BABYLON BEGONE

I was afraid of the jump for the first minute, then the more I got used to it, the better it felt. It really gets flowy!
The whole game is charming and I would honestly not mind it being several hours long based on that kind methodical slow platforming.

I found a few funny (and others not so) glitches (spoilers for the unlocks ahead):

- Landing in certain ways after using the dash locks us in a downwards animation

- When jumping from a slope, the jump will sometimes fall very short

- Reloading to a previous save does not keep the "water does not damage North" unlock. The two others are saved just fine, weirdly enough

Really liked my time playing, I only wish there was more! :D

absolutely LOVED my time with this one. the 'The Not So Good' section may look long but i swear thats just because the game was good enough to make me care about the little things and see a ton of potential.

 
The good:

- movement felt good. the most important thing to get right for a game like this and i think y'all nailed it. tight and appropriately weighty. the committed jump arc is intuitive, decently forgiving since the player can angle it a little bit after launching, and fun to schmoove around with once you master it.

- sound design is terrific. the sound of North jumping and landing was satisfying and helps sell its weighty movement, the bunnythings humming to charge up their projectile and their little 'La~' when firing it was very cute, and the crisp bells really helped tie the games whole aesthetic together.

- exploration was quite fun. all of the platforming was easy to read and route at a glance, and checkpoints felt fair and well spaced. i often found myself saying "hold on, i think i can make that jump!" and ended up finding a small shortcut. some small platforms in certain sections felt slightly too close together for the jump arc's length but it was nothing egregious.

- enemy placement felt fair even in the areas with groups of them, and was a fun challenge to lead their shots before leaping away and closing in for the kill.

The Not So Good:

- although undeniably shining aesthetically in terms of character design, i think the building blocks that make up the game world are where the game most shows its prototype status. additionally, the single enemy type in the game lacks a death animation making them simply pop out of existence when poked with your lance.

- moving platforms can be janky as all hell. although theres no issue if the player manages to make a clean landing on one, making contact with one of the edges of a moving platform while landing will cause it to slide away underneath you, and this tends to happen often because most moving platforms are quite small. leaping while a platform is rising can cause you to land immediately and bounce, which luckily doesnt have much detrimental effect outside of looking funny and making you have to wait until your ride is at a complete stop.

- the game occasionally hitched for just a moment every so often in some areas. nothing terrible, but in a game that requires so much precision, a hitch killing your momentum in the middle of an important jump certainly stings. this happened for me only in areas with many moving platforms (thus adding to the frustration). 

- the upgrades sadly can be a bit underwhelming. the upgrade that allows North to attack is absolutely fine, perfectly timed so that it feels great to be able to poke the bunnythings now. the upgrade that makes North immune to damage from water is... basically nothing. checkpoints that are not also save points are very few, and the upgrade still doesnt allow you to touch water At All even when terrain dips below the waterline (the ability to take shortcuts or new paths that are partially submerged would have been fun). the upgrade that allows North to charge is great but the player never gets the chance to use it if they happen to pick it up third instead of second. the fact that the charge was not an attack was also a bit of a let down (especially glaring since enemies are present right outside the room where the upgrade is acquired). the charge also has a game breaking bug where if you end the charge in midair after jumping you will be stuck in the falling state without losing height, allowing you to fly but basically softlocking you since you cant land. luckily getting hit or loading ends the infinite falling state

Suggestions to take with a grain of salt:

- North kicking up small dust cloud particles while jumping, landing, and charging would go a ways to helping it feel weightier.

- replacing the water damage upgrade with one that allows North to take damage from enemies without teleporting to a checkpoint would be more practical and feel more impactful. 

- the upward swing and downward plunge of the jump animation having hitboxes that can damage enemies after the first upgrade is obtained would open up a lot of fun offensive options to the player and allow for more complex enemy design in the future.

- an upgrade that allows North to grab onto ledges (or perhaps even using its lance to spike into walls and surfaces) would make moving platforms less frustrating and longer jumps less daunting. alternatively/additionally, an upgrade that allows North to spike downwards from any point in a jump would allow for more comfortable air control, again making moving platforms less of a hassle, and making jumps over short distances less stressful (and potentially opening combat options if paired with the above suggestion).

overall, i was very excited to try BABYLON BEGONE the moment i saw the development of it on Hannah's blog, and it didnt disappoint in the slightest. i very much had fun leaping around the ruins and falling into the water, and can only hope that development will continue after this initial release!