I’ve sponsored my roblox horror game called “Stocks” for approximately 40k robux. (Maybe more maybe less) It doesnt seem to get much attention, probably because the game is kinda boring in the beginning or people don’t know what to do. Those are my specualtions but I dont know.
If anyone could give me some feedback / constructive criticism on what I can do better or maybe what the game is lacking that would be great, since it is a horror game after all.
You hit right with the opening, the heartbeat immediately sets up the setting and unease on the player. When I first heard it, I assumed that danger was nearby. Players with basic game literacy on horror games know this. So I kept looking around for that aforementioned possible danger, nothing came. The tension lost in me. Having it play for the rest of the game reduces its effectiveness overtime. Looking at the badges, seems like only 1% of the people that clicked play finished the game. That’s not the best, especially for such a short experience. Long games created by designers typically design it in a way so that at least 10% of the player base finishes it. I left after two minutes… I got bored too quickly, first door I entered was locked and no idea of progressing came to mind; didn’t bother trying to finish it. I didn’t have any motivation to finish the game. I don’t have any comments or ideas on how to improve the game since I didn’t face a chance to fully experience it. I found no huge issues with the game world’s atmosphere based on my instincts alone, only possibly mechanically.
Doing a 40k sponsor isn’t a good idea for new projects
The name of the game doesn’t communicate what the product is to a new player. Maybe it makes more sense for someone who knows everything about the game, but the people seeing the ads have no frame of reference for what your game is aside from their past experiences.
Sprint doesn’t seem to work
The free decals look like they belong in a 2011 game more than a 2021 game. You could make custom ones, or better yet, build the images using parts (ex. a 3D lock will look better than a 2D one).
Players are getting bored and lost. The moment to moment gameplay is slow, unrewarding, and confusing. The best games make it a joy to press every button with satisfying visual and audio effects. It’s also good practice to use reward schedules so people can feel like they’re achieving something (as opposed to feeling like they’re wasting their time and getting nothing for it).
More story elements would be nice such as scattered written notes