I thought I'd share this image. Minimal context as to avoid spoilers: This is using the Blazing Orb, drop of wrath, wrath seal(?), and two filler slots on version 1.1.0. I think this was still possible in previous versions, and I never had to spend wrath on healing, but it's still funny. Not sure if it should be patched out since it took player skill to get to this point of absurd.
Commenting on the universal ability to store a Rage by pressing Utility while holding the Attack button: I'm not sure why it works as it does currently. Storing a Rage is conterintuitive when you can just use the rage normally, especially since the player needs to stay stationary to perform this unnecessary maneuver and leave themselves even more vulnerable. Since it is released when you let go of the Attack button - but you need to be holding the attack button to store it - and you can't move while doing it, this doesn't allow the player to effectively store a 4th bar of Wrath: for example, by having 3 bars of wrath, storing a Rage then picking up an orb of wrath.
TL;DR, The only way to use stored Rage currently is holding the Attack button, storing the Rage, then releasing the Attack button which uses up that stored Rage. Why do that when you can just press the Rage button? Storing Rage is objectively worse than pressing the Rage button.
I believe a good way to fix this is by cancelling the attack when you store Rage, thereby letting the player move freely - maybe have them do a small wind-up animation so it's still not a risk-free action (additionally communicating the charge,) and have the charge be releasable via an input separate from Attack or make charging an attack release the stored Rage.
HOWEVER, I would like to suggest turning this feature into a new mechanic. One idea I had was a bullet time effect or temporarily increased damage, maybe even have it be character-specific; like Sorceress temporarily banishing nearby enemies or Salamander gaining some kind of temporary health / damage reduction? I think this new mechanic should be notable considering it is the same cost as Rage, but I could see it being something simpler like Gunners fully reloading, Salamander refilling her pounce or Sorceress pushing back enemies in front of her.
Thank you for responding! I'm glad and grateful this game seems active both from developer and player activity. I have been hesitant to stray towards the claws on the sides during the final boss fight, I might try that next run. There's so much room for player expression with the content already presented, and I'm excited to see how this game evolves from here.
I first heard about Haunted Lands from Alpha Beta Gamer's video covering this 4 hours after he released said video. I haven't stopped playing it for the past 3 days! I'd like to compile a review of excitement, constructive criticism and bug finds in no particular order.
I haven't updated to the 1.02 version, keep in mind.
Each of the 4 playable characters feels potent and great to control. I immediately gravitated towards cowgirl but have completed the game with each character (Still working on beating the secret boss w/ each!) Whilst I originally disliked the gunners being incapable of healing, being able to respawn with up to 5 silver crosses definitely evens that out, and I've been happily surprised how many enemies the cross explosion can dispatch in a pinch (they're called "gunners" anyways, tanking hits is the last on my to-do list!) Beast being able to heal from dealing damage felt addicting and I personally run a pounce-oriented equipment set: Speaking of, the 2 cultists in the dragon lair? I didn't realize they were more than setpieces until I took a swipe for the heck of it, and I love that you put them there to compensate for the boss being bloodless, that decision made for some frantic chaos during the latter half when I was going for heals and trying not to die to the two minions. Speaking for additional characters, it would be interesting to see a divine-centric character, maybe a priest or paladin-esque motif. I'm genuinely curious to see what could be added to the roster!
I saw one comment saying that they disliked how pressing up or down halts horizontal movement. As a keyboard player, this hasn't been an issue at all for me, and I would argue it makes lining up diagonal shots as a gunner much easier and consistent. For the other characters, it only effects beast (since sorceress can't attack midair) and negligably at that.
I felt like the placement of checkpoints & quicksaves are very well done so far. There's been various times where I was nervous about dying and being sent to the last checkpoint, and others where I was happy for the safety net such as before bosses. Having a quicksave AND checkpoint actually made for some interesting decisions, such as when I entered the dragon lair as a veteran w/ a pre-activated retribution, but only 2 of my 5 starting crosses! Do I take the free damage or extra hits? If both options weren't available, that kind of critical thinkng wouldn't be present.
I've managed to crash the game 3 times so far. The first two involve Beast's pounce on the first purple elite w/ the damage shield: the first time I pounced him when he spawned and crashed the game on contact. On a later playthrough, I had the idea to use the Beast's retribution for its basic attack to douse the shield, then immediately pounce - this led to a second crash, I think the shield came back up just in time. The third crash was during the secret boss: To avoid spoilers for those who haven't played, I used sorceress' chain lightning on the boss's spawned obstacle and crashed. Whilst these crashes definitely cost me some time (The third example, I had to replay starting from boneyard) they were easily avoidable once I knew of their existence. I hope they get patched, regardless.
Enemies! I genuinely enjoy how damage works in this game. Excluding elites & bosses, I started counting shots early on and memorizing how much damage each foe can take, and since this seems consistent amongst each character it feels like a design choice in my novice eyes. A lack of damage randomness & clear indicators of sustained damage made keeping track of which enemies I could and couldn't engage so much better in the heat of the moment. If I couldn't see the gore a damaged foe had, it would be a lot harder to dispatch enemies and make target priority less reliable. Speaking of, I originally despised how the healers can tend one another, but found reliable strategies for each playable character (preemptive reloads w/ gunners so I can mag dump, Beast's pounce, and a 3-charge bomb into some follow-up shots w/ sorceress.) I think some people hate them because they're healers, not because they're designed poorly. They force target prioritization, that's for sure! In fact, the only enemy I have legitimate criticism for is the (current) final boss in the Dragon's Lair. In the last phase specifically, when the dragon coats the whole ground in flame (from claw to claw in one breath,) I've yet to find any method of avoiding damage as the Gunners. This got me killed quite a few times mere shots from victory. The attack just felt a little cheap, especially in the fleeting moments before defeating such a foe. Of course, I'm aware I could be missing some knowledge to reliably dodge it, and bringing the bat wings for a double jump could theoretically remedy this (Haven't tested this yet.) The attack doesn't feel bad with the Beast or Sorceress due to Pounce & Levitate, but as I said before, how do Gunners dodge it with their lack of mobility options?
Overall, I can't wait to see what else you have in store and was shocked this was a free product. Everything about the game, from character design, level geography and even checkpoint placement felt spot-on for me to make for an experience that was equally rewarding and unforgiving. It reminds me of classic consoles and developer mentalities such as the Dark Souls franchise: each damage taken is meaningful, every shot an opportunity. Each mistake feels like my own, and experience is half the battle. I have never wanted to speedrun a game faster than this.
Perhaps, in the Haunted Lands, each hunt can be an expression of oneself. With your relics in hand, take up your trade's tools of war - Survival is for the quick, cunning, and ruthless. You may not succeed on your first attempt - or your first several dozen - but with persistence comes perfection.
