Info about Verlet Swing:

Official game description:
  
Everyone has had a fever dream. Weird stuff happens. Sometimes you find yourself in an eccentric world where statues keep staring you down while you die on impact with any of your surroundings. Armed with a hookshot you must swing for your life into these glowing spheres, only to find yourself being teleported into a different, but similar world with more difficult obstacles. That’s basically Verlet Swing, a game that may or may not have been concocted during a fever dream.  
*   100 levels of fast-paced swinging action!  
*   Challenge modes!  
*   Global, friend and Twitch leaderboards!  
*   Increasingly difficult gameplay. The final levels are only for the best of swingers!  
*   Create, share and play levels with the Steam Workshop.  
*   Twitch stream integration!

Release date: Sep 18, 2018

Categories: Precision Platformer, Traversal Gameplay, Speedrunning, High Mobility, High Difficulty, High Replayability, High Skill Ceiling


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the current base game price of $14.99 to be too high and recommend waiting for a sale. This indicates that the community considers a fair price to be lower than the current base price. The repeated mentions of waiting for a sale imply that a discounted price, likely in the range of $5 to $10, would be more acceptable to the community.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 10.0h
  - Story completion: 4.0h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: 6.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several indications of playtime metrics. The first quote suggests that reaching level 95 takes about 3-4 hours, and the last 5 levels take additional time depending on skill. The second quote indicates that the first 80 levels take around 1-2 hours, while the last 20 levels take 4 hours or more. The third quote mentions the total number of levels and additional challenges, implying extended playtime for completionists. The fourth quote, while not directly stating playtime, suggests a significant investment of time to reach the end of the game.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is initially fun and engaging, with players enjoying the mechanics and aesthetics, but the fun drops off after the first hour or few worlds due to a steep difficulty curve and repetitive gameplay.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Completion of the first world
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Steep difficulty curve; Repetitive gameplay; Tedious level repetition
  - Unlock drivers: Initial tutorial levels; Easy-to-understand mechanics
  - Conditions: Vaporwave aesthetics; Unique grappling hook mechanics; Short, fast-paced levels
- Player Archetypes:
  - Challenge-Seeking Veteran (sale)
    - Motivation: Overcoming difficult challenges and achieving high scores.
    - Playstyle: Grinding through difficult levels, practicing extensively to master mechanics.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: masochist; veteran
    - Reference games: Mario kaizo levels
  - Speedrunning Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastering game mechanics and achieving fast completion times.
    - Playstyle: Speedrunning, finding optimal routes, and enjoying the game's unique mechanics.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: speedrunner
    - Reference games: Clustertruck; Cyberhook
  - Casual Atmosphere Enjoyer (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoying a relaxing and atmospheric gaming experience.
    - Playstyle: Casual playthrough, enjoying the game's atmosphere and music.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual gamer
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable and fun gameplay (weight 0.43): Many players found the game to be very enjoyable and fun overall. The gameplay was frequently described as fantastic, incredible, and very fun.
- Enjoyable movement physics (weight 0.22): The movement physics were described as enjoyable, intuitive, and engaging, contributing significantly to the gameplay experience.
- Awesome level editor (weight 0.16): The level editor was highlighted as a standout feature. Players appreciated its intuitiveness and the ability to create community-made levels.
- Easy to learn, hard to master (weight 0.15): The game mechanics are easy to understand but challenging to master, providing a good balance for players.
- Beautiful graphics and visuals (weight 0.14): The game's visuals and graphics were frequently praised as interesting, beautiful, and gorgeous.
- Great for speedrunning (weight 0.11): The game encourages speedrunning and has a community that supports it. The developers cultivate this aspect of the game.
- Fluid and precise controls (weight 0.11): The controls were praised for being simple, fluid, and on point, contributing to a satisfying gaming experience.
- Satisfying swinging mechanics (weight 0.11): Players found the swinging mechanics to be extremely satisfying and fun, making it a great game for those who enjoy swinging.
- Varied and amusing environments (weight 0.11): The game offers a variety of environments that players found amusing and great, adding to the overall enjoyment.
- Sense of speed and danger (weight 0.11): The game provides a real sense of speed and danger, which works well with the momentum-based gameplay.

Common complaints:
- Final levels are brutally difficult (weight 0.63): The final levels of the game are noted for their extreme difficulty, requiring intense precision and causing frustration among players. This difficulty spike is frequently mentioned as a significant issue.
- Aiming and controls are inconsistent (weight 0.14): The aiming mechanics are described as horrible and inconsistent, and the controls are noted as floaty and imprecise. These issues detract from the gameplay experience.
- Game loses novelty quickly (weight 0.11): The novelty of the game wears off quickly, with players finding the music and overall experience becoming boring and repetitive. This affects the long-term enjoyment of the game.
- No level preview available (weight 0.07): Players express frustration over the lack of a level preview feature, which makes it difficult to anticipate and prepare for upcoming challenges.

