Death Machine

I could not make much progress in the 7 hours that I played, I had maybe 50 different technical issues ranging from small bugs and movement polish to potentially game breaking problems like menu locks, movement locks, getting outside of the map, as well as severe issues with backtracking design, optimization, and enemy spawn logic, potentially adding hours and hours of artificial difficulty. The game is somewhat playable for the first 2 hours, but it gets much worse in my experience. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3642137205 (In this image I killed the boss, but the end of the fight did not trigger, funny thing I was also damage immune due to a different bug. Various softlocks and progression bugs like that are not uncommon here. I also have no access to some parts of the map because some bosses respawn and lock your camera to that area) Something that I find interesting, if you look at the negative reviews, many people gave up 30 minutes in based on the movement being stiff, so that alone was too much for some players, and that is only 1 of dozens of major issues that I have with the game. Also I see posts from like 2024 mentioning these things, and they are still in the game, like I get that maybe the devs just don't have the experience to fix it, but they could at least communicate it and respond to the players (BTW, I am honestly not trashing on the game, I am just trying to be honest so we can establish the state of the game at the moment) It's a bit of a hybrid between Rogue-lite and Metroidvania, leaning more toward the second, but otherwise it's not too unusual, basically if you die you return to the hub and lose the upgrades during the run, but you keep the map progress if you beat the boss or get a checkpoint. It's an interesting if not a slightly wacky idea, but it does have a huge variety of mods for varies attacks and abilities, many of them need more work though with the poor delays. The sad thing is, if you can imagine this game with no issues, there is clearly some passion and intent to make something interesting, it's a very large game, it has some very pretty backgrounds and a decent variety of rogue-lite modifiers, but it seems the lack of communication, and what I assume is just lack of experience is why we have this underwhelming product. I can see a good game there, but it's like I am alpha testing or something, it could take months to fix it, assuming they will keep on working on it. [h1] Pros: [/h1] (+) Backgrounds are usually pretty good, although the game has optimization issues and it's hard to enjoy them because of it, and even though the voice acting is kinda bad, the game attempts to have some immersive world building (+) It has a lot of content, I just got bored of dealing with bugs to get further, not worth it at the moment (+) The game has a ton of mod variety for attacks and abilities, but they also have a lot of balancing and practical application issues [h1] Feedback: [/h1] [u] There is a lot to cover, I will try to arrange them roughly by priority: [/u] - something is causing frame drops across most of the areas (more so in bigger locations), I can only guess it's because you have a mechanic that spawns extra enemies, but it can add like 200 enemies per area where it had 30 originally? Also I think maybe the fog effect is adding to it. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3642113268 (Bruh, 25 angels in one spot, not only it's laggy, there is no way I can do anything against that) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3641764883 (like what is the point of this mechanic if the game can’t handle so many enemies on the screen, I am playing at 10 frames sometimes) - there is [b]too much camera movement/follow when you change directions[/b], try keeping it closer to the character and have it return faster, you can also consider turning off aiming by default until you actually need to aim - when you spamming a [b]basic attack it will prevent you from switching direction[/b], consider letting the player change attack direction while spamming so the current animation ends in the different direction - I am not sure if you can unlock the ability to choose a starting checkpoint later, but there are too many backtracking/optimization issues in this game to not have it by default, I cannot express how poorly the backtracking in some of the areas can be, [b] we need the ability to use the unlocked shortcuts as waypoints from the start of the game [/b] - [b]consider letting the dash cancel the current attack animation[/b], and maybe [b]add some I-frames by default [/b] - I find it weird that you made a map, but didn't show where the exits/connections are, like you could at least show lower or upper general directions of the doors - there are [b]too many missing sound effects in the game, or sound effects that are too silent[/b], overall the volume for sounds feels off - [b]too many of the "super attacks" have a very long charging delay[/b] that completely negates their effect or usefulness, don't worry about their balance for now, they need to feel good - default projectile does not feel good to use, the damage is too low, the speed is too low, and the arch is not intuitive - don't close the conversations with NPC before they are over, why do you have to open 10 different panels - reduce enemy attack frequency [b] Overall Thoughts: ______ [/b] This is not a review of the game, the technical issues are preventing me from playing at a reasonable pace, half of my gameplay time was technical issues or backtracking caused by technical issues. In my opinion, at a certain point, the game is no longer in a playable state as of this review. If you care about this game, please start talking to people in the forum. I would recommend to improve the movement and lag first, as those are likely the cause for refunds. [code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

