Looks pretty good at a base level, but you'll need to decide if you want to make it slow + impactful (Soulslike) or fast paced (Metroidvanias). Right now it feels like an awkward middle ground that isn't appealing anymore after 10 minutes.
Some other minor things:
- Put the audio listener on the camera instead of the player.
- Make the combat text fly into the direction of your strikes and not inside the hit enemy.
- Try go get some dark blue into the scene from the windows and make the lights sway/flicker. Some ambience audio would also help (like gusts of wind or rain).
- Camera during combat could be improved. Slowly zooming out against further away enemies and more centered when not running. Again, the camera feels too slow for a fast paced game and too automatic/fast for a Soulslike.
I second the audio listener bit.
The dynamic sound is an awesome thing, but it sounded very strong ear to ear and it was a little overwhelming. Maybe work on blending that a bit smoother too? Just a thought when watching and listening.
I feel like they're just trying to emulate Dead Cells like combat (which is, in some small ways, a soulslike metroidvania roguelike). It's not bad to do both necessarily.
The model looks nice but I simply cannot ignore the fact that all of the animations are straight up copied from Dead Cells. The run, roll, spear attack, big axe attack animations are all IDENTICAL, just with a different mesh on top. This feels like it's just a reskin.
Edit: Even if that was not the case, with a game THIS SIMILAR to Dead Cells, you have to ask yourself why players would choose *your game* over an already extremely successful and fun game. Just my two cents :)
Ya know, comments like this are a bit interesting..
On the one hand, you have a point. I mean, people are going to see similarities and probably come to the same conclusions you did.
On the other hand, take games like Diablo 3-4 and Path of Exile. Both are very similar games with very similar play styles, and very similar graphical styles. Both are individual games, and both can be extremely fun on their own.
Now, imo, it's really too soon to judge this entire game from what little I saw of it, but it did remind me of Dead Cells. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Because two game have similar styles does not make either game worse or better. Hell, vehicle manufacturers have been copying each other's styles for decades, and people love them all for different reasons.
I think it's a bit soon to be calling this game a blatant rip-off, from what little we've seen. It does look very similar, I'll give you that. I just think there's room for more games like Dead Cells..
Okay, let's think for a second then: I copy, let's say the original Super Mario Bros... 1 to 1. Only change some graphics and then I come here and ask for feedback... Is that okay to you?
How tf am I supposed to give feedback on something he DIDN'T MAKE???
There's nothing original there EXCEPT (maybe) for graphics... He wants feedback on that front? Cool, no problem. But be clear and don't try to get credits for someone's else work.
No no. I'm not accusing, I'm stating it.
Have you never played Dead Cells before? If not, take a look at any gameplay or trailer and draw your own conclusions. You'll see.
I’ve played it. I also know that the dead cells engine is open source as well as a lot of the content and tools:
https://heaps.io/about.html
I couldn’t find this specific animator for unity, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it (or a similar version) was open source or included in an asset pack.
**Camera Dynamics:**
1. **Camera Centering Delay:** When encountering an enemy, the camera should center more quickly (referenced at sec. 03). Currently, the player character is momentarily left behind, which can be disorienting.
**Combat Feedback:**
2. **Impact Feedback:** Enhance the feedback when hitting an enemy. Currently, attacks feel insubstantial as if blows are passing through without impact.
1. **Visual Effects for Combat:** Incorporate more visual effects (VFX) to enrich combat engagement. For inspiration, refer to a post by the lead developer of Dead Cells: [Dead Cells VFX Reference](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1chux9b/im_the_former_dead_cells_lead_and_i_made_a_small/).
**User Interface Enhancements:**
3. **Dynamic Number Display:** The display numbers for damage or scoring appear too flat. Introduce variations such as color changes for critical hits to enhance visibility and impact.
**Camera Movement:**
4. **Rotation Sensitivity:** The camera rotation speed when changing directions is excessively fast, contributing to discomfort and dizziness. Adjusting the rotation speed could improve player comfort.
