White Nights St.Petersburg 2016: Deconstruction of games

We are starting to upload videos from the White Nights St.Petersburg 2016 conference. The first in line is with a public discussion of five games: Nonstop Knight, Heroes and Puzzles, Evilibrium II, Mushrooms Wars 2 and Highfleet.

The games were analyzed by Alexey Rekhlov (Creative Mobile), Sergey Kopov (Herocarft), Maria Suvorina (InfoShell), Alexander Semenov (App2Top.ru ) and Alexander Pashin (Silly Penguin).

Deconstruction

Under the video are written comments prepared by the speakers for the speech.

Nonstop Knight (flaregames)

The first session (entry threshold, motivation to return, etc.)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The first acquaintance with the game looks almost perfect:

• build on Android less than 50 MB;
• the first download is a bit delayed, but not much, about 15 seconds;
• there is localization into many languages;
• visualization is done qualitatively and does not slow down;
• a very clear tutorial, divided into stages and interspersed with gameplay;
• a simple and intuitive interface, most of which is understandable without training.

All this creates a very positive feeling from the game when you first get acquainted with it. But the first session is not limited to anything, it can last for half an hour, or even longer. Such an approach can “saturate” the player, and he will not return. The motivation to return created by the game is also not very strong, it is practically not formed by the game itself. Push notifications call the player to kill bosses, whom he has already killed more than once.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The entry threshold is minimal, since the mechanics themselves are extremely simple. The whole first session is done perfectly, the player’s immersion is fast, but neat. The art is very pleasant and designed for a wide audience. If the player is not scared off by the simplicity of the game, then he will not be able to return.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The entry threshold is low, everything is quite simple. The tutorial is soft, goes far beyond the first session. At first glance, it’s boring, there is monotony at the start.

The moment with items is not served very well.

Motivation to return is weak during the first session. It is based on the fact that you understand that the character will continue to run without you, you will need to go back and see what he ran there. At the second and subsequent entrances, motivation increases due to the discovery of new elements in the metagame, an increase in the variability of pumping and passing, as well as the disclosure of the topic with floors (in the first session it was not clear why at all).

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

I will note a very important point: there is no menu here. There are no buttons: go, play. The user starts the game – and the gameplay begins immediately.

There is no graphomaniac plot that you want to skip, there is no boring detailed tutorial. A hero is issued, run. All.

The training that is present is beautifully constructed. First, one button is available, the player presses, sees the result, understands why it is. Then the same thing happens when learning the second skill. Trained – try to kill the boss. Killed – well done, kill the enemies further.

The player is taught by gradually discovering new functionality. After getting used to the functionality, they are allowed to continue. You can even reduce it to a cycle: feature – practice – feature – practice – feature. That’s cool.

Game mechanics (are there any interesting features, innovations)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

I find it difficult to identify the genre of the game. The game is closest to an idler with role-playing elements and a runner.

The basic game mechanics are easy to master, however, it provides enough space for experimentation.

But, unfortunately, that’s all, the game clearly lacks strapping. Only a couple of factors motivate the player to return:

• open all skill modifications;
• beat your friends’ record.

That’s not enough. This disadvantage should lead to a serious outflow of players. Two days were enough for me to lose motivation to return to the game.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

From the point of view of mechanics, there is nothing new in the game: this is a classic idler-clicker, borrowing the best from its predecessors.

The basis is rapid progress, which is addictive. When it slows down, you can start playing again by getting bonuses.

I want to note the simplicity, integrity and conciseness of the implementation of the game. Skill from the player is almost never required, except for the moment when he rests on the limit of complexity: with due diligence, you can pass a couple of bosses without starting the game from the beginning.

The main thing that arouses interest is the novelty and uniqueness of the visual presentation. It is not immediately clear from the screenshots and videos what kind of genre this is. Probably, most players will think that this is Diablo on mobile phones.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

Visualization of the classic idler.

