itch.io

Excellent game design! All new mechanics were taught to me thoroughly before asking me to defeat a boss with them. Music and artwork inspired an amazing flow state. Thora's overarching story kept me interested between play sessions. Nothing short of a masterpiece, well done!

Hi Franchovy!

Just wanted to let you know that there is a WebGL version now available for our game on it's Itch.io page: https://theindiedream.itch.io/sorcerervsswordsman

Hope you enjoy!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Kobzol software!

Just wanted to let you know that this game's Itch.io page now has a WebGL Browser build. Later this week we will add Linux support!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi EZaki Games!

Great fun! A nice little arcade game with an excellent twist. A little more polish and this could be a really engaging experience!

I got softlocked in the second level because the only enemy remaining was the one that I had control of. Maybe you could change the win condition to enemies <= 1 instead of == 0?

Otherwise lots of fun and a cool take on the theme!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Franchovy!

Love the enthusiasm, and glad you still plan to check out our game! I learned that I should provide WebGL builds for these things... Well, we are all here to learn.

Love the offer, but I think my team and I probably won't be doing jams for a while as we try to bring our game into commercial space. If you ever have any questions or need some quick playtesting feedback from a fellow dev during your next jam, feel free to ask me! I will be extra critical!

Best of luck, friend!

Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream

Oh wow, thanks for the tip! Yeah I use Unity. And the issue was definitely when its loading. Next time around I will give that a shot, thanks again friend!

Hi BlackOpsBen!

"Videogame shorthand" - A true scholar of GMTK! I love it!

Yes I agree the player and enemy are a little backward. It was honestly just how I put together the UI (arbitrarily) and I essentially just ran with it. I think if there is a scene like this in future iterations I will definitely consider swapping things around.

The block mechanic needs to be more intuitive. I have a lot of ideas on how to fix that thanks to the wonderful jamming community. Rest assured it will be overwhelmingly obvious in future iterations ;)

Thanks for the feedback!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi gladgib!

Oh wow, such detailed and extensive feedback! Since we are definitely moving this game forward, feedback like this is invaluable. I am treating it as an extended playtesting period, and comments like yours really will help in the future. I will be revisiting this as we move forward for sure!

I agree with the majority of your critiques. 

• The sliding is straight up wrong, and that is a result of me forcing it into the game at much to late a stage just for some style points. I am deeply regretful!
• I really like forcing the player to run back and forth to their block to get the powerups!
• In my experience playtesting (which was limited), I never seemed to have a problem jumping and swinging. I 100% agree that the mechanic needs to be perfect, and when I return to recode the combat system I will give it a deep and wholistic review. Probably has something to do with input priority.
• I chose "E" for the slide (although it is wrong in my "How To Play") because in other WASD games, E is jump or interact, so I figured players would be familiar with it. I am glad you pointed out how cumbersome it can be. I honestly think this game will work best on a gamepad. I think we will go the Dark Souls route and say "Sure, you can play it with a keyboard, but it won't be fun!"
• Sliding does reduce your hitbox size. Again, I only included it because it felt interesting but I agree it doesn't add much to the experience. In future iterations I will either really fix it up or scrap it!

Thanks again for all this feedback. I am going to put everyone's feedback in a discord text channel and meticulously go through and address each concern as we move forward. This is endlessly helpful and I really appreciate the time you took to review our game. Thanks again!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi gladgib!

The music you selected for this game is perfect and the 2.5D perspective coupled with your art style made for an overall very pleasing player experience.

It might just be a personal preference, but I felt like having to aim with the mouse didn't work as well as I had hoped. A lot of time I would get to my precious green junk and right before grabbing it my ship would 360 and push the junk away. It ended up being another thing I had to consider, which is all well and good! But, I would recommend a little more smoothing on the ship turn, just to align ship behavior with player expectation.

Overall great little Asteroids-style arcade game! Good luck in the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi BlackOpsBen!

What an excellent and original little arcade game! I love the stylistic choice of bro culture. Reminds me of those bro memes you see floating around occasionally.

It is a nit-picking comment (because this game was so well done) but I didn't find it incredibly obvious when the alert level kicked up. It's great that the bar is red, but a more obvious indicator (perhaps a screen shake) would totally help me realize I screwed up!

Overall excellent execution and good luck in the rest of the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Break!

Thank you for understanding the limitation with the time constraint. In future iterations I could definitely program an interactive tutorial and absolutely plan to do so. For the jam, unfortunately, I just couldn't think of any other way!

And thanks for the game jam tip. Unfortunately I have never been able to get WebGL to work for me so I avoid it at all costs. I understand the startup-cost to playing my game is relatively high now that you mention it and will definitely consider it in future jams.

