My First Playtesters Hated My Core Loop (and Saved My Game)

My First Playtesters Hated My Core Loop (and Saved My Game)

The first time you put your game in front of real players is terrifying. You’ve poured your heart and soul into this project, maybe for months, maybe for years. You’re ready for people to love it as much as you do.

Then they don’t.

That’s exactly what happened to me with my game, Echo Bloom, a puzzle adventure game centered around manipulating sound. I was so proud of the intricate puzzles I’d designed. I was convinced people would be hooked.

The Brutal Truth Hurts

My initial playtesters hated the core loop. Not in a constructive criticism kind of way. In a “this is confusing and boring” kind of way.

Specifically, they said the puzzles felt obtuse. They couldn’t understand the relationships between cause and effect. The pacing felt slow. And, most damning of all, they weren’t having fun.

It felt like a punch to the gut. I spent weeks sulking and questioning my design skills. It was hard to hear that something I had worked so hard on was fundamentally flawed.

Deconstructing the Feedback

I knew I couldn’t just ignore the feedback. I had to figure out why they hated it. I started by breaking down the core loop into its simplest components: Exploration, Puzzle Encounter, Solution, Reward.

Exploration involved navigating the environment and discovering sound sources. Puzzle Encounter was when the player triggered a puzzle involving manipulating those sounds. Solution required figuring out the correct sound arrangement. Reward was the opening of a new pathway or the reveal of a story element.

I looked at each of these elements through the lens of the testers’ comments.

• Obtuse Puzzles: The connections between the sound sources and the puzzle mechanics weren’t clear enough.

• Slow Pacing: The time spent between puzzle encounters felt excessive, and the rewards weren’t satisfying enough to justify the effort.

• Lack of Fun: The overall experience felt tedious and unrewarding.

Identifying the Bottlenecks

After deconstructing the feedback, I realized the core loop had several bottlenecks. First, the initial exploration phase was too long and uneventful. Players wandered around aimlessly without clear direction, leading to frustration before they even encountered a puzzle.

Second, the puzzles themselves lacked clear visual or audio cues. Players struggled to understand what actions would trigger what reactions. This led to a lot of trial and error, which wasn’t rewarding.

Finally, the rewards weren’t significant enough. A slightly opened door or a small piece of lore wasn’t enough to motivate players to continue.

Iterating on the Core Loop

Armed with this new understanding, I started iterating on the core loop. Here are the specific changes I made:

• Enhanced Exploration: I added visual cues to guide players toward puzzle locations. I also introduced smaller, more frequent interactions with the environment to keep them engaged. For example, I added small musical sequences that triggered upon interacting with specific objects. This gave players a sense of agency and progress even before encountering a major puzzle.

• Improved Puzzle Clarity: I made the puzzle mechanics more transparent. I introduced visual representations of the sound relationships, making it easier for players to understand how their actions affected the environment. For example, instead of simply hearing a change in pitch, players would see a visual wave change, helping them connect cause and effect.

• More Meaningful Rewards: I increased the impact of the rewards. Instead of small lore bits, players now unlocked new areas, abilities, or significant story reveals. This gave them a stronger sense of accomplishment and motivated them to continue exploring.

Actionable Strategies for Core Loop Improvement

Here’s a breakdown of actionable strategies you can use to improve your game’s core loop, based on my experience:

• Early and Frequent Playtesting: Don’t wait until your game is “finished” to get feedback. Get your game in front of players as early as possible. The earlier you catch problems with your core loop, the easier they will be to fix.

• Targeted Feedback: Don’t just ask "Did you like it?". Ask specific questions about the core loop. “Did you understand what you were supposed to do?” “Did the rewards feel meaningful?” "Did you feel engaged throughout the process?".

• Observe, Don’t Explain: Watch players play your game without interrupting. Let them struggle and see where they get stuck. You’ll learn far more from their actions than from their words.

• Embrace the Suck: It’s okay if your initial core loop sucks. It’s a starting point, not a finished product. Be willing to scrap ideas and start over if necessary.

• Iterate, Iterate, Iterate: The core loop is never truly "finished". It’s a constant process of refinement. Continuously gather feedback and iterate on your design based on what you learn.

The Transformation

After several rounds of iteration, the feedback started to shift. Playtesters began to understand the puzzles more easily. They felt more engaged with the exploration. And they were genuinely excited about the rewards.

Echo Bloom went from being a confusing and boring experience to a compelling puzzle adventure. I wouldn’t have been able to make that transformation without the brutal honesty of my first playtesters.

It’s easy to get defensive when someone criticizes your work. But remember, feedback is a gift. It’s an opportunity to make your game better. Embrace it, learn from it, and use it to create something truly special.

Your core loop is the heart of your game. Make sure it’s beating strong.