Underwater movement?

[tom-]

I'm trying out the demo and in the 4th or so level, you have to collect the thingy after some spikes, and then go back the way you came, but moving downward past those timed spikes seems impossible without getting hit, even with the dash (shift+down). What do I have to do?

[Atelier_Melon_Kissa]

Hello tom- !
Thank you for playing Toricky's demo!

Yes the 4th stage of the demo is quite challenging!

You can stop Toricky's dash at any time by pressing another direction,
which is especially useful in emergencies (fighting enemies, avoiding traps...etc).
Controlling acceleration and deceleration is very important in Toricky,
especially as you progress through the main game.

Also, physics are a bit modified in water,
then you'll have to force a little more on the dash due to the water drag.

I prepared a little Gif to show how to avoid the Spikes.

HERE

Let me know if that helped you to clear the Stage! :)

[tom-]

Yes that helped, thank you! I didn't know you can initiate the dash repeatedly. That's because the upward dash lasts longer/farther than the downward dash and you can get upwards through the timed spikes with only one dash, so I never had to dash repeatedly until that point, but downwards is different for some reason.

To be honest, the movement mechanics in general feel a bit clunky and abrupt (not just dashing), it takes some getting used to. I don't think I've seen any other game with a similar control scheme, and familiarity and plausibility of the movement controls would be a huge plus, either by additional "training" levels or through an updated control scheme altogether. Even slight frustrations in that area should be absolutely avoided when you're trying to get people to play and like your game. As a developer with lots of hours of playtime/training with those controls, it's probably hard to see how they are clunky and maybe even frustrating to new players.

[Atelier_Melon_Kissa]

Additionally, water drag is stronger from the below, which could give you the feeling that upward dash lasts longer in water. This helps you to escape from water (and avoid drowning) when you breaks your AquaSphere.
Conversly, the downward dash in the air can give you more velocity on long distance because of the gravity.
Toricky is a game which plays a lot with physics.

Thank you for your feedback - you're right - that I've played so many hours the game that I might be able to control it just by thinking! :D
As you've noticed, Toricky's gameplay is based on unique flying mechanics which could require some training.
We're regulary watching in gaming events a lot of players testing for the first time the same stages as the one in the demo and it's very interesting to see how each player become accustomed to the controls over a different time period/in a different way.

We're trying to make good use of our observations and player's feedback to continuously refine the gameplay while preserving Toricky's very special identity! :)

[Simplicity]

Yes