Greetings, Pathfinders!
This month, we put the early game and overall user-experience to the test with two focused playtests diving deep into both singleplayer and multiplayer experiences. We wanted to see how differently the game feels depending on how you jumped in and gather targeted insights on how the onboarding, pacing, and overall sentiment shifted between solo and co-op play.
Responses were good, too! We’re already seeing areas of improvement reflected in the total score for how people felt overall. But what really mattered to us were things like the controls and how easy it was for first-time players to pick up the game. We collected even more insights this round, analysing over 20 players per group and generated 300+ data points, including detailed info on how each hero was played.
Here is a quick progress update to show you what we learned!
These tests were designed very intentionally on having fresh players who hadn't played the game before. That gave us a clear view of the first-time experience. As devs, that perspective is invaluable because it gives us an unbiased and unfiltered look at the true first-time experience. We want players to feel confident from the moment they pick up the sticks, so it was great that they could jump in easily without needing directions on how to play and were able to drive straight into swinging weapons and crushing monsters.
Controls were another critical area for the test. Our testers consistently managed to perform actions like casting spells, switching heroes, and navigating the level as intended. There are still areas we’d like to make refine, such as improving targeting so spellcasting feels fluid, precise and intentional, particularly at long-range enemies.
We were thrilled to see so many exciting moments when we reviewed the gameplay footage, particularly during the multiplayer test where testers teamed up, adapted and overcome challenging encounters together. Watching the cooperating and excitement has been incredibly rewarding for our team. We’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone who jumped in, shared their thoughts and helped shape the game experience!
If you would like the chance to join future playtests, you can sign up to our newsletter and keep an eye in the Discord server for more opportunities!
Thank you as always for your support! Join our official Discord server and follow us on social media to stay up to date on news about the game.
Onward, to glory!
~ The Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults Team
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