Right from the start of the download, it's noticeable that the game's key bindings are in a .txt document, so I'm not expecting to see them within the game itself.
The game was programmed in Unreal Engine, which can be a good start, as it's reasonably easier to work with up to a certain point, but the optimization could leave something to be desired.
Upon opening the game, it's noticeable that much of the art in this game was actually generated by AI, which, if this is a prototype, serves well as a placeholder, but I think changing this in the long term would be interesting.
I notice the absence of an options button, meaning it's not possible to adjust graphics, sound, or keyboard key bindings. The key binding aspect isn't that concerning, but in Unreal Engine, an engine previously known for being graphically demanding, I think it would be good to have a way to choose graphics presets, both for more powerful and less powerful machines.
Upon entering the game, I noticed that the HUD was also AI-generated, which I don't think was such a good idea, since a simpler slider in the corner, if textured correctly, would have done a good job, but that depends on each artist's direction.
The pause menu actually pauses the game, which I see as a positive, but it's missing, again, an options menu.
The game lacks controller compatibility, which is a drawback for a Souls-like game, as most of them are played with a controller, or are more optimized for it.
I wasn't a big fan of the atmosphere, whether sound or visual, much less the intended graphic style. In Unreal it ends up being easier to work with semi-realism or realism, but I think post-processing work is needed here to mask the difference in textures between assets.
The mechanics are basic: attack, combo, jump, and roll. I think if we're expecting a Souls-like game, we'll probably focus on parries, which is impossible considering the game doesn't have a defense mechanic.
The chosen character model is interesting, but I feel the metal darkens too much in dark areas, becoming almost black depending on the angle.
If we're aiming for semi-realism or realism, I think heavier or more controlled movement would fit well here. I see Roll as very fast and the running animation as somewhat janky elements. But I liked the combo animation.
The first enemy is nothing more than a copy of ourselves. Nothing to criticize. But I feel that the combat is not very responsive or fluid. In other words, for the game's gameplay loop to be good and satisfying, we need to improve these points. And if we're in a Souls-like game, the minimum requirement is that the game has responsive combat and minimally fluid movement.
There is a lack of visual and auditory feedback in many aspects, especially when attacking and being attacked. It would be good to have at least an effect that confirms that we suffered a hit or vice versa.
The checkpoint is not infinite. That is, if we make a mistake, we rest once at the checkpoint and recover health, we cannot do it again.
The checkpoint becomes somewhat useless, as it only serves to recover health, considering that when we die, we are sent back to the main menu.
The boss has two types of attacks, and neither of them is really difficult to dodge or avoid in general.
I feel that if the boss had been voiced with a simple monster active instead of being voiced by the dev, it would have been better.
I feel that the window we have to attack is much shorter than the one we have to defend, and since we don't have a defense system at all, we end up relying on running away and rolling. This makes the combat system tiresome.
The Lock-On doesn't teleport from one enemy to another, requiring constant clicking to put on and take off the Lock-On.
Incredibly, I managed to get the boss stuck on the wall, and he couldn't get out because of a wall collision.
This made me give up on the game, but I managed to draw some conclusions.
In general, the game's art direction and gameplay are unsatisfactory, but I see progress if this is just a prototype. Working on it non-stop and applying the basic mechanics of a Souls-like game, I see potential in this project, and I would love to follow it closely and be able to play a stable version of it someday.
I'm happy when new solo developers take risks, so I take that into consideration.
Thanks for all the valuable feedback, I'll take every point into consideration if I end up making a proper complete game. This prototype was simply to showcase what I have done for a university project but I do intend to keep working on it.
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Lost Souls - 9gazz9
Final Score: 2/5 Stars
Right from the start of the download, it's noticeable that the game's key bindings are in a .txt document, so I'm not expecting to see them within the game itself.
The game was programmed in Unreal Engine, which can be a good start, as it's reasonably easier to work with up to a certain point, but the optimization could leave something to be desired.
Upon opening the game, it's noticeable that much of the art in this game was actually generated by AI, which, if this is a prototype, serves well as a placeholder, but I think changing this in the long term would be interesting.
I notice the absence of an options button, meaning it's not possible to adjust graphics, sound, or keyboard key bindings. The key binding aspect isn't that concerning, but in Unreal Engine, an engine previously known for being graphically demanding, I think it would be good to have a way to choose graphics presets, both for more powerful and less powerful machines.
Upon entering the game, I noticed that the HUD was also AI-generated, which I don't think was such a good idea, since a simpler slider in the corner, if textured correctly, would have done a good job, but that depends on each artist's direction.
The pause menu actually pauses the game, which I see as a positive, but it's missing, again, an options menu.
The game lacks controller compatibility, which is a drawback for a Souls-like game, as most of them are played with a controller, or are more optimized for it.
I wasn't a big fan of the atmosphere, whether sound or visual, much less the intended graphic style. In Unreal it ends up being easier to work with semi-realism or realism, but I think post-processing work is needed here to mask the difference in textures between assets.
The mechanics are basic: attack, combo, jump, and roll. I think if we're expecting a Souls-like game, we'll probably focus on parries, which is impossible considering the game doesn't have a defense mechanic.
The chosen character model is interesting, but I feel the metal darkens too much in dark areas, becoming almost black depending on the angle.
If we're aiming for semi-realism or realism, I think heavier or more controlled movement would fit well here. I see Roll as very fast and the running animation as somewhat janky elements. But I liked the combo animation.
The first enemy is nothing more than a copy of ourselves. Nothing to criticize. But I feel that the combat is not very responsive or fluid. In other words, for the game's gameplay loop to be good and satisfying, we need to improve these points. And if we're in a Souls-like game, the minimum requirement is that the game has responsive combat and minimally fluid movement.
There is a lack of visual and auditory feedback in many aspects, especially when attacking and being attacked. It would be good to have at least an effect that confirms that we suffered a hit or vice versa.
The checkpoint is not infinite. That is, if we make a mistake, we rest once at the checkpoint and recover health, we cannot do it again.
The checkpoint becomes somewhat useless, as it only serves to recover health, considering that when we die, we are sent back to the main menu.
The boss has two types of attacks, and neither of them is really difficult to dodge or avoid in general.
I feel that if the boss had been voiced with a simple monster active instead of being voiced by the dev, it would have been better.
I feel that the window we have to attack is much shorter than the one we have to defend, and since we don't have a defense system at all, we end up relying on running away and rolling. This makes the combat system tiresome.
The Lock-On doesn't teleport from one enemy to another, requiring constant clicking to put on and take off the Lock-On.
Incredibly, I managed to get the boss stuck on the wall, and he couldn't get out because of a wall collision.
This made me give up on the game, but I managed to draw some conclusions.
In general, the game's art direction and gameplay are unsatisfactory, but I see progress if this is just a prototype. Working on it non-stop and applying the basic mechanics of a Souls-like game, I see potential in this project, and I would love to follow it closely and be able to play a stable version of it someday.
I'm happy when new solo developers take risks, so I take that into consideration.
Thanks for all the valuable feedback, I'll take every point into consideration if I end up making a proper complete game. This prototype was simply to showcase what I have done for a university project but I do intend to keep working on it.
As I said, if this is a prototype, it's a prototype with progress. All games start somewhere.
I see potential in the project, considering you're also using an engine that helps with that.
If you eventually update the game, I'd love to test it and give a new review!