Playtest report preview
AppulseWhat streamers ran into on Twitch
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Top-down shooter inspired by pinball mechanics where you protect your mothership.
We listened to 8 Twitch streams of Appulse (7h 24m in total). The problem that came up most: ball drains through the centre gap too often, in 4 of 8 streams.
8 Twitch streams · 7h 24m analysed · English, Spanish · analysed in the week of 19 Oct 2026 · Steam page
- Problems
- 68
- Ideas
- 7
- Highlights
- 16
Each problem, idea and highlight counts once, however often it came up. The timeline counts every moment: 216 in all.
Where the moments happened
Grey bars show when the streamer was talking. Each mark is one reported moment; select a type below to hide or show it.
- Stream 1, 1h analysed: 21 problems, 3 suggestions or comparisons, 2 highlights.
- Stream 2, 1h analysed: 23 problems, 1 suggestion or comparison, 2 highlights.
- Stream 3, 35 min analysed: 16 problems, 5 highlights.
- Stream 4, 49 min analysed: 13 problems.
- Stream 5, 1h analysed: 19 problems, 15 highlights.
- Stream 6, 1h analysed: 30 problems, 4 suggestions or comparisons, 5 highlights.
- Stream 7, 1h analysed: 25 problems, 1 suggestion or comparison, 8 highlights.
- Stream 8, 1h analysed: 21 problems, 2 highlights.
Problems (68)
Bugs, confusion, frustration and the moments players gave up. The ones most streams ran into come first.
- #43Frustration
ball drains through the centre gap too often
4 of 8 streams · 8 moments
8 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #44Frustration
core health collapses fast under waves and bosses
4 of 8 streams · 6 moments
6 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #5Confusionblocking
no sense of progress during cannon flight to the ship
3 of 8 streams · 8 moments
8 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #6Confusion
current mission goal on the table is unclear
3 of 8 streams · 8 moments
8 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #45Frustration
flipping and shooting at once is too much to juggle
3 of 8 streams · 7 moments
7 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #7Confusion
flipper-based ammo reload is not taught clearly
3 of 8 streams · 7 moments
7 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #46Frustration
ramps, loops and lock entrances are hard to make
3 of 8 streams · 4 moments
4 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #8Confusion
ball count and drain penalty are not communicated
2 of 8 streams · 4 moments
4 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #9Confusion
shooting tutorial never shows which button fires
2 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #10Confusion
locked levels give no unlock condition
2 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #11Confusion
percentage-based perk effects are hard to interpret
2 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #47Frustration
rapid fire weapon underperforms against other guns
2 of 8 streams · 5 moments
5 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #48Frustration
ammo runs dry mid wave with slow refill
2 of 8 streams · 4 moments
4 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #49Frustration
weak recoil cannot push the ball uphill
2 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #12Confusion
enemy shield and hologram states are not readable
2 of 8 streams · 6 moments
6 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #13Confusion
upper flippers go unnoticed on the playfield
2 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #14Confusion
scoring targets and modes have no explanation
2 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #15Confusion
upgrade menu does not show what is affordable
2 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #50Frustration
run earnings too low to afford wanted upgrades
2 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #1Bugblocking
demo crashed with a fatal engine error during tutorial
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #2Bug
controller input falls back to keyboard when idle
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #16Confusion
no clear way to trigger multiball after upgrading it
1 of 8 streams · 5 moments
5 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #17Confusion
unclear how to fire and aim the ball's gun
1 of 8 streams · 4 moments
4 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #18Confusion
no clear way to fire collected missiles
1 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #19Confusion
new players cannot find their ship at the start without the tutorial
1 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #20Confusion
no obvious way to repair damaged subcores
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #21Confusion
self destruct triggers unexpectedly after ejecting
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #51Frustration
flippers seem broken because cooldown and timed phase are not explained
1 of 8 streams · 5 moments
5 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #52Frustration
too much on screen to track during waves
1 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #53Frustration
cutscenes play much louder than gameplay
1 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #54Frustration
moving the ball with gun recoil feels odd
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #55Frustration
camera following the ball feels uncomfortable
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #3Bug
xbox button prompts shown with a playstation controller
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #4Bug
ball escaped out of bounds over the no entry barrier
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #22Confusion
weapon trade offs around recoil are not explained
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #23Confusion
shuttle side mission goal unclear and cannot be cancelled
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #24Confusion
camera zoom changes without explanation
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #25Confusion
tutorial guide distracts and instructions are easy to miss
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #26Confusion
locked weapon options on first pick are unreadable
