It looks pretty fun, but it takes a while to get from the start to the enemy, who I can't quite figure out how to kill. I've only managed to take off its left arm. Also, every time I respawn after dying to it, I am unable to shoot, climb, or turn around. The "jump" and "fire" buttons doing nothing is confusing to me, and the color indication of when your shot is ready is difficult to understand at first and hard to see when it's zoomed out. It's really cool to use a big laser, but I find its inability to angle it without moving or crouching difficult. It's fun to run around, but difficult to do things. I do enjoy the art, though.
ok, so, very good atmosphere, very good music. This game to me is a "lights off" game, meaning no room light and not watching anything next to me while i play for the desired atmosphere which is a good thing, something most games dont get. writing this as I play. First off, mac currently doesnt work unless you do the terminal commands that you said to me elsewhere and i think you should just have them in the description until you do get that thing that you said you needed done done. so, I have a couple of minor complaints, like i said, writing this as i go
1: animation lag: it exists. it shouldnt. I dont want to have to stop, wait a moment for my moving animation to finish, and then be able to press the duck button. I also dont want to have to wait after pressing move before movement starts. Animations are very nice but they have to be snappier between them.
2: I want to be able to just duck while moving, i dont care if i can move while ducking, thats a different question and more one of game-design, but i dont want to have to release the movement input to be able to duck, just let me press duck to stop in my tracks and, well, duck. it instead aims down but there's already a separate button bind for that. maybe that is done because up while not at a ledge aims up, but maybe make that aim directly up or something instead of forwards-up. that as an aiming option could also allow for better times fighting flying/ceiling-based enemies (if standard enemies will be a thing) or bosses (edit: ok so i can look up when i am squatted)
3: thought the jump patch was in, i guess it isnt for the mac version? or maybe i just managed to download the older version. honestly though it does feel fine without jumping ability for the stuff until the first boss so i dont think its really ALL that much needed
4: it is a bit hard to tell when there is a "box" to climb on, they sort of blend into the background easily. the visuals are very nice but that might have lead to depth being sacrificed a little bit. I am sorry i cannot suggest any real solutions, but it is a bit of an annoyance. so far has mostly been an issue in the hallway before the stairs, the one after the water is much clearer but some are still a bit harder to recognize
5: cant stop running. when i tap the run key it makes me run. good, right? not quite, it makes me run until i entirely stop what i am doing, including letting the "stop moving" animation finish, if i try to move again before ive come to a COMPLETE halt, i still run. My suggestion would be make it so i only run WHILE run is held
6: probably could have gone earlier but the walk-start moves me back a little bit. i think that this is done to keep your front in line but this might also be able to help alleviate 1 by having it so that you immediately start with a step forwards into that position instead of a step back. think about it, when you start walking from a standing position, you step forwards. steping back also means i cant move just one step further to move closer to a ledge without it taking like a full second. micro-adjustments shouldnt take time.
7: in the water walking left there is a tiny ledge, it doesnt have ANY visual identifier and should just be slope like the rest of it
8: screen flickers a tiny bit when i climb ledges, not sure if this is intentional or a potential result of resolution or of something else
9: looks a little weird walking on the invisible floor in front of the big scary symbol circle. just add a line for the floor or something so it doesnt look like your floating. this one is just a tiny little complaint, sorry
10: would like a visual representation of health. if there already was one it is hard to see and I could not identify it
11: a save before bosses would be nice, it does suck to have to trek all the way back to them from the start. it is kind of long and there isnt anything to do along the way if youre going back through it.
12: it is confusing that "prime" charges for a brief period and then shoots, and "fire" does nothing. what i would have is something like the charge-beam in metroid where you hold to charge and then release when youre ready to fire, which means you can be more intentional about your aiming, however holding one button to charge and then pressing another to fire could have a more "tactile" feel to it, or how it is now could work with some getting used to, in which case remove the "prime" button and just label that function "fire"
13: after dying i couldnt turn arround
sorry for the negativity, the game just seems very cool and promising and I do hope it reaches its full potential
(edited because i didnt see the "prime" button when i rebound and another comment told me that it was a thing and how you fire so i went in and tested that that worked, which it does, hence the current "12" but i havent gone through to be able to kill the crab)
Is there supposed to be a jump? There's a key for it, but nothing happens when it's pressed. Additionally, are "prime" and "fire" meant to do different things? The only weapon gameplay I found was pressing the "prime" key, which immediately fires the gun after a short chargeup animation. Being able to angle shots without moving would be great, too.