The quality of implementation is at a high level when compared with a number of projects in this genre over the previous year. We can say that the developers are taking the genre to a new level.

An interesting point with the mechanics of abilok: in certain situations, you begin to understand that it is faster and more efficient to play the game “with your hands” yourself, and not waiting for something to dig up in the background. Motivates you to come back.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The game is in many ways a familiar role-playing idler with the difference that pumping is not factories / companions, but items used in the inventory (working with skills is based on Heroes Charge, visual from bagels).

Another feature is that the player must choose between items when pumping. And the characteristics of the available items are not summed up, as was the case, for example, with Tap Titants.

Here, it would seem, there is room for strategy. They say, depending on the enemies – put on and pump a certain type of items. But in fact, this is not the case. And this seems to be a big drawback of the game.

The game as a whole suffers from insufficient depth. The developers seemed to have enough strength only to make a local revolution, but not to consolidate it.

Part of the skills of the game is not needed. Each skill has a number of stones that change the property of the skill. The problem is that a number of stones are also useless. As a result, the player finds himself in a situation where there is no choice left. He just chooses the best combination and doesn’t think about experiments anymore. While a deeper study of skills could give the gameplay depth.

In this case, it would be expressed in the need to overcome frequently encountered bosses with the help of the selection of skills and their competent use. Instead, we see that bosses turned out to be frequent paywalls that annoy both non-paying and, tragically, paying players.

The game cycle borrowed from Tap Titatans using rebirth in the game turned out to be compromised. If in the original rebirth gave a tangible boost to the characteristics, then in Nonstop Knight this does not happen. That is, it is not enough that progress is reset to zero, so we are not given an appropriate reward for this progress.

The fact that the game works well with retention (the game character continues to chop monsters and collect currency) does not save the case. It takes too long to save up to defeat the boss.

Monetization (do I want to pay? is there a need to pay? unusual solutions in monetization).

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

Due to the weak motivation for a refund and low competitiveness, it is good if the game receives 10 cents for installation from direct payments. But advertising is perfectly integrated into the gameplay and the economy, as a result, it probably has good indicators.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

Monetization is not surprising, something is being sold that allows you to accelerate progress. Video advertising is well and correctly integrated (they offer a valuable reward).

It is also worth noting the attractiveness of the goods being sold, it seems that they will greatly promote the player.

The most important problem is that the game will not attract everyone. It is interesting to play it for the first day or two, when the player progresses quickly, constantly discovers new interesting skills. Then the game offers nothing new at all: the enemies are the same, and the artifacts are almost no different, and new skills are rarely given.

Because of this, it is completely unclear why to continue playing, why accelerate progress, because the same thing is waiting for you ahead.

This is a common clicker problem. This game did not offer her a solution.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

Monetization is classic, I don’t want to pay yet, most likely they get something from advertising and accelerated pumping.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The opportunity to pay in the game arises in the fifth minute (it is at this moment that the “shop” button opens for the player). And you have to pay in the game, otherwise you need to save up for improvements for a very long time (that is, deprive yourself of gaming sessions for several days). But purchases do not improve the game experience, they just give you the opportunity to play on.

General impressions

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The game is made qualitatively in all respects except for the motivation to return to the game. Here’s the next problem:

• there are practically no long-term goals for the player;
• there are no strong competitive elements;
• there are no hooks forcing you to return to the game;
• there is no pronounced game cycle for the player (at the same time, there is one in the game itself).

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

Very nice, accessible and organically everything is done, which attracts. A good product for a wide audience. For casuals in general, it’s a nice thing: who played longer and invested more – that’s well done. Well, you can measure floors.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The entry threshold is low. The game immediately offers a fan, immediately demonstrates the gameplay, clearly and quickly describes the rules. We can say that this is almost the ideal of how midcore projects should be presented in general.

Plus, surprisingly, but a fact: the developers mixed idler, Heroes Charge and Diablo. And it turned out to be a living and breathing patient.

