The Luminous Trial

[MattyAce]

Hi everyone!

I’m working on a compact puzzle adventure world for the Meta Horizons Mobile Competition 2.0, and I’d love your feedback as I get closer to finishing it. It’s called The Luminous Trial, and it’s designed as a short, experience that works across mobile and desktop.

You appear up at a temple entrance where light itself is the key to unlocking progress. Players solve a series of environmental puzzles using rotating mirrors, hidden switches, and levers to reveal the path forward.

This world focuses on:

• Interactive Puzzles (beam puzzles, key doors, floor switches)

• Device-aware Inputs (focused drag for mobile/web)

• Atmospheric Design (custom camera angles, animations, and an AI greeter)

• Single-session play – Easy to complete in one sitting

I'm looking for feedback on:

• Does it feel like an adventure game to you? For reference Genre Common Features Guidance for Mobile Competition 2.0 

• Would you prefer to get subtle hints, or do you like figuring things out solo?

• Do the mechanics feel smooth across devices?

• Any visual or UX improvements you'd recommend?

• Any other feedback you may have?

I'm especially looking for mobile playtesters, but all feedback is welcome. If you're up for running through the world and helping break it a little, I’d love to hear from you.

If you are interested in checking it out please use the links below. The Feedback Clone is a stable, “as-is” version if you want a consistent experience. The Development Build is the latest version I’m working on, it might include new features, but it may also be a little broken at times!

Feedback Clone: https://horizon.meta.com/world/10160378936125583  

Development Build: https://horizon.meta.com/world/10160327626785583 

Thanks in advance and let me know if you’re working on something too! I’d love to check it out and return the favour.

[Drewls]

Hey @MattyAce looking good! I have a lot of thoughts on this, but want to spend a little more time organizing them and going through the game some more. I'll follow up more tomorrow. 

[MattyAce]

Thanks @Drewls for checking it out! Really appreciate it, I'm keen to hear your thoughts once you've organised them!

[patrizio_gas]

Hi @MattyAce , thanks for sharing your world. I’ve finished the adventure and it was truly engaging. I’m also building a world, and I hope you'll try it out as soon as I release a playable demo.

Some feedback:

• It would’ve been interesting to have some visual effects on the light beams.
• A small hint on how to move the mirrors would’ve helped (it took me a while to realize I just had to swipe).
• I also didn’t immediately notice that the floor was pressure-sensitive — though maybe that was intentional.

[MASK.IT]

i would love to check it out! i am pretty stuck on a few things.

[Drewls]

I was still unable to load the link to my phone (Meta issues probably) I  but did play on the web. 
Overall I felt like there was a little bit of a linear progression that could have been broken up with a little more storyline or surprises. I had trouble getting some lasers to line up cause they would turn off and swiping on the web isn't as great of an experience as on mobile. 

One of my overall criticisms of all Horizon worlds is that so many of them feel static. I think you could disrupt this some with some animated features in your world. I'd love to open a door and have a bunch of snakes or something surprise me. 
My blue gem was able to open a purple door, that was a little confusing for me. 
When interacting, the camera locked on a view that also confused me more than revealing answers. I almost wonder if a straight top down view would have been easier to understand. 
I liked the greeter at the start, it would be funny if you reset each time they would say something different. 
I like to laugh a lot.  Maybe adding more characters would be fun, just to have some interaction or feedback, they could say something like " Ah I didn't know you could open that purple door with a blue gem!" or something equally as funny when solving a puzzle. 

Overall, I would think about how the user would explore the world and what type of experience you want to give them. It's a little bit of a consumable world, meaning that once someone goes through it once, they probably won't go through again. I challenge you to explore adding some loop or mechanics that would encourage players to revisit. 
Keep building, have fun, laugh a lot! 
If you want to explore some of this feedback in more depth, feel free to reach out.

[MattyAce]

@patrizio_gas Thanks for playing through it, really appreciate the feedback! You're totally right about the swipe mechanic, it could use a small hint, especially for first-time players. I've also been thinking about how to spruce up the light beam visuals, trying to work out how to add a glow or shimmer effect when they’re active in horizons.

Definitely keen to try your world when it’s ready, give me a shout when you have the demo live!

[MattyAce]

Thanks for the offer! If you're stuck, I'm happy to help out. Feel free to send me a DM and I'll do what I can to help remove any blockers you are having.

[MattyAce]

@Drewls cheers for getting back, really appreciate it. Your feedback is super helpful. I hadn’t considered adding surprise moments or more movement to break up the progression, but it makes a lot of sense. Love the idea of something wild like snakes pouring out of a door, I'll see what I can do.

Good catch on the gem, that purple door issue was actually a colour mismatch. I'll get that sorted.

The camera lock was meant to help focus the interaction, but yeah if it’s confusing, maybe a top-down or free-rotate option would make it easier to follow. I’m glad you liked the greeter. I’ve got the NPC system wired up for variation, so having it say something different each reset is totally doable.

You're right about it being a one-and-done kind of experience at the moment. I’ve been tossing up ideas like a time trial to keep people coming back.

Thanks again for the thoughtful feedback!

[MisterOsiris]

Hey MattyAce!

 

I just finished playing the feedback clone this morning with my coffee. It plays remarkably well on both mobile and desktop so congratulations there! 

 

• I would say that it feels like an adventure game to me. Haven't had a puzzle experience like that since Breath of the Wild (I know, I know, I need to play the sequel).
• Personally, I like to figure things out solo. God of War ruined a few puzzles for me during my playthrough with Atreus blurting out aggressive hints after 30 or so seconds. That said, I am likely in the minority of players and we have to keep in mind all world demographics when building. If you were to expand this world (which I think you should post-competition) to include mechanics with multiple steps built on to existing mechanics required to complete them, then clues might be helpful. Nothing sucks more than getting stuck on a puzzle/world for hours and then rage quitting. 
• The only mechanic that wasn't as smooth on Mobile was the left side room laser-redirection-gate. I had to constantly go back and redirect the plate by a few pixels to get the beam just right. It wasn't frustrating nor did it hurt the fun, but it was literally the only note I had for the world other that, "Man... that was fun. I can't believe this was build in Horizon."
• The visuals are stunning! Great world layout with zero clutter. The castle also makes for great world building and the NPC was a pleasant surprise. The world perfectly directed me where I needed to go via the environmental storytelling and the use of doors (plus that AWESOME camera trick when they open) was a solid 10/10. My only callout would be for the purple diamond that opens the blue door.  Threw me off just a little bit, but I'm sure that is an easy fix. 
• Over all? Excellent work. Can't wait to see what else you cook up!