Additionally, when a controller is plugged in, the game continuously registers a left click input and overwrote my save file by autoclicking "New Game".
I really, really love the aesthetic and soundtrack here, but the gameplay side of things needs some TLC. Super hoping this project moves forward and we can play even better builds in the future.
The backgrounds and audio convey the Nihei aesthetic to an unsettling extent. The feeling of strangeness and the smallness of the main character are oppressive. Also, I like how the demo doesn't try to explain anything and instead lets the player drink in the environment and speculate.
I really like the weapon. It's very satisfying to shoot and the long cooldown creates an immediate feeling of apprehension on a miss.
Walking is a little exasperating, but maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it. I wish there was a middle ground between walking and running (maybe there is later on?).
I'll definitely be following updates; but I'm both a horror lightweight and a failure at platforming, so maybe I won't be getting the full game, I don't know.
Played the new version and vaulting from the beginning made traversing the environment feel really good. I can see the chase sequences later on, where you have to time your vaults really tight or you get caught by the enemy.
Walking feels better too the second time around. At first the pace felt too slow but this time it wasn't jarring, so I guess it is a matter of getting used to it.
Also, I want to apologize for saying maybe I won't be getting it. I didn't mean any harm, but I think it might feel really discouraging to read this kind of comment, so I'm sorry.
Being equipped with an ultra powerful death beam on a huge cooldown absolutely seems like it'll lend itself to some really cool gameplay later on, and the boss fight does a great job of highlighting that & setting the tone. Was able to intuit the controls through General Gamer Experience but got stuck trying to move up ledges before I figured out which particular button is the "go up" one. Auto-clamber might help resolve this?
Only constructive comments I have are on the super clunky feeling movement that people have commented on. Getting past ledges feels like a slog until after the boss. I like how slidey it is, but a faster transition to walking would also be nice. I found walking provided better positioning for shooting the boss while running was more for escaping the big attacks. Personally I would also love to be able to angle shots before starting the shot/moving, but overall I LOVE the feel of the cannon & the general atmosphere shown so far. Through the spriting the protag feels experienced & powerful, but also just one small piece of a much bigger world.
Hello, thank you for the feedback! We've added a little tutorialization arrow that should help understand the ledge climbing and smoothed out the clunky movement. You can also angle your shots with A and D! Thank you for playing!
Played the new version, I found a bug where going backwards and climbing up one of the ledges in the room with the arches shortly after the water room caused an animation/player freeze that softlocked the game. While walking, when you mash the up key on a short step playform you can sometimes step up twice as well, causing the player to go a little higher than intended. Otherwise it definitely does play a little cleaner, and rebindable controls are always a plus. Overall enjoyed the update!
Hello. I tried playing but when i tried to open it said the file was damaged when I tried to open the game (zip worked fine). I was trying to play using a mac with OS 11.6, so it could be that the mac version doesn't work or that it is only for pre Catalina (10.15), which removed the 32-bit processor, and the game is 32-bit only?
We haven't signed or notarized the .app file yet (this is complicated). The workaround for it right now is to enter a series of commands through Terminal.app to self-sign the package.
oh thank you! Google had showed me that there was a terminal workaround but I didn’t understand what they were trying to tell me to do so this should be it I guess
Love the brutalist giger aesthetic but the gameplay side still needs a lot of work. I assume the movement is the way it is to add to the atmosphere of insignificance in the face of colossal structures of cold stone and rebar but moving like you're in a jar of molasses is too grating. Movement speed is slow, getting the character to start moving takes too long and same goes for climbing. I hope you get the power to jump sooner rather than later. The gun feels powerful and a pleasure to shoot but could use some sort of recharge indication, at least an audio cue and aiming can be finicky.
As whole the demo looks very promising and I'm looking forward to next builds.
Very cool and weird demo. The adaptative camera real helps sell the vibe you guys are going for. The gun feels very satisfying and powerful. I just wished my character would keep running when climbing things from the start, it felt like I've unlocked this ability upon killing the boss though, I'm not sure?
Is there anywhere I can find the soundtrack of the game?
after a quick playthrough of the demo, i feel this game is even more worth keeping my eye on! the combat was confusing at first, however after some experimentation i figured out that the colour of my sprite correlates with whether or not i can shoot, and grew accustomed to aiming at the boss! some things feels clunky, but in a strangely endearing and nostalgic way that only enhanced my experience.