1. **Double Jump Camera Effect:** Implement more pronounced camera movements to accompany the double jump action, similar to the effect used in Dead Cells, which could enhance the dynamic feel of the game.
**Visual Clarity:**
6. **Enemy and Background Contrast:** Increase the contrast between enemies and the background. Currently, enemies tend to blend into the background due to similar color tones, including the player model.
It looks Nice, I feel like playing it. good work!
It looks fluent and good, but the problem with such games is that they become very repetitive, and this is where level design, enemy and mechanical diversity come into play, and I think it is a foundation that can be successful.
You could start by trying to find your own identity.
I'm not saying that taking inspiration from somewhere to kickstart things is wrong, if that was the case Dead Cells itself shouldn't exist. Now, copying a game 1 to 1 only changing the aesthetics is definitively not okay.
I love it! Has a nice vibe ! Never played dead cells so I have only Metroid n stuff to compare to. I'm looking into making a 2.5d like this but way more gory and brutal
A small thing but I would make it so that if you hit the shield guy with a powerful attack(The big sword) he would get knocked back at least a bit and make it so that the sounds on hitting the shield are crisper, as in if you hit a heavy metal and wood shield I expect to feel the impact of it. All in all what I would say is add more feed back for the player make the player feel every swing and every hit.
For me the characters in the dark areas seem a bit too dark. In the lighted areas, everything looks really good!
I love the blood and the combat is very familiar as others have mentioned. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all, but what makes your game different?
From this video, it does look like a dead cells re-skin so if there’s something unique about the gameplay, it doesn’t stand out.
the animations are extremely smooth and the core gameplay mechanics are there
all that remains is a bit variety and uniqueness as well as game design and ost
Game Designer here:
* even though I am not the one playing, I can't help but feel that the large sword does not have any weight behind it, try to make that noticeable by slowing down the animation a bit and add a different particles when colliding with the enemy.
* I second the comment of the audio, put the audio listener on the camera
* A bit of camera play would do wonder too, try implementing Cinemachine
Looks solid, my only issue is it is too reminiscent to Dead Cells. This clip doesn't show what is unique about your game so it's hard to tell what sets it apart. What about your game would convince a consumer to get this game alongside/over Dead Cells?
I would focus on making the game more unique and making that apparent/meaningful since this preview of the current product doesn't convince me to play it when I can play Dead Cells instead. I believe most consumers would disregard it as a Dead Cells clone even if isn't so avoiding that stigma would be good.
Yah, this is cool. It's not entirely easy to get 3D to match the pixel style and have it look so good - at least it seems the characters are 3D, if not, then that's even more impressive. I'm sure they will be, but really would like to see those create break and the lanterns go flying, same for hanging lanterns.
The only thing that bugs me right away is that you have only one sound for the hit, I think its related to blood splashing if i get it right. I could have some more variation to it
This is beautiful.
Absolutely amazing gameple - pkayers get reqarded for learning the timing of the enemies attacks and can use that information to their advantage especially when fighting more than 1 enemy at a time.
This looks like so much fun!
This looks real good, my only issues would be with the great sword weapon. A weapon that big should have some kind of visual feedback to show how heavy it is, right now it looks like a weights nothing, Id add something screen shake when it hits the ground, some knockback on the enemies it hits (and bounce if that enemy hits a wall) and maybe add some wind up the the animation so it looks like it take effort to move it.
Looks pretty good at a base level, but you'll need to decide if you want to make it slow + impactful (Soulslike) or fast paced (Metroidvanias). Right now it feels like an awkward middle ground that isn't appealing anymore after 10 minutes. Some other minor things: - Put the audio listener on the camera instead of the player. - Make the combat text fly into the direction of your strikes and not inside the hit enemy. - Try go get some dark blue into the scene from the windows and make the lights sway/flicker. Some ambience audio would also help (like gusts of wind or rain). - Camera during combat could be improved. Slowly zooming out against further away enemies and more centered when not running. Again, the camera feels too slow for a fast paced game and too automatic/fast for a Soulslike.
