Thanks for playing! Glad you found it fun and the energy field cool.

By the time I got around to implementing sound effects, it was the night before the jam deadline, so I didn’t end up implementing as much as would’ve been best. Definitely gonna add more in a post-jam build, which will probably help provide more feedback for the player’s actions.

Cave looks cool! Imma definitely check it out for myself sometime. As for the Touhou references in this game, as far as I know both the player character (Cirno) and the boss (Patchouli) make their first appearances as bosses in Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. The more you know ☆

Thanks for playing!

Indeed, one of the things I’ll definitely try to implement in a post-jam build will be some seeking with the frozen saws. Probably not global seeking, since I do want the player to have to wait for the opportune time to throw them, but enough such that shurikens that aren’t directly below Patchy don’t just end up useless. Thanks for the feedback!

Yaaa!!! Baka janai yoooo!!!!

Thank you for the comment and the funny video!

Thanks for the feedback!

Getting rid of the base shot and adding homing to the reflected projectiles were both things I’d considered. I decided against the former since I thought “Ah, but a shmup where you can’t shoot would feel a bit off…” and I found that it was nice to be able to whittle down the last bit of the boss’s health when the damage from your reflected projectiles comes up a bit short. Though in the bit of playtesting I’ve seen (unfortunately not done ’till after the jam, ha), it was indeed the case that the existence of the normal shot tended to impede players from getting used to the sawblade reflecting.

And regarding homing on the reflected projectiles: I considered adding that but didn’t feel as though I had the time. Definitely one of the first things I’d implement in a post-jam build, though.

I’m glad you liked the concept! To be frank I myself was pretty happy with the idea and thought it could perhaps even be made into a full game, so am glad to hear the same from somebody else!

Oh, and yeah, I totally should’ve put the boss indicator at the bottom of the screen. Had some other weird idea I didn’t get around to trying where the boss’s HP indicator is some kind of line drawn from the boss to the bottom of the screen (making it easier to see where they are without looking up) but apparently missed the obvious QoL adjustment. Another thing to try changing in a post-jam build.

Don’t worry about getting frustrated on the third pattern. That one annoys even me… I can’t imagine who would deign to design such a dastardly thing!

Don’t fret. I made the game too difficult on account of not getting around to having playtesters play it…

If you don’t mind I’ll use your comment as an opportunity to list some tips/explanations that I meant to include in a txt with the game but forgot:

• You can hold down the Z key to shoot. No need to tapfire.
• Those cyan/white things are snowflakes you oughta collect to increase the “Aura of Ice.”
• Fire projectiles, the orange ones, will collide with the aura and decrease its size.
• Sawblade projectiles will slow upon entering the aura, and gradually come to a stop if kept in it.
• Once sawblade projectiles have been frozen, they can be collided with to send them flying upwards towards the boss, ideally landing a hit for good damage.
• Your basic attack hardly does any damage so you really gotta make good use of the sawblades.
• There’s this super annoying blue fire projectile in phase 3 or so that will destroy your entire aura when it collides with it. Learning the pattern/timing as to when it fires is key to beating that phase.
• Have fun! (Ideally.)

Thanks for checking out my game! I’ll give yours a shot later when I’ve got the time.