A few weeks ago, Recycle Bin Battle reached a playable state sufficient to move into a Playtest phase. Over the course of two weeks, several people aged 18 to 20 had the opportunity to get their hands on the prototype, play it, and provide feedback.
The goal of these tests was twofold:
- To validate the game's concept, gameplay, and intelligibility. Recycle Bin Battle is an arcade game designed to be quick and simple to pick up. However, the game should not be simplistic and must remain interesting. This aspect is essential for an "arcade game."
- To have people without prior experience play the game to identify bugs. Each person may understand and play the game differently. Depending on the player's behavior, the system could enter a state where a bug might occur. This is why it is important to vary player profiles.
As a reminder, each level of Recycle Bin Battle is divided into three phases:
- A waste sorting phase in a match-3 style to make combos and collect balls.
- A brick-breaking phase using the collected balls to generate energy.
- A boss fight in a “button-mashing” style using the energy gathered from the brick-breaking phase.
What were the feedback from these tests?
- Difficulty was too high: During the first test, the player couldn't get past the first level. This was due to the difficulty level being too high right from the start. The balance between the number of bricks to break and the number of balls generated was not right. The player found themselves without enough balls to break all the bricks. We adjusted the difficulty before subsequent tests. Despite this, the game's difficulty remains too high. The difficulty needs to be more gradual, and the balancing of the different phases needs to be reviewed.
- Non-intuitive handling of phase 3: Phase 3 involves frenetically pressing a button to charge a cannon that fires at the boss. This type of gameplay is typical of certain games from the 80s/90s, especially multi-event games like the Olympics (e.g., Track and Field). None of the players understood what to do. The on-screen instructions were not explicit enough, and the players were not familiar with this type of gameplay. We need to add in-game explanations for the gameplay of phase 3.
- Rhythm disrupted by the automatic movement of the cannon in phase 2: In the second phase, the brick-breaking part, the ball cannon moves automatically from left to right and then from right to left. This means the player has to press at the right moment to choose the trajectory of the ball and aim at the brick they want to break. According to player feedback, this system is too restrictive and breaks the game's rhythm. It doesn’t allow the player to fully utilize their abilities and is frustrating. The aiming system will evolve from automatic swinging to full control of the cannon direction by the player. This will make the game more enjoyable, maintain the rhythm, and reduce the difficulty.
- Appreciated ambiance: The Japanese atmosphere of the game is appreciated in its graphics, sound effects, and music.
- Original story and concept: All the players acknowledged that the game is original and unlike any other. This is a major asset for Recycle Bin Battle.
- The tests also helped us identify a few bugs, particularly in the user interface and ball generation.
These tests don't need to be numerous to provide significant insights. We learned a lot and came up with interesting improvement paths that will greatly enhance the game's appeal.
Stay tuned for more updates soon.