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Acolytes of Arachne's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Graphics/Animation | #15 | 4.079 | 4.079 |
| Fun/Design | #18 | 3.947 | 3.947 |
| Overall | #19 | 3.732 | 3.732 |
| Music/Sound | #30 | 3.474 | 3.474 |
| Technical Implementation | #32 | 3.526 | 3.526 |
| Theme/Limitation | #33 | 3.632 | 3.632 |
Ranked from 38 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game implement the focus, Multi-Use?
Acolytes support each other to get past obstacles, but can be sacrificed to gain different skills
Team Size
Solo (1)
Completeness
Complete Game
What tools did your team use to construct the game?
Unity, Visual Studio, Aseprite, bfxr
Which art and audio did you / your team NOT create?
The music was created by Tony Longworth.
https://tonylongworth.com/
Which art & audio did you / your team create BEFORE the jam started?
N/A
Which diversifiers did you use, if any?
N/A
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Comments
The game is super polished and the game is super atmospheric. The sounds were great and the art was as well. The mechanic was creative to well done. :D
Thanks for checking it out. So glad you enjoyed!
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback. Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
I absolutely love this game. The idea and implementation are just perfect. I did get a bug where what I assume is a moving platform just didn't work so I kept attempting very long jumps over and over before giving up.
It is definitely my favourite game of the jam and I'm a little sad because it looks like a jam winner.
Also, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get so many ratings? I've been scratching my head over my measly 10 ratings. Thanks anyway.
Thanks so much for checking it out, and I appreciate all your kind words. I will upload a new version fixing the moving platform bug after the rating period closes.
This is my 10th jam, and I'm familiar with the disappointment of working very hard on a game and then getting next to no ratings. Here's what I've learned. Firstly, it's important to rate a lot of games and leave feedback. When people notice that you're looking at their games, they are more likely to look at your game. Secondly, it's extremely important to rate a lot of games in the first day or two. Unfortunately, a lot of contributors lose interest after that, so you have to get their attention as early as possible. Thirdly, when selecting games to rate, I sort by karma and work my way from the top. Contributors with more karma have rated more games, and are thus presumptively more likely to rate yours. Hope this helps!
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback. Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Hey enjoyed the game overall. Good stuff! The spiders in the lava and walking around the platform were creepy haha. Hitboxes were a little wonky on the spikes going down. Maybe I was moving before they were all the way up?
Thanks so much for playing and rating! I'm really glad you had fun.
What exactly happened with the spikes going down? Did you get jabbed from the side? Or?...
Hey, yea I was getting hit from the side from spikes. They weren't all the way up even though I could pass through.
Thanks! I'll work on that for the post-jam update. :)
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback. The hit boxes on the spiked plates have been tweaked a little bit. :) Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Really nice game, although the moving platforms are really buggy and softlocked me once.
Thanks for playing and leaving feedback! I'll work on that bug after the jam. :)
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The soft locks should be resolved now, and no more getting stuck in the moving platforms.
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Great game. Feels super fine, both design and movement felt spot on.
Sound sets the atmosphere pretty well and the game looks good too!
Great job :)
Thank you so much for trying it and sharing your impressions!
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback. Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
This game's level of polish is astonishing. The level design is intelligent, the game mechanics are awesome and fit the jam's limitations, the pixel art is joy to look at (though I wouldn't mind more colors) and the sound design works well. I'm really impressed.
Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I'm happy you appreciate the level design... I worked a lot on it and still wasn't completely satisfied with it. :)
I enjoy working with limited palettes, but I can see both sides of that coin.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback. Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Very nice and interesting game! The difficulty was a bit high I would say, but mostly I think it is because jump was using space instead of up button like we are all used to.
Thank you for playing and leaving feedback!
I always like using Space, but I'll upload an updated version that allows W/Up as an alternative for jump.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
You can now jump with the W or Up Arrow keys. :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Concept is really cool and good use of theme. Love the colour pallet that was chosen and the atmpshere of it all. Intertwining puzzeling is always neat to me.
My only issue was I had to restart twice, once for Elenor, there is a red button with a little ditch on the other end, if you over jump the button you can get stuck and cant get out. The Second Time was I had activated a platform to move for Fernando and he was standing under it so he got stuck in side the moving platform.
Otherwise well designed and presented, just maybe a bit more polish!
Thanks for playing!
Oh boy, the platform bug again. That's my top priority to fix for after the jam.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The soft locks should now be resolved, and no more getting stuck in the moving platforms. :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
really neat but the first time i played after celestine make a platform move the guy supposed to go up on it got stuck in the platform so i had to restart... and it happened again lol
Lool I'm so sorry about this bug! I didn't even realize it was still there, but so many people have reported it. I'll deploy a solution after the rating period.