Gameplay feedback:
- Challenge and difficulty progression (weight 0.26): The game offers various challenge modes and a progressive difficulty curve, including a marathon mode for additional variety.
- Grappling hook mechanics (weight 0.23): The gameplay revolves around first-person grappling hook mechanics, allowing for grapple-based movement and action.
- Short but well-designed levels (weight 0.22): The game features very short levels, each taking about 10 seconds for a successful run, but they are solidly designed and unique.
- Web-slinging and platformer gameplay (weight 0.16): The gameplay is centered around web-slinging and platformer mechanics, similar to Spider-Man's swinging mechanics.
- Fast-paced movement and platforming (weight 0.16): The game is a heavily fast-paced platformer with quick movement and air control.
- Precision-based mechanics (weight 0.15): The game features precision-based mechanics, although some players find the movement mechanics not well-suited for precise gameplay.
- Physics-based momentum and swinging (weight 0.13): The game uses physics-based momentum and swinging mechanics, requiring players to manage their speed and direction carefully.
- Similar to Clustertruck (weight 0.12): The game is inspired by and similar to Clustertruck, offering a comparable experience.
- Varying difficulty across levels (weight 0.11): The game features levels with a range of difficulties, from pretty easy to pretty hard, offering a diverse challenge.
- Leaderboard and progression systems (weight 0.11): The game includes a leaderboard system and a progression system to track player advancement.
- Speedrunning and community levels (weight 0.11): The game supports speedrunning levels and includes community-made levels for additional content.
- 100 unique levels (weight 0.08): The game offers 100 unique levels with mini challenges and increasing difficulty.
- Tight timing requirements (weight 0.08): Levels in the game have strict timing requirements, adding to the challenge.
- Multiple worlds with different challenges (weight 0.08): The game includes multiple worlds, each with varying difficulty and different challenges.
- Vaporwave aesthetics (weight 0.07): The game features a vaporwave aesthetic, contributing to its unique visual style.
- Repetitive arcade-like gameplay (weight 0.07): Some players find the gameplay repetitive and arcade-like, which may affect long-term engagement.
- Freedom in level design (weight 0.07): The game offers freedom in level design, although it primarily features paths that the game directs you to take.

Performance notes:
- Low PC requirements (weight 0.05): The game has low system requirements for PC, making it accessible to a wide range of players with varying hardware specifications.
- Controller sensitivity issues (weight 0.05): Players have reported problems with the sensitivity of the controller, making it difficult to aim or navigate precisely.
- Joystick movement glitches (weight 0.05): There are glitches associated with joystick movements, causing unintended actions or difficulties in controlling the character.
- Steam Deck control issues (weight 0.05): Players using Steam Deck have encountered specific control issues, affecting their overall gaming experience.

Recommendations:
- Broadly recommended game (weight 0.3): The game is warmly recommended for both casual and competitive players. It is praised for its unique experience and atmospheric qualities.
- Good value for money (weight 0.23): Many players feel the game is worth the price, especially when purchased on sale. It is often described as a good value for the price.
- Features VR and multiplayer (weight 0.11): The game includes VR support and multiplayer features, which add to its appeal. Players are looking for a larger community to enhance the multiplayer experience.
- Recommended for unique mechanics (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for those who enjoy unique movement mechanics, rope mechanics, and speedrunning. It offers a distinctive gameplay experience.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.4): Players experience frustration primarily due to a significant difficulty spike in the later levels, particularly in the final world. Issues with control mechanics, such as the grappling hook and movement precision, along with poorly designed levels and unclear objectives, contribute to this frustration. Additionally, achievements not unlocking as expected and the constant need to hold specific keys add to the players' annoyance.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.13): Players feel satisfied with the game due to its enjoyable swinging mechanics and the sense of accomplishment from overcoming challenging levels. The physics and momentum of the gameplay, along with the controls and aesthetics, contribute to a positive experience. Completing difficult levels and speed runs also adds to the overall satisfaction.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.13): Players enjoy the game for its fast-paced gameplay, fun movement mechanics, and unique playstyle. The addictive and challenging nature of the levels, combined with delightful gameplay and trippy visuals, contribute to a positive experience. The chill music and well-designed levels also enhance the enjoyment.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Players are excited by the game's intense levels, great swinging mechanics, and the sense of speed. The fluid controls and the potential for VR support and multiplayer add to the excitement. The unique and enjoyable movement system, along with the desire to replay the game, also contribute to this feeling.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Players feel disappointed due to the game feeling more like a demo than a complete experience. The final levels, which force a specific playstyle and feature tight corridors, ruin the overall enjoyment. Additionally, the game does not meet the quality expectations set by similar games, leading to a sense of letdown.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Players are annoyed by the repetitive music and grappling sound effects in the game. These repetitive audio elements detract from the overall enjoyment and become a source of irritation.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players experience boredom due to the repetitive gameplay in the last levels. The lack of variety and the repetitive nature of these levels contribute to a sense of monotony and disinterest.}