Mastema Out of Hell, fore real retrogamer ;)

[darkon]

It definitely needs a better campaign, for sure. The KS page looks like every other project that never gains much ground. Y'all need some marketing experts on board to help it get the shot in the arm it so desperately needs. The game itself lacks the kind of mass appeal that most truly successful games have; in its own niche, it looks sick af and I'd certainly buy it, but it will have problems reaching a wider audience.

Here's my main critiques, and how they can be resolved:
-The writing. You need a proofreader, as the writing comes off as rather amateurish. Get someone to rewrite your KS text to not only get rid of the numerous English errors but also make it sound more interesting.
-The main character. This is where the game should shine the most. There is little about the main character that makes me want to play the game. Flesh out the character a LOT; give the potential player a real reason for why they'd want to play as your main character. The Hellish theme isn't enough; there are literally thousands of games with a Hellish theme but the ones that stand out are the ones with characters that one can relate to.
-The overall scheme is tedious. Everyone and their grandmother is making "retro for retro's sake" games these days. You need to give the potential players a reason as to why your game is better than all the others of its kind and why it should find a home in someone's game library. Right now, it just looks like yet another platformer trying to ride the retro cash cow coattails.
-There is little to no chance of tie-in merchandising. Nowadays, the most successful games are the ones that go beyond just being games; they have tie-in products that can go along with them. Action figures, plush animals, etc... that kind of stuff boosts consumer interest.

You have a good start but you need to step up your game a lot if you want to have success in game development. I'll undoubtedly back this game because I think it looks pretty good overall, though not nearly as retro-looking as you are making it out to be; it actually looks fairly modern.

Thx for your suggestions I will discuss with my team and hope we can do better

[darkon]

Hi guys, just want let you know that there is a playable demo available
Follow this link if you want try and leave a feedback
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1636272660/mastema-out-of-hell/posts/1698194

[nodtveidt]

I got the email about the demo version release; haven't had a chance to try it out just yet but will tonight. Very wise move on your part to put out a demo.

[nodtveidt]

Just gave the demo a quick little test to see if it's going to be any good or not... while it lacks some polish, it's off to a good start. I definitely plan to spend more time trying this game out and I highly recommend others give it a run too. It's got real potential.

[Arkhan]

I gave the demo a whirl and was impressed.  It already surpasses many shareware era platformers.

I noticed some issues with the ladders.  You can exit them too early.  That's OK.  I had similar problems with Inferno.   Easy to fix!

I really like the music.  It's proper use of SID sounds.

My only complaint is that you can't duck.  I want to duck under the bats, but can't.

Presentation and aesthetics are straight up 1993-4 era DOS games, though.   It's pretty good.

[nodtveidt]

I remember Pitfall II on the Atari 2600 had a similar thing when it came to dodging bats. You couldn't duck under them, you just had to wait for them to fly over your head (timing was everything), or hide on a ladder for a moment. This is probably not a coincidence.

[NightWolve]

I remember Pitfall II on the Atari 2600 had a similar thing when it came to dodging bats.

That was a fun game as a kid, I'm glad I got to beat it! Standout titles I also liked for the system were Megamania, River Raid, Frogger, etc. (off the top of my head).

[darkon]

Guys we started a contest about our game, inf you are interested follow this link
http://oscarcelestini.deviantart.com/art/Mastema-Out-of-Hell-CONTEST-638717286?ga_submit_new=10%253A1475842682

[darkon]

New extended trailer for you, enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcydEzL7BWQ&feature=youtu.be

[munchiaz]

new trailer looks great

[nodtveidt]

The game didn't get funded but it looks like they picked up a publisher anyway. Still counts as a win.

[Arkhan]

Yeah.  I passed the link around to tons of people and showed the demo to a bunch too, and not one of them funded the goddamn thing.

Idiots.

[exodus]

I'm surprised it didn't get funded to that paltry amount - I'm also surprised that it's *already done!* How many kickstarters can say that!

[blueraven]

Any word on whether this is related to Jigoku Meguri?

[Arkhan]

Any word on whether this is related to Jigoku Meguri?

No, but I am. 

I am also sad this didn't get funded.

Granted, the funding was for non-essentials.   

The game played amazingly.