Game has a lot of awesome things going for it based on the demo. I write this having played on PC so my feedback is based on the Windows Demo. If the full version has more features that render the feedback inaccurate please let me know.
Controls are smooth and responsive, soundtrack and sfx as well as visual direction is great. Bosses are very well designed and challenging in a fun way. This game has a lot of awesome stuff going for it and is very well done. I would highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a good metroidvania, I plan to snag the full version when I have a bit of free time to devote to it.
I say this because I have some criticisms which take up the bulk of my comment but they really are not game breakers and some of it can be very subjective.
One of the biggest points of Criticism is the save system being disabled in the demo especially given how unforgiving many parts of the game as well as the bosses can be. I am curious why the decision to disable saving was was made. Obviously the game is a steal at $2.50 and the demo should serve as a good taste of what to expect but being so punished for taking a test drive feels kinda bad vs limiting what can be played in the demo.
The lacking options on PC is also a big downside. You can't configure Keyboard controls though there is a controller configuration option and the only control you have for the visuals is aspect ratio. Unless there is a keyboard hotkey that is not stated in the description or in game there is no way to increase the resolution so expect to play it in a very small resolution on your PC, especially if you run 4k as at 1080p the display is very small.
I feel like the double jump system is interesting in that you have limited ammo that is used both to attack and for mobility. With that said, I feel that the jumps themselves for costing ammo are a tad punishing. When you reach the first spot where your normal jump is not enough, which great way of teaching mechanics through the game, the vertical momentum granted by the shot jump is so tight it feels like a massive resource drain early on. You can easily blow through all three shots just to make what should be a simple jump.
There are areas focused on the mechanic that I think are great such as the hallway of spikes you need to shot jump your way through but personally it feels a bit too punishing. Subjective feeling on my side but I think it would be nice if it was a bit more forgiving early on and as you progress the timing can get tighter.
Lastly, based on what I played, I feel that the introduction to the spike hazard could have been done better. When I first encountered the purple crystal spikes it looked just like a piece of level scenery to me and did not jump out as spikes until I was injured. As a stage Hazard it didn't really give an immediate visual indicator that it was a hazard and not just part of the level. It is far more obvious in later parts (like in the preview screenshot) that they are spikes but the first room I encountered the crystal spikes in just looked like scenery for the room.
Again, these are kinda nitpicky and the last two are especially subjective. This is a great game and I love what I got to play and would highly suggest giving it a try.
<SPOILER ALERT>First, Find a way to destroy the snow, you don’t need to destroy all the snow.Then Use double jump with the missile to avoid the boss and hit him at the same time, you Just need to have the good rhythm.SPOILER ALERT
Really like the idea of tying your jumping ability to your ammo, makes for some good challenges and together with your first couple of bullets having an extra power-up really makes you think about how you use your ammo. Clever mechanic!
Finding the bosses really tough. Any tips on beating the shirtless guy? I know electricity stuns him, but afterwards he is invincible for so long I just get wrecked, and sometimes stun locked with his repeated uppercuts D:
Also: there seems to be debug stuff activated with G and H, accidentally activated when I was figuring out the controls before I realised the readme was installed in a separate folder to the game
i've had best luck with the shirtless guy by using the standard blaster - the volt laser makes him too berserk while the standard blaster can cheese him just by dodging his punch and dive kick
This was really fun. I love the art and visual style. The mechanics were a bit finicky at first, but it quickly grew on me. Works perfectly on Linux under WINE.
Really nice demo, I like the three shoots system, polyvalent and intuitive, like the jump system. Is it your idea or it comes from an old game? Remember me the metroid on the nintendo 3DS, i have a similar felling. However if i buy your game one day i have more chance to finish it than a metroid :). I enjoy the graphisms, animation and ambiance of your game.
thanks! when i first started development, i had seen the recoil jump in a handful of platformers but never as a central, driving mechanic the way this game does it. i thought it'd be fun to mess with and boy howdy it sure was
This is simultaneously a very polished and very unpolished game.
The art is pretty great, it's what drew me in. Usually, when I see a game looking this good, I expect the gameplay to follow suit but....
