I have tried the demo and found it to be a very polished game (UI, animations, music, and sound effects).
One thing to note (personal opinion) is that it seemed a bit difficult to me at first to gather all the crystals and enter the gate on time. I have lost around 4-5 times (due to timeout or loosing all health) before achieving it.
Hello! Thanks a lot for the feedback. I've almost ready the full game (as well as a new demo, out in a couple of weeks), in which the goal is to collect AT LEAST 75% of the crystals. Various people reported the same thing, so I went for this solution. The more you get, the more bonus credits you'll receive. But to complete the level, 75% of crystals are enough!
I think your game is really good, I've seen that you have already received a lot of feedback like control schema, bugs, etc.
I don't know if someone already said this but I feel like the camera is a bit close, you can't too far away when the enemies start attacking, I think it'd good if you could zoom out the camera a little bit, but that's just my opinion.
Anyway keep the good work man, the sprites, animations and character control feel excellent, you're doing really good!
Also I don't find Schizo offensive at all, but just as you said, at these times on 2023 there's always someone offended by anything you do, so you just keep moving forward.
Thanks a lot for your feedback! Regarding camera, I'm pretty much stuck with the distance to respect a "pixel perfect" vibe. Meaning: the screen res is 426x240 and everything is designed accordingly. Zooming the camera out a bit, will reduce the pixel size, and while that will be somehow "good looking", I'll lose the old-school vibe and break the pixel perfect rule.
Having played the demo, I can say I'm definitely impressed with what you've put forward so far, but I can point to some areas I think could be improved.
Personally, the control scheme on keyboard is a bit clunky, while it can be managed with 1 hand, its very much awkward and caused my hand to cramp a bit towards the end of my first play session, the game also doesn't communicate that the player has a double jump very clearly. I also was unable to locate a method to quit the game from the pause menu.
I agree with other reviews stating upgrade boxes could be a bit easier to destroy, especially with a strict time limit.
Speaking of, I feel like the game is fighting with itself about being a timed moderately precise collect-a-thon, while also using procedural generation for the levels. It makes it hard to figure out paths within the time limit, and also makes it hard to earn any time bonuses to actually afford the upgrades.
(Of note, the grenade upgrade does not increase your grenade capacity, or start you with more in new stages)
I would suggest ditching or greatly extending the time limit, providing other rewards for completing with an excess of time- Or if you want to keep a very precise and snappy run and gun feel, I would actually say hand-designing levels would lead to a better game over all.
My other gripe, at current at least, is its a bit harsh to have to restart level 1-5 just to try the boss again.
Lastly I'll mention a minor bug that doesn't fit anywhere else: If you jump and hit a corner right while ascending, you can get launched vertically significantly higher than normal.
As I said, this is a really good game so far, and I had a great time with it, but there are some rough edges that could use some polish, and I genuinely hope you experiment with hand-designing the levels and upgrade placements.
Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback. I try to reply point by point...
Keyboard control scheme: it's already fixed, will update soon the build. Nevertheless, I highly recommend to play with a gamepad.
Upgrade boxes: fair point, I can lower their "health".
Time-Limit + collect-a-thon + procedurally generated levels, this is somehow what makes it unique, so I'd prefer to keep those choices. Also, consider that some upgrades in the shops allow you to walk/run with the map, and that should make exploration easier, however, I might consider adding a minute to the timer to ease player's job (this by the way is also an upgrade that you can buy).
Grenade Upgrade not working: this might be a bug... also, it can be a visual bug (i.e. it's written "3", but you actually have 5 grenades). Can you double check?
Restart level 1-5 after boss kills you: this also I'd prefer to keep, for some reasons... First of all, since the level is cleared out, it should be rather fast to reach the boss location (also at that point you should have the whole map). Second, it could be a strategy to leave the weapon crates for the boss fight, therefore having the possibility to collect weapons before a boss fight might be useful. Third, for coding-reasons, it's better if the level is restarted, boss reset, etc. rather than respawning right away at the boss's lair.
Corner jump bug: yes, I know about this, it's due to "gaps" between "characters grid" and "platforms grid". To optimize frame rate and overall speed, I'm keeping those gaps rather big, so sometime you can have that effect, which, however, is not a big deal (might actually be a feature!) but I prefer to keep that annoyance than slowing down FPS.
