General Feedback Notes

[tjviridian4]

First of all, I want to say that I am LOVING Ender Magnolia so far, it is everything I wanted it to be and more! So many QoL improvements - like the sprint feature, the new map, and the ability to hide screen UI - are amazing. You guys are doing fantastic work! Here are a few things I noticed in my playthrough that I feel could be improved:

HOMUNCULI CAST BEHAVIOR
- The direction homunculi are cast is based on the END of the cast time instead of the START. This is mostly ok for homunculi like Lito because he casts quickly, but for Yolvan it is a huge problem; for example, if you're fighting a boss and run up, press the button to cast Yolvan, then turn around to dodge an attack, Yolvan will attack AWAY from the boss. If the logic was adjusted so the cast direction was based on the START of the cast time, it would make combat feel much more smooth and reliable. I believe this is how the spirits worked in Ender Lilies.
- Homunculi cannot be cast at the same time. This might be a bug, but I found that pressing two buttons at once would only cast one homunculi, not both. Additionally, if I held down the cast button for Yolvan, then pressed another button to cast Nola, Yolvan would be cancelled out and stop firing. For this "encore" type homunculi to be worth using, it feels like it should continue firing if you hold the cast button regardless of what other spirits you cast afterwards.

GAME DESIGN
- The early areas of the game feel a little too "accessible." This is, in part, because both double jump and dash are granted very early, and virtually every room can be completed with JUST these abilities, which eliminates the need for backtracking. One of my favorite parts of metroidvanias is backtracking to early areas to reach new places, and so far this element feels missing - adding some items to the Lower Stratum areas that can only be reached with late-game abilities would go a long way!
- So far, Homunculi are only useful for combat OR traversal, not both. I loved how in Ender Lilies, defeating a boss would give you a new combat spirit AND a new traversal mechanic; Silva gives double jump, Eleine gives Bubble, Silva gives Dash, Hoenir gives grapple, etc. In Ender Magnolia these are separated; Hati and Garm offer traversal, but can't be used in combat, and the rest of the spirits are combat only.

MISCELLANEOUS
- Cinematic subtitles are too fast and also a bit small. The size and duration of subtitles in Ender Lilies felt perfect to me.
- Boss cutscenes/dialogue should only play the first time, or have the option to "skip." When you have to fight a hard boss over and over again, like Garm, it is frustrating to sit through the same cutscene each time with no way to speed it up.
- Lilac's dash ability feels a bit too short and slow. If there are upgrades later that enhance the dash then this is totally fine.
- This might be just a personal preference, but I don't like being given numbers for relic effects. For example, the Blighted Dice says it "increases experience gained by 10%." The percentage in this context feels arbitrary and not very immersive. I preferred the more vague approach in Ender Lilies, where the Bloodstained Ribbon just says "slightly increases the amount of experience acquired."