The empty corridors. It takes quite a while for you to come across anything of even slight significance. It reality its only about a minute, but given the nature of this type of game, having gone through a fair few rooms, its quite long. This would be fine if it were building atmosphere or leading to something, but it doesn't.
The first path you unlock you do so by interacting with a thing, and then it unlocks. It'd be much more interesting if you got some kind of upgrade that naturally unlocks an area, rather than a door just opening. Also, it tells you to open the map I believe, but doesn't tell you how.
The camera feels horrible, I'm sorry but there's no other way to really put it. Sometimes simple works better, particularly in a retro style setting. The way it lacks behind or jumps back and forth as you turn around is incredibly disorientating and obnoxious. The only time I can think in a platformer that a camera should work more complexly than "stick to player" is perhaps invertical sections.
The controls are tricky to get even though it feels like the type of game where they'd be easy to pickup. For one thing the jump. Having the character drop when the jump is released works well for some types of games and could work here. The problem is thus, instantly dropping when it's released does not work in tandem with the shoot jump mechanic. FTR, cool mechanic. But being forced to release the jump button to press it again feels all kinds of awkward. Later, without realising, switched to shooting down using the shoot button and this worked much better, so then why is the ability to use the jump button there? So it's easier to figure out? A simple prompt could do that, I'm all for teaching through level design over obnoxious tutorials, that doesn't mean simple prompts need to be completely omitted; that flies in the face of being user friendly.
The bullet recharge mechanic is just bad. Having to wait around for the gun to charge destroys the pacing. There's an easy solution to this that I'm not sure why it wasn't taken, increase the weapon recharge time dramatically, but only have it recharge when on the ground (or recharge faster on the ground). I got one of the recharge speed upgrades, I'm guessing that the idea is you find more of them and so on. But you shouldn't need upgrades in order for the game to be fun in the first place. I believe in the trailer it showed the character recharging in the air to repeatedly bounce, but that itself could be an upgrade.
Each room just kind of blended together. Looking back, the only room that I remotely remember was the rolling rock room. Every other room didn't present some kind of challenge, just the same enemies in the same situations, it all felt like filler.
I didn't play around with this too much cos I didn't want to die, so apologies if I'm wrong, but spikes seem to knock you back when you get damaged. This seems like something that'll make it a pain to get out of.
oh lord i regret this font choice hahaha anyway this is an extremely well thought out comment and i really appreciate it, so i'll go ahead and try replying point by point!
- The empty corridors. big agree here, to be quite honest with you. there's a lot i've learned since the release of this game just a few years ago about storytelling and pacing, thankfully. - the first path unlocking by interacting with an object: that was actually my attempt at storytelling. it definitely could have been more interesting! - the camera, i also agree, looking back on it. the movement speed isn't high enough, the view size isn't large enough and the framerate is also an abysmal 30 frames per second. the panning left and right was done to give the player some more view space, but because everything is snapping to whole numbers when the screen width is barely 256 pixels or however many, it's - oof. wowie, yeah, i agree, it can look kinda rough. - the controls: this is actually less of an issue with thinking out the controls themselves and more of a problem with the framerate and balancing the recoil amount. it's a lot more generous and well balanced when the recoil provides a noticeable boost. as far as stopping the jump upon key release, i will certainly stand by that. shooting down by pressing jump was actually a feature in place to prevent people with really old keyboards from missing their input by holding too many keys at once- though it certainly could have been an option, instead of an always-on feature. - The bullet recharge mechanic is just bad: this, thank god, was completely re-thought for the perpetually in development sequel. the very first upgrade you get doubles your reload speed, instead of the tiny 20% boost each upgrade in this game provides. this game asks the player to really trust in their incremental progress as they find more upgrades, which can be really off-putting at first. - Each room just kind of blended together: dude tell me about it! the blocks are all kinda ehhhhh looking and a lot of the map, looking back on it, seems to be there for filler. fortunately at least, each sector of the station is themed differently and each sector is a significant difference from the other with their own unique challenges within. graphically i've grown enough to really convey what i want to with level design now, at least. - spikes: yeah no definitely, they're the worst. they do knockback and stunlock you into a deathpit. i've learned my lesson about spikepits in these types of games - they don't return in the sequel!