If you want to help the development, by testing the game (for instance verifying the grenade issue of point nr4), or give us some other hints, you can join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/cpprZbnQAn
first off i enjoyed the game very much i see it having more potential in areas.
1.the missile launcher lacks kick in terms of visuals and damage i would like less missiles and more damage per ammo box that would make it more of a treat to find them. id prefer about two hits per ammo box to break it if i have a strong weapon like that. it lacks visual punch maybe some level of flash and smoke (maybe slight screen shake or something similar) and i didn't notice any splash damage but maybe i missed it. at one point i was aiming upward near a corpse i believe and the missiles were hitting the corpse instead of my target.
2. the player marker should flash or be red or something that stands out to be easier to see especially since the adrenaline will (hopefully) be flowing when things get intense, that slow down is a potential buzz kill.
3. the machine gun also lacks punch the projectiles don't seem that interesting to shoot.
I hope you dont take these criticisms too harshly i did enjoy your game. I will be back to play more and i wish you a successful launch.
Thanks a lot for your feedback, truly appreciated! I actually agree with your points, I know there are areas of improvement, especially on weapons. Regarding point 2, it's a very good hint and rather easy to make (I think I'd go with a fast flashing of the player marker, since its colour is character-based: Chris is red, Arnold is green, Lizzy is blue... this also to understand better on multiplayer). So expect the flashing marker for the next update!
On a side note: as mentioned elsewhere, we'll launch soon a Kickstarter and we hope to reach at least 200 followers before launch, so please spread Schizollama out there to your friends and followers, and if you haven't done it yet, click the "Notify me on launch" on the KS page. Thanks a lot!
Only saying this cause I haven't seen anyone else point it out and you may not know (I certainly didn't until recently). But the term 'Schizo' is considered an offensive word by many. Do with that information what you will.
I know it's risky, but in 2023 there'll be someone offended by something no matter what... Nevertheless, in this case the term "schizo" is more in the slang for crazy, lunatic... The prefix "schizo" in other languages (I'm Italian and in Italy we do), is also used for someone acting in a frenetic and very "nervous" way, which fits the fast-pace of the game. Furthermore, per extension, the origin of the prefix "skizo" (Greek/Latin) is also for terms like "to split" or "to tear apart", which also fits considering the funny splatter elements of the game. This said, I'd like to point out I don't want to offend anybody with the serious disease of schizophrenia.
"... in this case the term "schizo" is more in the slang for crazy, lunatic..."
That's exactly what they're talking about, though. In North America the term 'schizo' is quite offensive. You might as well used the R-word in your title.
I loved the pace and the way the game feels. It feels really great to kill the alpacas (no offence to alpacas), especially in certain moments like on a straight platform, when there's 3-4 of them in a row and you land on the platform into a straight run just blowing them up. The art, music and everything is A+. The UI is great - just no distractions at all - only what I wanna know.
I didn't like the controls personally - I was both shooting and moving with the same hand (left hand) which I'm not used to. For me, what would have been nice was something like K (shoot) and L (grenade) which would have let me use both hands, more importantly, only the left hand for movement. Please do check this with a larger sample size though. Didn't get a chance to try it with gamepad yet.
Since the gameplay is so fast, I somehow got confused(?) with an open map. I didn't "want" to slow down but at times I was forced to switch from adrenaline mode to decision-making mode. Some suggestions:
1. Make it pure linear, going from left to right. Just blow everything up behind the player so they can't move back ever. Verticality can still be used (give the player an option to take a higher path or lower path) to give players a sense of exploration and secret finding.
2. Add in-level objectives (reach checkpoint A, save person B...) with clear map markers or direction indicators on-screen.
The suggestions suck, but I hope that they highlight my general confusion - which is that despite the task of collecting crystals, I still didn't feel a strong sense of "where to go", or an "objective" that I could work towards. Like I had to actively think about it, which then stopped my rampage.
This is a banger of a game and I heartily wish you and the team all the very best! I would be most happy to test this whenever you have an updated build.
Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback, very appreciated and we'll consider your hints! We are launching soon a Kickstarter and we need help from everyone, so please consider to join the campaign already from now (clicking the "Notify me on launch" on the coming soon page, link to the KS is on the header of the Itch page), as well as sharing it on social media, it'll mean a lot!
As for testing or following other steps of the development, the best way is maybe on our Discord channel. I'll also update the status here on Itch.io via dev logs.
