After having run through it like ten times, I wanted to give my thoughts on the demo. I liked it overall, but there are some problems I hope get fixed. There aren't enough Boost fan-games, and Sonic Rush is my favorite Sonic game, so I want this to be as good as can be.
What I liked:
The visuals. I love the art-style! The low-poly art has so much charm to it, and I'm glad there's a game putting it to good use. The gameplay animation and HUD art are pretty good too.
The control scheme. It's the Boost-style standard, but putting Tricks on Y is a pretty smart move. Ground movement feels good too.
Combining Apotos and Water Palace was clever, and the music works too.
The level design. Not too much down-time where I'm just running. Obstacles are telegraphed well for the most part (though the homing-attack chain near the end isn't clear). Not too much automation (though could maybe use it in some places). There's a variety of scenes and challenges that feel well-paced; they are not too overused, but each gets enough time to shine. I'm having fun learning this level.
What I disliked:
Building Tension is difficult. This would be less of an issue if there weren't boost-or-die sections. I'm not saying take those sections out. I like those sections when I have boost! I know drifting keeps the Tension gauge from decreasing, but I don't wanna have to drift everywhere. Not with that screeching sound effect (though the drift does feel good to use). There's a lot of ways this could be alleviated.
- You could have any tricks build a little Tension, with finishers building a lot.
- You could let the player perform tricks any time they're airborne. It has its own button now after all.
- Maybe have some item boxes with bonus Tension.
Just a couple ideas. It's up to you what to do, but as the game is, I don't feel like I get enough chances to boost freely.
The camera. Boost games have pretty complicated controls, but they make up for that by not requiring the player move the camera much. This game usually doesn't require that either, but sometimes (usually when there are enemies around, or that one bit where you need to run up a wall) the camera doesn't give a good angle of the action.
The level design. Mostly the 2D sections. They're pretty flat and short. I know 2D sections are unpopular with some fans, but they're great opportunities to add verticality to the levels. Add slopes, ramps, and springs that launch the player up (there is that one slope you can jump from to skip the slide part). Have downward slopes that the player can slide down. There's already a couple platforms in these sections. Have them lead up or down somewhere (ring caches or enemy dens). Sonic Rush and Mania are perfect templates for this.
Rail-switching. It doesn't work. You'll probably fix that though.
Things I'd like (please):
Performing Tricks on rails.
Let the Hurricane Kick destroy enemies.
Let me reach top-speed without needing to boost.
The air control feels a bit loose. Can make landing correctly tough (not that important now, but might make later levels feel unfair). I'd like it to be tightened up.
Extend the range of the homing attack. I keep missing my target or dashing too soon.
After the last checkpoint, there are those paths on the sides that lead to trick ramps. Move the trick ramps to the top of the slopes. I keep launching myself off the slope and having to stomp before the ramp.
Overall:
Thank you for putting this demo out. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the game.