Have now completed the forest level as both characters, both times by using the barrel transformation on the boss. I guess my current feeling is that it's a bit too random - if you get the perfect item or sheer luck you've got an OK shot
You're probably not used to playing so fast paced games. The first boss is made so that you can defeat it easily with default weapons. Especially with Knight: just lure her to initiate the club strike by standing in front of her. As she raises the club, quickly step aside (down or up) and then you have plenty of time to spam the light-attack button and build up the rage. After 2-3 rage attacks, she's gone. Make sure you do this positioned to the right of her as light-attack stun-locks the approaching goblins. You don't want to go left and risk goblins sneaking behind your back. It just takes some practice.
Beside the "Barellize" scroll, you can get the Peace scroll or Meduza arrows (if you're lucky to find a bow as well) for a quick and easy battle. Also, ice weapons (sword/hammer) make the fight very easy. The main problem is obtaining those (with some luck - in a locked treasure room). Or you can get the Escape scroll and skip the battle completely. Also, if you get a Potion of Infinite Rage, the fight is a breeze. But all these were meant for quick and easy skip of the boss to not have to go through the fight every time. Still, you should be able to beat her every time once you get more experience with the game.
Useful items are often found in the shop, but are too expensive. If you have 1 bomb, you can rob the shop by attacking the shop keeper. Once ready, place the bomb near a door to blast it, grab the item you want to, and run through the blasted door. The bodyguard doesn't follow you. It's risky, and I only succeed 50% of the time, but for some items it's worth it. Also, you can use Barellize or Gamble (change enemies) scrolls on the bodyguard and then loot all the items from the shop for free.
Maybe script in some limit to ensure you can't get two shamans in one room, especially if there's much in the way of obstacles to stop you getting to them then having two is just a frustrating death sentence.
I don't know if you figured it out already, but you can grab the voodoo doll once the Shaman drops it. So, the strategy for two shamans is to wait for a doll drop, grab the doll and then "activate" it, i.e. bind it to some of the enemies and drop it back to the ground. Then wait for the other shaman to drop the doll and grab that one. This way the shamans won't have any way to hurt you via dolls, and you only have to dodge the meteors, which isn't that hard. BTW, as you hit shaman, he becomes more and more aggressive, so make sure you sort out the doll collecting business before you start going hard on them.
The knight's sword has enough reach to cross low walls, but goblins don't attack back across them, which makes for perhaps overly easy kills any time you have a "trapped" goblin in the centre of a room.
Yup, the Knight sword deliberately has more damage than any goblin weapon. The goblins would actually attack you through walls/rocks if they could reach, but their reach is rather low. Only Goblin Sword has somewhat useful reach, but it's still shorter than the Knight's Long Sword. I don't mind giving players an easy option for some fights. As you noted, the game is already hard enough
Your rage builds up when you attack the guys in the village - as such I always end up tagging back there between fights to build up my rage counter
You're right. I didn't think about that. Not sure how would I fix it though, because the NPCs' purpose is to teach the mechanics, and rage belongs there, so making them immune wouldn't work. Perhaps I should just lower their HP, so you cannot do it often. Although, when you get more experienced with the game, you would rarely feel a need to refill the rage on the first level.
There doesn't seem to be any way to check what stored potions and scrolls are without dropping them and picking them up again
This is actually a real problem and I too feel like it needs to be addressed. Especially if you get the "Avarice" curse and you cannot drop items. However, I have no good idea how? Perhaps I could use the icons that show up when you activate the scroll/drink the potion and show a smaller icons like that in the inventory...?
Regarding conversations, I think at the end of every conversation box except the last one you need [w for more] or something in small writing, then it'd be reasonably clear.
Thanks. I'll do it like that an see how it turns out with new players who haven't seen the game before.
BTW, I'm currently drawing and preparing graphics for the second level. The story continues at the castle battlements:
As the goblin invasion is in progress, the battlements are filled with dangerous war machinery. The castle guards are defending a siege and have prepared various weapons and traps for the invaders. You are intruding here, so prepare to deal with the guards and the hazards at the same time.
The second level is meant to be more dangerous, but possibly shorter than the forest area playwise. You're walking around the battlements looking for a way to enter the castle insides.