Why? What do you mean? Are you playing with gamepad or keyboard? Can you elaborate more? We are looking forward to players' feedback to improve our game. So please, give us more info so we can improve the game!
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I have tried the demo and found it to be a very polished game (UI, animations, music, and sound effects).
One thing to note (personal opinion) is that it seemed a bit difficult to me at first to gather all the crystals and enter the gate on time. I have lost around 4-5 times (due to timeout or loosing all health) before achieving it.
Keep up the good work!
Hello! Thanks a lot for the feedback. I've almost ready the full game (as well as a new demo, out in a couple of weeks), in which the goal is to collect AT LEAST 75% of the crystals. Various people reported the same thing, so I went for this solution. The more you get, the more bonus credits you'll receive. But to complete the level, 75% of crystals are enough!
That's great, thank you for the update!
I can't wait to play this game in my Xbox :D
its not on switch
Does not work for me.
Is there a 32 bit version of this game?
ouch, sorry to hear, but no, there's no 32bit version at the moment.
I think your game is really good, I've seen that you have already received a lot of feedback like control schema, bugs, etc.
I don't know if someone already said this but I feel like the camera is a bit close, you can't too far away when the enemies start attacking, I think it'd good if you could zoom out the camera a little bit, but that's just my opinion.
Anyway keep the good work man, the sprites, animations and character control feel excellent, you're doing really good!
Also I don't find Schizo offensive at all, but just as you said, at these times on 2023 there's always someone offended by anything you do, so you just keep moving forward.
Thanks a lot for your feedback! Regarding camera, I'm pretty much stuck with the distance to respect a "pixel perfect" vibe. Meaning: the screen res is 426x240 and everything is designed accordingly. Zooming the camera out a bit, will reduce the pixel size, and while that will be somehow "good looking", I'll lose the old-school vibe and break the pixel perfect rule.
Good looking game, offensive title though. Might come back to give it a play if the title changes.
Cool!
Having played the demo, I can say I'm definitely impressed with what you've put forward so far, but I can point to some areas I think could be improved.
Personally, the control scheme on keyboard is a bit clunky, while it can be managed with 1 hand, its very much awkward and caused my hand to cramp a bit towards the end of my first play session, the game also doesn't communicate that the player has a double jump very clearly. I also was unable to locate a method to quit the game from the pause menu.
I agree with other reviews stating upgrade boxes could be a bit easier to destroy, especially with a strict time limit.
Speaking of, I feel like the game is fighting with itself about being a timed moderately precise collect-a-thon, while also using procedural generation for the levels. It makes it hard to figure out paths within the time limit, and also makes it hard to earn any time bonuses to actually afford the upgrades.
(Of note, the grenade upgrade does not increase your grenade capacity, or start you with more in new stages)
I would suggest ditching or greatly extending the time limit, providing other rewards for completing with an excess of time- Or if you want to keep a very precise and snappy run and gun feel, I would actually say hand-designing levels would lead to a better game over all.
My other gripe, at current at least, is its a bit harsh to have to restart level 1-5 just to try the boss again.
Lastly I'll mention a minor bug that doesn't fit anywhere else: If you jump and hit a corner right while ascending, you can get launched vertically significantly higher than normal.
As I said, this is a really good game so far, and I had a great time with it, but there are some rough edges that could use some polish, and I genuinely hope you experiment with hand-designing the levels and upgrade placements.
Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback. I try to reply point by point...
If you want to help the development, by testing the game (for instance verifying the grenade issue of point nr4), or give us some other hints, you can join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/cpprZbnQAn
Put on steam w/ gamepad support?
I'm not sure I understand. Gamepad is always supported, but it's also always possible to play with keyboard.
loved ur game just not fan of the time limit other than dat its blast
first off i enjoyed the game very much i see it having more potential in areas.
1.the missile launcher lacks kick in terms of visuals and damage i would like less missiles and more damage per ammo box that would make it more of a treat to find them. id prefer about two hits per ammo box to break it if i have a strong weapon like that. it lacks visual punch maybe some level of flash and smoke (maybe slight screen shake or something similar) and i didn't notice any splash damage but maybe i missed it. at one point i was aiming upward near a corpse i believe and the missiles were hitting the corpse instead of my target.
