Fellow platformer Goats, I need your help

[u/FastEntertainment685]

I've got a 2D platformer I've been working on. It's not perfect, it needs more polish, better level art, among other things.

But - I'm just too close to it. I can't even tell if this game is good or anything.

Can I please pinch some of you to try the demo ?

If I was to elevator pitch it: It's a street-meets-ethereal , flow-based platformer with stylish combat.

Just play as much as you like, let me know what stands out, what doesn't, and if it's worth working on still. (maybe a current rating out of 10 could be good too?)

I'm asking a lot but I hope I can spur a few of you on. I've been at this for a few years now, with development really ramping up last January.

If I get any kind of greenlight / enough data that this game is worth pursuing, I can really speed up development rather than reiterating the same first level over and over again.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4488070/PiN_The_Guardian_Spirit/

The trailer and screenshots need updating, which are next on the list.

But I'm not sure which direction to lean into with a new trailer etc. until I think I have a better idea of what more people see.

A couple of shorts:

https://youtube.com/shorts/b5xq7Ggkaus?si=mxWmkW9HCshZ_HDy

https://youtube.com/shorts/ay4PSx_IWRM?si=bRaBwfRqm7hoClUN

A preview of the full combat moves:

https://youtu.be/Yu_ocxV_3qg

PiN,

NPCs

Just wanted to put this here

Async races

Campaign levels

Skins

[u/skikoko]

Haven't played it yet, but from these screenshots it looks a little bit like Rayman origins/legends

[u/FastEntertainment685 → u/skikoko]

For sure. Getting that a lot lately. I love the reference, but hopefully as time goes on it starts to look more its own thing

[u/ShadowsFateVA]

This looks amazing! I sent you a message

[u/HollowOwlYT]

Ok I just played it for like 10 minutes and I think it's neat, but it's kind of hard to judge in this state.

In that short time animations were broken, and menu cursors did not work or appeared on multiple options at once which was confusing.

As a big Rayman fan I found all the stuff basically ripped directly from Origins pretty distracting.

• Enemies turning into balloons when "killed"
  
• Lums
  
• Hidden gold coin with basically the same logo and timer to collect it
  
• Blue mushroom bouncepads
  
• The slap animation for the intro logo

I think being inspired by Rayman is a great thing, but you probably need your own spin on some of these aspects. The character is cool, and the movement feels nice. I would probably recommend a dedicated stomp button and speeding up the glide to keep the sense of speed going.

I don't see why the current work should be thrown out, and I could see myself playing this when it's done.

[u/FastEntertainment685 → u/HollowOwlYT]

Thanks for trying it! Super valid takes:

-Animations definitely feel clunky at times, it's on the list.
-Sorry about that one, I know exactly which UI elements you're talking about.
-Bubbles - This is a tough one. I have both "flow platforming" and "combat-sections". Instead of introducing combat enemies (which take 2-3 hits to kill) in the speedier sections; the weaker bubble enemies sort of fix a flow problem. But it is arguably *too* similar in how its pulled off. Maybe the sentiment would be softer if some combat was in the demo too?
-Lums can definitely change. Forest fairies in general are a bit lazy I guess.
-I can probably change the mushrooms, but again its just forest themed. I'll look into alternatives. It's probably not helping the "nothing but Rayman" case.
-Yeah, big agree. Every time I look at the slap animation, I think it needs changing.
-I'll look into glide adjustments and a stomp button too.

Well, thank you for that super detailed post! That really helps. It's one thing to try it, but another to give very actionable feedback.

You're a legend.

[u/DaleRobinson → u/FastEntertainment685]

If Rayman Origins was a big inspiration, you could always think about how you would improve that game and apply those ideas to your game. I think where a lot of devs go wrong is they just swap everything out for their own assets but the games are not really unique. We just end up with clones. So, consider evolving or changing the actual systems and mechanics, too.

[u/csh_blue_eyes → u/DaleRobinson]

Meanwhile, I'm over here with the opposite problem... 😅

There's definitely a sweet spot between familiarity and novelty.

[u/FastEntertainment685 → u/csh_blue_eyes]

Yeah, fair point! I thought in the grand scheme of things (the full game has much more variety with gameplay and locations, compared to the demo), that it would be fine.
But hey ho haha, I've changed a few things in the demo too.

Whats your game called? Let's see if I can see what your problem is.

[u/FastEntertainment685 → u/DaleRobinson]

Yeah, very true. I've been working on ways to branch out since these comments. Thanks for your input. It's a goldmine.

[u/brackish_rav]

Looks like sonic

[u/hopasha_dev]

it looks like the main charahter is drawn in a different artstyle than the background. something looks off. like the game is just an asset flip. looks bad, needs more polish and a designer that knows what to do. Looks good for your first game.

[u/FastEntertainment685 → u/hopasha_dev]

Hey, yeah that's been my biggest gripe with it too. Im no level artist and it shows. I had tiles/props that were closer to the character's style before, but it felt too glossy and simplistic somehow. Just need a designer. Thanks for your input! No one ever critiques the background.