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It looks pretty fun, but it takes a while to get from the start to the enemy, who I can't quite figure out how to kill. I've only managed to take off its left arm. Also, every time I respawn after dying to it, I am unable to shoot, climb, or turn around. The "jump" and "fire" buttons doing nothing is confusing to me, and the color indication of when your shot is ready is difficult to understand at first and hard to see when it's zoomed out. It's really cool to use a big laser, but I find its inability to angle it without moving or crouching difficult. It's fun to run around, but difficult to do things. I do enjoy the art, though.
You’ve defiantly got the vibe down! I’m excited to follow this project.
ok, so, very good atmosphere, very good music. This game to me is a "lights off" game, meaning no room light and not watching anything next to me while i play for the desired atmosphere which is a good thing, something most games dont get. writing this as I play. First off, mac currently doesnt work unless you do the terminal commands that you said to me elsewhere and i think you should just have them in the description until you do get that thing that you said you needed done done. so, I have a couple of minor complaints, like i said, writing this as i go
1: animation lag: it exists. it shouldnt. I dont want to have to stop, wait a moment for my moving animation to finish, and then be able to press the duck button. I also dont want to have to wait after pressing move before movement starts. Animations are very nice but they have to be snappier between them.
2: I want to be able to just duck while moving, i dont care if i can move while ducking, thats a different question and more one of game-design, but i dont want to have to release the movement input to be able to duck, just let me press duck to stop in my tracks and, well, duck. it instead aims down but there's already a separate button bind for that. maybe that is done because up while not at a ledge aims up, but maybe make that aim directly up or something instead of forwards-up. that as an aiming option could also allow for better times fighting flying/ceiling-based enemies (if standard enemies will be a thing) or bosses (edit: ok so i can look up when i am squatted)
3: thought the jump patch was in, i guess it isnt for the mac version? or maybe i just managed to download the older version. honestly though it does feel fine without jumping ability for the stuff until the first boss so i dont think its really ALL that much needed
4: it is a bit hard to tell when there is a "box" to climb on, they sort of blend into the background easily. the visuals are very nice but that might have lead to depth being sacrificed a little bit. I am sorry i cannot suggest any real solutions, but it is a bit of an annoyance. so far has mostly been an issue in the hallway before the stairs, the one after the water is much clearer but some are still a bit harder to recognize
5: cant stop running. when i tap the run key it makes me run. good, right? not quite, it makes me run until i entirely stop what i am doing, including letting the "stop moving" animation finish, if i try to move again before ive come to a COMPLETE halt, i still run. My suggestion would be make it so i only run WHILE run is held
6: probably could have gone earlier but the walk-start moves me back a little bit. i think that this is done to keep your front in line but this might also be able to help alleviate 1 by having it so that you immediately start with a step forwards into that position instead of a step back. think about it, when you start walking from a standing position, you step forwards. steping back also means i cant move just one step further to move closer to a ledge without it taking like a full second. micro-adjustments shouldnt take time.
7: in the water walking left there is a tiny ledge, it doesnt have ANY visual identifier and should just be slope like the rest of it
8: screen flickers a tiny bit when i climb ledges, not sure if this is intentional or a potential result of resolution or of something else
9: looks a little weird walking on the invisible floor in front of the big scary symbol circle. just add a line for the floor or something so it doesnt look like your floating. this one is just a tiny little complaint, sorry
10: would like a visual representation of health. if there already was one it is hard to see and I could not identify it
11: a save before bosses would be nice, it does suck to have to trek all the way back to them from the start. it is kind of long and there isnt anything to do along the way if youre going back through it.
12: it is confusing that "prime" charges for a brief period and then shoots, and "fire" does nothing. what i would have is something like the charge-beam in metroid where you hold to charge and then release when youre ready to fire, which means you can be more intentional about your aiming, however holding one button to charge and then pressing another to fire could have a more "tactile" feel to it, or how it is now could work with some getting used to, in which case remove the "prime" button and just label that function "fire"
13: after dying i couldnt turn arround
sorry for the negativity, the game just seems very cool and promising and I do hope it reaches its full potential
(edited because i didnt see the "prime" button when i rebound and another comment told me that it was a thing and how you fire so i went in and tested that that worked, which it does, hence the current "12" but i havent gone through to be able to kill the crab)
Is there supposed to be a jump? There's a key for it, but nothing happens when it's pressed. Additionally, are "prime" and "fire" meant to do different things? The only weapon gameplay I found was pressing the "prime" key, which immediately fires the gun after a short chargeup animation. Being able to angle shots without moving would be great, too.
Additionally, when a controller is plugged in, the game continuously registers a left click input and overwrote my save file by autoclicking "New Game".
