Purple Ball Guy

What were your favorite moments of the game?

The variance in levels; I feel like you could have had a decent game with just the magician and enemies in a default layout, but there’s so much more to it; ladder mechanics, dark levels and sound, vision cones, switches, even tunnels. There’s enough variety that this is actually really fun.

Where do you see room for improvement?

This is super minor, but it’s partially because it’s so minor that I’m bringing it up: an icon! For the level of polish the rest of the game has, the lack of one was really striking. I feel like it makes the game just feel so much more finished; I think you should try to prioritize putting in an icon (even a placeholder) relatively early, just so you’re not left without one at the end.

I think the other big thing is that the knife is too strong / the purple ball is too weak. It gets a bit harder on the dark level, but in the beginning there’s not really a reason to use the ball--you can just run around slicing everyone up. I think the restriction on where you can throw the ball really hurts it--you have to be on the ground (I think?), and can only throw it straight left/right. Maybe just letting you throw it in any direction, or having it bounce and hit multiple enemies (but a longer cooldown?) might give it more utility.

When did you stop playing and why?

On the dark level, I hit esc to give write some notes for the feedback and accidentally closed the game.

What was confusing or intuitive about the interface or controls?

This was brought up when you guys demoed it in class, but I think the UI for the ability cooldown looks too much like buttons--when I played this the first time, I kept trying to click on those to activate the abilities. 

Beyond that, I think it works well. I like how accessible you guys made ladders, it all feels really smooth to control.

What was confusing or intuitive about the game mechanics?

I was confused about whether to press the “buttons” on the UI rather than just use the mouse for the attacks at first, but otherwise I feel like it all works really well.

What was frustrating or imaginative about the visual art, or sound design?

The song is a little bit repetitive after a while, but it’s not too bad really. 

I liked the footsteps, and how they varied in sound. The animations and sprites were also all really nice and clear, it made it really painless to navigate and look around the levels.

Do you have any other feedback that you would like the designer to hear?

I love how much you guys managed to pull off, especially in only a couple of weeks! This is a really cool game.

I think that Purple Ball Guy is really a blast to play! I think that having the opening screen be a tutorial level/a way to experiment with the mechanics of the game before even playing is a really neat way to introduce the players to the concepts of the game, even before you officially enter the game itself. I found myself trying to play no-kill runs of the level- though, inevitably, it was very difficult, as they always found me in the end. However, I think that’s a really great way to structure a game- having multiple ways to allow the player to win, or at least having that space to allow the player to experiment is really awesome. Good job!

Playtester Name: Chang

Developer Name(s): Nicky & Alex

Playtest Date : 10/ 26

What were your favorite moments of the game?

- I want to applaud you guys for making a polished game in 3 week! The stealth mechanics are really amazing to see. I like overall level designs.

Where do you see room for improvement?

- I personally think the score system is not necessary in this game. I was able to pass the stages even though I didn’t kill any of the enemies. I thought it would be nice if each stage had the minimum number of enemies to kill. If I get the score every time I kill an enemy, I can easily guess what the highest score will be.

When did you stop playing and why?

- I was surprised when I didn't see any enemies at first in the fourth stage but it was amazing.

What was confusing or intuitive about the interface or controls?

- There was a little lack of explanation on how to attack. I didn't know at first that I could right-click.

What was frustrating or imaginative about the visual art, or sound design?

- The music really fits well with the game concept. Pixels expressed everything they needed really simply.

Do you have any other feedback that you would like the designer to hear?

- I hope the door(vent?) can be seen on one screen in the third stage. It was difficult to use strategically because the door was not visible at once and I had to take a risk.

I think you guys managed to create a really great experience here! The art and game mechanics work together seamlessly to make this game feel very polished and well thought through. As I mentioned in class I really appreciate how you introduced actions to players and really like your idea about having a practice dummy in the first scene. I think you should play around with making it more obvious that the dummy is interactive or make a more obvious route to jump up to that platform. I also agree with what was said in class about scaling down the two attack UI so that they feel less like something players should click.  Seriously impressive overall!