Just played through most of the demo and have done everything except for some stuff in the grass area. Missing some orbs and haven't found what to do with the bird in the cage or the carrot and green ghost in my inventory.
in the current demo you cannot do anything for the bird in the cage, or the carrot(at least not yet). These are things that you will be able to do later after I get the game further in development. (the green ghost, on the other hand, is already usable in a certain place)
Initial impressions are really good! The game world is really cute and lively and I'm always curious when I enter new areas. The best part of the game so far for me has been the little creatures and the tiny interactions you have with them. Example: the sleeping creatures in the castle that jump when you pass them or the mole that follows you around. Reminds me a lot of the creatures in Knytt, and I hope you add more stuff like that as you continue making the world.
making these creatures is one of my most favorite parts of the game development process
Level design has been great so far, but the world design and general layout of the areas can be difficult to navigate. The individual areas have great design. The castle is definitely the best in that regard. Since it's a tower you always know that you need to go up, and the level mechanic is a good start to potentially more complicated puzzles later in the game. However it does have the issue of a point of no return at a branching path. The door near the top really bothers me, because that takes you about as far away from the castle as you can get. When I went in I didn't realize that I would have been right at the top if I continued up just a bit more and I also assumed I'd have a way to get back up when I fell down that long shaft. Points of no return are fine and very fun in games like this (the eagle and the big fish in Seiklus are good examples) but both of those were at the end of a path, while this door was at a branching path. It's not a huge deal in this particular instance, but it's something to keep in mind.
I definitely understand what you are saying about the door near the top of the castle.... I'll try to fix that somehow for the next demo.
One thing that really boggles me in the demo is the music. When first looking at this game, it looked so happy and adventure filled. When actually playing it, it's still happy and adventure filled but the music really doesn't fit. It's so sad and solemn, I just don't understand it. When you look at games like Seiklus, or Knytt, or within a deep forest, or even Hubol's 2, the music is very lively and really gets you pumped for exploring. The music here isn't bad, but it doesn't set the tone right. It almost makes me wonder if something bigger and darker is going on, like the end of the world or something. Again, it's not bad, but I really do want to know your thoughts behind putting music like this in the game. I honestly think it would make more sense to remove it completely and have more ambient sounds like birds chirping, grass crunching, water dripping, etc. Like in the rainy area (which is really well done by the way).
Only other thing I can think of is that I need a map, which I assume you'll do considering how baron the item screen is currently. Really great job so far, can't wait to check out what's beyond those WIP signs!
Thank you for voicing your opinion on the music, I had the same feeling(that it was too sad) but decided to see what the public thought before asking the composer to try a more cheerful theme. I definitely want to change the music to be more cheerful to match the cheerful look of the first player location.
I have been planning to create a map for the game, the only trouble is that in order to do it properly I'll need to wait until I've finished designing the entire world, so that I will know exactly how big the world is and how far to scale it down for the pause menu. Until then I hope that you guys can get by on the different appearances in the locations... I know I still need to add some more unique details to give each area it's own look, though.
I really, really appreciate the detailed feedback! This information helps a lot in the development process! Thank you!
@melerski
Thanks, there is a demo if you'd like to play it
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