Whalington’s journey is taking a short break for now. During this playtest, we not only opened the game up for online players, but also brought it to PAX East in Boston, USA. More players joined the adventure than ever before, and we’re truly grateful for your support. Now, let’s look back at some of the highlights from this playtest.
PAX East
Bolt crossed oceans and time zones to make it all the way to Boston! The response from players at the show was incredibly warm, and we were even lucky enough to see a line form at our booth.
That enthusiasm made the long trip more than worth it.Meeting players face to face felt especially direct and meaningful. We’ll definitely be attending more game events in the future to meet everyone in person. So if you spot us at a show, don’t be shy. Come say hi!
Fun Playtest Stats Revealed
First of all, we’re happy to share that more than 1,000 players joined this playtest. To be honest, we do not care that much about the number itself. What matters most to us are your feedback, your stories, and the moments you experienced in the game.
...Fine, we do care a little. A lot, actually. Thank you all so much for joining the playtest.
● More than 100 players completed the Speedrun Challenge. That was seriously fast. Some of you clearly have the potential to become real racers, because a few players even finished it faster than the developers did, which is honestly giving us a headache.
● Nearly 300 players turned a Mouse into Bolt. Uh... what exactly is happening here? Mice can turn into cats now? But if you’re Bolt, then who am I supposed to be?
● The Cheese Baron racked up 1,391 kills. For a cat to be defeated by a mouse is already humiliating enough, but losing to a cheese-loving mouse with that much attitude? That is a whole new level of disgrace.
● More than two-thirds of players successfully defeated Stinky Slime. As a gatekeeper, it seems poor Stinky Slime does not have many strengths. Other than, apparently, being very, very stinky.
● More than 150 players used the Camera to take photos. The future of photography clearly has a place for you. And to those who did not use the camera, have a little more confidence in your photo-taking skills.
Q&A
Now it is time to turn to your questions.
With this playtest coming to an end, we received a lot of love for our cats and mechs, along with a huge amount of sincere feedback. After reviewing it all, we want to respond to some of the most frequently raised questions and the issues players cared about most during this test.
Q1: Controller support did not feel very good.
A1: We do support controllers across different platforms, but the setup was not polished enough before. That has now been fully improved.
Q2: Will the game come to other platforms?
A2: Our team only has three people, so our main focus is on developing the maps and stages, as well as continuing optimization. After the full release, we will consider bringing the game to other platforms.
Q3: When will the full version be released?
A3: We are fully focused on developing right now. As soon as we have new information, we will share it.
Q4: The “Bolt” icon on the map is too large, and the game does not pause when the map is opened.
A4: Both of these issues have already been fixed.
Q5: The Setting Machine is hard to learn and not very controller-friendly.
A5: The Setting Machine was originally designed with computer folders in mind, so its operation logic was closer to mouse-and-keyboard controls. We have now added controller-friendly navigation and interaction logic to make it much easier to use.
Q6: Does the game support custom key rebinding?
A6: Yes, it does. We will also keep improving it. Based on feedback from this test, we have already added support for binding side mouse buttons.
Q7: Using the D-pad to interact feels awkward.
A7: We have now added interaction support for the analog stick as well.
Q8: The character’s controls feel a bit strange.
A8: We will continue refining the character’s jump feel. In future updates, the character will gain horizontal acceleration when jumping, and movement speed in the air will stay consistent with movement speed on the ground. This should remove the brief floating sensation.
Q9: Jumping feels uncomfortable when transformed into a Mouse.
A9: The Mouse’s jump logic will be adjusted to match Bolt’s.
We received a huge amount of feedback, and it has been incredibly helpful as we continue improving the overall experience of the game. For now, our main focus is still on expanding the game’s content and raising its overall quality. Once we get through the most demanding stage of development, we would love to bring more fun cat-and-mech content to everyone.
Your feedback means a lot to us. Thank you again to every member of the community for your support.
OKJOY & Orca Studio