interesting.
The art reminds me of GBA, or NES. But the gameplay? Defo' SNES.
Jump's too low, it's somewhat slow and laggy, and ... I keep fighting through the red slimes over and over ... only 2 types of monsters in the Beta, I'm guessing? Or did I not reach far enough?
I don't think the Green slimes were meant to hurt. Maybe it's a training? I believe so, and so does my friend who tried this game out too.
Regarding the controls, it's very emulator-ish. Plus, there weren't any instructions on what key is what 'cept at the Author's comment. An interactive tutorial would be nice in the completed version!
About the equipments, like Coordinatez had said, it's unnecessary to require the player equipping the sword - it put me off a little to be honest, haha. How about starting the game with "An Old Sword", "Rusty Sword", "Knife", or something like, "Bamboo Stick"? I don't know, something organic, I suppose? Haha.
About the game itself, don't forget to include 'Save'. It's very important! So do include that feature in your completed version, okay? And plot! Input an interesting story - a generic plot would do - anything is better than the aimless hack slash in the beta. Shops, too - I mean, that's what the Gems and Golds are for, right?
Levelling system + Skills would be sweet. I know there's the 'Level Up!' thing, but my friend and I cannot seem to find the Stats window - is there even one in the Beta...? Just another suggestion; using colour codes is nice, but it'd make it clearer if you mention, in the game itself, which bar represents what gauge. "Green for Health, Blue for Mana, Purple for ... EXP?"
The sound/music is cute - but I think it's better to add in some more different background music for different scenes/levels. Monotone is not a friend. Also, my friend suggested to add in the "Turn On/Off Sound" option - I second that.
Art - 3.5 stars (bright coloured, nostalgic pixelated sprites)
Gameplay - 3 stars (dullness sank in due to the absence of a plot)
Controls - 3 stars (somewhat clumsy, with some lagness - which could be on my side)
Sound - 4 stars
Overall - 3 stars (3.3 stars)