Heroes and Puzzles

The first session (entry threshold, motivation to return, etc.)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

I’ve already looked at this game before it came out. I want to say right away that I didn’t find any dramatic changes. The game still looks ill-conceived in all aspects.

The main problems of the first game session:

• The first session lasts forever. After an hour of playing, I got tired and quit. I think most players will do it sooner.
• A rigidly scripted, blocking tutorial that forces the player to do what he does not want. I was forced to change the hero for another one. When I tried to do something differently, the tutorial froze, and I had to drop the game and run it again.
• A morally outdated and unbalanced combat system.
• A lot of demotivating moments. For example, I lost the first fight in the arena in two moves, and after that I was notified “You are a great player. Leave your review…”. Sounds like a mockery. But I won the next fight in one move due to brutal luck. Then I almost missed a new mechanic – a chest for winning PvP (hello, Clash Royal). Why could I miss it? After the victory, I received a level increase and as many as three alerts in a row with different promotions. Let’s add here a non-intuitive interface and the lack of normal notification of the player. This list can be continued for a long time, but I think it does not matter further, since this will be enough for most players.

After leaving the game, the only thing that can motivate me to return is the chest, but weakly, since I left the game after playing enough, and the game cycle as such was not formed.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The first session was implemented well, there are no questions, they do not load too much. Progress is felt, I want to return for the continuation. The only thing: I would shorten the time of the fight, as part of the first sessions, the fights should take place faster

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The entry threshold is low (higher than Nonstop Knight, but not much). Classic boring tutorial, well-known game mechanics with an attempt to screw the RPG component. The motivation to return tends to zero. It would be possible to motivate by discovering new characters and content, but the level of elaboration (in terms of production quality) is such that it does not motivate.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The first session is clear. But it also demonstrates that the project has nothing to show: there is nothing behind the basic gameplay and modest strapping.

The entry threshold is relatively low. Familiar gameplay, clear rules and UI.

It is confusing that the player is not told how the combinations of gems result.

By the third battle, the game begins to get boring, because there is no visible gameplay development. He’s the same all the time. The field is the same. Battles proceed the same way. Everything becomes clear and I don’t want to come back anymore.

Game mechanics (are there any interesting features, innovations, quality of implementation)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The main game mechanics are three-in-a-row. It’s outdated. The behavior of the field is poorly predictable. With some luck, you can win in a couple of moves. Little depends on the player. The game, apparently, should be based on tactics and deck selection. But the tactics for three or four characters are the same: different colors and maximum damage.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The game is a classic clone of Puzzle&Dragons, made in the European style (in terms of art and gameplay). Here everything is done on a solid four: good art, special effects, animations of blows, a fairly simple and intuitive interface.

I didn’t notice any innovations: the developers clearly didn’t want to experiment and just planned to make a smooth project.

The weakest moment seemed to me to be the action. Firstly, it is very delayed due to the abundance of animations. Secondly, it lacks depth. Right now, all a player does is collect mana, but that’s not enough to interest a midcore audience. It would be possible to add more variations of bonuses, the opportunity to get a second or third move, make combos and the like. Thirdly, there is an interface flaw associated with the fact that it is not at all clear visually whose move is yours or the opponent’s.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

Classic role-playing in meta and three-in-a-row in basic gameplay. An attempt to Europeanize Eastern mechanics is a so-so idea, given the quality of the study. He will gather his audience, but it (the audience) could be much wider with the proper level of visualization of the gameplay.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The game positions itself as a three-in-a-row battler. At the same time, both components are incomplete.

Three-in-a-row failed, first of all, due to too much luck factor. Almost nothing depends on the player on the field here. This is normal for casual projects like Candy Crush, where this randomness is camouflaged by a variety of levels, victory conditions, conditions on the levels themselves. In other words, in King games, even though you actually play slots, you don’t feel it. Here – on the contrary. It’s like sitting behind a one-armed bandit and constantly pressing the same red button. But it would be fine to sit, so the machine constantly gives out three sevens. The regularity of long combinations is very high. You get used to them, and they quickly become routine. And the condition of victory here is – even in a single, even in PvP – who will be the first to be lucky with a long bunch.

