35
I showed people 2 minutes of my game, feed back was .....not amazing.
r/IndieDev
7/13/2025
Content Summary
A developer shares frustrations after receiving mixed feedback on their Metroidvania game 'BACK TO STEEL'. While praised for UI and soundtrack, criticism focuses on floaty movement, repetitive audio, and unpolished visuals. The post discusses handling negative feedback, prioritizing polish tasks, and debating whether to continue development. Commenters provide technical suggestions for improving game feel through animation tweaks, hitstop mechanics, and environmental detailing, while debating the value of harsh criticism versus constructive feedback.
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream opinions emphasize using critical feedback constructively:
- Technical Focus: Majority suggest improving game feel through animation polish (landing effects, hitstop), audio diversity, and environmental detailing
- Development Philosophy: Debate between 'polish to compete' vs 'create for personal fulfillment'
- Feedback Value: Conflict between accepting harsh criticism as necessary vs filtering unconstructive negativity
- Market Realism: Strong consensus that Metroidvania genre requires exceptional quality to stand out Controversial viewpoints include whether amateur projects deserve commercial release and the validity of 'it looks like shit' comments as feedback.
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [No specific SaaS tools mentioned in the content] | - | - | - |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Repetitive sound effects
- Floaty/weightless character movement
- Lack of visual polish (empty gray backgrounds)
- Subtle enemy reactions (flinch/stagger)
- Unpolished animations and combat feel
- Overwhelming negative feedback causing stress
Problems to Solve:
- Improve game feel through animation and physics
- Enhance audio diversity and polish
- Add environmental details and visual effects
- Clarify story elements in short clips
- Manage development workload and expectations
Potential Solutions:
- Implement hitstop/hitstun mechanics
- Add landing animations and particle effects
- Use pitch-shifted sound variations
- Create background sprite work/fog effects
- Conduct actual playtesting sessions
- Prioritize polish tasks systematically
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Leveraging harsh feedback for iterative improvements
- Comparing product against genre leaders (Hollow Knight, Celeste)
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Using TikTok/Reddit for early visibility
- Creating comparison videos showing improvements
Monetization & Product:
- Focusing on unique selling points vs established competitors
- Considering free itch.io release for initial validation
User Engagement:
- Engaging directly with critical commenters
- Planning community playtesting sessions
- Maintaining development transparency through progress updates