A rather atypical game combining deckbuilding and turn-based strategy.
The game has oddly colored but fitting visuals, but it breaks the different pixel meter a bit.
The main mechanics of the game (surprisingly) fit together perfectly and you get into them right away. It's just a shame that the visuals of the cards are still not finished. Plus a few tidbits about the cards would help - get inspired by Encore :)
The game IS hard, but except for a (very) limited oversight, it's fair. Trying to play it to the end is even fun, which is not a usually rupe for gamejam game. Constantly searching for the ends of the levels is a little annoying - here you just need to play with the probabilities a little, or by making the levels not just rectangles. But the game, for example, managed to make me try to find all the items and find out what items and cards can do.
I would slightly limit the complete randomness so that the games are more unique and interesting - a limited set of models, skips ala joker card, one unique enemy, etc. you have a lot of options. I would also slightly modify them as the player progresses in the levels - remove them, then add another tileset in the underground, etc. (and who knows, maybe at the end there will be a dungeon, a village, a forest, ...).
Of course, the game has a lot of minuses and unfinished business, but it is playable, fun and I WILL DEFINITELY FINISH IT ONCE!
apart from the obvious shortcomings:
- visual of the cards (except for the joker, etc., where it's great) can be better
- the back icon is small. I overlooked it several times
- an item that reduces energy has ruined my whole game several times... wouldn't it be possible to know what the item does before I take it?
- the scene size is unbalanced, the cards are in the way below, so sometimes just a small movement is enough and a horde of enemies will appear that can no longer be avoided (especially if they move faster).
- I would either enlarge the scene twice - then the view of the scene is about exactly as much as the joker can go, OR I would add UNDO to be able to go back. especially in a turn based game it would make sense.
- the game is nice, but mostly I just keep going round and round looking for stairs... it needs at least a map or at least something to break the total randomness
- the pixel size changes strangely, it's distracting and actually bad (e.g. the mask vs. pie icon)
- procedurally generated levels are fine, but sometimes you want to break it up with something - for example, that the goal of the level is always in the middle, or that you go from right to left... or just some clue for endpoint location
- I couldn't tell from the icons of the characters how much action point they have - it would be nice to see it (e.g. with a bar, dots, ...)
- the text in the scene is great, BUT it has one problem. It can be played elsewhere. When you're putting text in the scene, make sure the player has to walk through it.
- in general, a lot of things in the game are prepared, but not communicated enough.
+ The fact that the starting level can be completed trivially if you know the mechanics IS GREAT.
+ archievments!
+ idea and deck building
+ text in scene, font, overell colors
+ other cards: more cards modifying the opponent's movement - SMOKE (random), OIL (can't turn), glue (slow down), portals, magic mirrors, etc.