As for Buttler, everything is sad here too.

Buttler, as a rule, today implies a complex binding. The root gameplay in battlers often goes into the background, as it quickly turns into a routine, into a grind for the sake of raising characteristics and further progress. Why does gameplay usually take a back seat? It’s simple, the management of available troops and resources for their pumping comes first. In such games, for the player to progress, it becomes necessary to create a party of heroes that will effectively work in conjunction with each other at each specific location where the grind takes place.

In the game from LingPlay, the body kit seems to suggest depth: there are character cards, there are items that are put on cards, there is a gacha. But as such, there is no work with maps and objects. More precisely, there is no point – because everything is decided by the strength of the characters and chance. And the cards themselves, in fact, differ mainly only in color. There are some bonuses, but not very significant.

Monetization (do I want to pay? is there a need to pay? unusual solutions in monetization).

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The basic monetization model is unclear. In the store you can buy gold, apparently, for pumping heroes and the heroes themselves, which, it seems, are enough. If we consider that I passed 1.5 cards in 2 sessions, and until the end of the first card I didn’t even pick up clothes, except for the very first one, then the chance to monetize the player is extremely small (and this is already 2 hours of real game time).

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

Monetization is done in a classic way. You can buy currency, heroes, artifacts. Watching ads motivates participation in the boss battle.

But it seemed to me unjustified a very large number of different goods and sets that are offered here and there to buy immediately for rubles.

In other words, the game currency is spent only on pumping heroes and getting new artifacts from the portal. It is not an intermediate link between real money and gaming goods, as is customary. Also, I would attribute to controversial decisions the possibility of buying the coolest heroes immediately for rubles, bypassing gacha. Usually in such games there is no such possibility, and I think it is justified

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

Monetization is classic for such projects.

An interesting point in monetization through advertising: for the user, the effect of reforging for advertising is rather negative (the gacha is rigidly twisted), but in fact, they may collect quite a lot of views.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

There is an absolutely wonderful thing here – pumping for currency. Do you want the character to be as cool as possible right away? Pour in the money and immediately get the most powerful character. Then go to PvP and…

In terms of monetization, the ability to drain money immediately directly into pumping is a minus.

General impressions

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The game has many problems, I will try to name the main ones:

• the first session discourages the desire to return to the game;
• a lot of negative emotions due to the randomness that prevails in the main gameplay;
• there is no clearly defined and understandable game cycle for the player;
• there are no clearly defined and understandable values;
• the balance and monetization system have not been thought out.

You can continue, but this is the main thing, it doesn’t make sense to edit something without correcting it.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

Impressions are rather positive. The game is made very soundly and even though I am not part of their CA, but it is clear that the game will find its audience

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The impression of the project is rather negative: it would be possible to implement it at a much higher level. The setting is not very well chosen, the drawing leaves much to be desired. A few years ago, we could have called this project a good one, but today the market has gone much further.

Mushroom Wars 2

First impression (target audience, attractiveness and wow factor, etc.)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The game is still in development, so much has not been finished and polished.

There will be problems with the audience, because the visual style is cute and casual, and the gameplay is hardcore, and also requires good skills.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The game is at an early stage and during the first session repels with its angularity. There is a very complex interface and a poorly built path of the first experience.

On the positive side, there is a set of training missions that gradually teach all the rules of the game so that there are almost no questions left.

I really liked the visuals in the fight. The effects are perfectly made, the picture looks holistic, bright and attractive. I also really liked the music.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The toy itself has been known for quite a long time. Pleasant characters, a pleasant first session, everything is organic and lamp-like. A very organic combination of music, colors, animations, content – I want to play. The tutorial is great, but there is no skip button. Those who played the first part are unlikely to experience the WOW effect.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

Graphics. This is in a good Ubisoft way. Here they have a series with a two-dimensional Rayman. And now Mushroom Wars 2 is at this level. It’s very nice in a patriotic way. I say this without discounts.

