Hi CryptRat. I would like to have a word with you regarding the award you won in the jam :) I need info where to send. Can you maybe hop on our Discord or let me know how to reach you. :)
Play game
To death and beyond's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall fun and playability | #31 | 3.400 | 3.400 |
Ranked from 45 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Theme incorporation
The main mechanics is based on the "Solitude" theme. You start with 7 characters, each with an important feature (typically the automap) and you'll lose all of them as the game goes. At successive plot points you'll choose a character to lose, unless they already died in combat.
An "Endless" game loop with a randomized party, randomized placement of enemies and items and increasing difficulty that you'll reach after you complete the handcrafted content was also implemented.
The settings and plot were based on the combination of the 4 themes.
Comments
Couldn't finish this one since I was down to just the doctor and miner by floor 4(?) and I kept dying to stuff I couldn't even see. It was sometimes hard to tell I was taking damage, hence why I lost my soldier (Didn't see a bunch of mosquitoes behind me). Aside from that, the game was enjoyable with some interesting mechanics, and I really like how it looks.
I could probably get through it if I tried again, but it's late here at the time of writing this comment and there isn't much rating time left. :P
Submitted
The Reaper of the DepthsOverall, love this! Visuals are cool, although maybe a little less variance on the font would have made it easier to read =). Monsters are really cool.
I made it through the 4th, I think, level (lots of invisible walls), and on the next level my one remaining character committed suicide shortly after entering the level. So sad. I can't remember if anyone died along the way (besides the scripted events), but if I had lost no one, was there potentially more content after that? I liked having to choose who to sacrifice along the way, although I couldn't imagine playing with automap! On that note, the dungeon design was wonderful and devious, all of the elements I'd love to see. Unfortunately after my scout left me, it turned into a bit of save-scumming (just reload if I stepped on a trap).
I couldn't tell where consumables were coming from, seemed often like exploring the dungeon wasn't providing much of anything except danger? Were consumables just coming from combat drops? I was definitely low on medkits the whole time, thanks to my Doctor being the first one to go mad, I guess =). I had *tons* of ammo though, so started just minigunning through everything.
Great job on this!
Submitted
Snake EyesYou actually completed the game so congratulations. ;)
Did you choose the character commiting suicide? The character commiting suicide is the end of the game, you select your remaining character then the game restarts with a new party and the "THE END" message.
When you reach the last level you're always alone. The events are skipped if you lost characters in combat. For example you get the first one only if you still have 7 characters, the second one only if you still have 6 characters, etc...
You pick items in the corners (never from combat), with simply a light sound to tell you you did, like with other things in the game there should be better feedback. I agree playing without the scout is unsatisfying save scumming in practice.
Thanks for playing and I'm glad you enjoyed the game!
I did see the game restart, and saw the "Later..." message, and I guess it does say "THE END" and "Thanks for playing", but I couldn't quite remember if that's also what it said when I died =). I thought it might be the end, but since it felt like it was half way through a level, I wasn't quite sure... had it been right at the beginning / after going down the stairs, or a clear end of level dead end, maybe it would have been clearer =).
Very cool game mechanic! Choosing who to get rid of adds a nice twist to the game :D
I'm torn on the visual style. It's very nice and distinct, but with the instant step it's hard to see how you are moving because sometimes the screen stays exactly the same. For me it makes navigating the dungeon very difficult without the minimap as I have no visual reference of my movement. Also after a while my eyes started to hurt a little due to the wobbly animations, which is something I haven't experienced in a long time lol. But this means that I won't be playing this game to completion :'(
I thought a dead end was a dead end, but it actually was stairs to the next level. Could use a visual for that I think :D
One problem I (as a player) also have with instant step games is that I sometimes move a lot while being attacked and I don't notice it until it's too late. There are sound cues here but they don't invoke the need to stop moving for me until it's too late. But again, that's mostly a skill issue from my side :D
I like that the UI has everything I need to know about what I can do. Excellent way to show all that information without having to jump into tons of menus.
Overall though, pretty solid game! Really loved the main game mechanic :D Well done!
Thanks!
Sorry for not including an option to disable the wobbling. I agree you often get to take 3 extra steps before realising you're getting shot for multiple wrong reasons : the sound is light, there's no visual feedback, at least as an option the enemies' turn does not even have to be instant when they're attacking you and probably more things. The game would definitely befenit from more feedbacks about various things anyway.
I'm happy when people like the main mechanic. For these small games I'm trying to make menus which would not work for bigger games (more types of items ...) but which might require pressing less buttons in these games yet I'm never sure it's not completely awful so even it's not perfect I'm happy you mention it too.
