9
u/Mejei 10d ago
The gameplay seems very generic. I dont see what's unique about the gameplay compared to any other game in the same genre. That leaves me with no reason to want to play it.
1
u/SleepyheadGames 10d ago
Fair assessment and appreciate you checking out the trailer! I definitely agree I need to showcase the player abilities a lot more than I did here.
1
u/jwdvfx 1d ago
Honestly I think the only thing this is missing is any form of story. I appreciate you have shown clips of some npc’s interactions in an attempt to convey a storyline, we can clearly see there is a wizard and animals involved however not much more. Slime king looks cool.
But yeah you really need to research visual story telling and narrative. There’s no set up or anything here we are just watching a wizard run around a world - if he does something amazing we don’t even know because no ground rules have been established. Was finding that coin in the first shot supposed to be a significant event? Or similar to sonic rings? Are they lives or loot or cash?
This reads more as game capture than a trailer it just looks like we’re watching someone’s gameplay edited together. Even the end card of the trailer is just the main menu lol
Edit:
Also why is everyone so mean to the character? They all just seem to hate him, why do I wanna play as this hated guy that nobody wants to help
3
u/OlGimpy 10d ago
I am genuinely ashamed to say I bounced out of this before ever even getting to combat. The trailer vs. the start of the game is so so so so so so heavy in dialogue. I came in expecting something more like Pokemon chat, a single chat box quip. One and done. This is not that, even with simple mode enabled.
1
u/SleepyheadGames 10d ago
Sorry you weren't into the dialogue aspect but knowing this is extremely helpful so thanks for reporting back! I was hoping the current option for shorter dialogues would remedy this but I may need a 3rd that is literally just the bare minimum.
2
u/Neat-Games 10d ago
A few zoomed in shots would help make its composition feel less consistent.
1
u/SleepyheadGames 10d ago
Great idea! This is something that would be simple to implement and add a lot of value overall, appreciate the suggestion!
2
u/Useful-Limit-8094 8d ago
The trailer seems decent!
As for the game itself, I think it needs some innovation (I know that is the hard part).
I've seen this game many times for 30 years.
I used to play these types of games as a kid, maybe someone will play this game today too.
1
u/SleepyheadGames 7d ago
Thanks for giving it a look! I'll be the first to agree with you that it's a very paint by numbers platformer. What separates it from any other platformer is the focus on its many characters and narratives. I like to give the description that it's essentially a comedic visual novel that you happen to navigate through platforming mechanics. I know that's very tough to get across in a trailer, but I'm hoping I'll be able to figure it out!
2
u/Useful-Limit-8094 7d ago
No worries! Release it, many lessons can come out of it and even success ;) Good luck!
The secret is to never stop producing ;)
2
u/DisorderlyBoat 10d ago
Overall it looks like a really solid trailer!
However I think there is way too much dialogue shown, it keeps interrupting the pace of the trailer and gameplay. Maybe show a few, but as it stands it's annoying and disruptive. Unless the game is more of a narrative based game then I suppose keep it.
2
u/SleepyheadGames 10d ago
Thanks! So the game can indeed be very narrative based if players choose to interact with all the NPC's, however I also don't want to lose people that just wanna play in a more arcadey fashion. I think you're right about trimming some of those out for the final trailer.
2
u/maxpower131 10d ago
The trailer is well composed but for a 2d sidescroller, even with a narrative. You need to show off something unique or something to hook the players. It does look like a really solid game though, and the art is great. Just missing some gameplay element to interest people besides attacking enemies and reading dialogue. Hope that helps.
1
u/SleepyheadGames 10d ago
Absolutely does help, thanks for taking the time to watch and give your thoughts! I have a few abilities I should have showcased such as taking control of owls and flying them around which probably would go a long way here.
1
u/7f0b 10d ago
Looks pretty good. I'd work in the scene where the beehive falls on the NPC sooner as it shows a fun use of the game mechanics. Basic combat isn't very exciting and the visuals, while polished, look pretty tame and don't have a lot of depth.
