Atmosphere and core tension are working. Testers immediately responded to the darkness mechanic. The limited torch radius created curiosity and players instinctively felt cautious about moving into unlit areas. This confirms that the core design premise is landing as intended.
Lack of narrative direction was the most commonly raised issue. Without a clear objective, players explored aimlessly and reported uncertainty about what they were working toward. Pete also highlighted this directly, the game would benefit significantly from even a minimal story framework. A simple setup, such as a distress signal, a missing crew, or a retrieval mission, would give each room a purpose.
The objective (collectible item) is hidden and sonar reveals it…makes the sonar mechanic narratively meaningful rather than purely mechanical.
Enemy behaviour did not create meaningful tension beyond contact damage. Testers navigated around enemies/power-ups & power-downs without much strategic thought. Enemies that visibly reacted to sonar pulses, speeding up, changing patrol direction, or entering an alert state, would transform encounters from simple obstacles into genuine threats that interact with the core mechanic.
A record of usability issues against Nielsen's 10 heuristics. Severity = (Frequency + Impact + Persistence) / 3.
| Interface | Issue | Heuristic | F | I | P | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game start | Controls not displayed properly yet | H10 – Help & Documentation | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3.7 |
| Start menu | No narrative context provided before gameplay begins | H4 – Consistency & Standards | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.7 |
| In-game HUD | Power shown as a raw number with no indication of drain rate or danger threshold | H1 – Visibility of System Status | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3.7 |
| Gameplay | No objective or goal communicated, player has no direction | H1 – Visibility of System Status | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.0 |
| Gameplay | Enemies deal contact damage with no warning animation or sound | H5 – Error Prevention | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Game Over screen | No cause of death shown, player cannot identify what went wrong | H9 – Help Users Recover from Errors | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.0 |
| Sonar mechanic | Sonar use has no visible consequence beyond a reveal, no enemy reaction visible yet | H2 – Match Between System & Real World | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.7 |
| Enemy design | The red enemy colour contrasts clearly against the dark environment — threats are visually distinct when revealed by sonar or torch, making them immediately recognisable as hazards | H4 – Consistency & Standards | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Heads-Up Display | Power and sonar status are positioned in the top-left corner, following standard gaming conventions — players instinctively looked there for information without being told | H4 – Consistency & Standards | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
Two difficulty levels will be added and selectable from the main menu:
Easy Mode: power drains more slowly, torch radius is wider, enemies move at reduced speed, power pickups are more frequent. Intended for players unfamiliar with the genre or the controls.
Hard Mode: power drains faster, torch radius is reduced, enemies move faster and react to sonar more aggressively, power pickups are removed or significantly reduced. Intended for players who find the base game insufficiently challenging