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1 person found this review helpful
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 7.1 hrs on record (1.8 hrs at review time)
Posted: 20 Feb, 2018 @ 9:54am

Early Access Review
For what it clearly an early access title, this is really a lot of fun. My only complaint is that the stamina is now a little too restrictive with recent changes (it was previously unlimited which I didn't get to play which is a shame). The combat is a tiny bit limited, but I could easily see this being extended to include sword play or projectiles.

The dungeon environment is quite atmospheric and manages to hit just the right level of dank and dark without being too hard to see things. The sound and music do a decent job of setting the scene.

I'm looking forward to finishing my play through and to see what comes of this very promising game. Keep it up!!

(Please get in touch with me if anyone knows a way to extend or remove the limit on stamina! Pretty please!)

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Developer response:
Portal Studios  [developer] Posted: 20 Feb, 2018 @ 2:54pm
Hey Galatoni!

First off, thanks a lot for going through the trouble of writing a review! <3

I was very happy to hear you enjoyed the game at its current state and you can sure bet on getting more updates as more progress is made (in fact another minor update is due in a few days).

We could do some tuning to stamina but before we do I’d to hear a little more about what/where you found it most restrictive.

Was it running / climbing / both?
Was there a particular scenario where you felt you could us more stamina?

At the end of the day the stamina system is there to prevent climbing and sprinting from being overpowered and to prevent abuse.
We would very much like to encourage climbing and sprinting but for shorter bursts as part of a move or escape you’re making.

Would love to get more info on that and maybe we could try and figure out what could be a better balance – maybe we’ll even push the changes into the upcoming minor patch!

Looking forward to hear back from you!
11 Comments
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-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 23 Feb, 2018 @ 8:50am 
Haha. "If I remember correctly". Keep me in the loop. Good luck with the release.
Portal Studios  [developer] 23 Feb, 2018 @ 3:03am 
Yeah I see what you mean :)
Alright I will look into increasing the volume of the breathing as the stamina reaches critically low levels to begin with.

What's IIRC by the way? :)
-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 23 Feb, 2018 @ 2:00am 
Apologies. As an additional to my reply on the indicator, the indicator works as in it shows when you're good to click and climb. However, that indicator on some surfaces appears beneath the surface of some areas, meaning your hand it 'inside' it.
-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 23 Feb, 2018 @ 1:49am 
"just to make sure the point is clear, climbing faster will cause stamina to be consumed just a fast as if you would climb up slowly since consumption is influenced by climbing speed." Great. I'll try and slow down and see how that goes :D

"As for the indication, is it difficult to determine precisely or at all?" Precisely. There are occasions where the blue indicator would be out of your vision, and you rely on tactile feedback, which IIRC, doesn't indicate when you move away from the sweet spot.

"Is the "breathing" cue not loud enough or maybe it's not made clear enough that it's the breathing that actually hints at your stamina level?" Yes, for me it's too quiet. It's clear that it is following your stamina, but unfortunately it isn't clear as to when that runs out based on the available cue. I do like that it's linked to breathing though, it doesn't break immersion.
Portal Studios  [developer] 22 Feb, 2018 @ 9:39am 
Oh, I see,
just to make sure the point is clear, climbing faster will cause stamina to be consumed just a fast as if you would climb up slowly since consumption is influenced by climbing speed.
As for the indication, is it difficult to determine precisely or at all?
Is the "breathing" cue not loud enough or maybe it's not made clear enough that it's the breathing that actually hints at your stamina level?
-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 22 Feb, 2018 @ 8:07am 
Feedback regarding stamina is another problem. It's difficult to determine when you're about to run out.
-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 22 Feb, 2018 @ 8:05am 
I'll happily clarify:

As a player, when I attempt to place my hand against a surface, the blue 'interaction highlight' isn't consistent.

I'm using a Vive (if that makes a difference), when you attempt to interact with some surfaces, your hand appears inside the surface when it turns blue. This can make interacting with climbing surfaces work against your instincts. You find yourself having to look at your hand in order to find out where that sweet spot is. If you're rushing, with the recent stamina changes, you have to, it makes things difficult. You occasionally miss gripping and fall.
Portal Studios  [developer] 21 Feb, 2018 @ 4:03pm 
So yeah right now stamina is in fact consumed more rapidly the faster you climb,
however even if you hang on a wall without moving there's still a base cost.
Also I believe it's possible to get onto almost any pipe, or at least to those that play a role as part of a possible "solution" to a room.
We really want to be careful with stamina since we do not want it to feel too restrictive on the one hand yet it can become overpowered if not properly contained.

I'm not sure if I correctly understood what you mean by
"This is made worse by some of the surfaces 'grip zone' (when your hand turns blue) being 'within' the surfaces"
-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 21 Feb, 2018 @ 2:26pm 
I've switched to the 'release candidate' branch for now. I'd certainly like to keep ahead of any changes. Do you have a discord at all?
-=[dMw]=-Galatoni 21 Feb, 2018 @ 2:24pm 
Traditionally (I've climbed previously IRL) while waiting, you'd transfer your weight to your feet and either switch arms to give one a rest (if you're free climbing) or let go completely if you have an anchor. I understand 'feet' aren't really an option, and an anchor simply doesn't exist, so coming up with a solution might be difficult. An idea might be to simply allow your stamina to go further, or work it in a similar way to running - the faster you move, the more you use. This would allow you to take your time more and move slowly or 'walk' up the wall. This would allow you to plan your moves carefully or even allow you to take a break while climbing to regain stamina.

Thanks for replying and you're most welcome for the feedback. Please let me know if I helped, or if I can be of any more use.