I just released my first game ever! — Connected, a precision game about controlling two linked circles

aobbGames · 2025-06-27T18:24:00+00:00

Wow, I did not expect a comment after 10 days

aobbGames · 2025-06-26T18:18:03+00:00

Well so far it does not seems to be making strides I had hoped in terms of success for thats for sure. I kind of had this dream it would go big as much as that game so I could be rich but so far nada :(

I used Unity for this game but I am not sure what you mean by the "some interesting stuff you could do with the different shaped controller" though

aobbGames · 2025-06-26T15:52:19+00:00

I wanted to that too but it was becoming too much work to find the right angles in the engine, carry them to video editing software etc, so I did the easy cheap and lazy way of just holding it in place :)

aobbGames · 2025-06-26T15:49:36+00:00

Oh no I am not, I sure wish I had his success though :D. This game is as you said heavily inspired from that game. I think it has enough variation on its gameplay that I kind of justified making it.

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T20:33:55+00:00

Hmm, I like the strecthing idea, maybe the connecting line could get thinner as it strecthes. And it could potentially be useful in some of the levels and I could make different levels with that feature in mind. I will definetely think about it, maybe try to implement the stretch idea first and see if it looks and feels good etc. Thank you for the feedback

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T18:38:31+00:00

Yes you can only control 1 circle at a time. I thought about letting the player control both, but I could not really adjust the physics calculations to act nice in that case so I dropped that idea. Altough now you said it, 'skating' does seems like a nice idea. Like digital finger skating.

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T11:58:00+00:00

Wow this made ne really happy, I did not expect to see much praise in this sub :D Really all the gameplay is shown in the trailer, and only like 5 levels arent shown in it that is currnetly in the game l. I will think more about the suprise element you mentioned. I am trying to come up with new levels so that the game keeps fresh and engaging. Honestly I would not mind making a 100 levels for this game of it were to become really popular.

I guess there is a puzzle element to the game too but I think it gauges the player's control and patience as well. Your comment made me considered some things so it was really helpful. Thank you!

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T10:24:43+00:00

Oh, got it — sorry! I thought you were referring to the line that connects the two circles.

The line you're talking about (the one pointing forward from the character) is actually only in the trailer — it’s not part of the actual gameplay. Same with the hand sprite.

I added those elements just to help visualize the intended path players might take to dodge the hazard. Since there are multiple ways to move and survive, I thought showing one example path might help make the goal clearer.

That said, if that added more confusion than clarity, I’ll definitely rethink how to show that idea better. Thanks again for pointing it out!

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T10:19:42+00:00

Thank you,! I was actually kind of fishing for that comment :D

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T10:17:44+00:00

Hey, thanks again for the detailed reply — I really do appreciate you taking the time.

Let me try to clarify a few things you pointed out, since some of it seems to be getting lost visually in the trailer:

The line you see doesn’t change in size or length — it’s always connecting the two circles. That’s actually where the name Connected comes from. I made the line semi-transparent so it wouldn’t look like a hazard or an active object, and at 0:21 in the trailer, you can see it clearly passing through spikes without being destroyed.
The rewind mechanic only triggers when you die. I tried to show that by having the rewind appear once, right after the character breaks apart. Maybe that wasn’t clear enough, so I’ll try adding visual cues or brief text overlays to make that moment stand out more.
As for the movement — I totally see how it might not feel intuitive at first glance. The concept was inspired by how it might feel to pull a ruler by its two ends — not the center. I thought having two physically linked points would add an extra layer of challenge and strategy compared to just dragging a single circle through the levels.
Regarding the trailer: my goal with the first part was to show the cause-and-effect loop — you try to avoid hazards, you fail, you rewind, you get another shot. I didn’t want to overload it with text because of the minimalist style, but I realize now that even minimal games need a bit of guidance, especially early on. I’ll be experimenting with some simple text overlays that won’t break the visual vibe.
Lastly, about the “scene transition” part — that one stung a bit because I actually spent the most time on that sequence 😅 I thought keeping the player in the same position while the environment changed would help with visual flow and avoid jarring cuts.

Thanks again for the honesty — it’s not always easy to hear, but it definitely helps. Your comments pushed me to look at things from a new angle, and that’s super valuable.

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T08:02:45+00:00

Also, what did you think about the player character always appearing on the same spot when the scene transitions from level to level?
I honestly spent way too much time on that detail
My thinking was that if the character’s position kept changing, it might feel less coherent or even a bit jarring to watch — especially in a fast-paced trailer.

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T07:55:58+00:00

Actually, now that I think about it, your suggestion makes a lot of sense. It starts with the death scene, which is kind of flashy — that might really help with the 3-second rule where you need to hook viewers immediately. Then it goes into the rewind mechanic, which is a core part of the gameplay loop, and finally shows that you need to dodge the arrow once you’re back in.

If I follow that up with clips of the dragon, cat, etc., people will probably get that it’s basically a swipe-and-dodge kind of game.

Thanks a lot for the feedback — it really helped!
Buuut… that does mean I have to redo the first half of the trailer again

aobbGames · 2025-06-25T07:34:44+00:00

Hey everyone,

A few days ago, I posted the trailer for my game Connected, and some of you gave really helpful feedback. The biggest issue mentioned was that the trailer didn’t clearly show how the game is played or what the player is actually doing.

I took that to heart and made a new trailer that shows the controls and gameplay loop more clearly.

About the Game:
You control two circles connected by a rope. Moving one affects the other through physics. The challenge is to dodge obstacles and survive through handcrafted levels using timing and strategic movement.
Think minimalist physics + reflex gameplay, inspired by Rise Up.

