Tears Fall Low

This copy was obtained through my Steam group
For me this is a very standard precision platformer with a small twist on the momentum, I thought the movement was very accurate, but otherwise just a challenging room-to-room platformer. There are a few cutscenes, even though the game does not focus all that much on the narrative, you will occasionally come across some writings on the stones. No exploration of any kind or optional content.
It took me about 2 hours and 20 minutes to finish, the game is relatively challenging as many games in this genre tend to be, but actually not as hard as I expected. To be fair, I had to take a few moments to rest my fingers, some of the sections require a very rapid back-to-back movement. There are only 3 main zones and I thought the detail in the level design was a bit underwhelming, I was hoping the game would look more inviting, but once I got to the castle area the tiles felt very plain. On that note, the game does not have that much content, I think if you making just simple challenge rooms, you might as well make more of them, play around more with your mechanics, I think you could have done a lot more with the bounce and the resets.
I didn't have too many issues with the gameplay, aside maybe from the explosive shards that have an invisible aura around them, that is the only part of the game that felt a bit unfair.
Pros:
(+) I had no issues with controls or movement, except for some of the hitboxes on the vertical spike walls. It has a small gimmick with the mid-air speed, but plays perfectly fine. I like the bounce mechanic on the floor/lava.
(+) I don't mind the way you design the challenge and difficulty progression, I think you could have done more with the actual visuals of the game, but as far as platforming design it was decent.
Feedback:
General:
- maybe the dash reset orbs should respawn
- I didn't like the invisible aura shards
- you could add a forward dash to a hotkey as well
- some of the vertical spikes were a bit touchy
- too much loading
Level Design:
For me personally, making just a good hard platformer today is not that interesting, I played so many of these, I want them to either provide more personality or more navigation escapism. When you make a level design where your only reward for progression is more platforming, it's not enough for me to enjoy the game. You kinda tried to have some narrative, there wasn't really enough to even justify it being in the game. So I would say try to find a balance, if you going to make a game like this, find something that is not just platforming to motivate the player, maybe an occasional exploration area, or some collectibles.
I also wish the areas were less plain, there was very little to look at.
Overall Thoughts: 7/10
You made a challenging platformer that plays really well, my main problem is that honestly, I don't care about these games anymore if that is all they offer, there are so many games that do this and do something else with it, maybe more escapism, maybe some exploration or collection, or even just more personality. I thought the game had a great gimmick with a tear as a playable character, but you didn't do much with a level design aside from making more challenges.
Niche, obscure and underrated games:

I've had a blast playing this game so far!
I love the vibe of the art style, and the atmosphere it creates, as well as how fluid the animations are. While the story of the game appears minimal, I find it intriguing and it makes me wonder what more there is to it. The music brings a nice touch too, and I particularly like the calming piano of the first world in the game, as well as some of the music later... but I won't spoil anything about that haha
If you like short but sweet precision platformer games with smooth controls, you may like this game too! I personally recommend playing on a controller if you have one.
I've beaten it a few times now, and have the world record speedrun for it now actually, with a 21:44! So from a speedrunning perspective, it's quite a fun experience too, with a nice in game timer and such!

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Tears Fall Low Review
Short Summary
Tears Fall Low is a challenging 2d platform that with a artistic story telling.
About The Game
Storyline
The game's story has a dark yet calm tone to it, and it tells the story with a mix of showing and some text that you discover as you progress in the game
Visuals & Audio
It has decent graphics, and its looks are heavy on black and shadow, while the liquid you play as is white to make a great distinction
Sound effects are good and satisfying. The music is calm but simple background that fits the game's theme.
Gameplay Mechanics
Simpel controls
New mechanics quickly get introduced after almost every level
Requires precision and control
No hand-holding (no tutorial and barely give any hints)
Conclusion
If you are looking for a challenging platform game with a good and mysterious storytelling, then I recommend this. Without a controller, this game is a lot harder as it requires precision that a keyboard can't provide. So, if you don't have one, I would not recommend this game.
Rating: 6/10

As a fallen tear making its way back to the surface, you will navigate through an enchanting world and on a tear-rific journey, and every jump and obstacle is a test of your tearful dexterity. Who knew tears could be such nimble little adventurers?
Speaking of slipping and sliding, you might grapple with the physics of its watery existence. The controls are very responsive, but that does not mean your tear will always cooperate. There are a few unintentional belly flops into bottomless pits.
The level design is can be challenging. The caverns you conquer is a step towards the surface. These caves are no walk in the park either; they will test your tear's mettle and keep you on your toes. Or rather, on your... well, you get the idea.

A cute little platformer that has solid controls and a decent level of challenge.
There is a lack of controller input setup, so if you're keen on having very specific controls, you'll need to load up a profile via Steam. That said, you only really have two buttons to deal with in addition to movement.
Right off the bat you're met with a rather gruesome scene, so if you're faint of heart, you may want to skip that intro cutscene. Honestly, the cutscene does linger for far too long before you're able to control your character but I can see what the creator was trying to portray now that I've completed the game.
You have a fairly easy tutorial set of rooms before the game takes off the kiddie gloves and throws you into the mix. Each section has its own theme and various puzzles to jump around to progress, and the difficulty does jump around a little bit. Don't expect a constant increase in difficulty until new elements are introduced. You'll get stuck in a room for a while, then breeze through the next 4.
Overall the controls felt great, and not overly-stuffing the game with abilities was a nice touch - you can focus much more on the pure platforming. That focus is really needed, as some of the rooms felt a bit too unforgiving with regards to accuracy (looking at you, room filled with exploding arrows).
For someone that is at least intermediate with regards to platforming, it was a good challenge. Just short enough to get through in a single playthrough, and plenty of opportunities to refine your run if you choose to do so.
I must say that I recommend this game. Very fun for the genre, and solid controls to not leave you frustrated.

2D platformer + challenging + atmospheric = Jump and dash through each stage to reach the end. Avoid various obstacles and death traps. Figure out how to complete each stage.
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