The game looks like it could be interesting ... but I got bored before I made it all the way through the tutorial and quit.

I suggest you start with just the matches then let the player play the game with just them. Then add something like the tax fraud and let the player another level with those added. Keep adding something new each level, letting the player learn the game slowly as the complexity increases.

Take a look at the way causual games like Plants vs Zombies does it. You get into the gameplay itself very quickly, but get new pieces to play with after every level for several levels.

Good luck!

Roy

Didn't notice the arrows the first time. They're all the way over to the right and I was looking at the word Tutorial thinking "that'll be a good place to start". They don't really feel connected to the box to the left.

A better way to do it might be to have the word Tutorial in the middle of the screen with the an arrow to the left of it and another arrow to the right of it. It's much more obvious and would show a stronger connection between the two elements.

I'm serious about the tutorial. You've got about 2 minutes to get me in the game play or I'm gone. We were just talking about this at our local game developer Meetup the other night and everyone there felt the same way. It's something we're considering on our own game project.

I went back and tried it without the tutorial and it was pretty decent. There's a decent amount of pressure with the tiles constantly being added, so I felt like I had to step up my game after figuring out how to move the tiles.

And then the damn life choices kept popping up and pulling me out of the gameplay. I saw the option to turn them off on the level select screen, but I really don't see them adding anything to the game. They just make me go "meh".

The life choices actually annoyed me enough I quit playing after about 3 minutes.

I'll come back and give it another play tomorrow without the life choices and let you know my experience with that.

Roy

I know I'm being critical, but it's because I'm trying to help you. I know it's hard to hear some times, but sometimes it's the best feedback you can get. You've done a great job getting the game to this stage.

Roy

> no actual progression like with PvZ.

Sure there is. You've already got your progression in the tutorial. Just teach me the bit about moving tiles and creating matches, then let me play a level with just those elements. Then teach me the bit about using the calculator icon and let me play another level with the moving tiles, creating matches, and using the calculator icon. Then teach me the next bit and give me another level.

> The game is about living a life

Not really. Sure, that's your theme, but that's not the game. That's just window dressing. The game is about making matches before something bad happens when the time runs out.

I would focus on the making matches to pay your taxes before the big bad tax man comes in and takes you off to jail. That's a pressure we could all understand and grasp right away.

As far as theme goes, maybe you're trying to save your poor grandma's home from the evil tax man coming and kicking her out on the street without a penny to her name. That's enough context to get me clicking. :-)

Roy

> Do you think that it should start with auto show off?

I just don't think showing the event descriptions add anything interesting to the game. They're just a distraction from the gameplay for me. You can still have the events in the game, just don't link them to the event description and show them to the player.

And don't just keep piling on the events right from the get go. Add them in as you complete levels of the game.

Roy

Just gave it another play without the event pop-up boxes. It was a lot more enjoyable for me. I quit after about 5 minutes because I hadn't hit the end of a level. I needed the end of a level to give me a little breather from the gameplay.

Your game would be stronger with those little breathers to reset the pressure you're putting the player under, so you've got a rising and falling of tension throughout the game. As you go deeper in the game, the tension gets a little more intense, but I wouldn't make it super intense.

Roy