the sequel has been on hold for years, though, while i've been experimenting with other games. check out: https://brainos.itch.io/spacecortex for a more polished overall experience with more of a focus on the shooting bits and cooperation with a second player. https://brainos.itch.io/biomass for a free game that's a bit more polished than saving princess was, despite being made in just 72 hours for a game jam! it's not a particularly lengthy commitment of time to play through, either. https://brainos.itch.io/touge if you'd rather quit playing metroid and just watch initial d
i can only keep improving thanks to feedback and criticism like yours, and i really appreciate players like you helping me to grow and learn and become an unstoppable flesh monster.
i am not sure how else to contact you so i am leaving a comment here. i just wanted to ask for a refund... the hit boxes on the second boss are way off and all he does is contact damage. i really don't like bosses that are designed around that mechanic. it's cheap and easy. let me know how i can contact you. thx.
I enjoyed this game so much that I decided to make it the main topic in my latest episode of Hybrid Plays! Saving Princess is a great example of simple metroidvania design done right. Nice work!
ohmygosh I actually cried a little watching this! To be used as an example of getting the essentials right is a tremendous honor, thank you so much!
The editing is very well done, and your knowledge of game development principles is absolutely on point. The humor had me cracking up, too! I'd love to see more of your content, so I've subscribed!
Again, thank you so much! Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you liked the video! Saving Princess is super sick, are you still working on a sequel? I'd love to play it once it's done :D
Yep, the sequel is still in the works! I know I've been quiet, but it's close to 90% complete, only missing a final boss.
I've been taking a small break to work on a racing game while I have someone review the dialogue script; I'm hoping to have the narrative in this one carry some more weight than the first one.
Sorry to hear you're having trouble finding health upgrades, keep looking! They're there.
And yes, saving is disabled for the demo - because you've got access to the entire game. If you can beat it on one life, in one sitting, you deserve it for free! Good luck.
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Game has a lot of awesome things going for it based on the demo. I write this having played on PC so my feedback is based on the Windows Demo. If the full version has more features that render the feedback inaccurate please let me know.
Controls are smooth and responsive, soundtrack and sfx as well as visual direction is great. Bosses are very well designed and challenging in a fun way. This game has a lot of awesome stuff going for it and is very well done. I would highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a good metroidvania, I plan to snag the full version when I have a bit of free time to devote to it.
I say this because I have some criticisms which take up the bulk of my comment but they really are not game breakers and some of it can be very subjective.
One of the biggest points of Criticism is the save system being disabled in the demo especially given how unforgiving many parts of the game as well as the bosses can be. I am curious why the decision to disable saving was was made. Obviously the game is a steal at $2.50 and the demo should serve as a good taste of what to expect but being so punished for taking a test drive feels kinda bad vs limiting what can be played in the demo.
The lacking options on PC is also a big downside. You can't configure Keyboard controls though there is a controller configuration option and the only control you have for the visuals is aspect ratio. Unless there is a keyboard hotkey that is not stated in the description or in game there is no way to increase the resolution so expect to play it in a very small resolution on your PC, especially if you run 4k as at 1080p the display is very small.
I feel like the double jump system is interesting in that you have limited ammo that is used both to attack and for mobility. With that said, I feel that the jumps themselves for costing ammo are a tad punishing. When you reach the first spot where your normal jump is not enough, which great way of teaching mechanics through the game, the vertical momentum granted by the shot jump is so tight it feels like a massive resource drain early on. You can easily blow through all three shots just to make what should be a simple jump.
There are areas focused on the mechanic that I think are great such as the hallway of spikes you need to shot jump your way through but personally it feels a bit too punishing. Subjective feeling on my side but I think it would be nice if it was a bit more forgiving early on and as you progress the timing can get tighter.
Lastly, based on what I played, I feel that the introduction to the spike hazard could have been done better. When I first encountered the purple crystal spikes it looked just like a piece of level scenery to me and did not jump out as spikes until I was injured. As a stage Hazard it didn't really give an immediate visual indicator that it was a hazard and not just part of the level. It is far more obvious in later parts (like in the preview screenshot) that they are spikes but the first room I encountered the crystal spikes in just looked like scenery for the room.