Felt queasy with the wobbly art and text and didn’t make it all the way down, but I think this is a very mechanically deep entry. Props for the variety of enemy types, unique character classes and so on. I like the UI and control scheme / game feel otherwise.
I’m very fond of gameplay mechanics that keep you from taking common elements (like your automap) for granted, and the sacrifice system is great for that. Also good call that you can skip a sacrifice for each extra you’ve lost in combat.
Others have likely said anything else I would think to add. A few things really should be communicated better, like the presence of items and stairs. I was taking damage at some point on every step (on 3F I think?) and didn’t figure out why. Maybe my trap guy was dead and I didn’t notice, or maybe you have invisible enemies, or some kind of starvation system I wasn’t paying attention to…?
So yeah in a nutshell, great design but needs to communicate better visually.
Submitted
PRAXIS/PROVIDENCE -=- Star;SEAI liked the rough animation sketch style, suits the feel of the game well. Also like the music, it sounds like something from an 80s science fiction movie. The rogue-like events that hinder your characters instead of buff them was cool too. Added to some tension to the game. Really nice game jam entry, good work!
Submitted
Ancient DungeonI failed on fourth floor. I will retry to actually finish the game later.
I really like the desperate feel the game give as you lost your characters one by one.
Solid implementation of the themes (Solitude + Cosmic Horror).
I was surprised to see that you could walk on some kind of invisible teleporter that move you elsewhere on the map. I assume its intentional, as this remind me of the sort of tricks you found in Dungeon Master. I managed to navigate the environment thanks to the automap, but if you choose to lose your mapper early, the teleport trick become really devilish. Mapper, my main character for sure.
Nice graphics. I liked the constant variations of the graphics, it bring life to the game, but also could become a little unpleasant after some time. Some adjustments would be necessary to be perfectly enjoyable.
I missed some feedbacks for looting. If I understand correctly, items are placed on the map but are invisible (like upstairs/downstairs) ? You only know there was some loot after you walked on it ? I like the classic tabletop RPG stats (3d6 for damage).
The save system and separate options for sounds/music is a very nice touch in a jam game.
From one azerty user to another, merci pour ce jeu, c'était bonne ambiance (˚3˚)～♪ .
Submitted
Cosmic DreadnoughtThanks for the detailed feedback, I'm glad you like the game.
I should have added an option to disable the wobbling. You got everything right about the things which could deserve additionnal feedback.
Items are indeed all placed, without any visual clue and even the feedback for getting items is only a barely noticeable sound, which should be louder, and when what you found is a weapon then a New weapon message under the Change weapon command which stays there until you use it but I should at least have put it in the middle of the screen, there was no reason not to put it there.
There's indeed a pair of teleporters which bring you forward into the corridor with a some piles of items hidden there (if you get back and also via a hidden door between the two).
The fourth floor is a bit of a difficulty spike. There's one more floor after this one.
I like our similar implementation of the themes. Azerty is a curse when making games, there's always something I'm doing wrong.
Really nice and disturbing visual style, felt really crazy. UI is a bit unintuitive and requires to pay a lot of attention to backgrounds of your characters to figure out which one is selected (for changing weapons and that stuff). Also I had to pull volume all the way down as some of the SFXes, like falling through a hole in a ground and taking damage from the traps were so loud.
Loved the idea that each party member has a certain function and loosing any of them actually reduces your party utility, that is really cool.
Great job!
Submitted
Tomb of AeonI think this is the game with the most unique artstyle in the jam. It's like a cartoon sketch with low framerate animations, i totally like that but it was kind of disorienting because i can't tell if i'm moving or not. Animation style make me feel that i'm always moving. Also the movement being instantanous make it hard to tell which way i'm headed but automap negates that issue mostly.
Love the old school RPG storytelling with narrative text boxes. The UI of the game is prett unique too. At first it felt ugly but you get used to it quick. It bolsters the old school feeling that all UI is text based, i like that too. I couldn't beat the game yet but i think as you progresss through the game some events are triggered and you lose a team member in each of them, by selecting who you are gonna let go and at the i end you remaining with one part member thus using the theme "Solitude". Also losing each team member make you lose a specific power like breaking the cracked walls and such. This is absolutely a genius idea i have to say. Really loved it.
My overall opinion about the game is that this is totally an arthouse game with very cleverly designed gameplay elements. I wish you best of luck in this jam and for your future projects!
Submitted
Goblin HunterVery cool game! I liked the art style and the music was great! I also really enjoyed the character losing mechanic and thought it was quite unique and well executed!
Submitted
The Baleful DreamsThis is the most retro dungeon crawler I've played this jam so far!
