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Sorcerer Vs. Swordsman's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Originality | #520 | 3.819 | 3.819 |
| Fun | #627 | 3.514 | 3.514 |
| Overall | #652 | 3.611 | 3.611 |
| Presentation | #1101 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
Ranked from 72 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
You must connect blocks in game to either apply debuffs to your enemy or buffs to yourself. You can sever those connections and remove the buffs/debuffs with your sword. Hence, the dynamic of the game changes depending on which connections are active.
Did your team create the vast majority of the art during the 48 hours?
No
We used pre-existing art
Did your team create the vast majority of the music during the 48 hours?
Yes
We created the vast majority of the music during the game jam
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Comments
Wow, this was interesting! But some times felt too easy. It felt that you don't even need the blocks you can just spam and kill the sorcerer. What I would suggest to do is remove the sword from the player, randomize the block spots, and also make a block where when you connect to your block it deals the damage to the enemy and then teleports to different place. Other than that was really interesting and quite fun!
Hi Adonas!
Thanks for the feedback. I will be moving forward with this game and trying to make it into a full one. Your feedback will be invaluable to that process, so thanks for the comments. I do like the idea of randomizing the block spots! However in this demo I wanted to create a feeling of running back and forth to get buffs, so I didn't want to randomize the level design. It's a good suggestion though!
I have gotten a lot of feedback on the balance of the game, and moving forward I will definitely crank up the difficulty and make the blocks more essential to victory.
Thank you so much for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Cool game. The buff/debuff mechanic with connecting blocks is really fun and works really well with the game style. I just feel like the character's jump is a slightly floaty but besides that it is a really cool game.
Hi Junior!
Thanks for the feedback. I definitely want to make this into a full game, so the floaty jump feedback is well received. I will consider changing it around as the game develops! Thanks for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
I like the idea! As randomerz said this would probably be pretty nice as a coop or multiplayer game. I can see a 2v2 working really well for this. The visuals and audio were also pretty slick! I like the proper menu and loading system as well as the tips parts too. Sorcerer AI was competent enough to keep the game engaging.
As for what I would change, Id say not a whole lot. The movement is a little sticky and janky, and it took a little time to get the hang of controls, but once both were done with it was smooth sailing. You were also kinda able to cheese the game by just running up to the sorcerer and spamming attack :p.
Honestly, I can see this going somewhere. With some more work and balance put into it I reckon you got something promising. Best of luck with the jam and I wish you well!
Also managed a no hit, fire damage only run!
Hi Darylsteak!
Impressive! I am glad you found the game interesting/fun enough to try a challenge run! I am really excited to expand this game now that I have gotten so much encouragement from the community. I will let our sound engineer know you appreciate his work! And thanks for the comments on the loading menu and AI. I spent lots of time on making reasonable AI!
Another huge piece of feedback I am getting is the balance of the blocks. In this iteration, clearly, its too easy to avoid using them at all! I would definitely make them more balanced in future iterations. Also character controllers can always use improvement from us tiny indie devs!
I am glad you think this game has potential. I fully intend on expanding it into a full game in the future. If that is something that interests you, feel free to follow us here on Itch. It will take me some time to get a team together but I am confident! Thanks so much for playing and good luck in the rest of the game jam!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
I really liked how the game looked and played out! I think the game would work super well as a multiplayer or local coop type game. There could be so many different strategies between the two aspects. I think it might be interesting to have almost a fencing system or some sort of quicker, best of 3 format!
Hi randomerz!
Thanks so much for playing! That is the second time someone has mentioned couch coop and my mind is racing. I have so many ideas for this game now thanks to the wonderful feedback from the community. I am glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Connecting blocks to activate different buffs and debuffs is a lot of fun! I liked the platforming systems you had in place, like wall-jumping. I think it would be cool if the buffs/debuffs were a little more essential, I was able to beat the sorcerer without using any. Maybe that's just a challenge mode ;).