Again, these are kinda nitpicky and the last two are especially subjective. This is a great game and I love what I got to play and would highly suggest giving it a try.
Restarted the game and now i am at the final boss
nice! good luck, let us know when you beat it
I have just beaten the game,it was kinda hard at first but the thing is Just to memorize what to do on each attack.
Cool game i just got stuck on the ice boss after taking the fire upgrade
<SPOILER ALERT>First, Find a way to destroy the snow, you don’t need to destroy all the snow.Then Use double jump with the missile to avoid the boss and hit him at the same time, you Just need to have the good rhythm.SPOILER ALERT
Fun game, wish I could fullscreen it though.
Hey, did you make this with Game Maker? Ty!
Really like the idea of tying your jumping ability to your ammo, makes for some good challenges and together with your first couple of bullets having an extra power-up really makes you think about how you use your ammo. Clever mechanic!
Finding the bosses really tough. Any tips on beating the shirtless guy? I know electricity stuns him, but afterwards he is invincible for so long I just get wrecked, and sometimes stun locked with his repeated uppercuts D:
Also: there seems to be debug stuff activated with G and H, accidentally activated when I was figuring out the controls before I realised the readme was installed in a separate folder to the game
what is the debug stuff just curious
G seems to activate upgrades, it increased my max ammo and max health at least.
H just caused damage to the player.
No idea if they do anything else behind the scenes, so they might mess up progress or stuff, but that is what was immediately visible to me.
i see
i've had best luck with the shirtless guy by using the standard blaster - the volt laser makes him too berserk while the standard blaster can cheese him just by dodging his punch and dive kick
This was really fun. I love the art and visual style. The mechanics were a bit finicky at first, but it quickly grew on me. Works perfectly on Linux under WINE.
good to know, i had no idea how it'd act in that case!
I am currently trying to play this game but it won't open in full screen no matter how I mess with the settings. Any tips or tricks?
Press F4
so,save station update pretty please?
I think you might need to update since there isn't a way to get to the main menu from the pause menu, as far as I can tell?
Was super enjoying the demo, one to look out for, stellar music and really enjoyable gameplay! Get this on Steam!
nice game jacob where can i download its music the composer name:T8HI right can anyone leave a link or ~
Very nice metrodivania game. Thanks
Really nice demo, I like the three shoots system, polyvalent and intuitive, like the jump system. Is it your idea or it comes from an old game? Remember me the metroid on the nintendo 3DS, i have a similar felling. However if i buy your game one day i have more chance to finish it than a metroid :). I enjoy the graphisms, animation and ambiance of your game.
thanks!
when i first started development, i had seen the recoil jump in a handful of platformers but never as a central, driving mechanic the way this game does it. i thought it'd be fun to mess with and boy howdy it sure was
This is simultaneously a very polished and very unpolished game.
The art is pretty great, it's what drew me in. Usually, when I see a game looking this good, I expect the gameplay to follow suit but....
oh lord i regret this font choice hahaha
anyway this is an extremely well thought out comment and i really appreciate it, so i'll go ahead and try replying point by point!
- The empty corridors. big agree here, to be quite honest with you. there's a lot i've learned since the release of this game just a few years ago about storytelling and pacing, thankfully.
- the first path unlocking by interacting with an object: that was actually my attempt at storytelling. it definitely could have been more interesting!
- the camera, i also agree, looking back on it. the movement speed isn't high enough, the view size isn't large enough and the framerate is also an abysmal 30 frames per second. the panning left and right was done to give the player some more view space, but because everything is snapping to whole numbers when the screen width is barely 256 pixels or however many, it's - oof. wowie, yeah, i agree, it can look kinda rough.
- the controls: this is actually less of an issue with thinking out the controls themselves and more of a problem with the framerate and balancing the recoil amount. it's a lot more generous and well balanced when the recoil provides a noticeable boost. as far as stopping the jump upon key release, i will certainly stand by that. shooting down by pressing jump was actually a feature in place to prevent people with really old keyboards from missing their input by holding too many keys at once- though it certainly could have been an option, instead of an always-on feature.
