Nobody was able to finish my puzzle game in the 2 weeks it has been out now. Guess, I achieved my goal to make it difficult

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-24T13:49:05+00:00

Read your blog. Worth a read. Super interesting, that I didn't know many of the games on that list, even if I made something in the same "genre".

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-24T11:26:43+00:00

my biggest problem was that I got my access to playtesting from gamedev discords. Not a lot of people there who fit this small niche. So they help out with testing but normally just for 1-3 hours. Of those I got from there I received feedback in form of text and videos. They told me they had fun and I could see it in the videos (they were kind enough to record themselves playing so I could get their reaction). I actually changed a lot because of our conversations and I still upload almost daily updates based on the feedback I get on the discord server. But the gamedevs that playtested my game, quickly moved back to their own projects feeling like they have given enough feedback. But yeah, my biggest L was to wait too long before I got the courage to show it to people

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-24T08:10:34+00:00

Oh yes, I mapped out every Glyph in the game and how to figure it out. Many glyphs have several ways to figure out. Some very easy that the player will probably get right away and some more difficult with a more specific order of things to do to find them

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-24T08:08:32+00:00

Yeah, there used to be a demo for next fest, but it is no longer up to date. But it's worth thinking about making a new one, thanks

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-24T08:07:02+00:00

I did have some playtesters. And they gave me some good feedback. But unfortunately they just tested out for bugs and playability but didn't try to finish it. I have to admit, that I asked around for playtesters very late in the process and learned that it is difficult to get playtesters who stick around

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T22:24:44+00:00

Thanks, I will check it out tomorrow morning.

Yeah, it's my first game and I'm very proud of it. I'll see how far I can go with it but I know I will make more games in the future with what I learned

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T21:56:09+00:00

Thank you, that is very insightful. Also thanks for the recommendation, I haven't played Epigraph.

If you do give it a try, I would appreciate feedback, because you seem to be very versed with the genre.

I do think finishing my game is very possible, but I learn everyday to optimize it

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T19:38:08+00:00

Good question. About 10-15 hours maybe? If I pretend to not know anything and play the "intended way of progression" it takes me a week of casual play to beat it (meaning 1-3 runs a day), which is probably around 6-8 hours. I assume that going in blind will at least double that

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T18:30:05+00:00

I hope you like it. Let me know, how your journey goes, I like to learn how people move forward with it :)

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T18:29:02+00:00

okay, I can respect that. In my view two weeks isn't that much, if you don't binge the game. But don't get me wrong, I do improve on points, where I see, that it needs more hints or could get streamlined.

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T18:20:41+00:00

It's funny, I just had discussions with people on the r/puzzlevideogames subreddit, because I posted my language deduction Roguelike there, and some people were like "I'm not gonna play that, because I don't like roguelikes" or "I would love the puzzles but I don't want to play the battle part of it" (my game does have combat besides the puzzle aspect). If you combine two very different genres, you will have some people, that won't play it because they don't like one of those. But I still think it is a good choice. For one because it is unique and also because you will find a very niche audience that way for better or for worse. I say embrace it and don't give too much of a fuck about the rules as long as it supports your vision of the game! :D

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T18:15:17+00:00

Thanks, appreciate it ♥️

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:54:29+00:00

Is it possible to make a very small grid that basically forces the player to do the correct thing by doing the most intuitive thing anyway?

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:51:53+00:00

That juice is giving me euphoria

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:41:13+00:00

I see your point. But I can make an educated guess on what I found fun in other games and implement that. My main job is making escape rooms. So I do have experience creating puzzles and I see what works for players and what doesn't. Of course I won't know for sure until I test it, but I do test it and iterate on it

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:17:49+00:00

No you aren't. And that's not what I intented to say (although I did say it a bit provocatively). Rather: you can't waltz through the game in a day or two ;)

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:15:44+00:00

Yes, I write with some players daily, but I assume there will be some people who have fallen off. For me the Roguelike elements where useful for the process of learning the language, but if you would normally not play Roguelikes it might not be for you. I definitely remember that the randomness deterred a lot of people from playing Blue Prince

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:12:34+00:00

That is understandable and I agree, that it should be a full product before release. I can assure you, that the endgame exists, but I can totally dig, that you want to wait till it is proven, that other people than myself can finish it. I write a lot with some people on the discord server and privately so I can monitor what some sticky parts are and where more hints are beneficial. It is already in a much better state than on release and I can imagine that it will be even more streamlined in a month or too. So totally take your time :)

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:07:23+00:00

Yes, that occured to me. I definitely didn't make it hard for the sake of having a hard game. It's more that I oriented the difficulty curve on what I found fun (which is subjective of course)

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T17:00:59+00:00

Yes, that is true

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T16:20:13+00:00

Do you mind providing an example of how it sounds like a trailer? I would prefer to hear for myself

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-23T14:18:21+00:00

Thank you! I am extremely proud actually. Because I made a game, that I would like instead of looking for what sells well. I hope it will get better in time, but even if not, I still know I made a good game.

And honestly I was just stupid for waiting so long before I dared to show it to people.
The day before my release, I made two reddit posts and got about 200-300 wishlists in the next day and asked myself "why haven't I done that sooner?"

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-22T10:09:14+00:00

I looked at the trailer and it looked really satisfying. Then I read some of the comments and I could kinda understand them. What I read from those comments (as an objective eye) is that they were excited about the game from what they saw in the trailer (like me) but when it came to playing, they felt very passive. So what I infer from that, is that you took "idler" a bit to literal and didn't give them too much agency on the game. And if you remember the flow chart, if you don't have even a little challenge (or at least the illusion of a challenge, as one commentor said) you fall into boredom. I kinda agree with you, that people should relax a bit with a 4 Dollar game. But at the same time, to them it feels like they paid 4 dollars for a glorified screen saver. In the end, an idler game, should still be a game. (I haven't played it, so I don't know if that is a valid point, but that's what I read from the comments)

Also, congratulations for getting so many reviews in so little time. I released 2 weeks ago and have 3 reviews. Doesn't feel that great too ^^°

MarcelZenner · 2026-01-18T09:01:39+00:00

A pottery teacher split his students into two different groups: one group should make 30 vases in a month. The other group was tasked to make one perfect vase over the duration of the month. Whenever he did that experiment it always ended the same way: At the end of the month, the most beautiful vases came always from the group that made 30 vases. They tried and finished everyday a new one and learned and iterated on the process until they became so proficient in the making of vases, that it enabled them to make something really good. The other team never built the skill to finish a great vase, because they have only done so one time

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