Here's our feedback (for Kahoots). I was pretty happy with it overall - mostly pretty fair, and in some cases helpful and encouraging:
Kahoots scored best in: Audio
And scored worst in: Technical
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KAHOOTS
Goes through the motions of iterative design in that it takes a single puzzle mechanic and grows on it with every level. However, the game comes off very simplistic and is a bit annoying.
DESIGN NOTES
Kahoots does a good job following the theory and formula of what makes a good puzzle game, however the result is something less than satisfying. The core mechanic of tile swapping isn't very compelling, and to make matters worse, the execution of that mechanic is underdeveloped. The game does a good job of introducing new elements at every level, however these bits of goodness are overshadowed by the annoyances. For example, the lack of the ability to change the direction of our fair hero. A simple click on his body should control this. This would mitigate the rather infuriating wait for the little bugger to reach the end of a row and turn around when I've already figured out what tiles to move where. Waiting when you know the solution to something really sucks. On a somewhat related note, there should be a pause button in the game.
Beyond this, there are a few UI issues to bear in mind. At the end of each level, the buttons all look very similar, with "next level" buried at the bottom. Color and scaling would have made a big impact here, allowing a bright and clear "next level" button that stands out and beckons the user on. On a somewhat similar note, the ability of the main character to slip behind the control widget (where restart, sound toggle, and quit options are located) seems weird.
VISUAL NOTES
The attempt at a warm and cute design style is noticed, but a bit short. The style seems unnecessarily varied, from the claymation-style main character to the yarn and buttons Pegbeast. If these are truly things found behind the couch, perhaps more of that theme would be in order? Why the blocks as they are? Why not a collection of sofa detritus (sock puppets, paper clips, crumbs...with the blocks as candy, or something like that)? Not positive what would be best, however, this comes off as hodgepodge that could have used stronger art direction.
AUDIO NOTES
Simple and squeaky sound effects. They don't come off as cute or punchy, which I believe was the intent. However, they serve there purpose in adding to the flavor of the game and conveying supplemental information to the player.
TECHNICAL NOTES
For the most part, the coding seems solid. The game runs well and the menus are responsive. Good load times. The only issue I came across was taking a trap door directly down to a finish gate, which did not register. The game's engineering scope is simple, but done capably.
OVERALL
I encourage the developer to keep making games. Even though I didn't love Kahoots it shows that its maker understands game theory and is hot on the trail of making something fantastic. Keep it up!
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Very interesting gameplay and cool atmosphere, my inner child totally approves of this game
Pegbeast's songs are maybe one of the awesomest tutorials ever.
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I love the world-wrapping! I don't think I've seen a lead-the-minions sort of game with that. It add nice flavor to the puzzles.
On level 18, the little Mochi Register/login buttons cover up tiles that I'd like to swap around in the lower left.
Including the lessons learned on the level select screen is a great idea! Knowing which levels introduced which blocks is a nice touch.
The click-and-drag on the level-select screen doesn't always work for me, it seems unreliable somehow.
I like the block-shifting idea. I think the instructions called it "swapping", but it's more of a shift.
The pegbeast is a great idea, as are the cardborgs (i.e. moving obstacles).
I hope the premium levels work well with your fans!
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Kahoots beautifully combines currently trendy 'handmade' aesthetics (a la LittleBigPlanet) with the wit and deviousness of an old school British platformer. It's full of auxilary touches, like the rapping peg creature, that add practically nothing to the gameplay, but masses to the overall effect and warmth of the experience.
I suppose the only downside is that the foreground platform graphics aren't quite as stylised and impactful as the backgrounds, front end and peripheral visuals, but that's it really.
Can see lots of potential here for co-op play and user-generated content. But even as it is, it's the sort of game that you just want to tell everyone about, because it exudes the joy of game design.
Great stuff.
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The best thing with this game is the Pegbeast!!!
The gameplay is OK. I actually like the idea but it doesn?t really click for me. Sometimes I can?t see where the character will fall down which makes things feel very unfair. Also I dont really like the indirect control in this kind of context.
The art is a bit unpolished; I think is needs to be more coherent and crisper.
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Great game, very understandable and appealing. Love the Pegbeast between each level and the voice acting, as well as the other audio. I like the way the map looks like the levels themselves; the only complaint I have is that the Kahoot is a little too slow!
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Rehash of an old mechanic with not much novelty. Art definitely needs polish, voice & music become a little too repetitive after some time. The goal for something like this would be to enhance or build upon the base mechanic with more creative gameplay ideas.
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Good puzzle game, I wish there was a way to auto-advance between the levels, I wanted to play it much more frantically (but that's just me).
Seems like a lot of fun through the first few levels when you are learning the game, I tried to go back to it a few times and found that, for me, it had little staying power. For people that love this kind of game, it may have more.
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Player
