Cardboard Hero

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I thought there would be a little more to the game than what was shown off a the in person event a few years ago at that bar. It's still a solid game, but it does feel very empty (although I know it's not finished yet. I'm just surprised the pre-release didn't even finish the most recent level). The positives are that when the game tries, it looks really good. the combat is pretty smooth. I played on mouse and keyboard, so maybe it comes up more on controller, but I never used the lock on mechanic outside the tutorial. mostly because I didn't need to. The music is also really good. the cons (that I mostly point out so that they can get fixed in the final version) Are that the game seems like it's going to go in the direction of 3D platformer with combat mechanics, however platforming in this game does not feel good. The hero's jump has very little height, and you have no control over yourself while you're in the air. This works fine for level 1 where the platforming is just jumping over small gaps and on top of boxes, but it doesn't mesh well with actual platforming levels. stamina in a platformer is also a really bad mix because often times you'll have to wait for your sprint to recharge before you can make a long jump. the forest level can't be accessed by the hub world like the NPCs say it can, I think they just forgot to put in the loading zone. there are also some missing textures in the forest. specifically the platforms on the windmill and several things in the last platforming section: the area above the laughing goblins. I also would have liked to get either the sword or the sheild from the cemetary slime boss. Speaking of, the exploration in this game is really good and I love the many areas that you can find throught. My only issue is that these areas have almost nothing for the player, because the consumable items are so easily found by just playing the game using the linear path, that they almost never get used. especially since, from what I gathered, the wings are the only ones that do something other than recovery. If cokes and sandwhiches permanently increase their respected recovery bar, then that's something the player needs to know, or needs to be applied automatically. overall, great game with a lot of stuff that could be improved