Experienced opinion needed!

[OstinGames]

Hi respectable developer community,

We’ve updated some of our Zepi apps(Zepi:Classic (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zepi/id345104709?mt=8) and Zepi:Ultra HD (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zepi-ultra-hd/id492111876?mt=8)) with a new exciting gameplay element, namely THE RABBIT HOLE (http://youtu.be/QRP5NT6jaNE). It is a round button in the center of the screen = the parallel world inhabited with fabulous creatures. Players can slide open the button with the help of a finger to introduce CrazyRockets and TimePills (power-ups to score more points) into a session by dragging them out from behind the button. Of course, we added the Rabbit Hole description into How To.

http://www.ostingames.com/res/Banner_Zepi_CLASSIC_320x480.jpg (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zepi/id345104709?mt=8)

While the update was in review, we’ve been perplexed to receive an e-mail from the Apple team saying they were unable to locate the Rabbit Hole. Furthermore, few reviewers who introduced updated Zepi game on the pages on their web-sites didn’t mention the The Rabbit Hole – at all! :confused: We start thinking players as well are not aware of the novelty which was supposed to be considerably entertaining …

We doubt whether the novelty improved the gameplay or we just failed to do it really eye catching and addictive?… We’d love to hear experienced opinions on the issue, please. If someone would like to see The Rabbit Hole in action, we can provide a promo code.

Thanks for your consideration!

[mr_wexer]

OK so I picked up you app today and played like 99% of players would. The first thing that hit me was the lack of music in the menus and the almost system style font. Not major issues but I found that a little bland immediately.

In-game has very solid art and mechanic that's well polished.

Rabbit Hole: I have to say it definitely feels a little tacked on. I wasn't able to figure out how to use it straight away even after reading your post. It's not intuitive at all to stop your game and to start trying to pull these little guys out of the hole. Using power ups should be instinctive and connected to the pace of the gameplay. For example using Scramble powers in Bejewelled Blitz is very fast and gives no feeling of interrupting the play. Why not have your powerup on the gameboard or in a HUD?

Matching puzzle games are completely about flowing gameplay and the hole goes against that as it's almost like looking in your back pack in an RPG. Visually it's a decent idea but the practical uses for it feel wrong.

If you're totally sold on using the Hole idea then these are some "possible" improvements. Personally I would scrap it as it's just an overcomplicated menu.

- Make it possible to see the critters all the time but bring their opacity or general visibility down when the hole's not in use.

- Just selecting the critters should activate the power, it's hard to catch them and pull them out.



Note: The How to section is terrifying, no one is ever going to read that dictionary of text. I'd go for an interactive tutorial or make the existing How to less text heavy and add image examples.

[Astraware]

As a piece of experience, if you don't make your Tutorial interactive and part of the game, the vast majority of people won't find out about the features you're trying to highlight.

They don't read App Store text, they often don't look for something in Settings, and they often don't look at a Tutorial if it's not obvious how to play the game. Oh and anything with reams of text frightens them off too! :D

[DomAjean]

Hello!

I composed a music for your game:

http://soundcloud.com/dom-lajean/zepi-ingame

Let me know what you think!

Dominic