I think it was a pretty good game, most stuff i have to say have been mentioned by others... my first thought was that the game window was too small, but i got used to it.
Also, i think this game reminds me alot of B.O.B for the snes, now i havent played that game since i was a kid, but i got the vibes from that game.
Make a sequel with some improvements perhaps, more upgrades, more weapon variety and stuff, i know IM looking foreward to it :)
Keep up the amazing work, peace!
The game is not bad at all, but it suffers from things already mentioned by others.
-jump upgrades should have been double and triple jump, where you can press the up key again in mid-air to jump an extra time. Then you don't lose the advantages of a single jump
-I didn't know how to use the coins for upgrades until I entered the second star system after finishing all first star system levels.
-It's annoying that if you finish a planet you're in the star system selection screen instead of the screen of that planet
-Some levels are really easy, others too difficult (it starts quite difficult, then after your first upgrades things get really easy, then the final levels are extremely difficult again and require constant grinding in the same low levels for coins).
The gfx are cute, the story is good enough, but unfortunately the gameplay has some major flaws.
* Jumping upgrades will HURT you. They'll make it more difficult - or even impossible - to make some jumps, forcing you to take damage or to forfeit certain coin rooms. They'll also make it more difficult to hit flying enemies, like those in the last two levels.
Unfortunately, jump height isn't really controllable, and you cannot downgrade again. So I paid lots of coins to play hard mode?
* Coin grinding. Why oh why shall we repeat levels over and over again just to afford the upgrades required to beat the game? How do you benefit from wasting our time in such a way? It doesn't make the game more fun, it turns a nice little distraction into something way too long to enjoy.
Repeating once or twice is fine, but having to do it a couple dozen times just shouldn't be required.
* the pits of death and uneven difficulty curve have been mentioned by others. Unavoidable damage is always a bad thing.
* the different weapon types could have been unlockable by gold, and switchable in-level. Otherwise, you'd have to visit the level, die a horrible death because the piercing shot couldn't hit a single enemy, then go to the shop to switch. Not fun.
* I'm not sure the system map was needed. A single level-selection screen including the shop would have sufficed. Most star systems were almost empty anyway, containing only two planets. I also hated the delays in the menus, making them feel unresponsive and laggy.
I beat the game without a single upgrade, I was worried the game would be too easy. :/ Thanks for the detailed feedback.
Biggest problem is it's extremely laggy. The level design is also poor, like dropping down a hole and landing in a bunch of enemies and quickly losing a lot of health or dying. Access to the upgrades should be available in the first system or obvious from the main selection or something rather than just there in the second. Difficulty curve is also awkward, one level is pretty easy, then the next one I'm running into enemies that will two-shot me and have tons of health and I'm facing 3 of them at a time; I could deal with that with some upgrades, but very sudden and unnecessary. There's really nothing new to this game, so having these flaws really hurts it. If you fix the lag and retune, it could be decent.
a good game but i can give you onlu 3.5 stars its not bad but can get some bit improvements, its a great game i enjoyed but here my reasons.
1) there something i didnt saw from Nes era games and thats the "blindly fall on this gap and see if you have luck" i mean sometimes i wasnt sure if were im going to land its a safe spot or i will land on an enemy and that its really something frustrating because i can go there all ready for action but if dont know where going to land then i cant do a lot to save myself think about it at least you can make the player safe land and then ITS A TRAP! but the player will be ready and if he isnt very good player then he will die. but please not "blind falls".
2) when i read upgrades i was hoping about if i die the shop will bring up ok not every game have that, but at least you can have the shop from the main menu i wasnt sure if there was a shop upgrade until i go to the second solar system. then i foound some upgrades that make easier my way on some planets. specially the pierce shot.
3) i noticed that you can get a lot of damage because the invisibility frame its too short, i can understand the upgrade about take many hits but would be different if: i dont have upgrades i take like 3 hearts away from powerful enemies but at least i have invisibility frames (they cant be too long but sometime fair i mean) so, when the "take more hits" upgrade its bought my life still go away easily because the "Invisibility frame its too short.
Besides those reason this game really its prety nice i hope to see more games from you. keep the good work!