Exilian

Game Design and Project Resources: The Workshops Quarter => Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley => Topic started by: Bernackels on November 25, 2017, 09:35:43 PM

Title: Bernackels' Shoggoth: Play as a flying dragon in this hide and seek style game
Post by: Bernackels on November 25, 2017, 09:35:43 PM
Hey there! Jan from Bernackels here.

Our new game Bernackels' Shoggoth is coming soon on Steam. The demo is already available.
Check it out here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/737690/Bernackels_Shoggoth/

Shoggoth is a hide and seek style game with lots of items and a mysterious atmosphere. You play as a dragon with the ability to fly and morph into things. Almost everything you do will affect the environment. Play wisely and don't leave to many clues!

Here is our Teaser:

Cheers!
Jan - www.bernackels.com
Title: Re: Bernackels' Shoggoth: Play as a flying dragon in this hide and seek style game
Post by: Jubal on November 25, 2017, 11:03:32 PM
Hi, welcome to Exilian :)

I just had a run through the demo, a few comments:

I like the hide-and-seek style and it's a very interesting concept. I did feel I needed a bit more navigational assistance though. :)
Title: Re: Bernackels' Shoggoth: Play as a flying dragon in this hide and seek style game
Post by: Bernackels on November 26, 2017, 01:26:05 PM
Hi, welcome to Exilian :)

I just had a run through the demo, a few comments:
  • It looks good! Horror/low-light settings aren't my usual genre, but that definitely seemed to come across OK and in general the whole thing certainly looks the part.
  • I got quite lost in the demo, and I wasn't managing to pick up the "whale sounds" anywhere near well enough for them to be useful for my navigation. I played for a while but didn't find any of the keys, I was just reduced to opening whatever cupboards I could.
  • It was really making my fan pump fast - it didn't seem to be optimised all that well for my machine.
  • I did really like all the special abilities - not much chance to use them in the demo of course, but the look & feel of those and that interface was good.

I like the hide-and-seek style and it's a very interesting concept. I did feel I needed a bit more navigational assistance though. :)

Hey! Thank you =)
Feedback is always appreciated and needed! (So anyone who tries/tried the demo feel free to critique!)
Quick questions:
Did you play using headphones? And did it help to understand the level playing as a Hunter (starting from the middle of the level)?
I thought about adding navigational help in the intro but never got to it ( mainly because I have no idea where/how/what :D ).

Cheers!
Title: Re: Bernackels' Shoggoth: Play as a flying dragon in this hide and seek style game
Post by: Jubal on November 26, 2017, 06:23:44 PM
> I didn't - I don't own any headphones, I have issues using them.
> I didn't try playing as a hunter, I probably should've done.

I guess in terms of navigational help, could you perhaps add one or two special items, working much like the variety of ones you already have that gave temporary visual hints/assistance (added a temporary coloured light source at a random point within X distance of the key or provided a briefly visible glowing arrow pointing in the key's direction or something?) :)
Title: Re: Bernackels' Shoggoth: Play as a flying dragon in this hide and seek style game
Post by: Bernackels on November 27, 2017, 04:19:52 PM
This is unfortunate =/ We optimized the game for headphones. Finding the key without the help of the whale sound is more or less impossible. A visual hint of the keys could be too easy so we haven't made one.

I will think about how we can make it more accessible for people without headphones though! Thanks for the Help =)
Title: Re: Bernackels' Shoggoth: Play as a flying dragon in this hide and seek style game
Post by: Jubal on November 27, 2017, 06:16:27 PM
It makes sense, and it's not necessarily a drawback, it just restricts your user base a bit :) I'd definitely make sure you include it very prominently in descriptions of the game that it requires headphones/is heavily audio based, if you keep down that route.