King Goblin about 4 times before surrendering and searching for some walkthrough. At the same time that I could easily defeat 5 or 6 goblins at once, I couldn't defeat him alone. Even Maxed out at level 20 with + or ++ ammo in later bosses, I needed to bring about 20-30 Elixirs with me. If a battle has a stretegy, it is supposed to be inteligent and fun (like the battle of Sharaan - very cool!), not a marathon of Heal, Heal, Attack, Ressurect, Heal, Attack, Heal... Or maybe I'm just not a fan of Final Fantasy-styled marathon battles.

Accuracy calculations: Attack, miss. Attack, miss. Attack, glanced. Attack, miss. AGGGGHHHH!! Those where my first 6 hours playing Earthlock, and I almost gave up on playing the game, more than once. Actually, I wouldn't be here If it wasn't for an internet Walkthrough. I don't know how the calculations for the attacks were made, but how can a Ranged Attack have a higher Accuracy than a melee? How can you miss a melee attack on a giant beast? Please, PLEASE, correct this in the next game. It's really annoying.

Game Lore/Plot: why did Aderyn betrayed Ichabo so suddenly, what are her motives, who was she, where did she go after all of that? Who is Ichabo, why he appeared all of a sudden, how he gained all that knowledge, where/how he found Bryn? What is the backstory of Ichabo with Amon's parents? If the Lavender Royal Family already has history of betrayal, why not work some more of this during the game, with Ichabo being an Uncle to Ivy or something? So many loose ends, so many questions, so many things that seem that were 'forgotten' during the game scripting. I understand leaving loose ends on purpose for upcoming games, but this just seems bad storytelling.

SUGESTION: Make a game, maybe a small game, mid-projects, like a prequel, set in the Old Times before the catastrophe, explaining a little more about the Amri magic, the cults, what led to the catastrophe, and how some of them were able to save themselves, like Bryn. Hey, Bryn could even be the central character! We could see him remembing his memories of the past as he 'speaks' with PAT after the events of Earthlock.



In the end, I finished the game happy, but tired, as a job duty fulfilled, were you turn your game off and go to sleep; not as a wonderful game, that leaves a hole in your heart and makes you wonder about all the possibilities to come.
I know how hard it is being an independent studio, backed by internet contribuitors, with just a few people working around the clock everyday for years, and for that, I say to you: GREAT JOB! But now, for the next steps, the stakes go way higher and players are expecting something each time better. Keep this in mind.

After all said, I repeat: please take these words as constructive advice, even if I sounded harsh sometimes. It's is because of the constant work of people like you that we have some of the best games ever created.

'Till next game!

[Snowcastle Games]

Thank you Peter!

Very good and useful feedback!

Best regards,
Bendik