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[Draknek]

Mindbender is a cross between a rhythm game and a puzzle platformer. You play four simultaneous variants of a level: each is a one-button platformer and if any of the four characters die, all must restart. But as if paying attention to four screens at once wasn't enough, the evil game designer has made each button control two screens! How can you be expected to wrap your mind around that?



You can play Mindbender online as a Java applet or download it (should be runnable by double-clicking the jar file).

The only controls used are the four arrow keys. (Space/Enter/Escape can also be used on menu screens)

After a last-minute decision to submit this to the student IGF, I am trying to give it some final much-needed polish. Specific feedback would be very much appreciated!

The level ordering is particularly in need of review: are there any levels which seem obviously too early or too late? Any levels which feel far too boring or far too frustrating? This would help me manage the (currently rather bumpy) difficulty curve a bit better.

Thanks!

[Curseman]

I'm getting really messed up graphics on this.

[Draknek]

Yeah? I don't suppose you could screenshot it for me? Never had anyone report graphics issues before...

[Eraser]

Bahaha, I played this a few days ago. I did a good ~10 levels before I got quite stuck. Very nice game concept, well executed, and confusing and frustrating as trying to use chopsticks for the first time.

[Curseman]

Yeah? I don't suppose you could screenshot it for me? Never had anyone report graphics issues before...

Sure, have a look.



Basically, all the sprites are mixed up.  Sometimes the ground here looks like a flag, sometimes it's the corner of the main character (like it is in the screen shot).

Bear in mind that the sprites are constantly changing with each other when I play, so a screenshot doesn't fully describe what I'm getting.

The best way I can describe it is that it looks like an old NES game that needs someone to blow in it a few times.



Notice how in the second screenshot, on the "dead" screens things looks alright.  Everything also falls into place when get the "Congratulations!" screen for clearing a level.

I have Java version 6 update 17 installed, which I believe is the latest version.

[Draknek]

Man that's weird. And I have no idea what could cause it either. The player image isn't even on the same image as the level tiles...

But I've uploaded a change that might possibly hide the issue? Let me know.

[Curseman]

Yeah, whatever it is you changed fixed it.

[James Kaudewitz]

I'm getting no problems graphically-wise. Graphics were nice, actually.

As for the gameplay... I dunno if I'd be one to play it very long. It's somewhat frustrating keeping track of so much. If you do complete this, maybe one suggestions could be something like, a warning sound when one player's getting close to a spike. Or flashing signs, or something.

Hope it continutes well!

[HybridMind]

God my brain hurts!  I played about 11 levels until I got stuck and brain damaged on level 11 "Jump!"  Could not figure out how not to die on the mound of plants.

While it is a pretty insidious and cool idea it loses a little for me in the way I personally start to solve these levels which is less about the joy of jumping and more about memorizing rote key command moves...   Does that make sense?  I feel like I'm trying to brutally remember a song to play on keyboard and it starts to get a little less fun and more stressful for me.  Just a taste thing or likely that I'm a bit tired.    I could see a lot of people getting rather swept up in the mechanic though for sure.

Seemed pretty polished and the controls seemed to work pretty well.  I need to go let my brain recover now...   

[Draknek]

Unless I'm missing something, that level should be completable by, err, jumping. With all of them when you get to the edge.

I've added a skip level button. Hopefully that will encourage people to skip a difficult level rather than stop playing completely.

The memorisation thing is something that I'm well aware of, and it's definitely not just you. Unfortunately I've never been able to work out how to avoid that issue and still keep the game mechanic. Maybe it just needs better level design?

Thanks for the feedback!

[HybridMind]

I'll have to check out level 11 again then.  I figure I just couldn't coordinate how to get all 4 screens to jump at the right times.  Reflexes too slow!

If I remember right it seemed I could select any levels I wanted so not sure you need a skip.  I quit more out of just tiredness of the evening more than of your game.  I did preview some of the others just to see.

[Draknek]

For that level, you should just be able to jump with them all at the same time by just pressing left and right together.

And yeah, you can do them in any order, but I figure there's no harm in pointing that out explicitly on the game over screen.

[Carefree games]

This reminds me of an old puzzle game of mine that used similar four-screen gameplay. You should pay special attention to the fact that players won't know the levels like you do. I havn't played this yet, but when I do I can give you some more tips on the gameplay if you'd like.

[Curseman]

The "Planning" level is not cool.

I understand how it could hypothetically be done, but there's no way I'm gonna do that for as long as it'll take to get it right.

[Draknek]

This reminds me of an old puzzle game of mine that used similar four-screen gameplay.

Do you have a link/video? Some tips would be great; I have definitely suffered from being too familiar with it.

Case in point being the "Planning" level. I like the concept too much to remove the level, but I'm well aware that very few people will in fact complete it. But if you work out what buttons to press before-hand, I found that it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting it to be (and you can also slow the game down from the settings menu to make it less insane).

[increpare]

like it; reminds me of a not quite so hectic version of multitask.

Longer levels would be better, I think?

The deadly shrubbery is a strange thing...

[Carefree games]

I can't get you the game until next weekend, but I'll have it for sure. It's had nothing bad and everything good said about it, so it should help you.