Had a lot of fun working on this game. Will try to make something out of it after the compo. Here’s a summary of my compo experience:

What I did right:

•  I used a mechanic I’ve seen in other games and made it look and feel different by combining it with a cool effect, mood as well as adapting it to a 3D environment. Using an existing mechanic like this makes it easier to create puzzles as there are existing games to take inspiration from.
•  I spent a lot of time on getting the audio right, which turned out to be time well spent. I’m quite happy with how the game sounds when you are walking around even though it could still be improved a lot.
•  The visual style ended up looking quite good and saved me a lot of time on creating assets since it’s all animated boxes and point-lights. The game executable ended up very small as well which is just a plus.
•  Working on the game around other fellow jammers (Bytegrove & Diamonde) was more fun than doing it alone. I also got the inspiration for my core mechanic from a prototype Diamonde showed me during the compo which I’m thankful for.

What I learned:

•  Guiding the player through the level is key. My entry depended on the player finding their way through the level by stumbling upon the next room. It was made extremely difficult as there were puzzles in between that you had to solve before continuing further, leaving the player confused as to if they were on the right track.
•  Not every player is an avid gamer. The first puzzle in the game relied heavily on the player having the motor skills associated with these kinds of first-person platforming games. This could be a problem if the player is not an avid gamer which I experienced when having a friend play-test my entry after the compo.
•  Visual cues are very important to get right. At the first puzzle I made two objects have the same color but with different behavior which confused most players as to what to do with them.
•  Improving sound effects by having several variations does a lot to having them sound less repetitive and more real. Having at least 3 variations of effects that will be heard regularly seems like a good minimum.

What I’ll improve:

•  Make it impossible for the player to be confused as to where to go. I’d make the first level a lot smaller and point out a clear goal as to where to go with the only object in the room that sticks out.
•  Make the platforming parts a lot easier in the beginning to give non-gamers a chance to learn the controls without being completely frustrated.
•  Don’t have objects that look or behave slightly different. This will only confuse players as to what to do and what is important.

Try it out if you haven’t already!