I really, really love the aesthetic and soundtrack here, but the gameplay side of things needs some TLC. Super hoping this project moves forward and we can play even better builds in the future.
The backgrounds and audio convey the Nihei aesthetic to an unsettling extent. The feeling of strangeness and the smallness of the main character are oppressive. Also, I like how the demo doesn't try to explain anything and instead lets the player drink in the environment and speculate.
I really like the weapon. It's very satisfying to shoot and the long cooldown creates an immediate feeling of apprehension on a miss.
Walking is a little exasperating, but maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it. I wish there was a middle ground between walking and running (maybe there is later on?).
I'll definitely be following updates; but I'm both a horror lightweight and a failure at platforming, so maybe I won't be getting the full game, I don't know.
Hello, thank you for the feedback!
Played the new version and vaulting from the beginning made traversing the environment feel really good. I can see the chase sequences later on, where you have to time your vaults really tight or you get caught by the enemy.
Walking feels better too the second time around. At first the pace felt too slow but this time it wasn't jarring, so I guess it is a matter of getting used to it.
Also, I want to apologize for saying maybe I won't be getting it. I didn't mean any harm, but I think it might feel really discouraging to read this kind of comment, so I'm sorry.
here from drilbot
Being equipped with an ultra powerful death beam on a huge cooldown absolutely seems like it'll lend itself to some really cool gameplay later on, and the boss fight does a great job of highlighting that & setting the tone. Was able to intuit the controls through General Gamer Experience but got stuck trying to move up ledges before I figured out which particular button is the "go up" one. Auto-clamber might help resolve this?
Only constructive comments I have are on the super clunky feeling movement that people have commented on. Getting past ledges feels like a slog until after the boss. I like how slidey it is, but a faster transition to walking would also be nice. I found walking provided better positioning for shooting the boss while running was more for escaping the big attacks. Personally I would also love to be able to angle shots before starting the shot/moving, but overall I LOVE the feel of the cannon & the general atmosphere shown so far. Through the spriting the protag feels experienced & powerful, but also just one small piece of a much bigger world.Excited to see where this goes.
Hello, thank you for the feedback! We've added a little tutorialization arrow that should help understand the ledge climbing and smoothed out the clunky movement. You can also angle your shots with A and D! Thank you for playing!
Played the new version, I found a bug where going backwards and climbing up one of the ledges in the room with the arches shortly after the water room caused an animation/player freeze that softlocked the game. While walking, when you mash the up key on a short step playform you can sometimes step up twice as well, causing the player to go a little higher than intended. Otherwise it definitely does play a little cleaner, and rebindable controls are always a plus. Overall enjoyed the update!
Hello. I tried playing but when i tried to open it said the file was damaged when I tried to open the game (zip worked fine). I was trying to play using a mac with OS 11.6, so it could be that the mac version doesn't work or that it is only for pre Catalina (10.15), which removed the 32-bit processor, and the game is 32-bit only?
We haven't signed or notarized the .app file yet (this is complicated). The workaround for it right now is to enter a series of commands through Terminal.app to self-sign the package.
cd ~/Downloads
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "Vermillion Descent.app"
codesign -s - --force --deep "Vermillion Descent.app"
It should work afterwards.
oh thank you! Google had showed me that there was a terminal workaround but I didn’t understand what they were trying to tell me to do so this should be it I guess
Love the brutalist giger aesthetic but the gameplay side still needs a lot of work.
I assume the movement is the way it is to add to the atmosphere of insignificance in the face of colossal structures of cold stone and rebar but moving like you're in a jar of molasses is too grating. Movement speed is slow, getting the character to start moving takes too long and same goes for climbing. I hope you get the power to jump sooner rather than later.
The gun feels powerful and a pleasure to shoot but could use some sort of recharge indication, at least an audio cue and aiming can be finicky.
As whole the demo looks very promising and I'm looking forward to next builds.
Very cool and weird demo. The adaptative camera real helps sell the vibe you guys are going for. The gun feels very satisfying and powerful. I just wished my character would keep running when climbing things from the start, it felt like I've unlocked this ability upon killing the boss though, I'm not sure?
Is there anywhere I can find the soundtrack of the game?
Not sure if there is a more official place like a spotify but he's got the music on their YouTube channel. also called bearsharktopus
Thanks!
after a quick playthrough of the demo, i feel this game is even more worth keeping my eye on! the combat was confusing at first, however after some experimentation i figured out that the colour of my sprite correlates with whether or not i can shoot, and grew accustomed to aiming at the boss! some things feels clunky, but in a strangely endearing and nostalgic way that only enhanced my experience.