But there is one “but”. I understand that this is like a hyped brand, that the first part was lit up at the time. All this is understandable. But I absolutely cannot imagine an audience that will be ready to chase strategic mushrooms. From a marketing point of view, I don’t understand how to sell it. We are dealing with a hardcore gameplay game (more importantly, strategy) and graphics that are suitable for casual games (platformers).

Game mechanics (are there any interesting features, innovations, quality of implementation)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The main game mechanics completely copies the first part of the game, except for the appearance of generals with special skills. The use of skills makes the game even more difficult and less predictable. Some skills bring chaos to the game, for example, planting 30 mushrooms and attacking unprotected enemy points with them.

The visual game interface is not easy to perceive, you have to constantly look at different parts of the screen. Player notifications with the help of sound series and special effects do not work well (in the first version it was an order of magnitude better). The wrapper of the game is still unclear, although there are clearly some free-to-play elements in the form of gold and the purchase of generals.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

Korevoy gameplay is the strongest feature of the game. The game is an RTS for 1-4 players with a very short session. The gameplay is tested by the first part and has only become deeper in the sequel. The main innovation is the presence of heroes with activated abilities, which change the style of the game quite a lot. The basis is multiplayer games.

The developer emphasizes the esports nature of his game, which is quite justified. The game also assumes the presence of a story company that is not ready yet.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The game mechanics will be 7 years old this year. I didn’t see any big changes in the game. But the quality of implementation, of course, is head and shoulders higher than previous versions.

Gameplay (narrative, replayability)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

There is no story and campaign in the game yet. It was not possible to play multiplayer, as there was not a single opponent. Playing with bots gets boring quickly, bots don’t use skills (or it’s not noticeable to the player).

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

There is almost no history in the game, which is justified: this is far from the main thing in the game. But the replayability is maximum. Those who like the game will be stuck in it for months.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

There will be multiplayer – there will be adult replayability. Otherwise, everything is as in the first part. The plot is pleasant and unobtrusive, served gently. The link with the game has been optimally worked out – and it’s nice to listen to the story, and it doesn’t interfere with playing.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

As a single project, the game is probably of interest. Unfortunately, there was no access to the single. As for a PvP game, there are questions about “Mushrooms”. But these are the questions that were true in relation to mechanics before:

• equal players at a certain point begin to play a boring “tug of war”;
• the key to the game are the first seconds of the game;
• the game does not forgive mistakes;
• a very high tempo of the game makes spells meaningless.

Additions (interesting observations)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

It is more convenient for me to play on PS3 in the first mushrooms than in the new version on PC.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

In fact, the game is designed to play on mobile phones, and there is a risk that console and PC players will not like it. But, most likely, everything will be OK, reviews of the first part on Steam are more often positive.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The first part was more perceived as a puzzle, in the second part, due to the multiplayer, you can make a full-fledged RTS.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The first part, which was released on Steam in April of this year, failed in sales. And there are no 4000 installations.

Overall impression

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The game is too raw to understand its potential. Now I see the following potential problems:

1. the conflict of cute art and hardcore gameplay;
2. poor informing of the player during the main gameplay;
3. the imbalance of the generals’ skills;
4. lack of online players;
5. lack of new game content: all the maps I’ve seen so far are all from the first mushrooms.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The game leaves only a positive impression. There are disadvantages, like the interface and the missing company, but they will obviously be fixed by the release. I’m going to play the game.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

According to the content that is available now, the impression is pleasant, but I want more new, different from the already known first part.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The project is cool as a single. But, considering that it could be pulled out as a sports discipline, they will not reach it.

Evilibrium 2

The first session (entry threshold, motivation to return, etc.)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The game is not at the final stage of development, so it is extremely difficult to talk about it.