Thanks so much for playing and sharing your feedback. :)
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The soft locks should be resolved now, and no more getting stuck in the moving platforms. :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Cool game ! I liked the whole ambiance of it.
I liked the concept of swithching constantly between characters to unlock doors and platforms for others.
The controls felt a bit rigid and I wished I could jump with up instead of space.
Same for the dialogues It would be better if I didn't need to use the mouse (since the mouse is used nowhere else in the game) but that's just nitpicking at this point.
I'm not sure If there was an end to the game since I got Bethany stuck in a moving platform (Dammit Bethany ! ) and wasn't able to feed her to the spider...
All in all it a pretty cool game. good job :)
Interesting persoective about the controls. I always prefer using space, but there is no reason not to offer Up (W) as an alternative.
I agree about the dialog controls... I'll add keyboard controls for that after the jam.
There is indeed an ending. The next version I upload will contain fixes for the known bugs.
Thanks so much for checking it out and leaving your feedback!
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The soft locks should be resolved now, and no more getting stuck in the moving platforms.
Also, you can now jump with the W or Up Arrow keys! :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Cool game ! I liked the whole ambiance of it.
I liked the concept of swithching constantly between characters to unlock doors and platforms for others.
The controls felt a bit rigid and I wished I could jump with up instead of space.
Same for the dialogues It would be better if I didn't need to use the mouse (since the mouse is used nowhere else in the game) but that's just nitpicking at this point.
I'm not sure If there was an end to the game since I got Bethany stuck in a moving platform (Dammit Bethany ! ) and wasn't able to feed her to the spider...
All in all it a pretty cool game. good job :)
Nice short game with great art and an intriguing idea.
More or less all (small) things I would criticize have been mentioned by other comments (I am happy I wasn’t the only one soft locking himself).
But one thing I personally don’t like are the music and SFX. The music is too repetitive for me (good in the beginning, but if you play longer times - because you have to restart for example - too much for me), and the SFX can be quite harsh, especially the Hideous Hymn has something at the end of the sound which is just loudly “scratching” in my headphones. The same thing is not as bad with stereo speakers. So for my run through I just muted the tab.
But it seems others like the music and SFX, so my opinion might be an exception.
Thanks for trying it out and sharing your feedback!
I'm pretty happy with the music selection myself, but the SFX were pretty last-minute (I used bfxr). I may tweak some after the rating period is over. It's really valuable getting a lot of feedback because different people will often see the same thing differently.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
I have not made significant changes to the audio, but I did tweak the logic that slightly randomizes the pitch--it was making certain sounds, including the Hymn SFX, scratchy at certain frequencies.
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Pretty interesting ideas here. I liked the use of multiple characters and the choices having real impacts on the progress you could make. The colour palette was very pleasing and generally a lot of good work has been done here. I found that the juice in the movement was lacking. It is a constant and maybe unfair thing I get from platformers. I have played so many that feel great that any that are more oldschool in terms of movement feel, compare badly. I am old enough to remember Sonic 1 coming out and if it does not feel at least as good as Sonic did 30 plus years ago, I am going to have a hard time enjoying the movement element of any game. Seeing as that is such a dominant part of any platform game my friendly advice is: that is where a good deal of time and energy should go. This game would have had a massive boost with more juice in that area and it would have elevated all the other good work you have done here. Nice job
Thanks for checking it out and sharing feedback!
It's a valid perspective. I meant to do more in this area, but it couldn't take a back seat to finishing the puzzles. I might come back to this after the rating period is over.
My post jam list is massive. Just trying to make sure I don't open the project until I have done a decent amount of play rating. Once I open it up I wont come back out until it's all fixed up
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
I must admit that this version does not incorporate much new "game juice," but perhaps I will work on this in the future. On the other hand, the soft locks are resolved. :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
This one was pretty fun. I thought I was going to be overwhelmed just reading the control instructions but since the mechanics weren't all introduced at the same time it wasn't bad at all.
I ran into the same bugs that others have mentioned below, so not much to say there.
I sometimes forgot the names of the cultists that flash on the screen when I press a button, so it would be nice to have some sort of indicator (maybe their portrait glows or something) to better indicate which one I should be switching to. And some variation on their appearance would be good too.
Nice work!
Thanks so much for checking it out! I'm glad you had fun. :)
I'll be addressing the bugs after the rating period is over...
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The cultists still look the same, but you can now bring up a list in the Pause menu and see the status of each (In Temple, Outside, Devoured).
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
The game looks visually great, the sounds are nice, and the level design is fitting.
