Hi Erin,

Thanks for playing my game and leaving a comment! I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

I totally understand what you mean about the cleanliness of the lab. I wanted to add some dirt/damage to the interior, but I ran out of time. :(

Yeah, the boss fight is pretty rough. I plan to fix the difficulty in the next version.

I like trying to push the limits of the RPG Maker engine to see what it can do. I will definitely release an update to the game once the contest is done.

Hi Indrah LadyPotato,

Thanks for playing my game and leaving feedback!

Time constraints limited the number of sprite animations I could feasibly finish. I would definitely add more in a future update. The map art was custom made and drawn by me. Only a few decorations like the computer monitors, doors, and dead trees came from the base MZ resources.

The difficulty spike of the boss fight was an unfortunate side effect of having to cut some of the initial maps which would have given the player a chance to become more powerful. I intend to fix the balance issue of the upgrade/leveling system to make the game feel fairer.

During the boss fight, I did want one of the tentacles to drop a recovery item for the player to grab. Both a heal and a guard skill for the player were also ideas I had floating around.

Hopefully I'll be able to tackle these things in the updated version. Thanks again for your insights. 

Hello hiddenone,

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback on my game! Cosmic Creatures was a little experiment to test the types of games I could make in MZ. I agree the grid-based movement was tricky to work with. In the future, I will probably look for a pixel-based movement solution to make the gameplay feel more responsive.

Thanks for letting me know about the map transfer bug. That event was something I meant to remove, but I forgot at the last moment. I had initially planned for more maps to give the player more chances at leveling up before the boss. Those maps were cut so I could finish the submission in time. It's actually cool you found the safe spot during the boss fight. I left it there intentionally to help the player out.

Once the voting period is over, I plan to release an updated version of the game with bug fixes, a more balanced upgrade/leveling system, and those extra maps. Thanks again for your comments. I'm glad I got to participate in this game jam.

Thanks so much for playing the game! Those tentacles can be a real challenge.

Yeah, 52 seconds... I was cutting it close with that one, lol.

I enjoyed this game and the ways that the levels change as you play. It was a short and fun experience. Well done!

Thanks for playing and for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the game! :)

Thank you very much for your comment! 

Thank you for your detailed feedback! This game is definitely at basic prototype level right now, but I'm still glad I got to enter something. It's the first game I've made with Unity, so it was a learning experience using a new engine, for sure. 

I have tons of plans for things I want to add to improve it, especially putting the host himself into the game. 

It's funny you should mention climbing out to escape. I wanted to add barbs to the tops of the walls for that exact reason.

Thank you for playing and giving feedback. I definitely want to add more variety to the challenges. I'm sorry that you got stuck. That's an issue I will fix in a future update.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I had not encountered that issue before.

Thank you for the feed back. I will keep the jump physics in consideration for future updates. As for the puzzle challenges, I have others planned. I only implemented the matching game in the entry to meet the deadline. 

PROGRESS UPDATE #4

I have come up with some puzzle concepts for the maze. A locked door blocks the exit and requires keys to open. These keys are obtained through doing the show's puzzles. These challenges are set up in special "Game Rooms" located in the maze.

Puzzle #1: Matching Cards

The player is presented with a 4x4 grid of cards. You must click on pairs of cards to match them. You will only have a certain number of turns to get all matches and clear the board. 

Upon Success: The player receives a key from a chest in the room. 

Upon Failure: A goblin will come out from a hidden door and attack. The puzzle will reset, and the player can try again.

Puzzle #2: Sliding Tiles

The player is presented with a 3x3 sliding puzzle. You must complete the puzzle before the timer runs out. 

Upon Success: The player receives a key from a chest in the room. 

Upon Failure: A flame thrower on the wall will activate and shoot fire at the player.  The puzzle will reset, and the player can try again.

Thanks for viewing! :)

PROGRESS UPDATE #3

I started blocking out the character models for the enemies in Blender 3D. From left to right is the Harpy, Goblin, and Minotaur. For reference, the Harpy is about the height of a human. (Mezzlarus is very tall, lol)

And I'm currently working on interacting with items in the environment. (It's dangerous to go alone! Take this...cube...?)

Thanks for stopping by! ^_^

Thank you! I'm having a blast working on this game. :D

I wanted to try to make some hand-painted style textures, but I'll definitely keep PBR in mind! :)

Yeah, I'm trying to keep my scope small enough that I can complete my entry, but also big enough that it makes for an impressive gameplay experience.

Thank you very much! ^_^

Thank you!

Thank you! :) I can't wait to model him in 3D.

PROGRESS UPDATE #2

Here are the things I’ve done since the last progress update:

• Modeled/textured some modular stone brick wall assets in Blender
• Began coding the main Game Manager
• Started work on Main Menu GUI/Inventory GUI
• Implemented very basic dummy enemies... (They are red cubes that can't hurt the player yet, lol)
• Implemented rudimentary crossbow for the player to use, since I decided I wanted to include ranged weaponry (pew pew!)
• Came up with ideas for two new types of characters:

Goblins

Role: Enemy
Occupation: Stage Crew
Description: These grinning gremlins assist Mezzlarus in the creation of his game show. They will travel in groups and attack the player when nearby. Goblins are the weakest enemies.

Harpies

Role: Enemy
Occupation: Showgirls
Description: These feathered foes add pizzazz to the show with their fancy plumage. They will flutter short distances and attack the player with their talon feet. Harpies are average strength enemies.

Mezzlarus the host is of course the strongest enemy. If he catches the player, it’s Game Over.

I plan to work on a sword weapon next and a system to switch between melee and ranged weapon types. Then I'll work on the traps (spikes, pits, flames, etc.)

Thanks for viewing! :D

At the moment, I'm laying out the levels manually in the editor. If time allows, I'll look into programming procedural generation.

Hello everyone,

I'm an artist/programmer and excited to participate in IGMC 2018! Here is the idea for my entry so far.

The Maze of Mezzlarus

(working title, subject to change)

SYNOPSIS:

The Maze of Mezzlarus is a 3D first-person action-adventure game where you play as Vera Goldsmith, an involuntary contestant on a deadly game show hosted by an eccentric monster named Mezzlarus Toro. Stuck within the twisting, turning corridors of a massive maze, the player must solve puzzles, avoid traps, and fight bizarre creatures in order to find a way out. Will you be the Grand Prize Winner or succumb to the dangers of the labyrinth like many unfortunate contestants before you?

Intended Rating: TEEN
Players: Single-Player 
Engine: Unity

CHARACTERS:

Vera Goldsmith

Role: Protagonist
Species: Human
Occupation: Treasure Hunter
Description: The player controls Vera, a young woman forced to be a contestant on Mezzlarus’ sinister show.

Mezzlarus Toro

Role: Antagonist
Species: Minotaur
Occupation: Game Show Host
Description: Mezzlarus traps unsuspecting humans in his maze for the enjoyment of his monstrous audience. Mezzlarus considers himself an extraordinary  entertainer and will do whatever it takes to boost his ratings. 

PLANNED FEATURES:

• Environmental hazards/traps
• First-person melee combat system
• Inventory system for items
• Locked doorways that require keys to open
• Game show themed puzzles

PROGRESS UPDATE #1:

I have made a simple test level in Unity with the first-person character controller moving through the environment. It’s just cubes for now.

I drew some concept art for the villain yesterday and for the maze today.

I will post more progress updates here as I continue to work on the game. I would really appreciate your feedback.

Thank you for viewing! :)

Sincerely,
Britney