The visual style can be described as Van Helsing in Darkest Dungeon, which can go pretty well due to the congestion of the modern mobile market with casual mimicry.

The first session, on the one hand, is very crumpled, on the other, it is very overloaded with dialogues, but there is really no training.

The first dungeon is very long and not saturated with actions. As a result, the player gets only one short fight for several dozen clicks. In the second dungeon, I lost the fight and got a 24-hour cooldown to use my characters. At about this point, 99% of the players who remained at this point after the tutorial will fall off.

The PC version is not adapted at all: there are no pop-up types, some interface elements are very large and the like.

In general, the interface is very upsetting with its unconventionality, incomprehensibility. For example, the quest log is hidden next to the settings button and looks like a letter, I honestly thought that letters were coming there until I clicked the entire interface. Some of the buttons just don’t work and we can only guess what they are for.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

Apparently, the game is at an early stage of development. The player’s first experience at the entrance has not yet been polished in any way. I got, rather, a negative experience. The reasons are just below.

First of all, I didn’t like the art of creatures. The game tries to create the impression of a serious fantasy horror, like Darkest Dungeon, but the creatures look childishly schematic.

Secondly, everything that happens in the game, not counting the battle, is very long, boring and annoying. The game has a huge number of dialogues that do not cause any desire to be read. The hero is forced to move between locations all the time. In the dungeon, you need to poke at each cell to open it. After the dungeon, you need to poke at each chest to get either nothing or some kind of unnecessary stuff from there (this is how they are perceived for the reason that you don’t immediately understand why they are). At the exit, we have a large number of unnecessary clicks, irritation and a feeling of being delayed by what is happening.

Third, the fight. When you get to the fight, there comes a complete disappointment, because this is an ordinary battler with an autoboy, where nothing depends on you.

Fourth, the beginning of the game does not encourage the player with rapid progress, new cards are not given, and even vice versa – any mistake leads to the death of the squad, the need to finish the first session.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The first session lacks an adequate tutorial. There are too many dialogues at the start (you can cut it twice and stretch it for the whole game).

Moreover, there are logical flaws: I play for Vampire Hunter, and I have skeletons and goblins in my army, from where? Maybe there was something in history on this topic, but I get into those 90% of the audience who do not read the canvases of the text and skip them.

They don’t really talk about the combat system.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

First session: this is the main problem of the project at the moment. There is a lot of plot. Unnecessary. Of no importance to most players. Annoying. Only at this point you can take and turn off (and no longer turn on) the game.

The entry threshold due to the high complexity, because of the disorienting map, because of the unusual pumping of monsters and the non-obvious quest and trading system is unnecessarily overstated.

All these things make it very difficult for a potentially excellent product to hook a player. They don’t let him feel the game, have fun.

Game mechanics (are there any interesting features, innovations, quality of implementation)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The main game mechanics are built around the formation of a squad, as well as the battle of this squad with the enemy. The player can activate the skills of the characters during the battle, which accumulate over time. We can say that the game is an extended buttler.

The combat system is diluted by opening the map according to the principle of ancient “kopecks” (this mechanic has been used more than once). I could not predict my victory or defeat before the fight, sometimes you win against, like, a terrible squad, and sometimes some weaklings merge you.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The root gameplay is a battler with an autoboy, where the player’s influence ends on minor tactical decisions, such as the composition of the squad, its placement, and so on. During the 40 minutes I played, the project did not fascinate me. Unfortunately, the game does not offer anything new from the point of view of gameplay and may be interesting only to a narrow audience of battlers.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The map is interesting, implemented well and pleasantly – avatars that move around it, convenient control with variability. The rest is as old as the world.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The plus, of course, is an unusual card set system. I didn’t find any Gacha in the plan with the maps themselves. And that’s not too bad. The fact that cards lose health, can die, get fines – all this looks fresh. At first it’s a little annoying, but if you remove the timer for 24 hours and replace it with a minute one with the possibility of a minitransaction, it will be perceived, as it seems to me, well.

