Thanks for the kind comments everyone. Glad to see noone has any major complaints about the control feel / general playability - as that's by far the most important thing to me!
Looking at other games of a similar ilk, eg Superstar Chefs or Bonbon Quest, I find the controls to be sluggish and slow... So I'm aiming at a more frenetic, aracadey feel, which I think is what's so great about platformers like Mario and Sonic.
Also, I'm having a bit of a think about the walking off the sides of the stage idea - I did consider it of course, but it wasn't used in Bubble Bobble, my main inspiration, and I find it makes the level a little too accessible in terms of getting to places. I'm toying with it though...
Looking at other games of a similar ilk, eg Superstar Chefs or Bonbon Quest, I find the controls to be sluggish and slow... So I'm aiming at a more frenetic, aracadey feel, which I think is what's so great about platformers like Mario and Sonic.
Also, I'm having a bit of a think about the walking off the sides of the stage idea - I did consider it of course, but it wasn't used in Bubble Bobble, my main inspiration, and I find it makes the level a little too accessible in terms of getting to places. I'm toying with it though...