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Kopycut
The development of KopyCut started with the simple idea of giving the player the ability to copy, cut, and paste tiles in a grid-based environment of the game. This ability, rather than intrinsically available through the players themselves, have to be accessed through one-time-use in-game items, which limits the usability of the abilities based on the level design. It prevent players to be able to use the ability from anywhere, and instead have to locate where those items are scattered in the level and use it carefully to not waste them away.
In terms of the first-user experience, the introduction of these abilities are separated where copy is introduced first, followed with cut, and then delete. Each of those are spaced out to let viewers get used to the newly introduced mechanics. There are also certain behaviour such as how the copy mechanic can copy collision objects, which have the capability of blocking deadly projectiles. These introduction, similarly to my previous projects such as Kaimera, are implemented with as less verbal explanation as possible, and rather more integrated in the level design.
KopyCut gameplay loop.
From here, I'd like to continue by reviewing the latest build of the game (as of October 2026). This game, after revisiting it months later, has many noticeable issues that I do not wish to ignore. I feel that there are many things that could be improved, especially if given the time to develop it further.
One of the major issues that I have with it, is the decision of making the movement not locked onto the grid, but instead, are freely hovering over it. I feel like making a grid-based puzzle game that requires precise placements to copy, cut, paste, and or delete, and pair it up with a non-grid-based movement is highly contradictory while also making the usage of the mechanics more frustrating. Moreover, the movement also has a slipperiness to it that makes navigating less precise.
Second, I find that the decision of the "items" — now portrayed as cute creatures — that holds the abilities being required to be picked up and placed into a specific spot to be questionable. The flow of the interaction from picking up, to placing, to using the ability, feels unnecessarily intricate. This could very well be simplified by making it as a "consumable", where it gives the player one charge of the ability. Even though "consuming" the creatures can have a sinister connotation — which contradicts the art direction of the game — I think there are still many ways to go around it. More on the needless intricacies, it would simplify the tutorial by a lot, considering that players have shown to have trouble learning the fundamental mechanics of picking, placing, and using the abilities during the playtests.