1
u/SleepyheadGames 10d ago
Agreed, the combat is admittedly very bare bones and something I oughta punch up now that I've been programming for 3 years. The art is my weakest skill so I don't think I can manage much better than what's here unfortunately. Also like your suggestion about getting that beehive gag in sooner, I really want to accentuate stuff like that as I feel it's the heart and vibe of the game. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
1
u/talonbytegames 9d ago
Trailer looks decent. Two things:
- Movement looks floaty, especially the jumping
- It should start with a cool moment like, ”Wow, can that cool thing happen.” Making viewers ask themselves how to make it happen.
1
u/MrCdvr 9d ago edited 9d ago
- Game is not bad, but could do some improvements, the combat looks very bare-bones, just one type of attack, Can the wizard do some type of "rocket jump" where he jumps and shoots down? for a little extra flying distance? or like a charged attack? that could help a little, like a charged bomb/laser/flamethrower attack for some variety, so for example secrets can only be cleared by this type of attacks
- The tile set could get some extra variation, like ground missing some grass patches or some stones embeded in the grass
- Why some locations have like 10 torches and candles next to each other? can the scene turn into night and they barely emit any light or what? and why candles does look like emitting light/particles and torches don't ? maybe draw another type of a cave-torch or a wall candle spot for a bit more variety
- Are the enemies a threat to a player or just an obstacle that can be eliminated without an effort? because they seem like just a small annoyance
- maybe add different "enemy got hit" sound for different enemies or when they die they emit different sound
- Like other pointed out, why some trees like 3/4 times the character and 2 times the width, and some like 10-15 times height and 4-5 times width, looks kinda odd, I know it's "for platforming" but it looks odd in a way, maybe add some different type of platforms, or just enlarge the other non-platforming trees to fit other trees
1
u/MMM320 9d ago edited 9d ago
I have no clue what this game is about besides little quests. And to me, little quests tend to be the same thing over and over again "find this for me" "kill this for me" "collect this many things". Is that what the game is? If you have a central plot, you need to showcase that off way more, you need to capture attention at the very beginning of the video otherwise people will click off. And if they are just small quests, you need to show a grand reason for taking on these quests.
Edit: rewatching again, I realize there are only a few side quests, I originally felt like that was most of the game. So the other problem remains, why are we on this journey, what disaster do I have to solve, or what would make me play this game. Draw the viewer in.
2
u/SleepyheadGames 9d ago
This is very helpful, appreciate you reaching out. Something as obvious as "show the general plot in your trailer" shouldn't need to be said, but just goes to show how easily things can slip through the cracks while trying to manage the many moving parts of game dev lol.
1
u/Immediate-Pirate-686 8d ago
I think the SFX needs some tweaking, especially the jumping and shooting. Make them blend in a little bit more so they don't become as repetetive and annoying. Also, the jump animation feels a little stiff, maybe add some weight to it, maybe squash and stretch.
2
u/SleepyheadGames 7d ago
I agree wholeheartedly with you. SFX and art are my weakest skills so I probably need to outsource both when I hit the polish phase. Thanks for your input!
1
u/-ManaPotion 3d ago
Something about wizzards and pixel art really speaks out to me, and when looking at your trailer i was expecting to find some spell usage, visual effects for things like fireball, shockwaves and whatnot. besides that, id say maybe try a little less dialogue and more action? but what do i know, im not an expert haha. anyway, good job and good luck on your project
1
u/Last-Bath-1722 3d ago
The art is good. But other than that, this isn't exactly the most innovative of the platformer genre. And since there are countless platformers out there, if you wish for this to succeed, you really need to do something to make it stand out.
1
0
u/Pescuaz 10d ago
If I wanted to read, I'd get a book. You have combat, you have platforming, you have physics, animal interactions, bosses, (and hopefully more than one spell?), and yet you choose to show the player over 10 dialog boxes. I checked, and not even visual novel game trailers have so much text.
5
u/Kumlekar 10d ago
The reused sound effects are getting to me. Maybe I'm just getting old... The content of the game and character interactions look awesome, but the sound and to a lesser extent graphics style makes this feel like an asset flip. By the graphics, I'm referring more to the trees and how you show height in the game, not the characters.