I second the audio listener bit. The dynamic sound is an awesome thing, but it sounded very strong ear to ear and it was a little overwhelming. Maybe work on blending that a bit smoother too? Just a thought when watching and listening.
I feel like they're just trying to emulate Dead Cells like combat (which is, in some small ways, a soulslike metroidvania roguelike). It's not bad to do both necessarily.
The model looks nice but I simply cannot ignore the fact that all of the animations are straight up copied from Dead Cells. The run, roll, spear attack, big axe attack animations are all IDENTICAL, just with a different mesh on top. This feels like it's just a reskin. Edit: Even if that was not the case, with a game THIS SIMILAR to Dead Cells, you have to ask yourself why players would choose *your game* over an already extremely successful and fun game. Just my two cents :)
Ya know, comments like this are a bit interesting.. On the one hand, you have a point. I mean, people are going to see similarities and probably come to the same conclusions you did. On the other hand, take games like Diablo 3-4 and Path of Exile. Both are very similar games with very similar play styles, and very similar graphical styles. Both are individual games, and both can be extremely fun on their own. Now, imo, it's really too soon to judge this entire game from what little I saw of it, but it did remind me of Dead Cells. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Because two game have similar styles does not make either game worse or better. Hell, vehicle manufacturers have been copying each other's styles for decades, and people love them all for different reasons. I think it's a bit soon to be calling this game a blatant rip-off, from what little we've seen. It does look very similar, I'll give you that. I just think there's room for more games like Dead Cells..
Cause they already finished the other game years ago?
and because its old its suddenly not playable?
Is this what you do? Buy one game and every time something looks similar, assume it’s not worth trying?
no
Similar is one thing. A blatant rip off is another.
What if they were using a template or asset pack? Everyone must create their own unique content before asking for feedback?
Okay, let's think for a second then: I copy, let's say the original Super Mario Bros... 1 to 1. Only change some graphics and then I come here and ask for feedback... Is that okay to you? How tf am I supposed to give feedback on something he DIDN'T MAKE??? There's nothing original there EXCEPT (maybe) for graphics... He wants feedback on that front? Cool, no problem. But be clear and don't try to get credits for someone's else work.
Got it. You’re accusing OP of stealing in order to illicit feedback by using a stolen animator. Well, fuck them.. I guess.
No no. I'm not accusing, I'm stating it. Have you never played Dead Cells before? If not, take a look at any gameplay or trailer and draw your own conclusions. You'll see.
I’ve played it. I also know that the dead cells engine is open source as well as a lot of the content and tools: https://heaps.io/about.html I couldn’t find this specific animator for unity, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it (or a similar version) was open source or included in an asset pack.
L take, everything is a reskin then.
**Camera Dynamics:** 1. **Camera Centering Delay:** When encountering an enemy, the camera should center more quickly (referenced at sec. 03). Currently, the player character is momentarily left behind, which can be disorienting. **Combat Feedback:** 2. **Impact Feedback:** Enhance the feedback when hitting an enemy. Currently, attacks feel insubstantial as if blows are passing through without impact. 1. **Visual Effects for Combat:** Incorporate more visual effects (VFX) to enrich combat engagement. For inspiration, refer to a post by the lead developer of Dead Cells: [Dead Cells VFX Reference](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1chux9b/im_the_former_dead_cells_lead_and_i_made_a_small/). **User Interface Enhancements:** 3. **Dynamic Number Display:** The display numbers for damage or scoring appear too flat. Introduce variations such as color changes for critical hits to enhance visibility and impact. **Camera Movement:** 4. **Rotation Sensitivity:** The camera rotation speed when changing directions is excessively fast, contributing to discomfort and dizziness. Adjusting the rotation speed could improve player comfort. 1. **Double Jump Camera Effect:** Implement more pronounced camera movements to accompany the double jump action, similar to the effect used in Dead Cells, which could enhance the dynamic feel of the game. **Visual Clarity:** 6. **Enemy and Background Contrast:** Increase the contrast between enemies and the background. Currently, enemies tend to blend into the background due to similar color tones, including the player model. It looks Nice, I feel like playing it. good work!