Having to restart when I missed a jump wasn't fun. And Bethany fitting through his first door was a struggle (He kept bouncing off the ceiling or something, so the jump up kept taking a few dozen tries.)
Also having mouse controls for dialogue was confusing.
Overall, great art and story telling, but I didn't finish when I kept dying.
Thanks so much for checking it out and sharing your thoughts!
I will be making some updates after the voting period closes.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
You'll be pleased to learn that you can now handle the dialogs with the keyboard. :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Great game!
There are some bug, like other mentioned before, and I also got stuck in a softlock near the end of the game, I assume, but so far I really enjoyed it.
The idea of using multiple cultist to solve puzzles is pretty cool and also how you progress in the game was well made. You unlock more and more abilities and not in a fixed order. No matter what you pick you can still solve the puzzles. Clever design!
The visuals are also appealing. It gave me a Prince of Persia vibe. The only thing that bothered me a tiny bit was that the cultists all look the same. I think some minor details, maybe different colors on a belt or something like this would help. But it was totally playable and enjoyable the way it is.
Really good work!
Thanks so much for trying it out! I'm glad you enjoyed. I'll upload a fix to the bugs after the rating period closes.
I did toy with the idea of distinguishing the cultists visually. I couldn't quite make up my mind, and then, of course, I ran out of time, so the decision was made for me.
I also thought of including portraits, but it occurred to me that that would consume more screen real estate. Always tradeoffs...
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The soft locks should be resolved now; no more getting stuck in the moving platforms.
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Bugs aside this was really fun. Art is consistent and fits well. The story and world are unique, and switching between characters took enough brainpower to be a very engaging jam game without ever being frustrating. It felt great to learn new skills and open up the dungeon like in a metroidvania.
Thanks for playing and sharing your feedback! Really appreciate it.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback. Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Very nice puzzle!
I have encountered some bugs:
- Red Spiders never jump when my character on same floor
- Some spiders walk upside down)
- Sometimes barrels shifts from ropes and hangs in the air
- Unable walk on platforms, that moving up
But this didn't stop me from enjoying the game)
(ah and maybe I sacrificed too many acolytes and have a soft lock, my fault :)
Thank you! I'm working on the bugs, but I can't upload until after the jam. :)
The soft lock is a bug too. It will be fixed in the post-jam code. Sorry about that!
Thanks for the feedback, and glad you had fun.
Oh! I forgot one more thing - don't know it's a bug or not. Some giant spiders not hiding behind curtain but mention it in dialogue. Or maybe I dont understand something.
And I liked fast restarts! Died many times and it would be frustrating if not fast restarts.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
The soft locks should be resolved now, and no more getting stuck in the moving platforms.
The fast restart is even faster now (2 seconds instead of 3).
Spider and barrel behavior should be closer to what is expected now.
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
This is a really polished and nicely designed game. I seemed to get stuck at the end, but I managed to get all of the upgrades and sacrificed everyone except the last character. I found the spikes a little frustrating as they have such large hitboxes (and kill you even when moving up), and I wished there was some jump buffering and faster fireball shooting, but overall the platforming was pretty solid. Great pixel art, animations, and story. Nice work!
Thank you for playing and rating!
The spike colliders and fireball frequency are on my list of things to fix after the jam. What did you mean by jump buffering, though?
Jump buffering allows the player to press jump slightly before landing on the ground so that they jump immediately when they land. It's very easy to implement and improves the game feel. Googling it should bring up lots of tutorials.
Aha, yes! I know what you mean. Thank you!
(Not sure if you noticed, but I did implement a bit of coyote time. I'll consider jump buffering also.)
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
I have not (yet) implemented jump buffering, but I did tweak the colliders on the spiked plates. The cooldown time for all abilities has been reduced, with a handy visual indicator to let you know when the ability is ready to use again.
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!
Poor Alfred. It didn't deserved an unworthy death ):
This game is fantastic, the pixel art is wonderful and the mechanics are neat!
There are some little thechnical issues, but they don't spoil the fun at all. The only little problem that's a little frustrating is with the spikes hitbox, sometimes I feel like I passed and then Alfred meet an unworthy death... again.
The level desing is pretty good but thinks become confusing with too many acolytes in the map at the same time. Towards the end I lost the sense of what I was doing and I started to move around randomly untill I found the spider with each character.
Overall I liked it a lot, one of the best game I played so far!
Thank you! Really appreciate your checking it out, and glad you had fun.
Now that the rating period is over, I've uploaded a new version, containing 24 bug fixes and new features in response to community feedback.
I did tweak the hitbox for the spiked plates a bit. However randomly moving around with acolytes is kind of the central mechanic of the game. :)
Feel free to check it out, and thank you again for sharing your feedback!