The artwork was nice, though admittedly I got sick of the wobbling after a while. Beside that, I liked how it was consistent throughout, and the enemy sprites looked good. The only areas I had a problem with the visuals, aside from wobbling, was the lack of visuals for stairs, and it made the mosquito enemies kinda hard to notice I found. I kept the mapper through the length of my run until my party kept getting wiped, but I imagine navigation without a map could be confusing with all the walls and floors looking the same.
The use of the multiple characters slowly disappearing was really neat! As my crew got widdled down the decision got harder and harder. I tried keeping the soldier as long as possible as I thought he was the only one with a gun. I learned from reading another comment that multiple characters have guns and you can find new weapons. I noticed the change weapon and tried it on the soldier and saw he had the SMG and Knife, and since the others all had a Knife equipped that it must be the only weapon they carried. I guess my own implicit bias of thinking of it as a default fallback weapon lol. In any case I never bothered selecting change weapon on any other character, and I never noticed any picked up weapons.
One thing I did find confusing with the characters being sacrificed was the soldier being dealt 2x damage as the option. I assumed that meant the Soldier could possibly survive, but of course they did not. The rest of the descriptions were clear, and the story moments were well written and fittingly cosmic horror.
The combat was like the turn-based dungeon crawlers of old, and while it controlled fine I did find the lack of feedback concerning the party health a bit confusing. I was probably playing it too fast, but I'd basically just press 1 to kill enemies as quickly as possible and heal between fights. And of course there'd be numerous times where I'd be in the middle of a fight and then be teleported somewhere randomly. Which I only realized after the second time it happened that my party all died 🙃. Or there was a couple times across my playthroughs where I'd be walking around and suddenly noticed I'm missing a character that I hadn't left behind. For idiots like me it felt like "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, wait what happened?".
I will mention though the sounds and feedback when attacking enemies are good.
I also liked how punchy the sound effect for bumping into a wall is. Makes it impossible to ignore, AND doesn't deal damage to the player!
The level design I liked, providing the multiple paths and even the optional destructible routes was great! Never stepped on a trap as I didn't want to lose health, but that goes to show they were an effective barrier.
I guess the biggest issue for me playing it was there wasn't enough information regarding party status being broadcast to the player. Like a stock "AAAH!" sound when a party member dies would be helpful, and a more prominent notification of new items being collected would be great.
Overall a solid entry, I just don't think it's MY type of dungeon crawler so I wasn't prepared to play it the proper way I think. Or I could just be dumb, that is a viable option.
Good work!
Submitted
Neptune's ChildrenThanks a lot for the detailed feedback, and your first line made me super happy.
Don't worry you criticisms are all more than fair and the game would highly benefit from extra feedback on multiple places when there's even any feedback to begin with. You don't have any problem with playing that kind of games ;) .
I phrased the character things in a "no longer" way and I should have phrased the soldier as "used to deal" (I think it was too long) as he's the one dealing more damage, as is it's confusing.
The sound for picking any item should be louder and the text for getting a new weapon more visible, it should simply be in the middle of the screen instead of below the command, and I realise that only as you mention it. Too bad you never switched to other weapons as a result, you get to find much more powerful ones almost from the start, and you need them as your party melts and the enemies get slightly stronger as well.
A sound for the death of a character is the first thing that should be added.
That the game can always be played at your own pace is a super important part of what makes the games this one's mimicking fun to me, I guess dying because you're playing too fast (often moving and dying while just turning away and shooting would have done the trick, or forgetting to use an healing item or a bomb during a fight) is part of the package ;), it happens to me everytime as well.
Thanks again!
I enjoyed this submission. It felt unique almost similar to a game called World of Horror with the black and white color scheme. I would only suggest using cross-hatching to differentiate some of the background as it sometimes becomes disorienting while traversing the map. I liked the areas where the end of the hallway looks pitch-black. There were some white spots that at first I thought were eyes so I was excited to go fight something but turned out just to be part of the environment. It would be cool to have eyes blinking out at you from the darkness. All in all very enjoyable. :D
Submitted
Aardwolves: Cosmic ExterminatorsI think this is a very good game and I'm glad that it exists.
That said. I cannot stand to continue to play it because of the wobble.
There's a lot here.
Its very artistic. Very creative.
I am blinded by its awesomeness.
Seriously.
All the stars.
But no roap.
Submitted
Solitary Ancient Ruins of SPLORR!!Oh yeah I forgot a thing. On your itch-page it says “ASDQZE to move and turn around” and I’m guessing it is S rather than Z you wanted to have there and perhaps write as “WASD to move and QE to turn” because when I read that instruction I was like what is this how am I going to be able to navigate and what button does what.
Submitted
The MassReally cool art style and interesting game mechanics. Great entry!
I got quite far I think, based on the number of characters left in my party before I was killed.
