This week, I completed the game development. I gave it to some friends for testing, and they provided me with some very useful feedback. Here are some of the most frequently mentioned suggestions I summarized:
"The trial-and-error cost is too high. For this type of game, deaths occur too frequently, making the mid-game feel a bit monotonous. Introducing some strategic elements, such as giving players hints about enemy positions, could help." Therefore, I plan to add a flickering light effect in the dark levels so that players can determine enemy locations based on briefly lit rooms.
"The number of lit rooms in the early stages can be reduced; otherwise, the game pace feels a bit odd." Thus, I decided to remove the last lit room.
"There are bugs in some room collision bodies and the final credit scene, causing players to fall out of the map and be unable to continue the game."
"Sometimes it's too difficult; you can simplify it a bit." So, I increased the gaps between the ghost fire walls and slowed down the ghost's movement speed.
Here is an interesting video of Zhu playing the game. I didn't add English subtitles because I've been too busy.
Edit one week later: Based on the playtests above, I have improved the game. Here is the feedback of the second round of playtests:
"The concept of the game is very intriguing, and the character design is adorable."
“The volume of the ghost's audio fluctuates on its own, and this fluctuation, combined with the volume changes caused by distance, makes it difficult for players to accurately determine the distance of the ghost.” To address this issue, I re-recorded the ghost's audio. Yes, I didn't use sound effects but chose to voice the ghost myself because I found it fun. This time, I made an effort to keep my voice volume consistent. After recording, I further edited the audio in Audition to minimize any volume fluctuations.
My dear friend Li recorded this reaction video for my game. I love her.
Edit three days later: A seasoned gamer friend of mine (Fafa) provided some interesting and constructive feedback:
"The flickering of the lights could have a brief anticipation phase, giving players a chance to prepare for the map's reveal, making it easier for them to notice and memorize the layout." I think this could be addressed with a pre-flicker sound effect.
"The level design in the lit rooms doesn't emphasize the importance of dodging the ghost, which is a crucial skill in the darker levels later on. This creates a break in the learning curve."
"The current gameplay is simple and easy to understand, but it might be a bit too monotonous. If you plan to further develop the game, you could consider extending the design with items and skills to enrich the gameplay. For example, we could give the little bird-octopus character a short-term buff of 1-2 seconds that allows it to detect obstacles within a certain range, simulating the use of a cane by the visually impaired. Additionally, the purple orbs that appear when the character dies in the ghost fire could be visually changed to represent slime blobs falling from the bird-octopus as it burns, enhancing the immersion."
Due to my recent focus on creating animation assets for The First Menstruation in Darkness, these feedback updates will be delayed.
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