If you made a 4-player couch coop fighting game out of this I would pay 20 bucks for it, no question. Nice work!
Hi Jacksonthel!
Wow! Such high praise! Thank you so much! I think I have decided I want to expand this game out quite a bit. Just need to find some time in my schedule. Your kind words are very appreciated! I love the idea of a couch coop game. It could be a lot of fun! Ah, the possibilities! Thanks again. Good luck in the rest of the jam!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
I like the game a lot, fighting is very satisfying, and who doesnt like a good boss fight?
Hi quaZmoto!
Glad you enjoyed it! After I got the AI to work decently, I thought of a few new moves to give to the Sorcerer. All of a sudden, it felt to me like a boss battle. I am glad that feeling translated to you! Thanks and good luck in the rest of the jam!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
This game was really fun! Tried my best to burn the sorcerer. Very creative take on the concept!
Hi DigitalGear!
Thank you so much for playing! The "light on fire" connection mechanic was actually the first one I thought of, but the last one to make it into the game (wasn't sure I would have time to create even the most basic particle system). I am glad that I had time to put it in and more importantly I am glad you thought it was cool!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
This is a really cool concept, the I like how you can focus on just the boss, or the buffs/debuffs... part of the fun is trying to find that balance. Good work!
Hi CountThrepe!
Thank you for your comment! I am glad you found both aspects of the game satisfying. Good luck with the rest of the jam!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
I like how all the mechanics relate to each other somehow. I think the one thing that needs the most improvement might just be the movement. Good job!
Hi floofy!
Thank you so much for your comment! I am glad you found the mechanics interesting and the game playable. Good luck!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
The controls and movement are solid. An aerial enemy like this would be really frustrating to fight, without the tight control you have here. I feel like the connection mechanic was a little under utilized. On a few runs I did the boss never even took advantage of it. I think there is a lot that could be expanded here that would me this awesome. Even so, what you got done is still pretty good. Good job!
Hi IsAnElegy!
Thank you so much for the feedback! Character control is something I spent a lot of time on, as well as AI. There were a few moves I dropped (there was once a dash attack) because I felt they made the keyboard controls too cumbersome. I am glad you enjoyed the final result!
I hear you on the balance of the block connecting mechanic. In future iterations I would definitely make that mechanic more viable. This was more of an exploration!
I would love to expand this game. I keep getting a suggestion to do so. I think I will bring it up with my team and see if its something they are interested in. Maybe drop us a follow on Itch if you want to be kept in the loop!
Thank you so much for playing the game and I am so happy you played!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Great game, it took me several reads through the how to to get it going. And on my resolution, it seems the "How to interact with blocks" was formatted a little differently which made me skip the read.
Though! When it did get going! This game is pretty damn badass, solid fight mechanics. The linking system was interesting... and such evil, much wow for putting the power UP's on the other side of the map so I'd keep severing them with my sword.
Great job!
Hi Zeblackcat!
I have been getting similar feedback on the How To Play screen. I was really pleased with how it looks on my PC, but clearly it did not translate well. But thanks to your expert UI advice, I will use a picture instead of UI elements when creating static UI from now on. Its such a simple and elegant solution and I hope people like me see this post and can benefit from your wisdom. Thank you!
I am really glad you had fun otherwise! Yes I wanted to make sure that the connections were easily breakable so that every sword swing had to be calculated. I'm glad that mechanic translated and got you a couple of times :)
Thanks so much for playing and good luck in the jam!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Wow that was really cool / interesting! I beat that jerk sorcerer real good
Hi DrakesGames!
Thanks for the comment! The skeleton is a total jerk, thanks for taking him down!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Fun game, will look forward to linux support!
Hi Kobzol software!
Thanks for the feedback! Next week I will test and release the game on Linux and Mac OS X. Glad you liked it!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Hi Kobzol software!
Just wanted to let you know that this game's Itch.io page now has a WebGL Browser build. Later this week we will add Linux support!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
The controlls feel really good for platforming! And the combat is quite fun aswell.