2. the player marker should flash or be red or something that stands out to be easier to see especially since the adrenaline will (hopefully) be flowing when things get intense, that slow down is a potential buzz kill.
3. the machine gun also lacks punch the projectiles don't seem that interesting to shoot.
I hope you dont take these criticisms too harshly i did enjoy your game. I will be back to play more and i wish you a successful launch.
Thanks a lot for your feedback, truly appreciated! I actually agree with your points, I know there are areas of improvement, especially on weapons. Regarding point 2, it's a very good hint and rather easy to make (I think I'd go with a fast flashing of the player marker, since its colour is character-based: Chris is red, Arnold is green, Lizzy is blue... this also to understand better on multiplayer). So expect the flashing marker for the next update!
On a side note: as mentioned elsewhere, we'll launch soon a Kickstarter and we hope to reach at least 200 followers before launch, so please spread Schizollama out there to your friends and followers, and if you haven't done it yet, click the "Notify me on launch" on the KS page. Thanks a lot!
Only saying this cause I haven't seen anyone else point it out and you may not know (I certainly didn't until recently). But the term 'Schizo' is considered an offensive word by many. Do with that information what you will.
I know it's risky, but in 2023 there'll be someone offended by something no matter what... Nevertheless, in this case the term "schizo" is more in the slang for crazy, lunatic... The prefix "schizo" in other languages (I'm Italian and in Italy we do), is also used for someone acting in a frenetic and very "nervous" way, which fits the fast-pace of the game. Furthermore, per extension, the origin of the prefix "skizo" (Greek/Latin) is also for terms like "to split" or "to tear apart", which also fits considering the funny splatter elements of the game. This said, I'd like to point out I don't want to offend anybody with the serious disease of schizophrenia.
"... in this case the term "schizo" is more in the slang for crazy, lunatic..."
That's exactly what they're talking about, though. In North America the term 'schizo' is quite offensive. You might as well used the R-word in your title.
Yeah... I agree... Sad times.
That's considered offensive? Really?
Crazy gameplay! High adrenaline rush at points.
I loved the pace and the way the game feels. It feels really great to kill the alpacas (no offence to alpacas), especially in certain moments like on a straight platform, when there's 3-4 of them in a row and you land on the platform into a straight run just blowing them up. The art, music and everything is A+. The UI is great - just no distractions at all - only what I wanna know.
I didn't like the controls personally - I was both shooting and moving with the same hand (left hand) which I'm not used to. For me, what would have been nice was something like K (shoot) and L (grenade) which would have let me use both hands, more importantly, only the left hand for movement. Please do check this with a larger sample size though. Didn't get a chance to try it with gamepad yet.
Since the gameplay is so fast, I somehow got confused(?) with an open map. I didn't "want" to slow down but at times I was forced to switch from adrenaline mode to decision-making mode. Some suggestions:
1. Make it pure linear, going from left to right. Just blow everything up behind the player so they can't move back ever. Verticality can still be used (give the player an option to take a higher path or lower path) to give players a sense of exploration and secret finding.
2. Add in-level objectives (reach checkpoint A, save person B...) with clear map markers or direction indicators on-screen.
The suggestions suck, but I hope that they highlight my general confusion - which is that despite the task of collecting crystals, I still didn't feel a strong sense of "where to go", or an "objective" that I could work towards. Like I had to actively think about it, which then stopped my rampage.
This is a banger of a game and I heartily wish you and the team all the very best! I would be most happy to test this whenever you have an updated build.
Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback, very appreciated and we'll consider your hints! We are launching soon a Kickstarter and we need help from everyone, so please consider to join the campaign already from now (clicking the "Notify me on launch" on the coming soon page, link to the KS is on the header of the Itch page), as well as sharing it on social media, it'll mean a lot!
As for testing or following other steps of the development, the best way is maybe on our Discord channel. I'll also update the status here on Itch.io via dev logs.
The controls are so bad :(
Why? What do you mean? Are you playing with gamepad or keyboard? Can you elaborate more? We are looking forward to players' feedback to improve our game. So please, give us more info so we can improve the game!
I use the keyboard and the keys to move, jump, shoot... they are too close together :(
my hand:
with gamepad is very good
Ok, understood. Good point. I'll change them soon with a patch.
Hey, at which point it crashes? Can you tell me repro steps? Maybe record a video? Also, knowing your specs can help.
Amazing game so much fun and challenging
fun