Pumping through collections is also a great idea. The motivator is the strongest for pumping and re-passing.

The very idea of dungeons is not new. We all know where the ears grow from here. I liked the multi – level dungeons .

The action is a synthesis of the same Darkest Dungeon with Heroes Charge. It’s a good idea, but it seemed to me that it was chaotic, too fast. At least for a player just getting to know the game.

Monetization (do I want to pay? is there a need to pay? unusual solutions in monetization).

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

I didn’t find any monetization in the build, but judging by the cooldowns during character death and card pumping, I have a suspicion that this is exactly what will be monetized. It may work, but it all depends on the implementation.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

As far as I understand, monetization is not ready yet. Although I saw a currency store. Probably, nothing will surprise you here either, and they are going to sell new creatures to the player through gacha and acceleration of progress.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

You can pay as standard according to the scenario of monetization of card battlers + consumables (possible).

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

According to the idea, there is something to pay for. For example, for removing fines after death to monsters. But the game gives the impression of a project in which all the nuts are going to be screwed to the maximum. It’s rejecting. I don’t want to pay.

General impressions

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

I like the game style and it is not too beaten up on mobile yet. The basic mechanics of the battle and the opening of the map are also quite interesting and have their own characteristics and depth, but the following main problems are currently observed in the game:

• lack of design of the first session, which guarantees the failure of retention;
• a complex interface system for perception, and this is an additional dump;
• muddy balance and difficulty curve;
• the player is thrown, and he does not know what to do, and this is a dump again.

At the moment, there is no monetization system, if you screw it up at the last moment, then the probability of hitting additional problems increases significantly.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The game left a negative impression. The development stage is still too early, much is not ready, and what is ready does not cause positive emotions.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

You can twist something out of the project. But it is necessary to balance both the gameplay itself and the pitch to the players well.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

What you liked:

• unusual search and pumping of cards (collecting monster spirits for further addition to your own card file and collecting items for upgrade);
• dungeons (large, many levels, lots of loot, not necessarily complete);
• fighting in the dungeons (the deck can be formed based on the enemy squad on the way);

What didn’t you like:

• very high entry threshold (solved by a good and long tutorial);
• very high difficulty (solved by balance);
• macro mode (solved by abandoning it in favor of a linear PvE campaign, if it’s a pity to cut it out – make it available only to high-level players and do not scare the open world of beginners);
• a lot of letters (solved by pacifying literary ambitions).

The impression of the game is twofold. On the one hand, I liked a lot, on the other – the disadvantages of all this easily drown.

Highfleet

First impression (target audience, attractiveness and wow factor, etc.)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

Hardcore combat platform simulator with rocket boosters/maneuvering. If we omit the unrealistic operation of rocket boosters (the effect of horizontal acceleration is much weaker than it should be if we compare it with the effect of vertical acceleration), as well as the lack of compliance with the technologies of the head-up display and all the others, then the game is very atmospheric and claims realism in an alternative universe. A must have for a fan of hardcore arcade simulators with RPG elements.

It is very frustrating that it practically does not run anywhere. Of the three computers on which I tried to run it, it worked only on a gaming laptop and then only on a basic vidyakh, it gave out a black screen on a high-performance one. This can become a problem when entering the market.

It was also very confusing to constantly switch between Russian and English: the game is only partially localized, but this will most likely be fixed by the release.

Especially pleased with the smoke effects, they look very dramatic.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The game does not yet have a complete shell, only a combat and a ship constructor, so there is no question of the first experience. The unusual style and the magnificent beauty of the fights catches the eye. WOW-factor is definitely present. Explosions, smoke, engine operation, weather, clouds – I have never seen anything like this before.

The ships here look like monstrous gray machines, akin to classic walking robots. The fights are relatively difficult. The ship designer is also not simple. All together, it greatly restricts the CA.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

Highfleet is a project for a very narrow audience, both because of the setting and because of the arcade gameplay at a low level with not the most convenient controls (the mouse and five buttons sound proud, but in fact usually ends in failure).