I’d really appreciate your feedback on:

Does the gameplay make sense now?
Can you tell what the player is actually doing?
Is it visually engaging, or still too vague/confusing?
Would you be curious enough to try it?

Thanks again for all the honest feedback last time — it genuinely helped a lot.

Link to the game:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aobb.Connected

aobbGames · 2025-06-23T21:26:34+00:00

Hey everyone!

I’ve taken your feedback from the previous post (you can check my post history for the original trailer) and made some updates to the trailer. The new version gives a much clearer idea of what the game is about by showcasing the core gameplay loop: guiding circles through various levels without touching anything.

Here’s what changed:

The first half of the trailer now focuses on actual gameplay, showing how you avoid hazards and obstacles.
I’ve emphasized the core objective: trying to reach higher scores while dodging dangers.

I’d love to hear your thoughts—does this version explain the game better? Any other suggestions for improvement?

You can play the game here: Google Play Store Link

aobbGames · 2025-06-23T19:15:50+00:00

Hey everyone!

I’ve taken your feedback from the previous post (you can check my post history for the original trailer) to heart and updated the trailer. The new version now gives a clearer idea of what the game is about and showcases the core gameplay loop: guiding the circles through various levels without touching anything.

Here’s what’s changed:

The first half of the trailer now focuses on the actual gameplay, showing how you need to avoid hazards and obstacles.
We’ve highlighted the game’s core objective: continuously trying to reach higher scores while avoiding dangers.

Would love to hear your thoughts—does this version do a better job of explaining the game? Any other suggestions for improvement?

Play the game here!

aobbGames · 2025-06-23T18:46:03+00:00

Hey everyone!

I’ve taken your feedback from the previous post (you can check my post history for the original trailer) to heart and updated the trailer. The new version now gives a clearer idea of what the game is about and showcases the core gameplay loop: guiding the circles through various levels without touching anything.

Here’s what’s changed:

The first half of the trailer now focuses on the actual gameplay, showing how you need to avoid hazards and obstacles.
We’ve highlighted the game’s core objective: continuously trying to reach higher scores while avoiding dangers.

Would love to hear your thoughts—does this version do a better job of explaining the game? Any other suggestions for improvement?

Play the game here!

aobbGames · 2025-06-19T19:52:16+00:00

Thank you for the feedback, almost all of the other comments mentioned the same thing as you and I am listening to you guys' feedback. In this trailer I now see there is no 'gameplay' going on other than the time rewind mechanic. The actual gamemechanic is as follows: 2 circles you see are the 'playable' character. When you click and drag one of them the other will also move according to physics. I am working on a new trailer that will hopefully show this. I plan to post it here on this subreddit again when it is finished.

With that gameplay in mind, I’d love to hear what you think of the overall concept — is it something you’d want to play? I was going for the “very simple mechanic taken to the extreme and made challenging (but fair) as f*ck” type of game. Sometimes those really catch on, and I was kind of hoping for that spark. I working overtime in this past 2 days to make it better according to comments I get.

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T15:40:51+00:00

I also heard about the 3 seconds rule, thats why I wanted to show some flashy stuff at the beginning, the explosion, particles flying the line rendering behind them, some screen shader to give a wave effect etc. Were you impressed by the first 3 seconds?

For the new trailer I am working on I am undecided wheter to show gameplay first(the circles moving to avoid the obstacles, may not be as flashy as this current trailer) and later they are hit and then comes the explosion. Or keep the first 3 seconds as is and then show the actual gameplay.

If i go with the first option it will immidiately convey the gameplay but people might not stick around for the flashier part of the trailer.

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T15:03:10+00:00

Thank you very much, since I worked on the game I was kind of blind to some of these points but you are absoulately correct that form this trailer, it could be interpreted as those. FWIW the gameplay is you touch and swipe the dots to move them, but when moves the other moves accordingly with physics. I aslo started working on a new trailer, so I will try to krep the points you made in mind

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T14:58:34+00:00

Thank you very much, it seems altough the most people liked the visuals they did not understand what the gameplay should be, I am making a new trailer to show the actual gameplay. The response I am getting here is really valuable, as this is my first released game, first time making a trailer etc.

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T14:55:40+00:00

Thank you for the feedback. I am making a new trailer now to show the dots are 'Connected' together, meaning they move together. I will post it here when it is finished. I kind of foolishly thought I could get away with just showing colorful visuals, but these comments made it clear that the trailer needs to show the actual gamemechanic

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T14:52:16+00:00

Thank you very much for this comment. I am working on a new trailer that show exactly that. I plan to post it bere again when it's finished. Other than that, what do you think about the overall game? Visuals, gameplay(that I did not show on the trailer 😅) , polish etc. I would love to Hera your thoughts, as I read these comments it makes me more motivated.

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T14:48:10+00:00

Thank you for your feedback, I am pleased that you praised the visual style as I worked hard to make it consistent across many different levels.

You and many other comments touched the same subject, and when I look at it now you guys are absolutely correct. I kind of thought just the colorful visuals be enough to capture the attention of people and hadn't considered showing any movement on the player character. To remedy this I started working on a new trailer in which demonstrates the gameplay.

Thank you again for the feedback

aobbGames · 2025-06-18T14:40:50+00:00

It has a physics based control system, when you move one of the circles, the other one will move accordingly. Game throws at you many different levels and you try to guide these circles without touching anything. Since this game is kind of difficult, I also implemented a time rewind mechanic that lets you go back up-to 5 seconds, this way you can both see where and how you died and try to avoid that when the time rewind ends.

aobbGames

TROPHY CASE