Team Two*2

The idea of the two different perspectives and especially the contrasting visuals accompanying it are very intriguing. Now, the crux is designing cooperative puzzles where both players have interesting tasks which can only be solved by working together. Also, it might become frustrating if one player is missing a clue which stops both from moving ahead and the other player has no capability of helping.

G'Day to you!

1.) What I like:

I like the idea of having two versions of a level. I know this is kind of obvious as this it what you are aiming for but I really see a lot of visual possibilities from a technical stand-point that open with this pitch. I am pretty sure there are tons of ways to incorporate nice small effects into the puzzles the two protagonists need to solve.

2.) What I find problematic:

I think a bit problematic is that you need to create assets for each level twice to a certain extend. Additionally, you need to design puzzles with the two world variants in mind. (Not to forget about the narrative) What I want to say is, that the scope can be pretty large if you look at it... I think the danger is that your vision will not be finished at the end of the semester. I simply fear that at the end you will have this nice blending effect between the two world views but far too less gameplay when it comes to actual puzzling/platforming. And I have not mentioned the planned multiplayer feature...

3.) Improvements:

But I am sure there are some solutions for that! E.g., as long as you keep geometry the same and just change textures and some minor details I am sure it is possible to work out. Also, there is another thing I want to stress: Please do not make any of the two perspectives a wrong one (Order vs. Chaotic). Both should have their own strengths and weaknesses!

May I ask how you want to use the stencil buffer to achieve this effect? As I see it, you could just render two viewports using two cameras and then swapping between them. I am very curious about your project! Good luck!

Intriguing idea! There are many unique  asynchronous coop two player games these days and they always amaze with innovative ideas just like your game. I think it has great potential! However, I think the level desing can be quite challenging on a smal scale so that it doesn't become too straightforward. Good luck!

Really interesting idea! Coming from it takes two. I'm definitely looking forward for you results.

However, in order to make a coop adventure appealing, the design, plot and gameplay has to be thought through very well. It requires more time and effort than the other games I think.

I was aboslutely impressed by your idea and presentation. Two players seeing the same from different perspectives also reminded me of the game "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes", where also the players have to cross-check what each of them sees to find a solotion to the level. The sketches already looked really promising, I really like the graphical effect where you shade the regions of the characters differently! I think this setting allows you to create interesing puzzles the players have to solve together to advance in the game. I am looking forward to seeing more of it!

What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?
The cooperative nature in the sense that that you can only know what the other world looks like by communicating with your partner. It gives the game another layer outside of the game world. I also like the fact that the players have to rely on their imagination to visualize the world of the other player.

What is your least favorite aspect? Why?
I don't see how the concept of "seeing the world through different eyes" fits with the conecpt of only partially synched worlds. Making the two worlds look different is a cool idea, but considering the characters should be in the same room from an outsiders perspective, I don't really understand how one world can have a chair in it an the other can't. Gameplay-wise, it's a cool idea, my point is more about the "lore" aspect of it. The only thing I can imagine is that the focus points for the characters are different, so they can overlook items. The reasonable explanation for the transfer would then be something like "you make the other character realize the existance of the object". Transfering objects however sounds like it will disappear from the respective world, which again makes me think "what's the canon explanation for the disappearance?".

Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?
Instead of a monochromatic view for the boy, I would use colors with (very) little saturation. I think the monochromatic color scheme has a view problems. First of all, they player might ask themselves "Why can't the boy see any colors?" and one of the first answers that might come to mind is "he is color-blind" instead of "he depicts the world around him as boring". Having colors with little saturation removes the likelyhood of finding the first answer to the question by a lot in my opinion. Second, it's not very fun to look at. There is a huge step between no colors at all and colors with little saturation and it will still bring the message "the world is colorless becasue it's boring" accross.

I really love the idea of your game. It made me think of "It takes two" which was a ton of fun to play and thus i got excited about your idea. This game has the potential to be a real banger.
However it also sounds like a lot of work, as the game is not just logic programming, but a big focus must lay on level design to keep the game experience varied.
Also i dont know if i somehow missed the part, but i really love interaction (in gameplay andcommunication) between the players in this kind of games, which i would also think about.

1. I'm excited about this great gameplay idea with coop multiplayer. It sounds very promising.
2. I imagine playing as the boy in the black and white environment will not be as much fun as the girl
3. The abilities of the characters have to be special and unique to create a satisfying player experience. What I'm thinking about is not hindering someone to go forward (because an object is in the way and he can't pass it) but enable a better and more fun way to go forward. (The other player uncovers a trampoline you can only use together for a shortcut and fun animation.) This doesn't mean every dependency on the other player should be removed. It is more ment as an addition to the otherwise linear gameplay.

I like this game idea a lot. I think another interesting approach to this would be to make this controllable with only 1 player and 1 controller. I didn't think fully on how to implement this with the controls you planned, but it might be worth a thought. 

The idea of the game is intriguing ! The overall gameplay seems nice to play, but with such stunning visuals I hope that you keep the gameplay complexity to a minimum and focus more on the games vibes. I think the idea of having a background voice during the gameplay that tells the games story could further enhance the atmosphere. 