Thanks for the feedback!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Zombiedance!

Wow that's some really high praise! Yes the AI is super basic in this iteration due to the time constraint and I really appreciate you understanding the simplicity due to the time constraint. We will definitely be tuning AI up in future iterations. I am glad you enjoyed the game!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Definitely drop us a follow here on Itch and we will keep you updated :)

Thanks for the kind words!!

Awesome! Glad to hear :)

Hi Niilo!

Oh dear I just realized why you couldn't get the slide to work... For control levity purposes I changed the slide button to E instead of middle mouse :O and never updated the how to! I am so sorry!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Gallsy!

I am glad you enjoyed the game! AI is definitely a struggle for me so I am glad he gave you a bit of a challenge! Thank you so much for your kind words!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi CroSnake!

Interesting! I didn't consider the stopping mid air aspect. Honestly, I don't remember explicitly coding that particular behavior, and I absolutely agree that motion should be more controlled while in air for platforming purposes. You can expect a fix in future iterations :) Thank you for the great feedback!

Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Radium Polonium!

I am glad you like the character controller! I have updated the game's Itch page with screenshots that show how-to-play. I have been getting a ton of feedback saying that there were issues with that portion. Perhaps taking a look at the screenshots can help you get the connection mechanic down :)

Thanks for playing!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Matteo!

I really wanted to include character select! I am glad you think that would have been a good idea! Unfortunately it got scrapped. Don't worry, my team and I will be bringing this game into full production where there will definitely be character selection (and multiplayer)!

Glad you got a chance to play and thanks for the feedback!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Matteo!

The learning curve is perfectly smooth and you introduce new mechanics seamlessly and intuitively. For example, I didn't need any clues that boxes could be pulled, because in the previous level you showed me they could be pushed, and in the next you gave me one that was impossible to push! So naturally I got pullin'! A true disciple of Mark Brown!

Thanks for sharing, good luck in the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi NourTech!

Thank you for your high praise! I hope its not too disappointing when I tell you we used pre-existing art. Links to both artist's pages are provided on the game's page. You should check out their work they are both super talented!

I am glad you found it engaging! We are going to expand on this game quite a bit over the next few months and try to make it a commercial project. We will be making our own art for it too which is very exciting!

Thanks for the kind words!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Niilo!

Yeah sliding/dashing were two methods of movement that I was on the fence about including. I put time in to reducing the hitbox of your player during crouches/slides so I decided to leave it in there, perhaps as an error. In case this was your issue - you have to be running to slide, otherwise you will just duck quickly! 

I apologize, if I wasn't going to fully integrate the move I should not have left it in. Glad you still enjoyed playing though!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi niilo!

The concept is so strange! Aliens eating people to mate with each other. I never would've thought of something like that in a million years!

Excellent music and artwork, the voiceover really helped to keep me engaged. Nice work!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi NourTech!

This is a great little start to an adorable platformer! I felt like the controls need to be tightened up a little bit before this game can truly shine.

What could you do to better tie together the salt and pepper? I felt like I was able to complete the first few levels controlling one character at a time. It was cute that they meet at the table, but they didn't really impact each other otherwise, at least in my experience.

Loved the art and sound! Great job and good luck in the rest of the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi VAJL7!

Thanks for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed! 

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi CyberPRDX!

Thank you for the kind words! When I came up with the idea of breaking connections, I immediately loved how careful the player had to be when they are finally established. I can imagine there being way more crisscrossing lines for the player to navigate while taking down the enemy. Glad you enjoyed it! We are excited to move forward with this project.

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi VAJL7!

I thought the art and music in this game were incredible. Really good polish!

I think this game would totally benefit from a grid-based movement system. The free movement made it a little difficult to strategize, as it was tough to tell when my character would and would-not hit the bushes. Maybe I was playing too dangerously!

Great start!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi CyberPRDX!

What an interesting mechanic! Once I realized that "syncing health" means that lighting up the dude my gaze is on is a bad idea, I had a lot of fun with the mechanic. It's also super cool that the gaze breaks when obstacles are involved. A really unique and intuitive idea!

I think one way to improve would be to have some sort of indicator that you are hurting yourself. Maybe like a pulsing particle effect that travels from your in-gaze enemy to you, before you take the damage. That way its 100% obvious its a bad idea, even without reading your description!

Overall great start to a very novel concept! Good luck in the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Sephazon!

