Awesome! Great work guys. It's very fun to play and I've only been playing by myself! (Alone time playing Just The Tip... uh...)
I'm definitely digging this indie trend of tight, simple-yet-deep multiplayer experiences. Starwhal, Divekick, Chasing Aurora, there was that pole-vaulting jousting game in the Sportsfriends lineup.
This game seems to be made with analog controls in mind so definitely play like that if you have a compatible controller. If you use keys you're limited to absolute left/right commands. This makes controlling your narwhal more difficult and QWOP-like, though even than you have much more control than QWOP. When an analog stick is used movement options open up. You can "swim" through the arena by holding thrust and pushing left and right slightly. This is impossible with the keyboard because of the strength of full tilt push in either direction. It's also possible to hover more easily.
I think impaling should happen, it's fun to impale, just make it easier to slip out of. Make some maps with ramps! Also s CPU option would be nice to fight against when I don't have someone to play.
After Ciastek3214's post I looked up Ragdoll Masters on youtube. I haven't played it because apparently it costs 9.95? A comparison doesn't really need to be made, I can see how Starwhal could be created without any prior knowledge of RM, but I'll write my thoughts anyway.
Starwhal and Ragdoll Masters definitely have similar gameplay styles but Starwhals execution renders a deeper experience. In RM you control a stick figure and fight other stick figures in kung-fu action style, with ragdoll physics for the hilarity. You control only the head just like you control just the tip in Starwhal. But because RM uses stick figures the amount of limbs makes the game more about flailing and making the best of situations through flailing. You have 5 total appendages to swing: two hands, two feet and a head to use as weapons to attack the opponents body or head. Damage is incurred slowly. Because you're essentially controlling a spiked ball, hit and run tactics are encouraged. You try to swing at your opponent and a few things may happen: Your limbs block one another, one player gets hit, or both players get hit. There's no power struggle, you charge your opponent and hope for the best. In Starwhal you only have one weapon: your horn. And just the tip actually rewards a point. And only if you can hit the small heart placed on the underside of your opponent. This encourages more intimate battles where you push off one another to gain an advantage. Having a small weapon and small target rewards precise attacks and smart play. Most planned attacks require you to adjust the horn about a quarter-second before impact or you'll miss. In RM it appears to just be: Accelerate and spin your dude and hope that opening stays open.