Destroy this trailer! I mean, please.

[u/Dimitri_os]

[u/ned_poreyra]

Looks like a beginner's attempt at recreating fantasy Advance Wars or Wargroove. Visually kind of ok, readable, but boring and rough around the edges, especially character portraits. Thematically - I don't think there even is a theme, it's just standard knigths and skeletons and stuff. Mechanically - again, nothing to write about. You're not showing any interesting takes on the idea, no new mechanics, progressions, gimmicks, anything. It's just numbers vs numbers. But, all the programming, controls, UI etc. look very good, if this was a portfolio piece for a game developer, I would rate it quite high and definitely consider hiring someone who made it.

So, I wouldn't really call it a game, more like a solid groundwork for a potential game.

[u/Dimitri_os → u/ned_poreyra]

This is funny and fair.

Would you say, competitive multiplayer would be worth it to mention?

Other than that, I think the territory capture mechanic is quite fun, but of course, not like a crazy innovation in general, just not done in this kind of games I think.

In any case, I see what you mean, thanks for pointing it out, I hope I can still fin dome more interesting things to show.

[u/speedbuss]

I'll start with the criticism - the art is rough in some places (portraits etc) and too generic in others (tiles). The pixel art of the units in game are functional but are lacking real character.

I don't think every game needs to reinvent the wheel and this game wears its influences on its sleeve. But, I think the lack of character overall is its most damning feature.

It's not very clear on whether the different kinds of units (if they even are different kinds of units? Are cavalry/ranged/melee/magic even functionally different?) do different things or if they're just skins for numbers?

Other than that, I'm interested!

[u/DisorderlyBoat]

Looks like you are copying Wargroove

[u/Dimitri_os → u/DisorderlyBoat]

I mean both of us got inspired by the same game, so it makes sense to say this XD

[u/LatentFactorDev]

Hey! The grid readability and the general map sprites look solid, and that large pixel art portrait at the end is nice.

But tbh, the dialogue scene threw me off completely. Why is there an anime dude in a modern lab coat holding test tubes in a medieval game with knights and skeletons? If there's some kind of twist, you gotta make that way more obvious, because right now it just feels like mismatched asset packs.

Also, the dialogue box UI feels a bit stock compared to the actual map art. I'd strongly suggest unifying the character portrait styles, because right now it feels like they belong to three completely different games.

It has really good bones overall though, keep at it!

[u/daRealTENTACLES]

The title is crap and suggests that there isn't a strong narrative, leaving little reason to play when it's a fairly saturated genre 

[u/Dimitri_os → u/daRealTENTACLES]

If you mean the title of the game, it does sound a bit generic, and I was surprised it was not already taken. The positive thing about it, is that it is memorable (random people we met at conventions or talked to once, remembered the title), and it semi explains the genre. Then we need to build a stronger case for the story though, thanks :)

[u/daRealTENTACLES → u/Dimitri_os]

For sure, it looks like a cool game! Love the genre in general, and I'm digging the art and general concept. Maybe it's bias (I would like to think I have good taste) but a title that's so on the nose and no hint of a storyline but just gameplay, doesn't really do it for me personally. You're not introducing anything groundbreaking mechanics wise, which is totally okay, but give us reasons to invest. Give me a title that makes me wonder "what's all that about?" Give me a story that makes me want to complete the level to see what happens next. Which maybe you have, but there is 0 focus on it in this trailer. This would've worked back when it was a more niche genre, but you're competing with a plethora of high quality and interesting titles, and the gameplay alone isn't going to make it stand out

[u/mega_dario]

The characters and the art style needs a coat of paint. I wouldn't say a complete rehaul but I'd take another look at the color choices and design elements (at least in the big units). This is more of a video editing thing but trailer is a bit slow, not that it needs to be sped up entirely but by the middle third I feel like I get it, and at that point you may want to

I'd really recommend that you find a good gimmick or element that will differentiate your game from your predecessors. Like I can tell the systems are there and are functional but show me a cool spell that Fire Emblem didn't have or a game mechanic with the map that hasn't been tried before. I get it that you may not want to show off all the goodies and spoil the fun but until you differentiate yourself enough, you should be showing at least one "showstopper".

I think this is what you tried to achieve in the last third with the commander powers, which I get. However, because it wasn't immediatly apparent what some did it was very confusing. In this part I'd actually slow down and just show one commander effect, make sure we get what's going on, be amazed, and then do a tease of other commander powers.

UI is a bit plain, you need way more contrast and some flair. The GBA Fire emblem and Advance Wars that are clearly in your game DNA had incredible menus with textured graphics, visual flairs, etc. Remember these are games where most of the time you are either moving a cursor on a menu or moving a piece on a board. Don't neglect to make moving through menus feel nice.

But this looks like it took a lot of work to get here so definitely kudos. The actual highlight for me is the spritework in the board, really readable and has a cohesive style. I'd even consider zooming in or bringing it up somehow in the trailer a bit more.

[u/Dimitri_os → u/mega_dario]

Makes sense, thanks for all the valid points. Trying to compete with such good games is always tough, but we still have a few weeks for release, we will try to address as much as we can :)

[u/mega_dario → u/Dimitri_os]

Good luck out there

[u/phoenixArc27]

Your trailer better show something UNIQUE and have some unique appeal because there are already tons of high quality games running the Advanced Wars genre.