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Pirate Software - Game Jam 15

Hosted by Pirate Software · #PirateJam
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A jam submission

Shadow WalkerView game page

Travel to the shadow-realm where your trauma haunts you.
Submitted by ENDevour (@endevour97) — 2 days, 17 hours before the deadline
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Shadow Walker's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Cleverness#15.0005.000
Theme#6533.0003.000
Playability#8043.0003.000
Artistic Style#9703.0003.000

Ranked from 1 rating. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Judge feedback

Judge feedback is anonymous.

  • This is really fun and the movement, controls, and combat (at least on the part of the player) are quite satisfying. It would be cool to see the enemies animated so that they look like they're attacking when you receive damage. It might also be helpful in making the damage you receive feel more earned, because right now, it feels like you can't attack some of the larger creatures without automatically taking damage just from being close to them. One thing I felt the game was missing was a stronger connection to the alchemy theme. I see the explanation in the GDD, but it didn't feel like it was implemented in the game presently. Overall, I LOVE the swapping between shadow realm and real world, and I think the notes that convey a story are a nice touch. I would love to play this game as it's developed more.

Did you include your Game Design Document as a Google Drive link?
Yes

Seriously... did you include your Game Design Document?
Yes

Is your game set to Public so we can see it?
Yes

Tell us about your game!
This game is about a man who can travel between the real world and a world that mirrors reality - the shadow-realm. That's where you fight monsters who represent your greatest fears.

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Comments

Osama HusseinSubmitted200 days ago(+1)

Shadow Walker fits the theme of this jam very well, especially the shadow element in the level. Now the game is really good when there are controls that tell the player what keys to press for certain actions. The idea of switching between the real world and shadow realm is really cool and made the game feel alive. I have a small problem with the fighting system, especially when the monsters come at you in numbers. No matter how much I attack them, I always seem to lose health and I die quickly because of so many monsters chasing me and attacking me at the same time as I was trying to attack one of the monsters nearby first. This is a good game to submit for this jam, great work! 

Submitted
Umbra's Escape
Reply
davysartcornerSubmitted201 days ago

Heyo, I think the game is pretty solid. I really like what you were trying to do with your storytelling. Without getting into spoilers, I'm not sure if I would say the themes your tackling were well done. Your game tackles some very sensitive topics and, to me, it felt rushed (makes sense, it's a 2 week long game jam but still). Redemption stories are tough to write convincingly. I think had you had more time to develop the story, it would be better. I admire the ambition! 

In terms of gameplay, I loved the storytelling through the letters and I think more environmental storytelling would benefit it a lot. Maybe have some photos, cracked walls, etc? I think the color scheme for the real world works very well but it can be pushed more. I didn't fully understand how the shadow-realm is connected to the story. It sounds like it's the character escaping reality instead of facing it, but the ending is very dependent on how many enemies you kill. 

1st person swordplay is tough to do without making the player nauseous but I think it would be a little more challenging if you added different sword attacks (ie: heavy attack, quick stab, etc). I think the enemies could've used more variety and balancing, but it's possible I missed something. They didn't feel rewarding to fight, instead I felt like I was walking tissue paper tearing against a dull point. They felt too hard to fight, imo.

I know I'm a little harsh, but I hope this can help you for your next project. Again, this was pretty solid and I hope you grow more as a developer after this!

Submitted
RogueLight
Reply
ENDevourDeveloper200 days ago(+1)

I really appreciate your feedback even if it's harsh. I agree with moat of the points. Honestly, I basically made the letters and the story in the last 8 hours of the jam, hence the rush. The ending was quite sketchy to me too but you know - time constraints.

This game was supposed to be a lot more ambitious. I planned another enemy type that explodes and a final boss that after defeating it turns into you - this was supposed to really be the main implementation of alchemy: facing yourself and fighting your negative side. That's also why some of the letters have red text.

As for the combat I planned a sword dash that increases your movement capabilities. It would have allowed you to reach places you wouldn't normally. And the enemies? Not animating them was really a big part of the problem. I just didn't have time or the resources to learn rigging for non-humanoid creatures.

Shadow-realm was originally supposed to be schizophrenia connected with trauma. The main character was able to move into this world that's dangerous because HE made the monsters with his intrusive thoughts. In the end I tried to make it so shadow-realm is the man being in the coma and the "real world" allows him to connect his thoughts.

I'm quite new to making 3D games since you need a lot more assets to do them, but you always need those first steps even if it's crawling-steps. A whole week of burnout didn't allow me to do a lot in the final days. I love when people give detailed feedback, so thank you!

Reply
davysartcornerSubmitted200 days ago(+1)

No problem man! Keep it up 😁

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