Playtest

Introduction:

In the exciting realm of game development, our team created a unique project, combining the elements of a musical-themed Metroidvania with the vastness of space. The game, titled "Amusia”, follows the given theme of “A little girl knocks at your door, You answer it, and she hands you a galaxy. The player must traverse worlds, unlocking abilities in order to get to the core, destroy it, and go back home.

Playtest:

To ensure our game resonated well with players, we conducted a playtest with two non team members.

Feedback Highlights:

Players praised the game's soundtrack and musical, cosmic aesthetics. Participants enjoyed the lighting choices made in the darker toned levels. The watercolor level seemed to be a favorite.

However, players noted that the menu UI’s could be updated to better match the overall look of the game. 

One recurring concern was the confusion among players regarding the order in which they unlocked abilities. Participants found it challenging to discern the sequence of abilities, leading to a sense of disorientation during gameplay. The game requires you to start off with no jump, which is not common amongst other platformers. Although players enjoyed the amount of unique abilities there were, giving them more range to strategize.

Team Takeaways:

The playtest shed light on the importance of providing clearer cues regarding the order of ability unlocks. The team recognized the need for visual and auditory indicators to guide players through the progression of acquiring new abilities. We had originally intended the player to sort of have options to unlock different abilities, but there seemed to be a lot of confusion, it wasn’t as intuitive as we thought. 

Participants suggested improvements to the user interface, such as an ability tree or a visual timeline to illustrate the player's journey in acquiring new skills. The team acknowledged the significance of an intuitive interface to enhance the overall user experience.