Starshifter

I like the gameplay and the story, and the music is lovely and relaxing. The controls can be complicated at first, but it's easier when you get used to it, I also struggled a bit with the crow's controls. Keep making this awesome game!

I REALLY want to like this game, the concept is really exciting, but after playing it for a little while I have to say it doesn't really feel like a complete or necessarily even really very playable game. Moving around in coyote form feels clunky and difficult to maneuver. There's no sense of being an agile, clever creature that seems like should be. Flight as a crow can stretch further if you use it right than you'd expect from its challenges, but intuitively it feels like you slow down way too fast and managing speed feels awkward and precarious. Combat with the dark creatures feels awkward (due to the awkward controls) and it isn't really clear whether you're "supposed" to fight the rats, since fighting is hard and they keep respawning for at least enough waves to feel like the fight might go on indefinitely. Defeating the very first enemy in the game feels like way more a challenge than it should be if is actually intended to, thanks to the controls. I didn't find the weasel form, though the game settings indicate it exists and so do other reviews, which seem indicate there's more content in the game that's actually reachable. There's a lack of easily findable signals as to what to do, though- I resorted to "rock climbing", jumping on the canyon walls which isn't even clear if is an intended feature, and got one start that seemed like maybe was supposed to be inaccessible if that WASN'T intended, but if it is the routes and usable "pawholds" are very unclear and require a frustrating amount of trial and error. (as a small note, it seems to be possible to get immersed deep in water by jumping in, however swimming doesn't seem to be built for vertical movement.) I reached 26 stars, but don't feel motivated to keep experimenting and rechecking every nook and cranny to see how to get through the game, as playing hasn't really been very fun or intuitive and the game, despite its promise, has felt mostly like an exercise in frustration.