Indie Game Devs Struggle with Feedback
20 posts across 4 communities in the last 60 days; 55% from r/IndieGaming.
“I’m curious about the group consensus. Do you like shorter games (2-6 hours) in the indie game space, or do you prefer maximum replayability, open worlds, and countless side quests (>100 hours)?”
“I'm Eugene, an indie game developer, and for a very long time I've had one big dream: to make an atmospheric game that shows the world the culture of Siberia. Last week I finally released the Steam page for it. The game is called Cradle of Winter . Here's my short pitch: Cradle…”
“Hey everyone! Wanted to share my project, Island Wayfinder — an adventure game all about discovery, navigation, and mapping out mysterious islands. I'm honestly not sure if the game is good yet, and I'd love to know what to add or fix. Steam Page…”
Several posts highlight the challenges indie game developers face, including incorporating feedback, balancing features, and promoting their games. There's a sense of overwhelm and difficulty in navigating the development process and gaining visibility.
SOURCES (41)
“Hi, I’m Pavel, the developer of PANGIT, a third-person survival action game. You’re a former special agent sent into a closed research facility on a rescue mission. Explore, fight or sneak past enemies, and make your supplies last. No backup is coming. I’ve opened the…”
“I’m curious about the group consensus. Do you like shorter games (2-6 hours) in the indie game space, or do you prefer maximum replayability, open worlds, and countless side quests (>100 hours)? submitted by /u/Intelligent_Car8309 [link] [comments]”
“I'm Eugene, an indie game developer, and for a very long time I've had one big dream: to make an atmospheric game that shows the world the culture of Siberia. Last week I finally released the Steam page for it. The game is called Cradle of Winter . Here's my short pitch: Cradle of Winter is an atmospheric action-platformer about a young shaman walking through a world where humans, spirits and ancient legends intertwine. Explore an endless northern taiga, fight dark spirits and demons”
“I'm Eugene, an indie game developer, and for a very long time I've had one big dream: to make an atmospheric game that shows the world the culture of Siberia. This week I finally released the Steam page for it. The game is called Cradle of Winter . Here's my short pitch: Cradle of Winter is an atmospheric action-platformer about a young shaman walking through a world where humans, spirits and ancient legends intertwine. Explore an endless northern taiga, fight dark spirits and demons”
“Hey everyone! Wanted to share my project, Island Wayfinder — an adventure game all about discovery, navigation, and mapping out mysterious islands. I'm honestly not sure if the game is good yet, and I'd love to know what to add or fix. Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3471270/Island_Wayfinder/ Feedback and thoughts are always welcome! submitted by /u/MrValik3 [link] [comments]”
“(The music is not mine, it's by Frizk. I'm planning to license it for the full game. I hope I can use it for the demo that's gonna be out in very early November.) submitted by /u/TelephoneActive1539 [link] [comments]”
“We just released the first teaser for our Tamil indie game, LOOP No.99. 👁️ What did you notice? 🔴 Spot anything strange? 🔴 What do you think Loop No.99 means? Share your theories, questions, and wild guesses below. We may reveal something hidden in the next teaser. 👀 🎮 LOOP No.99 — Watch. Analyze. Theorize submitted by /u/sub_Zero_-0 [link] [comments]”
“project;VIRAI is an upcoming title we're excited to share. What do you think of the visual style? submitted by /u/beepjapan [link] [comments]”
“Hey guys, We’re a new indie team from Sri Lanka working on our debut title, Moha . To be blunt: we have very limited commercial track record and we’ve hit the limit of our self-funding. We genuinely don't have the money to build the full game without publisher backing or external investment. Before we start cold pitching, we need honest feedback from developers and publishers who know the harsh realities of the current indie market. Our Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4864880/”
Making a VR-PC adventure rhythm game, and I want design feedback of a field I've made. Please base it on first-order principles, thanks. :) Video of field: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxghIUEJE6o submitted by /u/_NotARealGameDev_ [link]…
“Last weekend I participated in a test event for my game. These comments were from people who saw the game for the first time at that event before playing it. After playing the game, these same people said that the gameplay was quite different from Balatro, but they weren't sure how players would react to the similarity in appearance. The most fundamental feature that distinguishes my game's gameplay from Balatro and similar roguelike deckbuilders is that it has skill-based gameplay and s”
“Is it possible to make such a game, as an indie dev? Are there any examples of indie’s who made such a game Thanks submitted by /u/LifeExperienced1 [link] [comments]”
“We're high-school students and spent almost a year making our first commercial game, Rahasya: The Revelation . We have a publisher, but our marketing hasn't gone nearly as well as we hoped. We've spent some money on it, but haven't been able to generate much visibility. We've also reached out to a number of creators, with very few responses so far. It's been about 45 days since launch, and these are our current Steam numbers: We're now trying to figure out what the ri”
“Game Title: Tanuki no Sumika (狸の住処 — "The Tanuki's Den") Playable Link: https://tanukinosumika.com/ Platform: Browser (installable PWA) / Android (Google Play Store) Description: Tanuki no Sumika (狸の住処, "The Tanuki's Den") is a browser-based management and strategy game rooted in Japanese folklore, playable directly from your browser as an installable PWA — no app store required, though it's also packaged for Android if you prefer that route. You manage a den ( re”
