When the game works —
but doesn't quite feel right.
Timing Polish Pass is a focused refinement service for rhythm games that are already running. It addresses the part that's hardest to pin down — the gap between functional and right.
A clear picture of what's off — and a considered path to fixing it.
This service doesn't rebuild your game. It looks closely at the parts of timing and scoring that are creating friction — the windows that feel slightly late, the scoring that doesn't quite match player effort — and produces an honest, useful set of notes and suggestions.
What you receive is practical: a timing-window review, scoring observations, and clear suggestions written in a way your team can act on. The tone is collaborative — these are recommendations, not overrides. Your design instincts stay intact.
Timing-window review
An honest look at your current hit windows — where they're tight, where they're inconsistent, and what adjustments would improve fairness.
Scoring notes
Observations on whether your scoring communicates player performance clearly — and where it might be creating confusion or unfair impressions.
Clear suggestions
Specific, actionable recommendations written in plain language — designed to be handed to a developer without interpretation required.
Something in the timing is off. You suspect it, but can't quite locate it.
A rhythm game can function — charts load, hits register, scores tally — and still feel slightly wrong to players. They might describe it as "the game doesn't reward me" or "I keep missing things I should have gotten." Those are symptoms of timing and scoring that aren't aligned.
When you're deep in your own project, it's difficult to hear those issues clearly. The values that made sense when you set them up stop looking questionable — they just become the defaults.
This is common in games that have been developed incrementally. Timing windows get adjusted in response to one problem and then left when they create a smaller one elsewhere. Scoring multipliers accumulate logic that made sense in isolation.
A fresh look — patient, specific, and respectful of the design that's already there — is often all that's needed to find and address what's creating friction.
How a Polish Pass works
Methodical and unhurried. Every finding backed by reasoning, every suggestion explained.
Play-through and observation
We play your game with attention on timing feel — noting where responses feel late, where windows create unexpected misses, where scoring doesn't match what the play looked like.
Timing and scoring analysis
Window values reviewed against the game's BPM range and input type. Scoring logic examined for consistency and whether it reflects player effort accurately.
Written suggestions report
Findings written up clearly — specific values to reconsider, reasoning for each, and prioritized by likely impact. Nothing vague, nothing that requires guesswork to implement.
Respectful of your design. Direct about what we find.
The suggestions in a Polish Pass are exactly that — suggestions. They come with reasoning attached so you can agree, adapt, or push back with full context. Nothing is presented as the only valid approach.
The work begins with understanding what you were trying to achieve with the current timing and scoring. That context shapes the review — the goal is to help your design work better, not to substitute a different one.
You'll receive a written report structured clearly enough that you can share it with your development team directly. Follow-up questions are welcome after delivery.
Your design is the starting point
The review works within your design intent, not around it. Suggestions preserve what's working while addressing what isn't.
Findings prioritized by impact
Not every issue is equally important. The report ranks suggestions so you know where to start if you can't address everything at once.
Questions welcome after delivery
If something in the report needs clarification or prompts further discussion, we're available to follow up once the handoff is made.
What this service costs — and what you receive
Timing Polish Pass
$340 USD
What's included:
- Play-through review of your existing game with timing focus
- Timing-window analysis — current values, inconsistencies, and fairness observations
- Scoring logic review — clarity, consistency, and whether it matches player expectation
- Written suggestions report — specific, prioritized, and implementation-ready
- One round of follow-up questions after report delivery
Requires access to a playable build of your game. Scope confirmed before payment. Fixed price — no additional charges for thorough findings.
The reasoning behind a Polish Pass
Fresh ears catch what familiarity hides
When you've played your own game hundreds of times, your perception adapts to its quirks. An outside review — patient and unhurried — notices what long exposure has normalized.
Suggestions with reasoning last longer
A list of values to change is easy to lose track of. A report that explains why each change is suggested gives your team something to return to whenever the game evolves further.
Small timing changes have large effects
A few milliseconds on a timing window, or a modest scoring weight adjustment, can measurably change how a game feels to play. The changes are small; the impact on player experience is not.
Typical delivery for this service is one week from receipt of your build. The written report is structured for direct use by your team.
A report you can use — not one you have to interpret.
The suggestions in the report are written to be handed to a developer directly. Specific, plain-language, and prioritized. If anything in the report is unclear after delivery, the included follow-up round addresses it.
Before work begins, there's a brief conversation about your game and what you're hoping to improve. If the build isn't in a state where a timing review would be productive, we'll say so before any payment is made.
Actionable output
Every suggestion comes with a reason and can be acted on without further explanation.
Follow-up included
Questions about the report after delivery are part of the service, not an extra.
Scope check first
We confirm the service is right for where your game is before any payment is made.
From your build to a useful report.
Four clear stages. The work stays focused throughout.
Share your build and context
Provide access to a playable version of your game and describe where timing or scoring is causing concern. A brief description of what you hoped those systems would feel like is helpful.
Scope confirmed
We verify the build is in a state where a timing review would be productive, confirm the scope, and agree on the timeline before any work or payment proceeds.
Review and analysis
We play through the build, review the timing and scoring systems, and draft the findings. The work is done without interruptions — you hear from us when the report is ready.
Report delivery and follow-up
The written report delivered clearly, structured for use by your team. One follow-up round for questions or clarifications included after delivery.
Let's find what's creating friction — and suggest how to address it.
Drop a message through the contact form. Describe your game, what feels off, and what you'd want to be different. There's no commitment in reaching out.
Get in touchExplore other ways to work together
Rhythm Mechanic Design
Shapes the core timing mechanic for your arcade rhythm game — input definition, timing logic, and a working prototype. Built around feel and fairness.
Beatmap Build
Builds a small set of playable beat charts around your chosen tracks — charting system, scoring, and a results screen. Difficulty kept accessible so players can find their groove.