I am looking forward to it  

I really like your game idea especially the setting. The atmosphere and theme seem very intriguing.

One thing you should watch out for is making the puzzle be fun for both players. The worst case scenario is that one players does all the "heavy lifting" while the other player can just watch.

That being said, it may just as important to focus on the visuals and flair as that seems to be an integral part of your game. 

What do I like the most?
I really like the idea of actively changing the world based on the player character.

What do I like the least?
Depending on the Game Design the "order mode" might be not as fun as the "chaos mode". This may take a lot of effort to get right gameplay-wise.

What change would I suggest?
As the game is intended to be online-coop and not splitscreen (only listed during "Extras"), I'd suggest adding a way of communication between players.
This does not have to be a fully fledged chat system (or even something similar), I pictured it more like a ping/short highlight of an object or even the reveal of a small area in the opposite game state, which players can send each other.

I LIKE that “chaos” in your game is a positive, funny and creative feature. Other ideas are mostly based on the destructive and uncontrollable aspect of chaos. Your approach is exceptional!

I FEAR some of the puzzles will be repetitive and flat. You have mentioned several problems in “technical achievement” part yourselves, so you are aware, but do not go the easy way! Do not create a bunch of mediocre puzzles only because the deadline is near, and you need three more to have a total of ten! You’ll be much better off with a short minigame that leaves the player stunned by your creativity than with artificially elongated “I’ve seen that 1000 times before” quiz.

MAYBE try to create single, big, thoughtful and interconnected puzzle for each level instead of a set of small ones. Try to make every one and every part of them as active as possible. Let them be not just knowledge based or take the item from there and put it somewhere else based. Even trivial and somehow boring PIN-puzzles can be funnier when instead of just writing down the numbers on the pad character is forced to put required number of balls into corresponding container in a basketball fashion. Or something… it’s just an example :P

I love your interpretation of the theme and that you are basically making a puzzle game for the two different halves of the brain.

Having the same level from two perspectives is a really cool idea, but I think only seeing grayscale might get really boring for the order player after some time.

Maybe you could add an option for the players to switch characters after each level. This way both players get to experience both sides of the game.

Like: The coop gameplay where one player is representing chaos and on is representing order.
Fear: Balancing the players, so that each of them has an equally fun experience and managing 'downtimes' when another player has to perform a task and the other one has to wait.
Suggest: Good puzzles are hard, focus on quality over quantity.

My favourite aspects: The game sounds like a lovely idea for a coop, and something that could be a real pleasure to play. You mentioned Little Nightmares in your report, I was also thinking of something like the Trine series, which offers a  very rewarding coop player experience. I think the take on the Order and Chaos theme is very interesting and unique as well. There could also be a subtle meaning behind the scenes that taking feedback from multiple viewpoints often helps i solving challenging situations.

Least favourite: A lot of people have already mentioned that the order mode may be less fun. I don't think this by itself would be a problem, but I fear that the overall puzzle length may end up being rather short due to the scope of the semester project.

Suggestion: When level designing, maybe identify a few core processes that could be iteratively used to help create a larger set of content, which would have variations. Of course the risk with this is that human players may still recognize the pattern and find it repetitive.

Overall I'm really looking forward to playing this game!

Favorite aspect: Assymetric game experience. Both players play different games that act together as a whole. This adds a need for real teamwork.

Least favorite aspect: Hidden level information. If both players have information hidden from the other player the information has to be easy to tell the other player of fustration may ensue.

Single change: Allow players to enter each others world. It would help with the information problem even if it's only temporary.

What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?
I love that you make an asymmetric coop game. They're getting increasingly popular over the last few years and for very good reasons in my opinion. You also incorporate the theme of chaos&order very well.

What is your least favorite aspect? Why?
I don't have anything I'd say I dislike about the game. Nevertheless, I think your idea is quite ambitious if you want to do it right. But if you don't underestimate the time needed, I'm sure it'll work out great.

Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?
Maybe think about letting players swap characters after each level. I think playing the boy over a longer period of time can get a bit depressing, especially knowing that the other player has a cool, colorful world.

This is by far the game that I'm most excited about, I love your concept and really hope that the end result will be well executed as well. I think it's a very good idea to utilize shaders for varying views instead of relying on prefab syncs across different scenes, since going in that direction could be a headache regarding the networking. However, I would still keep myself open for the alternative, especially when it comes to varying player interactions instead of pure visuals. Although your game seems to be quite demanding and will definitely require quite a bit of time to realize, I would still consider moving the stencil/object task to low target since this is one of the core aspects of your concept. I am really eager to see your final results, good luck!

Here's one anonymous comment:

This is by far the best and most fitting interpretation of the theme in
my opinion. The vibe you already established at the start of the
presentation and the game concept leave really nothing for me to
critique, it all depends on the execution and the quality of the
puzzles. The only critique I could provide, and that one is really
forced and neglible, is the name of the game. The name is definitly not
bad but I get more of a mysterious vibe from it when I feel like the
game is about cooperation. Maybe the name should reflect that aswell.