- The bullet recharge mechanic is just bad: this, thank god, was completely re-thought for the perpetually in development sequel. the very first upgrade you get doubles your reload speed, instead of the tiny 20% boost each upgrade in this game provides. this game asks the player to really trust in their incremental progress as they find more upgrades, which can be really off-putting at first.
- Each room just kind of blended together: dude tell me about it! the blocks are all kinda ehhhhh looking and a lot of the map, looking back on it, seems to be there for filler. fortunately at least, each sector of the station is themed differently and each sector is a significant difference from the other with their own unique challenges within. graphically i've grown enough to really convey what i want to with level design now, at least.
- spikes: yeah no definitely, they're the worst. they do knockback and stunlock you into a deathpit. i've learned my lesson about spikepits in these types of games - they don't return in the sequel!
the sequel has been on hold for years, though, while i've been experimenting with other games. check out:
https://brainos.itch.io/spacecortex for a more polished overall experience with more of a focus on the shooting bits and cooperation with a second player.
https://brainos.itch.io/biomass for a free game that's a bit more polished than saving princess was, despite being made in just 72 hours for a game jam! it's not a particularly lengthy commitment of time to play through, either.
https://brainos.itch.io/touge if you'd rather quit playing metroid and just watch initial d
i can only keep improving thanks to feedback and criticism like yours, and i really appreciate players like you helping me to grow and learn and become an unstoppable flesh monster.
oh you were supposed to open up the map screen! press q next time you get to that big console. that should open up the rest of the game for you!
So, tried installing this game on my chromebook.
Every time I start up the game, it goes to the initial load screen, and then immediately shuts down.
Help?
i am not sure how else to contact you so i am leaving a comment here. i just wanted to ask for a refund... the hit boxes on the second boss are way off and all he does is contact damage. i really don't like bosses that are designed around that mechanic. it's cheap and easy. let me know how i can contact you. thx.
i'm sorry you're not enjoying it!
email me at jacob.pavone@gmail.com and i'll get this straightened out for you.
any OSX version soon?
Been enjoying the game so far, but would enjoy it a great deal more if my gamepad would work with the Android version.
Can I have a mac build please?
Sorry but i RATE 1 Star the quality off this 4minutes DEMO...
Beacause not possible SAVE in this DEMO, and after 5 minutes MAXIMUM you have a Boss Fight .. :-(
VERY BAD THIS OPTION, first time i see this :-(
I want paly and finish your game , but I can't Play (save progress 2 continue) your game :-(
And sorry if my English it's not very good
Got the demo for Android and it's a nice game, congrats!
Btw, any chance for a Linux release? I'd happily buy it and then recommend it to others :) Cheers.
I enjoyed this game so much that I decided to make it the main topic in my latest episode of Hybrid Plays! Saving Princess is a great example of simple metroidvania design done right. Nice work!
ohmygosh I actually cried a little watching this! To be used as an example of getting the essentials right is a tremendous honor, thank you so much!
The editing is very well done, and your knowledge of game development principles is absolutely on point. The humor had me cracking up, too! I'd love to see more of your content, so I've subscribed!
Again, thank you so much! Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you liked the video! Saving Princess is super sick, are you still working on a sequel? I'd love to play it once it's done :D
Yep, the sequel is still in the works! I know I've been quiet, but it's close to 90% complete, only missing a final boss.
I've been taking a small break to work on a racing game while I have someone review the dialogue script; I'm hoping to have the narrative in this one carry some more weight than the first one.
That's awesome man, nice job! I'll definitely check both those out once they're done!
Oh gosh this is so good!
Im having trouble DUE TO THE FACT THE DEMO HAS DISABLED SAVING I MEAN SERIOUSLY
AND THE FIRST BOSS DOESNT EVEN DROP HEALTH NOR IS THERE A HEALTH UPGRADE
also its good 10/10 but for now thumbs down
Sorry to hear you're having trouble finding health upgrades, keep looking! They're there.
And yes, saving is disabled for the demo - because you've got access to the entire game. If you can beat it on one life, in one sitting, you deserve it for free! Good luck.
Wish there was a press download for this game.