I'm just gonna come out and say it. Gameplay-wise, this was a 10/10. It has been a while since I've had this much fun just running around, twirling and jumping just for the sake of it. I got used to the kit of abilities rahter naturally and found myself combining them successfully without even giving it much thought, most of the times.
As a result, I got invested in going as fast as possible, not because of the pressure of not making progress due to the Majora's-like day loops, but because I enjoyed it.
On top of that, the checkpoint placements just couldn't be more "on point". And re-running previous levels wasn't as repetitive with how game-changing the new skills turned out to be. I found the last level challenging enough and, most importantly, very fun.
To put the cherry on top, I'd like to shout out the sprint and stamina consumption mechanics. In my experience, they felt so organic and in no case did I get "punished" by anything beyond my own skill.
Some say a 10/10 doesn't exist. I say marks are just a way to measure wether something is going in the right direction or not. Congratulations for having created something so fun to play.
We're really happy to hear that you enjoyed the movement and had a great time; that was one of our biggest goals.
We'll keep working on Sandloop to make it an even more complete and fun adventure. If you have any suggestions or ideas for improvement, feel free to leave a comment or send us an email!
After playing the entire game for 2+ hours of solid incremental 3D platformer gameplay with excellent level design, I truly belive that this is one of the best games made at ENTI period - and it deserves more attention.
The character movement is very responsive, so much as the camera focus system.
The world feels extremely well crafted: an open map of intertwining paths unlocked after obtaining new abilities culminating in total freedom. Additionally, the communication between areas and their shortcuts are really well positioned, which remarks developers's great understanding of how to make the "reset loop" an enjoyable mechanic.
The game has a very nostalgic feel to it, conveyed by the animations and, of course, the art style, which, in my opinion, was an excellent fit: it narrowed the development scope to the essential all while suiting the gameplay perfectly.
After all that praise, I want to note the few instances where I think the game can be improved:
- The 2 "double jump walls" used to tutorize the 1st "dash recharge shard" make that jump frustrating and confusing. These walls could be removed altogether (in part because it is the only part of the game where "jump-banishing platforms" are being used as walls, adding to the confusion).
- When the camera is far from the player, sometimes the stamina UI gets in the way, completely covering the player. Which, effectively, is like playing blind.
Lastly, I would like to appreaciate the effort that was put into the narrative, dialogues and cinematics despite it not being fully integrated into the environment. Without a narrative, games just don't feel like games, they are mere prototypes - which is not the case with Sandloop.
Awesome work, I hope you guys from Yoku Games are both proud of yourselves and of what you have made!
The entire team is incredibly grateful for the feedback and praise, and we're glad you enjoyed Sandloop so much.
As for the things we need to improve, we truly appreciate the suggestions. We'll keep them in mind and add them to the roadmap so we can fix them in the next patch!
We'll continue to improve Sandloop to make it an even better experience, and if you have any other improvements in mind, please don't hesitate to let us know!
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I'm just gonna come out and say it. Gameplay-wise, this was a 10/10. It has been a while since I've had this much fun just running around, twirling and jumping just for the sake of it. I got used to the kit of abilities rahter naturally and found myself combining them successfully without even giving it much thought, most of the times.
As a result, I got invested in going as fast as possible, not because of the pressure of not making progress due to the Majora's-like day loops, but because I enjoyed it.
On top of that, the checkpoint placements just couldn't be more "on point". And re-running previous levels wasn't as repetitive with how game-changing the new skills turned out to be. I found the last level challenging enough and, most importantly, very fun.
To put the cherry on top, I'd like to shout out the sprint and stamina consumption mechanics. In my experience, they felt so organic and in no case did I get "punished" by anything beyond my own skill.
Some say a 10/10 doesn't exist. I say marks are just a way to measure wether something is going in the right direction or not. Congratulations for having created something so fun to play.
Thank you so much for your comment!
We're really happy to hear that you enjoyed the movement and had a great time; that was one of our biggest goals.
We'll keep working on Sandloop to make it an even more complete and fun adventure. If you have any suggestions or ideas for improvement, feel free to leave a comment or send us an email!
After playing the entire game for 2+ hours of solid incremental 3D platformer gameplay with excellent level design, I truly belive that this is one of the best games made at ENTI period - and it deserves more attention.
The character movement is very responsive, so much as the camera focus system.
The world feels extremely well crafted: an open map of intertwining paths unlocked after obtaining new abilities culminating in total freedom. Additionally, the communication between areas and their shortcuts are really well positioned, which remarks developers's great understanding of how to make the "reset loop" an enjoyable mechanic.
The game has a very nostalgic feel to it, conveyed by the animations and, of course, the art style, which, in my opinion, was an excellent fit: it narrowed the development scope to the essential all while suiting the gameplay perfectly.
After all that praise, I want to note the few instances where I think the game can be improved:
- The 2 "double jump walls" used to tutorize the 1st "dash recharge shard" make that jump frustrating and confusing. These walls could be removed altogether (in part because it is the only part of the game where "jump-banishing platforms" are being used as walls, adding to the confusion).
- When the camera is far from the player, sometimes the stamina UI gets in the way, completely covering the player. Which, effectively, is like playing blind.
Lastly, I would like to appreaciate the effort that was put into the narrative, dialogues and cinematics despite it not being fully integrated into the environment. Without a narrative, games just don't feel like games, they are mere prototypes - which is not the case with Sandloop.
Awesome work, I hope you guys from Yoku Games are both proud of yourselves and of what you have made!
Thank you so much for your review, Tomeu!
The entire team is incredibly grateful for the feedback and praise, and we're glad you enjoyed Sandloop so much.
As for the things we need to improve, we truly appreciate the suggestions. We'll keep them in mind and add them to the roadmap so we can fix them in the next patch!
We'll continue to improve Sandloop to make it an even better experience, and if you have any other improvements in mind, please don't hesitate to let us know!