“Hey guys! With my team, we're working on a new sci-fi, first-person camera game. The idea would be to explore an alien-like environment, and meet strange creatures. WeI'll tell you more if needed, but I need your feedback first: What features/details/gameplay elements do you guys think of first when you read the description I have given you? What would you like to see in a game like that? Could be anything. Feel free to share your opinion as both a gamedev and a gamer! The more spontaneo”
“Indie devs: how do you handle launching with zero reviews and zero players? (sharing our experience with RIA 26) So our small team just put **RIA 26** — an action/racing combat indie game — up on Steam, and we're staring down the barrel of that classic indie launch reality: zero reviews, zero current players, zero social proof. It's a weird place to be. You've poured time into something, you believe in it, and then... silence. Not because people tried it and hated it, but because *no”
“If our game sounds interesting, join us at r/DiscoveryOfMagic to take part in our upcoming playtests. submitted by /u/hlysias [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys! I'm working on my first game in my spare time as an indie game developer, and I'd really appreciate your feedback to see if I'm heading in the right direction. The final game will be a "2D - side-view - pixel art - RPG", but right now I'd like to focus solely on testing the movement mechanics. I've uploaded a build to itch.io and I'd be very grateful if you could give it a try and let me know what you think. In particular, I'd love to hear if there&”
“Hello everyone! We are VERTIGOD GAMES , a 2 person (siblings) indie dev team from the Philippines. Years ago, we joined a Philippine government-led competition called the Young Creatives Challenge (YC2) where we ended up 9th place. We built a game specifically to showcase our hand-drawn frame-by-frame animations and art style, which was greatly inspired by Cuphead and Hollow Knight. Because it was a rapid prototype for the competition (around 2 months) and never got any funding for it 🥺, we nev”
“I'm releasing a demo for the upcoming game https://store.steampowered.com/app/4847090/Pools_of_the_Deep_VR/ If you are interested to try it out and give some feedback, please get in touch with a message. https://preview.redd.it/6um70l6z7wgh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5ebbe6021f2fb7c4d84b3a2420742576fec753a submitted by /u/Pools_of_the_Deep_VR [link] [comments]”
“We're making a cyberpunk 2D pixel action game where players experiment with different combat styles and use a grappling hook to move between enemies. Going into the event, I thought the most exciting part would be seeing the numbers: how many people played, how many wishlists we gained, etc. But honestly, the most memorable moments were much simpler. Watching strangers pick up the controller and immediately start experimenting with mechanics we'd spent months building was incredible. One”
“Been working on my indie game Surfer Slug . It's a 2D surfing game with dynamic waves, tricks, sea creatures, and a living ocean. Just released the two-day demo. Feedback is always appreciated! ---> https://zillatronics.itch.io/surferslug submitted by /u/FMmutingMode [link] [comments]”
“Hello! I made my first game and I'm trying to get a few reviews so it might reach some more people. Right now it doesn't have any ToT The game is called Nightrip and it's a jam quality roguelike deckbuilder, where you place your cards in a timeline that counts down and plays your cards for you. Enemies have their own actions that are played at the same, so you must craft your strategy around their actions. Some cards can manipulate the timelines. It gets pretty chaotic when you fight”
“Yes, it's just a simple room, but it could be one of my first indie games! submitted by /u/Salame-chi [link] [comments]”
“Hey everybody I've been working for almost 3 years on my first game: Water Maid. It's a story driven 2D platformer with mechanics similar to Celeste. I'm a complete solo developer, doing everything from the art, coding and music. Please wishlist the game on Steam and try the demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3175580/Water_Maid/ submitted by /u/Empty-Abalone-1602 [link] [comments]”
“Yesterday I received a lot of good feedback on my games trailer and art direction. I've made a new trailer in response. Does the trailer explain the game now? Do you have any recommendations on how to improve the artwork or maybe a new style to go for? submitted by /u/AlienBloomPoker [link] [comments]”
“I've finally reached the point where I can actually say I finished a game. 😅 It's a small browser zombie survival game that I built over the last month while learning Unity. I know it's far from perfect, and there are already things I'd do differently, but I wanted to stop endlessly polishing it and let real people try it. I'm not looking for compliments—I genuinely want to know what you think. A few things I'm curious about: • Did you understand what to do right away? •”
“I'm a solo indie developer from India, currently working on my psychological horror game, Classroom 3B. The game is set inside an abandoned Indian school and focuses on exploration, paranormal events, environmental storytelling and psychological horror. I'm trying to give it a strong Indian identity through the school environment, Hindi voice lines, morning prayers and the story, rather than making another generic abandoned-building horror game. The Steam page is now live and I&”
“Ghatika's a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game set in a fantasy world with old kingdoms, tough politics, and mysterious tribes. You explore jungles, boulder fields, and mountains, trying to keep your people safe. Weird stuff's happening that seems connected to your people's past. You fight bandits and predators, trying to make friends with tribes and uncover Ghatika's secrets. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3478860/Ghatika/ submitted by /u/Willing_Job763 [lin”