So far only completed 2 bosses, the room to room gameplay flow really smootly, and the way items and blessings change your move set works really well with the metroidvania part of the game allowing that "ooh a new item" feeling to become and "oo this thing is really good with my build" is truly fantastic. A HUGE RECOMMEND to anyone that likes either metroidvanias and rougelikes!!!! (while I did get this game for free I've enjoyed it so much I've gifted it to a friend to support the dev)

Cool game. Very good for a developer's first project. Pixel art is reminiscent of Rain World which is always a plus. The gameplay loop is fun. I can see myself sinking many more hours into this.

They got the style and art down but pretty much everything else needs work. As it stands, the gameplay is just not very fun. Controls are clunky to say the least.

Had to refund this one, which is something I very rarely do. I was drawn in by the fantastic looking art and creepy atmosphere, but after 30 mins of play I knew I wouldn't be spending any more time with it. That might not seem like much time but I've played 100s of metroidvanias and I know early on if one will stick. The movement, abilities and combat just don't feel good unfortunately. I usually acclimatise to even clunky systems pretty fast but Death Machine just wasn't clicking. The combat has zero impact, and in fact the whole affair has a kind of weightless feel to it. The M&KB controls don't feel good, I played through Rusted Moss with M&KB and it felt great so it is possible for this kind of game, but in general I prefer gamepad for 2D platformers/MVs. Unfortunately pad is somehow just as bad. The game needs a ton of work to refine and improve the game feel, I haven't seen any activity from the devs to any of the feedback on the community hub, so I doubt they'll read this anyway. Hoping Metamorphosis will turn out well enough to scratch that dark metroidvania itch.

Despite looking fantastic graphically and stylistically, the game is sadly quite frustrating and not fun to play. The movement is way too floaty, attacks are not impactful at all, and any type of precision is non-existent. On top of that, it's not optimized at all, tanking the FPS any time there's fog on-screen. System reqs aren't actually posted, but even in the starting location it ran worse than Elden Ring on my PC.