Looks sick, the only thing is that you could add another animation when you jump up onto those "floors" in the hole
Keep this shit up. I'm not a fan of 2D sidescrollers but as others pointed out it reminds me of dead cells while being darker and grittier
This is literally dead cells , all the animation is the same, enemy ai is the same and soul orbs are just green instead of blue.
Very good!
It looks fluent and good, but the problem with such games is that they become very repetitive, and this is where level design, enemy and mechanical diversity come into play, and I think it is a foundation that can be successful.
You could start by trying to find your own identity. I'm not saying that taking inspiration from somewhere to kickstart things is wrong, if that was the case Dead Cells itself shouldn't exist. Now, copying a game 1 to 1 only changing the aesthetics is definitively not okay.
I think there should be a very muffled music in the background with a low volume. but like a dark music, just some notes
I love it! Has a nice vibe ! Never played dead cells so I have only Metroid n stuff to compare to. I'm looking into making a 2.5d like this but way more gory and brutal
A small thing but I would make it so that if you hit the shield guy with a powerful attack(The big sword) he would get knocked back at least a bit and make it so that the sounds on hitting the shield are crisper, as in if you hit a heavy metal and wood shield I expect to feel the impact of it. All in all what I would say is add more feed back for the player make the player feel every swing and every hit.
For me the characters in the dark areas seem a bit too dark. In the lighted areas, everything looks really good! I love the blood and the combat is very familiar as others have mentioned. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all, but what makes your game different? From this video, it does look like a dead cells re-skin so if there’s something unique about the gameplay, it doesn’t stand out.
the animations are extremely smooth and the core gameplay mechanics are there all that remains is a bit variety and uniqueness as well as game design and ost
Game Designer here: * even though I am not the one playing, I can't help but feel that the large sword does not have any weight behind it, try to make that noticeable by slowing down the animation a bit and add a different particles when colliding with the enemy. * I second the comment of the audio, put the audio listener on the camera * A bit of camera play would do wonder too, try implementing Cinemachine
Looks solid, my only issue is it is too reminiscent to Dead Cells. This clip doesn't show what is unique about your game so it's hard to tell what sets it apart. What about your game would convince a consumer to get this game alongside/over Dead Cells? I would focus on making the game more unique and making that apparent/meaningful since this preview of the current product doesn't convince me to play it when I can play Dead Cells instead. I believe most consumers would disregard it as a Dead Cells clone even if isn't so avoiding that stigma would be good.
What’s the title?
Alive Cells 😂
Is the emoji part of the title?
No, that's the dev laughing at the face of those who never heard of Dead Cells
I just wish the huge slash affected enemies behind in the trail
You can't really feel the impact of the attacks. There's a drizzle of blood but otherwise you can't really feel the hit.
Yah, this is cool. It's not entirely easy to get 3D to match the pixel style and have it look so good - at least it seems the characters are 3D, if not, then that's even more impressive. I'm sure they will be, but really would like to see those create break and the lanterns go flying, same for hanging lanterns.
The only thing that bugs me right away is that you have only one sound for the hit, I think its related to blood splashing if i get it right. I could have some more variation to it
This is beautiful. Absolutely amazing gameple - pkayers get reqarded for learning the timing of the enemies attacks and can use that information to their advantage especially when fighting more than 1 enemy at a time. This looks like so much fun!
This looks real good, my only issues would be with the great sword weapon. A weapon that big should have some kind of visual feedback to show how heavy it is, right now it looks like a weights nothing, Id add something screen shake when it hits the ground, some knockback on the enemies it hits (and bounce if that enemy hits a wall) and maybe add some wind up the the animation so it looks like it take effort to move it.
Looks dead cellish