Hollow Floor

the graphics were a bit inconsistent unfortunately, generally they were fine (I like the VVVVVV inspired look) but the fonts look a bit blurry, especially the coin display. perhaps a part of it is that they used smaller pixels in the coin ui than the actual game. besides this the graphics were fine, and in terms of the gameplay they communicated everything they needed to clearly which is the most important thing.

Checkpoints and difficulty started out generous, but then I encountered one place where I went through about 7 screens, died and oddly they were easy screens but the gameplay wasn't satisfying me in such a way that I had any desire to redo them.

I almost looked up a guide but since I recognised the game locked me in here and I assumed based on the gameplay so far that there wouldn't be an easy softlock like this, I persisted until I figured it out. the secrets were all well-telegraphed which made the game's pacing very consistent, I realised eventually that working on my spatial awareness was more useful than checking every single wall for a hidden path, though some hidden paths just being shortcuts are cool.

the music was interesting; I liked that the music wasn't necessarily 8-bit to match the visuals, but I wish some of the SFX were less harsh, especially when first booting the game and interacting with the menus. the green theme was nice and contemplative, and the brown theme I really enjoyed as it helped me imagine a ruins/temple area. at this point I felt that the music in the game was maybe a bit simple but worked quite well for both the puzzle and exploration elements of gameplay that were prominent for me. the blue theme is unfortunately the weakest I think; the use of synthesised orchestral instruments (especially the horns) as well as a couple of melody lines that were a bit cliche IMO felt a bit anticlimactic for the area this was.