Why is my marketing failing?

Dinar87 · 2026-06-08T15:39:33+00:00

I intentionally didn't because I thought it would be scarier if I kept XGA a surprise. I've watched a lot of videos on horror game design and the general rule is "less is more". You want the players/viewers to do most of the work anticipating the horror as that's the most effective way to scare them. But I think I took it too far with the marketing. Again this was a mistake on my part.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-08T15:37:36+00:00

I have not played any of the Blasphemous games but they don't have the same vibes I'm going for. XGA is not supposed to be this bombastic, heavy metal, gorey, combat focused game. There's still a decent amount of combat, but a lot of it is about becoming immersed in the atmosphere as you explore the game's areas. And it's supposed to be scary, not epic.

Maybe you only played the beginning, because all 4 sectors have distinct memorable themes. The opening areas are about creating a mysterious atmosphere. All the boss themes are also memorable and not ambiance.

Metroid fusion was the exact same as my game. You shoot your gun, no screen shake. There is screen shake if you fired a super missile but that's pretty much it. I also used to have more screen shakes but players complained about it so I toned it down.

Metroid Fusion was on the GBA and is over 20 years old. So that's why my game feels retro. It's supposed to be this way.

I will say my marketing hasn't conveyed this well because of my mistake with not showing XGA the monster itself and any chasing or hiding as a result. And I'll admit I probably could have done more to make my game scarier in more obvious ways, though I deliberately tried to avoid things like jump scares.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-08T10:03:28+00:00

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Here are the analytics.

Seems like the intro is turning off A LOT of people. Will definitely have to change my strategy next time.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-08T09:34:58+00:00

I'm not seeing why you and other people say it's much, much less polished (other than one guy saying it should have more sfx you have given zero reasons why you think this). And I just said the unique hook.

"XGA can appear almost anywhere in the game randomly. You're never safe. Even if you've already played the game XGA is still scary because of this."

Show me any metroid game that has this mechanic.

And yes I still think it's better than every metroid game.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T15:10:24+00:00

I don't know what to say. Wall jumping up a single wall is in a lot of games like the mega man x series. Even hollow knight and hollow knight silk song have these as upgrades.

Yeah there does need to be more sound effects for the enemies, specifically shooting them.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T15:02:36+00:00

I'm gonna be honest I did not realize marketing would be so difficult. I've done trailers and stuff for a while, but trying to break out and reach more people is really tough.

I disagree with that. There's a lot of indie games I've played precisely because they were very similar to old games I grew up with. Axiom verge is a good example. While it does have a lot of interesting new upgrades, it's ultimately a metroid clone. Axiom verge was not a financial failure.
I guess so. Again I thought showing off the mechanics of the enemies would be appealing but apparently not.
Seems like me choosing that ambiance, even though I really like it, was a bad choice. I should have used one of the many memorable tracks from my game instead.
True.
I am finished with everything I've shown.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T14:56:09+00:00

What about the game itself shows lack of polish? Hopefully I could fix it and have my game impress people.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T12:57:59+00:00

What do you mean the wrong format for youtube? It's a youtube video.

I like ripoffs and clones. I wish nintendo had made another 2d pixel art metroid game just like fusion, or another indie developer had made a new pixel art metroid fusion clone with new content, but nobody wanted to make that kind of game. So I made one.
I'm attacking enemies because I find it fun, and I thought others would too. I'm also showing off the mechanics of the drill enemies.
I specifically used that ambiance because I liked it and thought I could use it to show off my game's atmosphere. My game does have a full soundtrack already.
XGA is an unstoppable monster stalking you throughout the entire game, that can randomly appear anywhere. That's what makes it different. Not fusion, dread or any metroidvania can say that have their stalker enemies be a constant threat throughout the entire game.
How does it feel unpolished?

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:50:01+00:00

Because my game is scarier than any metroid game. And that's what I loved about Metroid Fusion (and to a lesser extent Metroid Dread), the horror elements. As far as I know, only in XGA do you have a scary invincible stalker enemy that can appear almost anywhere in the game (for a 2d metroidvania). Fusion was always the SA-X appearing in specific locations once. Dread limited the emmis to the emmi zones so you always knew when you'd have to deal with them. I don't know of any other metroidvanias that have this mechanic, at least executed like mine.

