PiN - A hand-drawn 2D Platformer [Wishlist/Try the demo on Steam!]

Looks SICK!

1 Like

Thanks Frozen!!

1 Like

Pending review… :eyes: (it’s not live yet!)

2 Likes

Steam page is live! And the demo is up! Anyone willing to play, feel free to shoot some feedback!

I’ll be updating the demo periodically and adding a trailer soon too.

@AlaskanDruid Feel free to wishlist :eyes:

7 Likes

Thank you so much!!! The Design is just amazing!!!

How do you Design the UI?

1 Like

Awesome work !

1 Like

YYEEEEESSSSS Wishlisted!

1 Like

Thank YOU! Is there a specific part of the UI you’re interested in knowing about?

Thank you!

Amazing!! Thank you!

I’m just trying to develop a mobile game by myself but I don’t know yet how I can make a good design for it. Because I really liked your design I wanted to know how you’ve done that great!

1 Like

I tried the demo, very nice look! And lovely speedy Sonic-like running. You’ve obviously put a lot of effort into having a big move set, which will allow for some cool and varied level design :slight_smile:
Very fitting soundtrack too, and pretty cohesive from what I heard.

How representative is the demo of the final game? In other words, how close is it to what you envision as the fully developed experience?

Will do :slight_smile:

If you’re testing mainly with a controller as your input device, make sure to test with keyboard as well, since it’s supported in the game. It’s hard to make a key layout that fits all the commands, and I found the default layout unusable. Mouse doesn’t work in the main menu, but is basically necessary to navigate options with keyboard. Doesn’t feel finished.
Also, maybe the controls could be simplified a little, without losing functionality. For instance, I’ve seen no reason why “down” couldn’t double as “slide”, and “jump” couldn’t double as “up” (as I recall, one can’t climb up and down grappling ropes)… you know the game better, and can probably come up with better ways of doing this.

Compare your game audio levels to other games and professional music albums - you’ll find yours is very loud. Match the levels of big, professional games, and your users will be happier, not to mention that you’ll have more audio headroom to avoid clipping.

It appears the zoom is mainly controlled by which area the player is in, and to some extent the speed of the player - I’d suggest taking notes from Sonic, and making speed the most important factor, plus zooming in and out more quickly. The reason this is important is so the player can see what’s coming even when going fast, and is encouraged to run quickly rather than slow down and cheese their way through. Doubly important since your game has insta-death (by spikes for instance), which Sonic avoids with the ring system - another “trick” to make fast movement relatively safe and encourage the player to move quickly, without fear of dying suddenly. Sonic also has a time limit to encourage the player to be speedy, whereas yours doesn’t - that’s not necessarily a bad decision, but it does shape the way the player plays.

3 Likes

What sort of style are you aiming for? For a hand drawn look like I have, you could try Gimp. Aseprite is useful for sprites :slightly_smiling_face: Also, what genre is your game? You could look into other games in the genre as inspiration, and then add in your own personal touches! You can dm me if you want more specific advice.

3 Likes

Thank you!

Honestly it’s still open to changes. I suppose the demo is the “blueprint” I’ve gone with. But I’m looking to develop and evolve it as player feedback comes in.

Noted, thanks. I’ll get that sorted.

Actually, yeah, you have a very good point. I’ve found the keyboard layout is a bit off as well; especially with how many binds there are. Bumping this to high priority. Will be changed in the next demo update.

Definitely need to do this as well, glad to see you clocked it (I guess it’s hard not to atm :joy: ).

Got you. Yeah, this has been one of the most “trial and error” aspects of the process so far. I’ll prioritise speed over cinematic flair going forward.

Good point! I have some slower, methodical levels planned, which I’m still playing around with so it feels cohesive rather than confusing. It’s probably why I’ve not added a timer yet. But this is good food for thought.

Thank you for trying the demo and your very thorough feedback! I have a lot to great points to work on from here.

1 Like

I have a very feedback-y mind, so I’ve spared you the many minor niggles and suggestions that popped up :slight_smile:

If I should add something, it would be the controls - they’re good as it is, but it’s such a central part of the game that I think they deserve all the polish they can get.
For instance, when jumping off a wall there is a longish distance in the air before you can steer back toward the wall, which feels a little off to me, and makes straight-up wall climbing look and feel a little cumbersome. Maybe give the player air control immediately, or almost immediately? Might be worth trying out.
Also, maybe dash could avoid enemies, or at least be easier to do so… I couldn’t manage it at double-tap running speed. That would give the player more ways to keep their speed up, and it’s a nice reflex/timing based mechanic that’s very satisfying once you get it down, like in fighting games.
Now that I think of it, it might also be a good idea to reward speediness, like giving some kunai power for dodging through an enemy, designing levels so only high speed can get you to the best pickups, gliding at top speed leaves bigger, enemy-damaging flames, that sort of thing.

Overall I think the design is quite solid, and with the right level design, it could be most of the way to a real competitive title. That’s rare to see! I wish you all the best, and hope to see more of the game in the future :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Yes, the wall slide has been a huge issue for some reason for the longest time :joy:. I agree with you -and it should be immediate control. I think I will rework this part from scratch. The code has become a bit too complicated as is.

Yes! I currently have a perfect-dodge ability which I removed from the first level ; as I was worried about too many onboarding elements in one level. But the idea for rewarding speediness and actually opening up better pickups, more damage, etc. is super interesting. I’ll be looking into this….

Thank you so much! Your feedbacky mind is very appreciated haha. Look forward to solid improvements!

Happy to be of service :slight_smile:

Good thinking, and awarding movement abilities gradually is also a great reward for the player.

1 Like

Thanks I will try it out later!

1 Like

Cheeky trailer for the steam demo dropped:

or watch it here and wishlist if you haven’t :eyes: I dunno…

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4488070/PiN_The_Guardian_Spirit/?beta=1

5 Likes

Working on Level 1-3!

Getting through the forest, you now venture into the ruins to clear out any remaining enemy glyphs.

Very bare bones atm, but there’s adaptive music in this level, there will be more lighting/shadows, and more spirit types to encounter.

I’m enjoying designing something that isnt forest related and orange :sob:

4 Likes

Because it’s good for eyes :sob:

1 Like

so true :sob: :sob:

1 Like