Comments on: Z-Fighter’s Game Feel P2

By: mjp14

mjp14 — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 21:12:00 +0000

This is a pretty cool take on the puzzle type of games. I think it’s interesting how the water level rises since it creates a sense of urgency in wanting to complete the room. I liked that the puzzle used XOR to solve it, that made it fun to think about when solving. I also liked that the players movements slow down as the water level rises. However the rest of the motions could be improved on a little because they feel a little bland and it’s hard to tell how the character itself might actually be feeling. The interactions in the game are done well with flipping the switches, as well as how the the source of light in the room comes from the lights that you yourself have to switch on in the right order.

By: chromious

chromious — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:25:54 +0000

This is a pretty cool idea for a puzzle game. I like how you give urgency to the game by having water fill the room slowly, rather than just putting a timer on the game. You also have really great sounds that add tension and create more urgency for the player to survive. It was a really great detail switching from footsteps to splashes depending on whether there is water in the room or not. It would be cool to see more levels in a game like this, and maybe a backstory reminiscent of National Treasure or Indiana Jones. A cool idea could be adding a puzzle that temporarily reduces the water level when you solve it, by opening up a channel for the water to enter or something. Great job overall though, making puzzles is tough, and you put a cool twist on this one.

By: norigantz

norigantz — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 01:13:39 +0000

The aesthetic really works well with the water mechanic, which itself is pretty cool. I found that using WASD to move was a tiny bit on the confusing side, due to the view, but I realize that’s how games like this are, so this might not be a negative. Plus, since the visual style is so consistent, I wouldn’t want to see that changing just to fix the control thing. I really appreciate how the water influences the game feel stuff. The different walk sounds are a really nice touch and the wading through water feel you get when the water gets high adds to the solidity of the game. About the puzzle though, I found it very confusing on the first attempt, especially with the stress of the water rising (which was quite effective). Once I examined it further, it became quite satisfying, but the design felt arbitrarily difficult. Perhaps a puzzle of this difficulty should be accompanied by slower rising water? I don’t know. Either way, it was unclear what the switches were doing, and even when I figured it all out, I’m not sure I could have done it without your comment on it all being XOR (especially with the switch that controls three rather than two lights). Regardless, the visual design of your prototype is strong, and I want to see more of this great aesthetic!

By: happypandafrand

happypandafrand — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:24:38 +0000

This prototype is really fun to play because there is a clear objective with a very intense motivator. The rising water is very ominous and does a good job of the creating a lot of pressure for the player. The comment above says that the character doesn’t show any sense of urgency and while that is true, having the character practically stationary shows the player exactly what the water level is which makes the game even more stressful when you use the character almost like a sand dial to his own death. Puzzles are hard to make but this one is a pretty good one I enjoyed playing it and figuring out how to solve it. The only thing I don’t like about puzzle games are that they typically don’t have a lot of replay value but for a game like this I would want to play it over and over again.

By: nintendo424

nintendo424 — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:17:13 +0000

This is really nice! You do a great job of articulating the need to escape. It has a sense of panic in the game, as I know I felt myself rushing to complete that second puzzle. I like them because I enjoy puzzles, and that XOR puzzle was fun to figure out. The only things I think should be improved are the character’s animations – there are none. I get the sense of stress in the game from the timer and the water level, but the character itself doesn’t really show it. That being said, I don’t personally see any motions that help with the assigned feel of the character, although the water rising does help. The interactions with the world, the stepping in water, the toying with switches make it. That being said, I believe the polish effects help a lot with the overall game feel, be it the ambient sound of the splish of stepping in water. The slower movement helps too.