The project can undoubtedly find a response among industry representatives, but it will be very difficult to reach a mass user with such a project. It will be very problematic to recoup the project on a narrow audience, not to mention that there is nothing in the plans for the next six months or a year regarding multiplayer.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The game is a miracle. It offers “from the start” something fresh, original, beautiful, but at the same time not very clear. Such is the first impression.

The target audience is hardcore fans and fans of simulators. Despite the fact that the game is easy to understand, learning to play it well is not the easiest task. Easy to learn, hard to master in the flesh.

The WOW factor is responsible for the feed. In the game, the atmosphere of a fictional steam world is transmitted at some completely exorbitant level.

Game mechanics (are there any interesting features, innovations, quality of implementation)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

The basic mechanics are extremely simple and clear, although difficult from the point of view of management.

The take-off process is a little annoying, the first time it is, of course, dramatic, but by 4-5 missions it begins to bother. Landing is also not very pleasing, when everything is good, it is very boring, although it gives sharpness when you sit down on the last drops of fuel.

The greatest surprise and irritation in the game is the construction of my own devices: even after passing the tutorial, I strained very hard to do something adequate. At the same time, it always turned out worse than the base model. We need to work hard on this part of the game, or at least make an “automatic improvement” button for stupid people like me.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

So far, only the mechanics of combat and construction can be evaluated – both are done in an outstanding way. The physical model of battles, damage, and combat mechanics are excellent. The only thing is that missiles behave strangely when they are near the target.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The implementation of the mechanics is simply monstrous. It is absolutely impossible to play at a low level in the current build (I tested on representatives of a potential target audience, they fell off in the first mission). Pumping / assembling a ship is a good moment, but again, the implementation negates all its advantages.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The main and only concern regarding the gameplay is the following: will he get bored after a couple or a couple of dozen hours. Is there enough depth, non-obvious moments that open up new opportunities for the player?

Now – with all the stylishness of the implementation, the fascination of the gameplay in the first sessions, and so on and so forth… – the game still partly gives the impression of flash entertainment for a couple of evenings or lunch breaks.

Gameplay (narrative, replayability)

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

Either because of the localization, or because of the pitch, but I was not interested in reading the story: it was rather annoying. It seems to me that such a game requires something simple and less abundant in words.

It’s hard to say about replayability, since I didn’t pass the game, but according to external factors, it looks like fans will be able to replay the game several times with joy, using different strategies and trying to complete all missions and make their platforms even more deadly with the money saved.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

Replayability should be excellent. The narrative is quite complex, it is clearly assumed here, but it is not in the demo.

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The narrative attempt was not bad, it is difficult to say anything about replayability at the moment. If the developers can adequately convey their idea to the user and work on the usability of the project, it will be possible to display replayability due to more and more new ship assemblies. But one way or another, without adequate multiplayer, it will not bring proper results.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

The narrative – letters, stylization of posters of the First World War, comments during the flight – are very impressive. It is still very difficult for me to judge the replayability.

Overall impression

Alexey Rekhlov – producer of Creative Mobile external projects

A strong project in terms of depth and novelty, but it may be hampered by the following problems:

• optimization and testing (now the launch is a big problem);
• complex modification of their combat platforms;
• lack of multiplayer.

In my opinion, this is the strongest project that was presented from indie this time.

Sergey Kopov – Head of Publishing at HeroCraft

The impression is extremely positive. The game will definitely find its audience and will be successful

Maria Suvorina – Producer at InfoShell

The impression is negative: there is no game as such. I’ve been watching her for a long time, progress is very weak. The project was conceived ambitious and, in principle, it was possible to pin hopes on it (at least an interesting option in its own, albeit narrow, niche), but the implementation as usual failed.

Alexander Semenov is the publishing editor App2Top.ru

A cool and very interesting project. You need to keep an eye on this.