I opted to keep the mapping the longest because the instant movement with the effects and the grid cells being so identical it was hard to even see that you were moving when walking in corridors and such. If that had been a bit easier I would probably let that one go before some of the others.
It took me a little while to realize I could swap weapons. I kind of expected I needed to get them first, that might have helped me survive longer since I did have quite a few bullets left when I died.
I very much liked loosing party members, well no, it was a horrible choice each time. But great mechanic. A natural way of making the game harder and harder. And I love giving awkward choices to the player. (Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to implement the “best” idea in my game)
I didn’t dare step into any traps as it felt health was my major challenge so I’m not sure how they worked but the level design was great in allowing me different ways to progress depending on the skills left to the player.
The final level that I got to felt a bit bugged. There were several prompts for going up a level where it seemed to be just a hallway and there was one invisible wall too. I also wasn’t sure what killed me in the end. I’m guessing some enemy I hadn’t noticed. Which is a bit of a pity. Both that it was so abrupt and that I didn’t notice what it was. Felt a bit unfair.
Speaking of stairs. They really need to be visible or if there was some indication, they need to be much clearer. I got lost on one level backtracking and wandering about because the stairs were invisible.
The battle mechanics was nice. But since it took a while to discover weapon changes (perhaps they should start with a variation of weapons equipped) I mainly opted for attack first enemy until it died. It would have been neat if there was a bit more info on them (similar to on the attacks) so I could be a bit more strategic about it all. When I discovered guns, I went for spray when multiple and one of the two single target attacks otherwise.
I really enjoyed the game. Very good and interesting!
Playthrough: https://youtu.be/qOCqDuZSZj4
Submitted
The MassThanks a lot for the detailed feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed the game overall.
Except for SMGs which are unlimited just like knifes you actually get weapons along the way but the only way to notice you did find a weapon is a very light sound which could mean anything and the text saying you got one under the 'change weapon' command until you press this button.
The 4th level contains tons of (intentional) invisible walls, I don't think it's actually bugged but lack of feedback explaining what's going on might basically feel the same in practice.
There's one more level after this one.
I'm going to watch your playthrough for sure.
Such an impressive party system, both in the various interactions within the system itself as well as then losing those interactions through a run.
The art is great, shaky for sure, but it works really well and is consistent throughout. The sound is really well chosen and I would say that this is just a really cohesive experience.
I think the challenge of losing party members makes for really interesting choices to be made as one becomes more experienced. Losing automapping in the first run is extremely punishing, but becomes less so with familiarity.
I don't know what you're intentions are going forward; but I would be interested perhaps in a kiss / curse system alongside this mechanic. Something where it doesn't feel like you're always only losing power, and might gain an alternative power or system to combine with other party members, and end up with interesting run diversity.
This is a really great submission, tough for sure, but very well made and was really enjoyable. Thank you.
Submitted
The FacilityThanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the game.
I did not even think about it when making this game but someone rightfully mentioned that in practice the expansion of the mecahnics in bigger games is in fact when your party is separated in several groups in some parts of a dungeon, as a party whose size decreases as the game goes might be a bit unsatisfying outside of the context of this small game meant to implement a given theme.
But now what you describe with characters fusioning into alternative classes (but without being replaced by new ones unlike what's done with games I can think of with fusioning, or maybe still with replacement?) might also be some very cool system for a last part of a game for example, especially if I stop making boring, gritty, down-to earth games where you end the story retiring with some money and start making engaging, epic ones when you end up as gods fighting other gods instead.
This had a really fun art style and the music rocked!
Sacrificing party members was not what I expected, and making those decisions several times during the run was really interesting. It was like looking at a machine slowly breaking down over time with nothing you could do about it.
I had a bit of trouble with the combat since my keyboard doesn’t have function keys (I have to press another button to enable them), so I found myself spamming ‘1’ a lot, and seemed to work pretty well ;)
Good job!
Submitted
Void ProtocolThanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the sacrifice mechanics.
You made me think about it, advancing by just pressing 1 (and when playing with all the keys that's still certainly most of what you're going to do) except for changing your weapons should be very doable, I guess alternative weapon modes are useful once in a while for machine guns (yet you waste bullets this way) but with most weapons just pressing 1 is not even a worse option.
This is a very art-first game, I think. The art style, the lose-features-with-characters mechanic, the guaranteed character losses, etc. I have to commend you on that. The music is also pretty good.
On the other hand, though, a game that becomes actively worse to play over time is, uhh...not super fun over time? It's not just challenging, but promises only a worse experience for pushing through the challenge. Just really not my cup of tea.
Nonetheless, here is my gameplay video:
Submitted
Mission to an Eldritch World
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.