not what I was expectating, thus the score. perhaps if you labeled it a demo...
Author Comments
This is just a quick tech demo of my next game Shade. You are an experimental being that has escaped a testing facility and and trying to find out the reason for your existence.
These are the first two levels and the game is aimed towards the indie community (having being developed in flashpunk) I haven't touched the code since college and it's been almost a year now so i thought i would revisit the code and make the rest of the game.
Please tell me what you think.
Controls: Arrow keys to move, SPACEBAR to activate terminals.
HINT: Death does not affect the game world.
For more updates on the development follow me on Twitter:
@ItsLukeeee
Good so far, makes me curious as to what the rest of the game is going to be like.
found a glitch though, tried to raise the third platform and jump on it, but if you stand on top of the platforms while they're in motion you get stuck in them.
Graphics: N/A reason: flixel
Controls: good, but I'd rather use WASD
Story: intriging, but nothings sure yet
gameplay: N/A reason: demo
overall: above average
In my opinion, it is already pretty decent, but :
- the jump should be fixed (the Y speed should be decreasing more and more to gain a realistic "arch motion")
- entering doors should be automatic, unless there is a good reason not to later in the game
I hope the story will be solid, the "death does not change anything" part justified by the plot, and the puzzle part more elaborate.
This is alright for a tech demo, but it needs quite a bit of work.
Your assets are pretty weak. The graphics are functional, and they get their purposes across, but that's it. They're not very detailed or stylized or memorable in any way. This can be okay, but it would need to fit the theme of your work, and at this point, it is unclear what the theme of your work is. Animations could be better as well; right now they're very basic. One specific issue I have is that the white transitions are way too slow, and need to be sped up. Sound is almost completely nonexistent, and it felt somewhat awkward to be walking around what is clearly intended to be a scientific facility with absolutely no noises whatsoever. The lack of background ambiance also left the scene feeling empty and emotionless. I do, however, welcome the voice acting. It's a little bit dry and emotionless (which, although somewhat typical for a scientist, had no impact in the scene) but it is recorded well, and there is potential in his voice.
Moving on to the gameplay, it was very basic, and pretty boring. It does, however, have plenty of potential. There are plenty of ways to intelligently abuse the fact that dying changes nothing, so you have chosen a good game mechanic. I would make a slight adjustment, though, in that it is a bit jarring to be immediately teleported to a spawn immediately after you die. There should be somewhat of a break in between the death and new life of the shade.
Finally, the story currently isn't there. The plot is exactly what you have written in the description and that is it. It hasn't gone anywhere yet, and that is disappointing.
Final Score: 1.5 Stars. I am interested to see where this project will head, but in its current state, it is not a good game. I would need to see more before I can properly assess it. Good luck on the game, should you decide to finish it.