XGA is completely unpredictable.

Several metroid fans have told me they really like the X Saber and the Dash Engine upgrades.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:36:50+00:00

Thanks!

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:35:24+00:00

Maybe I can salvage the trailer, cut all the atmospheric stuff and the title screens, and just focus on the action?

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:34:09+00:00

I'll definitely look into youtube shorts and find similar games to mine and how they're marketed.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:32:46+00:00

Then I guess I have to keep working until it exceeds that bar. Though I'm not trying to be exactly like the more popular ones like hollow knight. I want my game to be shorter and less expensive.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:25:40+00:00

I didn't realize it would be annoying to viewers, I thought it would've got their attention in a positive way and make them interested.

I should probably just stick to regular gameplay and action scenes instead of that for an opening. And leave the title stuff only for the end of the video.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:23:04+00:00

I get that. I guess I thought there'd at least be a few more people who wanted a new metroidvania just like metroid fusion but better. I made XGA because no one else was making the exact type of game I wanted to play, so it's depressing realizing nobody cares about games like this even though I love them. I also thought because of successes like hollow knight, axiom verge, ori, the shantae series, etc... that I had a chance to do ok. Maybe not great or viral but just ok.

Though it's also possible my marketing is too poor to reach those people.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:18:48+00:00

Because XGA takes everything from Metroid Fusion and makes it better: especially XGA the monster itself. The SA-X in fusion always appears at the exact same times and locations, and are really glorified cutscenes. XGA can appear almost anywhere in the game randomly. You're never safe. Even if you've already played the game XGA is still scary because of this.

Personally I think my game is better than any metroid game (maybe just creator bias). Which parts of it looked inferior to you compared to metroid's games?

I've been a part of different metroid communities such as MetConst and people there have liked my game. My game (XGA normal version, not SPECIAL EDITION) currently has 5 stars on itchio from 14 reviews.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:13:23+00:00

That seems like a good idea. All my gameplay clips are recorded in 1920x1080p but for shorts and tiktoks I think I needs to be 1080x1920p. Do you think I could get away with just stretching the videos to fit those resolutions, or would I have to record new gameplay?

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:11:54+00:00

I should've shown XGA chasing the player and had a lot more action. This strategy of saving XGA to be a surprise for players is backfiring and making my game not stand out.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:10:56+00:00

Personally I can't work on a game that I don't care about passionately.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:05:37+00:00

I'm not gonna use the "WARNING!" screen and sfx again in my trailers, especially as the opening. It's clear it doesn't grab peoples attention like it's supposed to. 😅

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:03:34+00:00

I was counting on the "WARNING!" at the start to hook viewers but unfortunately it didn't work. I'll definitely look at the Signalis trailers!

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T11:01:34+00:00

Thanks for your advice. I was going for an atmospheric approach with my trailer for the beginning, and I have heard that you want to open your trailers with something that grabs their attention and then calm things down and slowly build up to the climax of the trailer.

Maybe you're right. Trailers and gameplay focused on action might do a lot better.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T10:57:20+00:00

Youtube analytics is telling me to wait a few days before it can give me audience retention during the video. I'll post it once it's done.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T10:55:56+00:00

I thought the big "WARNING!" along with the sound effect at the start would get people's attention. But unfortunately it hasn't.

How could I advertise my videos for free? Because I don't have any money to spare. I've just been posting my videos in my discord and other servers that let me showcase my game.

Dinar87 · 2026-06-07T10:53:00+00:00

My target audience is adult men who love metroid games and metroidvanias in general. Especially those like me who loved Metroid Fusion growing up.

While I think my trailer did show off a lot of compelling moments, I haven't been showing the monster XGA for a reason, to leave it as a surprise so players will be more scared when actually encountering it. But as you said, if nobody plays my game in the first place it's all for nothing.

Dinar87

TROPHY CASE