It's a lovely exploration game Inga, it's just that, the game is super glitchy, making it very hard to complete the game, I think I restarted 10 times already, which shows how much I actually want to discover every area, these cutscenes are just way too cute. I can't say that I ever seen an art style like that, feels like it's somewhere between surrealism and some type of folk art, not entirely sure how the cats come into the picture, but why not, just draw as many cats as you can and I am sure it will have some aesthetic appeal.
The puzzles have an interesting music based mechanic but they can also be convoluted, you essentially find musical notes that you can play on the instrument, and if you play them in the right spot you will get access to a new area. It sounds simple but the game does not always make it clear where you can play the notes, so I often find myself spamming the composition next to everything because it's the only way to make sure I don't miss anything. Perhaps it would help if you color coded the right spots better, in general I think the game could use a little more guidance because it's not clear which objects you expect me to interact with, everything is so colorful.
There are some issues with the soundtrack, I don't mind the music that you are using, but it does not loop if you stay in the same room, and I also think you should have a music in the main menu as well. When I press ESC it will open the menu screen but ESC will not close it if I press it again. The sound effects on the instrument can also be a little too loud and overlap the soundtrack too much, you probably should use something more simple than chords.
On a side note, I noticed that you released the EA version for free, but planning to charge for the full version. If I may give you a small advice, next time I would say just sell your game right away, even if you do a good job at the end, there will be less interest for it than the first day, and frankly you should get paid for your work.
[h1] Pros: [/h1]
(+) Very unique aesthetic, I never seen this specific flavor for the surreal art. It's fun to just run around and find new areas. The music is not bad, but it does not loop properly. There are a few thought provoking segments as well, some type of philosophical angle which I can't fully understand.
[h1] Feedback: [/h1]
I am just gona speedrun these because there are a lot of them:
- music does not loop, it should if you stay in the same room
- the main menu needs a music as well
- space button restarts the game, sometimes does other actions too, very bad if you press it by accident, it should not do anything if it has no other use
- ESC opens the menu, but does not close it when pressed again
- I would make it easier to understand where you can play music, maybe color code the environment, same for any objects that are of interest
- there are inventory glitches, I got one after I entered the door with the key picking up the next object, looks like white square in the inventory
- some rooms have holes in them so you can accidentally leave the area
- the chords are a bit too loud, I think you should have used short notes instead
- the save system in this game is not great, I wish I had a fixed slot as a safety net
- when you enter rooms the character spawns too close to the exit so you often go back by accident
- maybe add achievements
[b] EA 6/6/2024 [/b]
Yea fun exploration game, just very glitchy, so work on that, and make sure the music loops, maybe add the music in the menu, it will improve the feel of the game a lot. Other than that, looking forward to exploring more of the game once I can actually play the game without running into issues. I would not mind buying the game once it comes out, although you might have to remind me when it's done.
[code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]
