Introduction
Hello, wonderful people of the internet!
Today, we wanna give you a Recap on our Community Impulses. Think of it as a behind-the-scenes look at how your feedback is shaping the development of our upcoming Metroidvania, Enu. We are right now reworking our Blog- and Discord Content and will get rid of generic Communuity Impulses for good and will focus more on presenting and discussing our actual development with you.
So, what have Community Impulses been, you ask? It’s where we asked you, for your thoughts, opinions, and hot takes on everything from favorite games over narrative to game mechanics. We’ve hosted four of these sessions, and today, we’re diving into what we’ve learned from them. Although Community Impulses are going away, we will continue to ask for your input and share the lessons we learn from your input in the future!
Let’s get started, shall we?
Community Impulse #1: Favorite Metroidvanias
We kicked things off by asking a simple but loaded question: What’s your favorite Metroidvania, and why? The responses poured in from Reddit, Discord, and social media, and they were gold. Here’s what stood out:
- Exploration and Discovery: The joy of uncovering secrets, navigating interconnected worlds, and feeling that sweet, sweet sense of progression as you unlock new abilities was a recurring theme.
- Combat and Mechanics: Tight controls, satisfying combat, and unique mechanics were frequently praised. Bonus points for games that blend Metroidvania with other genres.
- Atmosphere and World-Building: Immersive environments, compelling storytelling, and atmospheric design (music, visuals, etc.) were often cited as reasons people fell in love with certain games.
- Replayability: Multiple endings, branching paths, and post-game challenges were also big hits.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Some of you pointed out that backtracking can be a pain if not done well. So, we started brainstorming ways to make backtracking less of a chore and more of a joy. Here are some early ideas (keep in mind, these are still in the napkin sketch phase):
- Waypoints at the start of each area and before boss battles
- Custom waypoints that players can set after fully exploring an area
Our goal? To turn backtracking into something the community loves: Exploration.
Community Impulse #2: What Do You Want in a Metroidvania?
This one didn’t get as much traction as the first, probably because it overlapped with the “favorite Metroidvanias” question. Still, the main takeaway was crystal clear: Exploration is king.
Community Impulse #3: Favorite Abilities
Next, we asked about your favorite abilities in Metroidvanias. While this one didn’t spark as much discussion as we’d hoped, we still got some great insights. Many of you mentioned abilities that allow for combo-based combat, which got us thinking.
While we don’t have the resources to implement a full-blown combo system, we’re experimenting with a light combo version within our gear skill system. Think of it as an optional way to experience combat.
Community Impulse #4: Itemization
Ah, itemization. This one sparked some spirited discussions. We asked for feedback on our itemization system, and boy, did we get it. Here’s the breakdown:
- The Good: Some of you loved the system as it was.
- The Not-So-Good: Others felt that it had too much RNG in it.
We hear you. While we love the idea of RNG drops adding excitement (who doesn’t love finding a shiny new weapon with a skill they can’t wait to try?), we don’t want players to feel forced to grind in specific areas. So, we’re going back to the drawing board on this one.
A possible solution? Lean into what the community loves: exploration. We’re brainstorming ideas like a beastiary system that rewards players for finding rare enemies in hidden spots. It’s early days, but we’re excited about the potential. We will work on more different reward systems in the near future.
We also got feedback that our affix system might be too RNG-heavy. We’re keeping that in mind, but we’re not ready to scrap the idea just yet as we feel there could be a lot of potention as a reason to replay the game or keep playing after finishing the story. Playtesting will be key here, and we’ll keep you updated as we iterate.
Wrap-Up
So, there you have it – our Community Impulse Recap! We hope this gives you a clearer picture of how your feedback is shaping Enu. These recaps will become more detailed as development progresses, so stay tuned for more updates.
Do you agree with our takeaways? Disagree? Have a brilliant idea we haven’t thought of yet? Let us know! The best place to share your feedback is on our Discord.
Thanks for being part of this journey with us. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a drawing board to get back to. And maybe another cup of coffee.
Until next time, ENSO out!
