I'd like to start by saying that while I have some complaints, this game is very much worth the price. The movement is very fun and satisfying, there are some really goop platforming sections, and the overall atmosphere is quite good.
My biggest complaints are somewhat aesthetic, as I feel the world often lacks a definite sense of place. This can be forgiven somewhat since the game is supposed to be set in a dream world, and placelessness comes with the territory. However I don't feel like it does enough to really evoke the sense of this being in a dream. Many of the rooms feel too grounded and contrast strongly in with the more surreal rooms in a way that doesn't feel intentional. Additionally a good number of the rooms feel like they never had an art pass and basically just textured grey box geo. It feels like the dev just tried to make up a movement challenge for each room with only minimal consideration for how each room would flow into the next visually and narrativly.
I found a few spots that had some questionable UV mapping. There's a grid/tile texture used in many areas that appears to have been the grey box dev texture. in a few spots you can see it applied with triplanar box projection, a common technique for applying dev textures. though it's use kind of works well somehow, especially at one the the entrances to Sansa Keep where there are table on the wall, and a goat guy who says some random letters and elipses to you. Here it gives the room a very surreal feel. Though, again I feel the games doesn't go far enough with it's surreal elements, and it has nothing to ease in or out these surreal areas, and it doesn't do much comment on or draw attention to them, which feels odd to me.
The movement is really what makes this game, you're fairly limited at the start but as you explore and unlock abilities it gets very expressive. Some of the movement abilities can chain into each other quite well and this is used to great effect with the way many platforming sections can be accomplished multiple ways depending on your unlocks and personal skill. Many rooms are really tricky and hard to navigate the first time you visit, but trivial when you come back later with new abilities, a hallmark of a good metroidvania imo.
The overall flow and progression for rooms from a design perspective is also pretty good, with only a handful of difficulty spikes or questionable platforming sections. These sort of spikes are to be expected however in a metroidvania where the player is free to explore, and only gated by abilities collected, and platforming skill.
Overall the game is very well designed despite my asthetic complaints, and even with them a few areas are really quite beautiful. For a project developed by a few devs and sold for just $6 USD, this game is very much worth a look for any fans of 3d metroidvanias, or movement focused games.
My biggest complaints are somewhat aesthetic, as I feel the world often lacks a definite sense of place. This can be forgiven somewhat since the game is supposed to be set in a dream world, and placelessness comes with the territory. However I don't feel like it does enough to really evoke the sense of this being in a dream. Many of the rooms feel too grounded and contrast strongly in with the more surreal rooms in a way that doesn't feel intentional. Additionally a good number of the rooms feel like they never had an art pass and basically just textured grey box geo. It feels like the dev just tried to make up a movement challenge for each room with only minimal consideration for how each room would flow into the next visually and narrativly.
I found a few spots that had some questionable UV mapping. There's a grid/tile texture used in many areas that appears to have been the grey box dev texture. in a few spots you can see it applied with triplanar box projection, a common technique for applying dev textures. though it's use kind of works well somehow, especially at one the the entrances to Sansa Keep where there are table on the wall, and a goat guy who says some random letters and elipses to you. Here it gives the room a very surreal feel. Though, again I feel the games doesn't go far enough with it's surreal elements, and it has nothing to ease in or out these surreal areas, and it doesn't do much comment on or draw attention to them, which feels odd to me.
The movement is really what makes this game, you're fairly limited at the start but as you explore and unlock abilities it gets very expressive. Some of the movement abilities can chain into each other quite well and this is used to great effect with the way many platforming sections can be accomplished multiple ways depending on your unlocks and personal skill. Many rooms are really tricky and hard to navigate the first time you visit, but trivial when you come back later with new abilities, a hallmark of a good metroidvania imo.
The overall flow and progression for rooms from a design perspective is also pretty good, with only a handful of difficulty spikes or questionable platforming sections. These sort of spikes are to be expected however in a metroidvania where the player is free to explore, and only gated by abilities collected, and platforming skill.
Overall the game is very well designed despite my asthetic complaints, and even with them a few areas are really quite beautiful. For a project developed by a few devs and sold for just $6 USD, this game is very much worth a look for any fans of 3d metroidvanias, or movement focused games.