Disappointing

[Outsider]

You'd think that game of this magnitude and quality would be all over the news and youtubers' channels, but somehow it went almost unnoticed.
It's up there with Hollow Knight and Shantae franchise, yet it is barely recognized or even mentioned by larger media outlets.
Even owlboy got more attention that The Iconoclasts.
What gives?

[Snowskeeper]

Have you tried sending the game's Steam profile around to YouTubers or magazines that haven't reviewed it yet?

[Outsider]

If I try to do that I imagine they will just mark me as spam or something.

[ROTBLOOD RAIDING PARTIES]

Hollow Knight hyped only because its "it's just like Dark Souls" buzz regarding "muh dark and gloomy atmosphere" and "muh obscure narrative means deep plot lul". Shantae is just fanservice, and I think nobody even denies that (me included). Both of aforementioned games are kinda dull in terms of bossfights and puzzles, only backtracking for 'vania-lovers.

Iconoclasts had more emphasis on long but pretty "grounded" story narrated through dialogues, which nobody wants to read nowadays, good amount of cutscenes, variety of approaches to bosses and puzzles, and less on backtracking.

Also I think it was not good to call this game metroidvania, because, while technically it really IS metroidvania, I can clearly see if 'vania fans were not so hyped after playing Iconoclasts. Would be better to call it 2D Action-Adventure, because emphasis was on, literally, action and adventure, not some stupid backtracking.

[Shirsh]

Idk, once in a while I casually checking youtube on "is there any music cover was made already?" and there always more and more new playthroughs and reviews videos.
Have no idea how situation with 'famous' streamers and reviewers.
I seen Mark Brown playing it on stream though (and many people in chat were "o_o wat game is it? wat the name?").

Oh, yeah, yesterday I seen there vid called "Iconoclast - new roguelike"

[Aevoa]

this game succ. The combat felt incredibly boring, the puzzles felt like a chore, and the dialogue was contrived. I was really looking forward to this game and now I'm just a bit sad... Death's Gambit better not fail me like this.

Buuuut that's just my opinion. If the dev is reading this for some reason clearly a lot of people like your game and you made something to be proud of so kudos. my opinion doesn't really matter at the end of the day... I just won't be suggesting it to my friends.

[monoculo_jim]

Originally posted by Aevoa:

this game succ. The combat felt incredibly boring, the puzzles felt like a chore, and the dialogue was contrived. I was really looking forward to this game and now I'm just a bit sad... Death's Gambit better not fail me like this.

Buuuut that's just my opinion. If the dev is reading this for some reason clearly a lot of people like your game and you made something to be proud of so kudos. my opinion doesn't really matter at the end of the day... I just won't be suggesting it to my friends.

Yeah, I'm afraid I agree. It's just not very good. Seems like a vehicle for a poorly written and intensely boring story more than anything else. I wish devs realized there's already RPG Maker for that, metroidvania + super 'deep' and 'complex' narrative almost never works well.

Mentioning Iconoclasts in the same breath as Hollow Knight is kinda ridiculous. That game is a true masterpiece.

[Outsider]

I wouldn't call a glorified flash game that reuses its own content for palette swapped areas and ripping off dark souls story and narrative a masterpiece.

[Aevoa]

Originally posted by Trombe:

I wouldn't call a glorified flash game that reuses its own content for palette swapped areas and ripping off dark souls story and narrative a masterpiece.

I tried hollow knight. The combat just didn't feel right to me but that's entirely subjective and I can def see the appeal. I dont think what you've pointed out is a valid argument against whether a game is fun or not. Obviously someone can label something a masterpiece and not everyone will agree but presentation wise I can definitely see why people say that.

[monoculo_jim]

Originally posted by Trombe:

You'd think that game of this magnitude and quality would be all over the news and youtubers' channels, but somehow it went almost unnoticed.
It's up there with Hollow Knight and Shantae franchise, yet it is barely recognized or even mentioned by larger media outlets.

Originally posted by Trombe:

I wouldn't call a glorified flash game that reuses its own content for palette swapped areas and ripping off dark souls story and narrative a masterpiece.

Make up your mind pal. You brought Hollow Knight to the conversation by comparing it to Iconoclasts, " a game of this magintude and quality" (lol). Now it's a "glorified flash game"? (wtf does that even mean)

[Outsider]

I'm saying that despite being bloated glorified flash game HK still managed to get a lot of attention and popularity. Likely because core gameplay is good and polished enough to carry players through its copy pasted levels, but it's still a major case of quantity over quality.
On the flip side Iconoclasts is quality over quantity, yet nobody gives a damn.
That's disappointing.

[Snowskeeper]

It's received a number of glowing reviews in several major publications.

If you want to see it in more places, try spreading knowledge of it. If you really want that, send out some free copies. Otherwise, chill.

[Shirsh]

Originally posted by monoculo_jim:

I wish devs realized there's already RPG Maker for that, metroidvania + super 'deep' and 'complex' narrative almost never works well.

there are several flaws in this words:
1st: RPG Maker is for making jrpgs;
2nd: narrative is for everything: for FPS, for RTS, for puzzle games, you may not like narratives per se or narrative in this particular game but it's narratives makes Portal, 1st Deus Ex etc a great games and not just nice.
3rd: it's not really a metroidvania game, whoever that user who defined "user defined tags for this game" he/she/them created rather ambiguos effect (better exposure? but with drawback of dissappointed modern metroidvania fans)

[Ranix]

no game is going to be super popular with normalfags unless you suck Kotaku's ♥♥♥♥. They don't play anything they aren't told to play

[Snowskeeper]

Originally posted by Ranix:

no game is going to be super popular with normalfags unless you suck Kotaku's ♥♥♥♥. They don't play anything they aren't told to play

https://kotaku.com/we-talk-with-the-creator-of-iconoclasts-about-his-pains-1822329665

Google's a wonderful tool.

[Outsider]

Originally posted by Ranix:

no game is going to be super popular with normal♥♥♥♥

Being on steam and having games here automatically makes you normal♥♥♥♥, my little channer.