The story puts you in the role of a heretic, tied to a rope and hanged from a bridge atop a giant tree. The rope snaps, and you plummet all the way to the dark depths below, where a demon awaits you. The demon offers a deal: long ago, humans came to the giant tree and built structures to reach its top. They grew greedy, banishing the guardians who had welcomed them. Now, the demon wants to use you as an instrument of revenge. Your character plays like a standard platforming hero, but with an unusual twist: you start with a variety of moves that are typically locked in similar games. Besides the hook attack, you have a jump that includes a wall jump when walls are close together, and a powerful grapple ability. The grapple lets you throw your hook at any ceiling or wall to pull yourself up or swing across hazards. With some skill, you can go anywhere you want. However, using the grapple with a gamepad can create issues during combat. Since grapple aim is tied to your attack direction, you may accidentally swing away from enemies and miss your attacks. I also noticed a calibration problem: if you jump on the spot, your character always lands facing left, even when looking right. This problem doesn’t happen when you play with a keyboard and mouse. Next is the forward dash, which works both on the ground and in the air. Dash usage is limited by stamina slots, but this is manageable since stamina slowly regenerates. Stamina is also consumed by spells and tech skills, with varying costs depending on the ability. This is where the game’s roguelite mechanics come into play. As you defeat enemies, you earn skulls used to open gates scattered throughout the stages. These gates either give a single card or offer a choice between three. The rewards are random, so you never know what a gate will contain. Cards grant a variety of abilities. Some are general, affecting stats such as health, stamina regeneration, or periodically firing an orb. These cards can stack, enhancing their effects. Other cards are tied to spells and consume stamina when activated. There are standard spells and more potent tech spells that cost additional stamina slots. You can only hold one of each type at a time, though you can swap them for more useful options. The most interesting are blessings, which let you choose to use them as spells or attach them to your attack or dash, triggering their effects alongside them. For example, a poison blessing will make attacks poison enemies, while a blood blessing causes bleeding. Blessings are always offered at sanctuaries, which serve as respawn points. Upon death, you return to the last visited sanctuary, losing all skulls and cards. However, if you reach the next sanctuary without dying, you can save skulls to buy cards for the next run, though these saved skulls are permanently lost if you die later. Reaching a new sanctuary also resets your danger level, which increases with each enemy you kill and makes foes harder to defeat. Danger functions as a risk-reward system. Enemies respawn quickly, making it easy to accumulate skulls, but opening gates increases their cost. High danger levels accelerate enemy spawns, making it difficult to move through stages without taking damage. You have a health flash that regenerate slowly, but this provides only partial relief. Progress occurs through individual rooms. Unlike gates and enemies, room layouts are fixed and predictable, but navigating them is challenging due to barely visible exits and multiple possible routes. There is no mini-map, and the overall map shows only large named squares that offer little guidance. While you can move freely through stages, the “Metroidvania” label is misleading. Aside from cards, there’s no incentive to explore. There’s no discovery element or skill acquisition to revisit old areas; the experience is more akin to a straightforward action game. Navigation is further hindered by poor visibility. Stages are open, allowing movement up or down, and there are openings in the walls, but darkness obscures almost everything. Exits are nearly invisible until you stand directly in front of them and see the button prompt. Excessive graphical detail also detracts from gameplay. While visually rich, the details are often lost in darkness and can cause noticeable slowdowns when the screen is crowded. Attempting to cheat by returning to the last sanctuary to store skulls isn’t viable, as the last sanctuary becomes inactive. You can only save progress by reaching the next sanctuary. However, there are ways to make the game easier. Health potions refill instantly when switching rooms, which facilitates skull grinding near enemies close to exits. Gates reset as well, allowing repeated openings to accumulate more cards. Initially, card availability is limited, requiring progress and boss defeats to unlock more. Some free cards are placed in stages at fixed locations, allowing you to revisit rooms and gather them repeatedly. Cards stack, improving their efficiency and effectiveness. Rooms are connected by small corridors, sometimes occupied by various sellers. One offers a free card in exchange for a health point, while another sells cards for skulls in the more traditional manner. The main objective is to progress through rooms and reach boss chambers. You can choose your path, but due to navigation challenges, you rarely know where to go unless you stumble upon the correct exit. Boss encounters can over quick if you rush into them, though it’s possible to cheese them with spells from safe spots. Overall, the game presents a unique design vision, but it is not for everyone. The gameplay mechanics are solid, and the combat has depth, but navigating the map is tedious and unrewarding. While the roguelite elements add strategic layers, the combination of poor visibility, limited guidance, and confusing room layouts makes exploration frustrating.

Well, for now the game needs some work done. It's so dark, honestly the 1st floor music is awful (a lot of annoying bleeps and bloops), the font is causing paint, movement is not intuitive. It's not what do I expected.

хз какоето вырвиглазное творение от которого голова болит через минуту игры. Звук как из унитаза, не умеет в полноекран, сырая и багованая, управление ватное и перегружено игра не очень любит геймпад, неприятно подлагивает. кругом темно ничо не видно непонятно. Кароч чисто игра написать негативный отзыв и вернуть деньги. вероятно вокруг нее образуется комьюнити мазохистов которым это зайдет как новая харкор сосайка

genuinely love so much about this game, but the high amount of enemies hoarding on u pretty fast and the inability to revisit shrines combined with all the bugs in it right now make me not want to play much. I still do believe this game will be one of my favourites when its been polished though, and I hope you keep going despite all the negative reviews cause the game is genuinely amazing. btw the art is so pretty omg