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #27Confusion
unclear whether tutorial is finished after restart
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #28Confusion
jackpot seems to vanish and reappear
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #29Confusion
ejection cannon direction to the mothership is unclear
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #30Confusion
self destruct step on boarding is easy to miss
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #31Confusion
moving to a new board via cannon is not clearly signalled
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #32Confusion
gun from tutorial missing at start of first run
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #33Confusion
resolution scale option is not explained in settings
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #34Confusion
mentor being a hologram is not apparent
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #35Confusion
unclear which hits count toward loading the missile launcher
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #36Confusion
point pickups are hard to recognise on the field
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #37Confusion
capsules are hard to identify and hit with the ball
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #38Confusion
capsule mission requires ball hits without saying so
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #39Confusion
leaderboard shows defeat on top scores without explanation
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #40Confusion
special ability duration not clear at first
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #41Confusion
no early hint that nudging the table exists
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #42Confusion
upgrade point total changes after boss without explanation
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #56Frustration
narrator delivery and praise feel off during bad runs
1 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #57Frustration
level up perks feel weak, redundant or miss ammo capacity
1 of 8 streams · 3 moments
3 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #58Frustration
easy to pick the wrong upgrade by accident
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #59Frustration
upgrade system unlock flow is confusing
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #60Frustration
no ball save after a quick drain
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #61Frustration
last enemy in a wave is hard to hit
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #62Frustration
some enemies take far more hits than expected
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #63Frustration
shotgun magazine too small and range too short
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #64Frustration
pressing the wrong flipper by mistake
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #65Frustration
boss hovers directly above the flippers
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #66Frustration
recoil hint repeats after the player already understood
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #67Frustration
ball gets caught at the same spot often
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #68Frustration
ending one missile short of a full launcher
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report
Suggestions and comparisons (7)
What players asked for, and which games they compared yours to.
- #69Suggestion
weak feedback when shots damage but do not kill enemies
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #70Suggestion
demo offers only one board
1 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #71Suggestion
no option to skip the slow motion perk
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #72Comparison
presentation reminds of an existing modern pinball platform
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #73Comparison
orbit shots feel good like classic tables
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #74Comparison
table recalls classic space themed pinball
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #75Comparison
plays more like a shooter than a bullet dodger
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report
What landed (16)
Moments players clearly enjoyed.
- #76Highlight
permanent upgrade tree is exciting to explore
4 of 8 streams · 6 moments
6 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #77Highlight
pinball combined with guns is a fresh concept
4 of 8 streams · 8 moments
8 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #78Highlight
steering the ball with weapon recoil is satisfying
2 of 8 streams · 8 moments
8 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #79Highlight
ejection cannon boarding sequence is exciting
2 of 8 streams · 2 moments
2 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #80Highlight
weapon options feel distinct and fun to pick
1 of 8 streams · 5 moments
5 quotes + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #81Highlight
range and fire rate upgrades feel good
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #82Highlight
post wave scoring phase is satisfying
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #83Highlight
core in the middle saving the ball from draining
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #84Highlight
controller play feels good
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #85Highlight
keyboard and mouse play works fine
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #86Highlight
missile launcher is fun to use
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #87Highlight
hidden capsule missions are enjoyed
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #88Highlight
bumper combos feel rewarding
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #89Highlight
flipper reload loop and shock effect are enjoyable
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #90Highlight
big first run score feels good
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report - #91Highlight
boarding flight music lands well
1 of 8 streams · 1 moment
1 quote + ▶ timestamps in the full report
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