Thanks for the tip! The level design was left to the programmer (me) on this jam due to the time constraint. I know I am no expert! In the future I will consult with our artist/level designer. I am glad you found it entertaining and yes, we are excited to expand this project into something bigger. Thanks for playing!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Sephazon!

Outstanding work. The mechanic of taking over the monsters reminded me of Super Mario Odyssey. It was well implemented in this excellent retro style. Love the art and music, incredible stuff!

One minor suggestion - It would be cool if you indicated to the player what the monster's power is. For example, with the turtle, maybe you could display a water block somewhere in the HUD so that the player knows that they can traverse water with it. I know its obvious for the turtle, but I wasn't sure what the point of the octopus looking thing was!

This would also be a cool way to incentivize the player to keep dungeon delving. You could give the player a monster they do not need for, say, 3 minutes or so, but they will join with them anyway because its new and unique. They see the hint as to what that monster is used for, and then later in the dungeon they know which one to pick to solve the puzzle!

This is top tier stuff and something I would definitely pay for. Good work and good luck in the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Keepeas!

I love the idea of trying to prevent your enemies from sticking together in a massive slime abomination! However the tower felt a tad weak and I could never get the timing down. I was downright determined to make some progress, but I absolutely fat-fingered every tower placement. I think the very first step in improving this game is to add a reset button so people can retry their attempts relatively easily! Instead I just exited out of the game entirely.

Cool idea and a great start. Good luck in the rest of the jam!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi metabloxer!

I am glad you think the idea is cool, and I am sorry you had trouble with the character controller. I wonder if I can make it configurable somehow... Off the top of my head I can't think of a way where slowing you down wouldn't bestow a significant disadvantage on the player. I will take your input into consideration as we push the game forward, and I look forward to coming up with a clever solution to your problem.

No worries if it was just you that experienced this - Everyone is different and games differently. I want to include as much of an audience as I can, so this is a problem I will surely tackle.

Thanks for the feedback!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi ExplosiveJam!

I know! I am so regretful I slotted in the text changes with TMPro and even had a new font picked out, but unfortunately it just slipped my mind before the submission :/. 48 hours and all that. Also, others have commented on how the physical aspect of the block connecting mechanic should work, and all of it is well received. I can't wait to improve on this game! Thanks for the feedback!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi ExplosiveJam!

Wow! What an excellent little tower defense experience! I love the idea of building your own battlefield, it reminds me of Sanctum, one of my all time favorite games. 

One way to improve this is to have a tooltip telling the player what each of the slimes do, so the player can strategize with complete information. Also it would be cool if there were a way to pause while you set up your defense and call the wave at your leisure!

With my cheesiest strategy I only got to level 6, but boy did it feel like an accomplishment after failing quite frequently. Thanks for sharing this game is sweet! Good luck!

Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Break!

I am really bad at puzzle games I have learned throughout this jam. I love the concept and it was well executed, but I just need more hints (I simply could not beat level 3).  I would suggest holding the player's hand just a tiny bit longer so you can really engage/appeal to a wider range of gamers!

Looked nice and I love the minimalist approach. Good Work!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hey ryancross!

Thank you so much for playing! I do like the idea of a packman style screen-wrap. Maybe a block you could connect to to get that power! 

I'm glad you still found it playable with the sticky wall jump! Character controllers are super tough. We will definitely revisit it in the future and sharpen it the best we can! Thanks again!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi atolbertsmith!

Thanks for the feedback! AI is very difficult for me at this stage in my game development career, so to hear that you thought it was good is an awesome compliment. Glad you had a chance to play and enjoyed it!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi JoshuaPelican!

Thanks so much for the feedback! Yeah this game didn't really make it to a balancing phase and I am deeply regretful for it. I'm glad you still enjoyed it even though you found it pretty tricky! Thanks again!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi Gallsy!

Very cool take on joined together! Man, operators had it tough back in the day. I had a lot of trouble with this one, I am not quick enough to connect these poor people to their emergency services!

The tutorial is nice, but I feel like the difficulty ramps up instantly after it ends. Maybe try building the player's confidence first by giving them just two calls at once. They will start to learn the phone book and maybe not need it so often!

Great sound and art! Very well executed. Good luck!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream

Hi JoshuaPelican!

That was a blast! I replaced all the chocolate chips on the cookies with eyeballs. The photo download was a nice touch that I definitely didn't expect! I would have no clue how to begin coding that functionality. Cool stuff!

It reminded me of that minigame in Mario Party where you try to match the pizza by placing toppings. Maybe this game could me more engaging if the player had a goal or at least someone to compete against!

I loved the music and the artwork, and all your screenshots are really cool. Great job!

Best,

Brandon from TheIndieDream