Only thing missing is that it could have used a bit more polishing like other button sprites or a custom font,
But overall, i really liked this submission.
Hi Team-CLAY-Games!
Thanks for the feedback! In hindsight, it would have been pretty easy to use anything but the stock Unity buttons and font. I even slotted in text changes with TMPro, but in the end it slipped my mind. Thanks for pointing it out, I will not forget to do so in future iterations.
Thank you for the kind words and good luck in the jam!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Well sometimes we forget some things (we did aswell in our submission).
But congrats on submitting a quite fun game! :)
Cool Concept! I like the idea a lot, and I can already imagine a bunch of ways something like this could be expanded. Well done! I feel like it could be an interesting multiplayer game as well, especially if you made it so you could pick up and move blocks around. Perhaps a player is slower and can't attack when moving blocks. Could create some really fun competition
Hi Harrisandwich!
Thanks for the feedback! I would love to develop this game further and will definitely refer to this comment if we decide to further the project. Thanks for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Great concept, perfect execution! I really like the Design and amount of polishment here! Cant add anything more besides saying "Fantastic Job!"
Hi Dynamite Stew!
Thanks so much for the kind words! We spent tons of time on polish. I am glad you enjoyed it. Good luck in the jam!!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Nice little cute game! I like the concept. The gold skeleton ai is nice:) he trying to kill you, he flies. Also, gold skeleton bullets looks really cool. The graphics are great and sounds too:). It was nice to play! Great job:)
Hi Robo!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the comment on the skeleton AI. I am a relatively new programmer and AI is a big challenge for me.
As for the art, you seemed to really like the skeleton and I cannot take any credit! Its a good opportunity for me to plug sanctumpixel (https://sanctumpixel.itch.io/) here. He made the skeleton, fireball assets, and environment art. His work is unreal. I love using it!
Additionally Sven Thole (https://sventhole.artstation.com/) made the swordsman you control.
I will let our sound engineer know you appreciate his work!
Thank you so much for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
Nice polish overall, and it's an interesting idea to mix strategy with a platformer, though I believe the player should be more incentivised to use these new mechanics as they aren't necessary to utilise in order to win. Also, the main menu and the how to screen were quite badly translated onto my 21:9 monitor, although the in game UI worked great!
Hi Frepperino!
Thank you so much for playing! When designing the UI I flipped back and forth between 16:9 and 16:10, thinking that if everything scaled nicely there I would be set for all resolutions. From now on, I will be sure to test my UI out on more resolutions. I am a little regretful I didn't - thanks for that feedback.
Yes! I agree that the game overall is pretty easy. If I were to expand on this idea I would definitely take more time to balance it and ensure that the blocks are essential for a victory. It seems like you think the idea could be interesting in a larger game, which makes me think I should pursue it. We shall see...
I am glad you were still able to enjoy the game! Thanks again for checking it out!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
I like the concept for the effect connections. However when playing I realised that it was a waste of my time to actually bother connecting any of them, and it was much faster to just straight up attack the sorcerer, so I think these effects should give more worth for taking the time to connect them. I found the movement and jumping around quite fun, especially being able to jump around the place. Overall a good job!
Hi LlamaDev Games!
I appreciate the feedback! I hope you still had fun with the block mechanic. Balancing is something that takes me a lot of time! I am glad you liked the character controller, it took me a long time to decide on a feel for it. I decided to go with responsive and quick! Thank you for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
This game is very well made and a lot of fun! The way you used the theme was very creative! Some of the mechanics were pretty confusing but after my 2nd - 3rd play I worked out how they work. Great game!
Hi Deci!
Thank you so much for playing! The main mechanic is unfamiliar, and it takes a little bit to get used to. I did my best to explain in the How To Play section, but nothing quite beats practical experience! I am so glad you played until you figured it out! Good luck in the jam!
Best Regards,
Brandon from TheIndieDream