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Vandal Warrior - Slashing Through Sahara's itch.io pageBootcamp Track
Treasure Hunter
Devs practicing gamedev while considering marketability
Bootcamp Discord username
krzysiek_bbg
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Bootcamp Track
Devs practicing gamedev while considering marketability
Bootcamp Discord username
krzysiek_bbg
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
I love a good beat'em up.
I think you have a solid foundation for the game. Like Burnerknight mentioned before, the game gives you that dopamine hit that keeps calling you to play again.
In terms of improvement, the fighting mechanics need more polishing.
Finally got around to trying this!
I enjoyed playing the game, and the type of gameplay here has me trying "one last time" each time I die, so that's a good sign; You've got the player engaged enough that they want to keep trying even when they fail! I like the variety of weapons and how combat can get a bit frenetic. The art style and aesthetic are interesting. I like that I can level up my character and pursue an upgrade path of sorts.
Now, combat feels a bit janky, and it's a bit frustrating to be hit, stun-locked, and fail trying to escape the group of enemies ganging up on you from both directions. It also seems like leveling up could happen more often, or maybe at the end of each level, that might help with the power curve so later game levels aren't as difficult or frustrating to play through. I got to game level 9 and basically couldn't get past it as the enemies were too many, too strong, and I couldn't deal enough damage.
Leveling up certain weapon types can work against you in the long run because you aren't assured what weapons you get in later levels. So you'll level up axes, and maybe get them just a few levels, so you level up swords or daggers, but find yourself with a spear and bow. Ok, so let's level up those, but I find then I have another different weapon, so I have to raise the bar on these other weapons. Because leveling is so sparse, it's hard to get enough power in your weapons to do enough or at least fair damage to enemies, who seem to get stronger and rush you in greater numbers as the game moves on.
I found that the Resurrect button doesn't work as the game still just goes to restart. It's also hard to hit P, as it's too far away from the other buttons the player has to press most often. I wish there was something like a timer as well, there's barely enough time to hit Resurrect before the Restart menu comes up.
All in all, I enjoyed the game despite the frustrating parts and wanted to keep playing. I probably put in about 30 minutes! I also got some sort of Age of Empires vibe to the game, do with that what you will. I think it was the sketchy, narrative sections and clicking the buttons to proceed to the next page - which by the way, the click to proceed button could be made a bit more apparent.
Great job on this game and can't wait to see what else you do with it!
Thanks very much. Very detailed feedback. I’m very happy you got that 30 minutes and “one last time” situation, hehe like “just one more turn syndrome”. xD :D Made my day. The first time I saw the “frenetic” word and it felt great/interesting you described the combat experience with this. Good point with that stun-lock. You are the first person besides my one local friend who tested the game and mentioned that. I tried to address that and made it better, but I think I have to go even more drastic on that issue (making it easier for the player to get out of that situation). Thanks very much for all the other points you made.
I'm amazed at how well animated the big green enemy is - that thing had an impressive number of moving parts! The speed of animations in general felt good, I also liked the consistency of the old-paper aesthetic. On menus, I was surprised that I couldn't just click the button, like 'press c to continue' - I was trying to click it at first. Also, the Esc key doesn't work to exit looking at stats, and the music feels too chill given the action taking place. Level 4 was incredibly tough for me and I wasn't able to pass it. Good job for all the systems you got working on this!
I like the general look and vibe of this game! The visuals are beautiful and unique. With a bit of "juice", like screen shakes, hit feedbacks, fluid / sped up animations, this has potential.
Here are some observations: I was confused at first since I played with a controller, and movement worked, but no actions, but I quickly realized this is a keyboard game. The music was lovely, but it had more of a chill vibe than an action game. I'd probably go with a bit more intense music if you want the blood of the player pumping. The overall pacing of the game was nice. It was a bit on the chill side in terms of combat, but the game was well balanced.
In the dialog I would prefer to have the right "continue" / "right" button more visible. I thought it was just part of the background at first. And lastly, I was looking for a "confirm" button in the level up screen. I was unsure if my points were actually saved and used.
Nice game though, and great job on the visuals!