I really like the stereotypical horror laboratory/graveyard theme, it's a neat match for Eggman's shenanigans. And the attack animations are pretty neat, even though there's not much of a reason use more than one melee attack at a time. Rouge's cartwheel kick is a pretty cool choice.
As for gameplay, I did get that fun feeling of exploring a stage and seeing all the silly doodads and finding the emerools. Although, as smooth as the gameplay felt, I did find it lacking in some places. I understand this is just a demo, though, so some of these complaints might already be on your todo and I wouldn't know. But still, I'd like to see this be improved/expanded, since treasure hunting stages were my favorite!
First, I have some complaints about the radar. Having the radar pick up on only one emerald like in SA2 isn't my preferred way to play the hunting stages. It restricts the player to only one section of the map, whereas I always thought these stages were about exploration. I think speedrunners would appreciate the radar picking up multiple emeralds, too.
Another radar complaint is that the color gradient going from light pink to blue and from blue to purple can look the same. I had trouble figuring out if I was getting closer or further to one emerald, the first big wtf I had. You should probably pick a different color that blends more distinguishably. In fact, find an alternative for color blindness as well; I'd suggest using something based on value instead of hue, or a meter/gauge?
My last complaint about the radar is that it's so far away from the center of the screen, arguably where the player wants to be looking. I've heard players mention that they get tunnel visioned on the radar, so they don't really pay attention to their surroundings. Although if you were to center it in the BotW style, as for how you would distinguish multiple emeralds, uhhh don't ask me...
As for the hunters, they feel sluggish and heavy here. I checked with SA2 right after playing to compare again, and I missed how light on their feet hunters are. They could jump high and move fast, but not like Sonic fast, just fast enough. The glide feels like it doesn't cover much ground, probably not helpful for when your levels will get more vertical. I misjudged how far a glide would take me over the toxic pools, and I was surprised I couldn't clear it all the way.
As for level design, this is a good start! Lock-and-key is an easy gimmick to start with, but I would request that it be made more clear that the doors were doors that can be opened. Maybe a fat keyhole texture? Colored locks on the doors? (btw maybe use shaped keys with color for the colorblind)
Anyway, I look forward to seeing this developed more. I don't think I've seen others tackle the treasure hunting gameplay yet, so I'm eager to see how it'd be iterated on ^_^
Sorry I'm late, but thanks for the extensive response! I should probably clarify a few things about the radar. For one, it actually can pick up on any emerald piece at a given time; the icon just indicates whichever one you're closest to. The appearance and color of the radar is something I've already changed and will be implemented in the next update, though it's worth noting that even as it currently is, the radar's beep rate will speed up as you get closer to an emerald, much like in the Adventure games. I assume that would be enough accommodation for those with color blindness, but I'm not certain. On that note, the keys and doors already have different shapes, though perhaps I could have made that more obvious.
I've received a number of comments about the speed being too low, so that will be tweaked in the next update. Though if you see this, I am curious, to what extent do you think it should be buffed? I don't want the control to be so fast that it becomes imprecise.
Your game starts at 03:38. Great fan game! Lil Biscuit loves Sonic and co. so we had to try this one. Having the emeralds placement randomized made playing it twice feel like a fun treasure hunt. Knuckles looked awesome and getting around felt natural. The camera was our only issue but that's a common problem with 3D platformers. Having the controller as an option was appreciated.
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I really like the stereotypical horror laboratory/graveyard theme, it's a neat match for Eggman's shenanigans. And the attack animations are pretty neat, even though there's not much of a reason use more than one melee attack at a time. Rouge's cartwheel kick is a pretty cool choice.
As for gameplay, I did get that fun feeling of exploring a stage and seeing all the silly doodads and finding the emerools. Although, as smooth as the gameplay felt, I did find it lacking in some places. I understand this is just a demo, though, so some of these complaints might already be on your todo and I wouldn't know. But still, I'd like to see this be improved/expanded, since treasure hunting stages were my favorite!
First, I have some complaints about the radar. Having the radar pick up on only one emerald like in SA2 isn't my preferred way to play the hunting stages. It restricts the player to only one section of the map, whereas I always thought these stages were about exploration. I think speedrunners would appreciate the radar picking up multiple emeralds, too.
Another radar complaint is that the color gradient going from light pink to blue and from blue to purple can look the same. I had trouble figuring out if I was getting closer or further to one emerald, the first big wtf I had. You should probably pick a different color that blends more distinguishably. In fact, find an alternative for color blindness as well; I'd suggest using something based on value instead of hue, or a meter/gauge?
My last complaint about the radar is that it's so far away from the center of the screen, arguably where the player wants to be looking. I've heard players mention that they get tunnel visioned on the radar, so they don't really pay attention to their surroundings. Although if you were to center it in the BotW style, as for how you would distinguish multiple emeralds, uhhh don't ask me...
As for the hunters, they feel sluggish and heavy here. I checked with SA2 right after playing to compare again, and I missed how light on their feet hunters are. They could jump high and move fast, but not like Sonic fast, just fast enough. The glide feels like it doesn't cover much ground, probably not helpful for when your levels will get more vertical. I misjudged how far a glide would take me over the toxic pools, and I was surprised I couldn't clear it all the way.
As for level design, this is a good start! Lock-and-key is an easy gimmick to start with, but I would request that it be made more clear that the doors were doors that can be opened. Maybe a fat keyhole texture? Colored locks on the doors? (btw maybe use shaped keys with color for the colorblind)
Anyway, I look forward to seeing this developed more. I don't think I've seen others tackle the treasure hunting gameplay yet, so I'm eager to see how it'd be iterated on ^_^
Sorry I'm late, but thanks for the extensive response! I should probably clarify a few things about the radar. For one, it actually can pick up on any emerald piece at a given time; the icon just indicates whichever one you're closest to. The appearance and color of the radar is something I've already changed and will be implemented in the next update, though it's worth noting that even as it currently is, the radar's beep rate will speed up as you get closer to an emerald, much like in the Adventure games. I assume that would be enough accommodation for those with color blindness, but I'm not certain. On that note, the keys and doors already have different shapes, though perhaps I could have made that more obvious.
I've received a number of comments about the speed being too low, so that will be tweaked in the next update. Though if you see this, I am curious, to what extent do you think it should be buffed? I don't want the control to be so fast that it becomes imprecise.