Blood in the Clocktower did, so it's not unheard of.

But I think the main problem is:
1. People hate being the GM.
2. The people who like being the GM like it because they get to create the world/story.

In co-op at least you could have the GM also be a player, but in competitive games it's hard.

Definitely! Let me message you when I get the copies.

This isn't to say how Pandemic should or shouldn't be designed (casual games need to be accessible), or that frustration justifies alpha gaming, it's just something I've noticed.

I always make the joke that it's better than the original version "An Uncountably High Number of Bones" and await the small box version "Barely Enough Bones".

I mean the scale is very different.

Asking through email is admittedly odd though. I'd think there'd be easier places to ask. It's good they took an interest in what you've been doing at least.

I mean, the only reason I wouldn't ask the Honda dealer is I wouldn't trust them to not just recommend the most expensive car.

I think if you're not very knowledgeable about something, it makes sense to trust the opinion of someone who clearly knows what they're talking about.

Oh man, I remember reading Close to Home all the time when I was a kid.

Yeah Zelda is 100% a Metroidvania. I'm surprised it's rarely called as such though. I guess Metroidvanias kinda also got saddled with the 2D side scrolling look? It probably doesn't help the 2 most recent Zeldas are also more open world sandbox games.

I'd still recommend it at least. It's shorter and easier. Anodyne 1 is good too.

I'm hoping at least when I get around to Angeline Era lowering the difficulty makes a difference.

Did you play Anodyne 2? I, uh, hesitate to say it would provide context but it certainly gives you a sense of the arc on how the developers approach things.

(It's also very good in its own right, though might share some of the story problems you had. It's easy gameplay-wise at least.)

Yeah, having multiple playtest groups definitely helps.

Working on 2 or 3 games at once is also nice because you can then give people a break.

The changes I make every week tend to be various fixes rather than big overhauls, which helps.

I also don't solo test or worry about making the prototype perfect for an audience. Most of the feedback I get is stuff I wouldn't have caught, anyway.

The mystery investigating equivalent of ambulance chasers, I'd assume.

I was gonna say it's clearly working out for them given how many they stumble on just be driving around, but I'm not sure they actually ever get paid?

Though they do keep stealing sandwiches out of the fridges...

I've been doing a lot of digital nonograms lately, but I have fond memories of the physical version. My mom used to do them all the time and and I'd inherit books she didn't end up using from her.