Orik's Journey
A 2D platformer with a focus on environment and character
Follow Orik's journey in this 2D platformer as he struggles to accept the events of a tragic incident that happened to him long ago
This is a demo of the full game I'd like to make
I would like your feedback on the following:
- How does the character controls feel? Are they responsive?
- What do you think of the environment and character art?
- Was the difficulty of the levels rising in an interesting way?
- Do you think the game has unique qualities that differentiate it from other 2D platformers?
Comments (6)
The intro is neat and sets the tone and mood of the story (not the challenge) well. The machine backing away from a small child breaks the immersion, but there is an easy fix for that…
you know what to do
The visuals are clean and well animated. There could be more detail, depends on what you are going for. Reminds me a tad of the old Knytt Underground, if memory serves.
About the challenge then. Very basic. The twisty dash is a good start and the current batch of levels nicely increase in difficulty. It feels good to chain actions together to reach new heights.
Of course, in a longer project there ought to be more abilities and hazards to keep travelsal compelling. I hope you have many lined up, because I'm not an expert in these sort of things. Maybe the little-guy-all-grown-up could consume "herbs" to temporarily slow down time or gain consecutive dashes? This way the level design could get ridiculously complex (for optional areas per chance?)
Solid foundation so far.
Nice game! The art is definitely the strongest point here, and you set up an interesting story (what is a machine doing in a peaceful woodland? What is the significance of the herbs? Where did the dash ability come from?). I do believe, however, that the pacing is a bit weird. Story only in the intro, then some levels, then story again kind of breaks the immersion. Adding little bits of story elements during the platforming (the player reminiscing on a favored spot, the herb market sign showing up in the middle of the platforming segments) would go a long way in my opinion.
As for the feedback you requested:
- The character and controls are very responsive, although a bit too much maybe. I felt like things happened way too quickly at times, especially during hard segments where I constantly had to switch between jump, dash, grab, repeat). Maybe add little start-up animations? Slow down the fall speed? Lastly, going diagonally with the dash moves you faster than in straight lines, which probably isn't the intended behavior.
- The environment and art are amazing. The amount of detail - from the moving grass to the parallax scrolling trees - is incredible. The only thing I have to say in that regard is that on my computer, the FPS really dropped between segments, so maybe try to optimize that part?
- I felt like the difficulty spiked drastically in the last two levels. I managed to beat the first segments in a couple of tries (granted, I play a lot of platformers), but it took me a long time to finish those last two. Maybe move them later on in the game? Or add more diverse obstacles to better ease in the player?
- I believe that the best aspects are the story and art. The dash and wall jumps are a bit similar to Celeste. If you want your game to feel different, perhaps go all-in on the story and art? Make it more of a story-driven game with less platforming?
Overall, it was a really nice experience, and a good set-up for a full game. The art and story are almost enough for the game to work right now - emphasize on those parts, and it could be great!
My first impression: I loved the little character, he's so cute! and his little skippy walk is really cute.
How does the character controls feel? Are they responsive?
Controls are responsive, but not a fan of the mario floaty jump in this kind of difficult platforming. I didn't like the dash ability ending when I let go of the button, I want it to keep going.
What do you think of the environment and character art?
The art is very cute and relxaing! I loved it a lot.
Was the difficulty of the levels rising in an interesting way?
It was super hard to start to begin with, and yea the difficulty spiked after each screen! haha.
Do you think the game has unique qualities that differentiate it from other 2D platformers?
I really liked the story elements at the beginning, and the cute walk animation and character art. The environment art was as interesting as the characters.
--- My general feedback
When I was at the grave, I wish there was something I could do, like why was I here to begin with? Why did I come here? I came in, saw the flashback then left. Kind of ruins the immersion and feelings I had.
Nothing told me I could climb walls, I just randomly stumbled on that as I went right. The dash tutorial was a bit hard, it not only required me to dash but to grab the wall RIGHT as soon as it ended, VERY difficult. Maybe if it was just a long path of those mushrooms to dash over, it would be an easier tutorial.
For a game that looks very sweet and relaxing, it has very difficult platforming. I didn't know you could control the dash, I thought it was just a straight line in the direction you hold. I also don't like the dash ending prematurely if I let go of the button, I want it to keep going.
Not only is this game cuter than Super Meat Boy, it's harder too! haha! I could barely get past a few screens.
to be honest, I didn't understand why there was a dodge ability, or what platforming has to do with the game. It started off as a story-driven game, and caught my interest but then lost it when it came to the platforming. How is the environment tied to the story? Why are there death mushrooms? why can I dash? is this game ONLY about platforming? or are there other things like farming for example (this game gives me the impression of some kind of story-driven farming platformer, probably because the house says herbalist and you have a hat and lantern.