itch.io

<3 Thank you! That means a lot coming from a supra lover! I want to spend more time on it but, the system I'm working on got a bit complex, but maybe later this year I'll be able to update it again.

Sick Music!

Hey there, I wanted to share my thoughts on your game. Overall, I had a great time playing it. The click controls were a unique touch that I enjoyed. However, I did encounter some frustrations, particularly when my character moved instead of attacking or reversing. It felt like there was some fumbling involved, especially when I was trying to cast abilities on cooldown.

I did discover that kiting the mobs to a corner and taking them out there made things quite a bit easier. Also, I think moving the keys one row up might help improve the controls.

One aspect I really liked was the secret areas that added to your stats. It added a fun element of discovery and progression to the game.

While I appreciate the isometric controls, I think there's room for improvement in terms of the overall feel. I could see you adding in some skill shots or a more refined area indictor. Additionally, having some sort of mini-map or life indication for the bosses would be a helpful addition.

Your level and ability design was top-notch, and I could see the effort put into the game. With a few tweaks and refinements, I believe it could become an even more enjoyable experience. Great job overall!

Hey there, Zizaco, thanks a lot for taking the time to share your feedback. I genuinely appreciate your insights, and I can see where you're coming from on many points.

You're absolutely right about the lack of a skip text option – it was indeed a result of time constraints that I couldn't implement it, but it's a valid concern.

I'd like to clarify the "Die" ending; it's not meant as a joke but rather the game's true ending and central to the theme of "Death of a Hero." I understand it might not have aligned with your expectations, but it's what I felt fit the theme best.

Regarding choices, they primarily influence your character's build. The story's focus was initially meant to be on the narrative itself, as the intention was for players not to break the amulet. However, I got carried away creating the battle system, and time slipped away from me. If you check my Git history, you'll probably notice me working on it right up until the end.

I'm sorry to hear that the battle mechanics were confusing. I had a hunch that might be the case, but I didn't invest the time needed to make them more user-friendly.

You and the two playtesters had difficulties with the "Break Amulet" ending. I did try to improve it to some extent, but once again, time constraints got the better of me.

The game offers three endings:

- The "Good" ending is achieved by not using the amulet. The idea here was to adhere to the theme of "Opposite Day" by creating an experience that encourages non-interaction. I understand your perspective may differ.

- In the "Bad" ending, you die at the hands of the necromancer and are revived, albeit not in animated form, but rather as a pile of bones.

- The "Bad2" ending involves solving a puzzle and defeating the necromancer. This ending is even grimmer, as the text becomes nearly unreadable, and you find yourself trapped in the crypt, doomed to decay.

Regarding the fight itself, here's a breakdown: The skeletons act when the green bar fills up. The red number represents their life, while the yellow indicates their attack. If they're not adjacent to you, they'll try to get closer. If they can't attack, their attack stat increases by one. The necromancer remains inactive until you collect the orbs. To collect an orb, move next to it and click when the action bar is displayed on the screen.

Your choice at the start of the game impacts what you have access to in this fight. To make it easier, choosing the noble will grant you a red potion that can heal 25 HP when you're ready. Opting for the Warrior or Mage will make the battle considerably more manageable. Use your whirlwind or fireball attack to target the skeletons with the highest attack stats. Eliminating the skeletons has a chance to turn them into orbs.

Originally, this battle was meant to involve a tug-of-war mechanic where the necromancer collected orbs. However, due to the negative feedback about combat, I'm actually relieved I didn't invest more time in that aspect.

Overall, I genuinely appreciate your well-thought-out feedback. While I may not agree on all fronts, I do respect your perspective. Although the story, which was the focal point of the game.

It was for me. The doom wad my house was extremely interesting.

I'm not trying to say that you can't. just that it seams like most use jump scares more often. For sure i see you gotta find a good mix maybe? Ill check out the video you sent tyvm!

I will also echo most of what Zizaco says. I think some of us are trying to schedule a year or 6 months of a jam "circuit" to test ourselves and level up, but also refined ideas that could be put up on Steam or other ways for us as developers to grow too. 

Although I agreed with the sponsor being the best approach, an alternative suggestion is to charge for the submission not joining.. and split the pot for the top 3 if it's large enough, and you take some % cut something like a fighting game tournament would do. Idea image You could create some interesting content around it but anyway...  a monetary incentive could help develop the community as well as give some "skin in the game". Just keep in mind that you will also start to attract some bad actors.

Thanks for your content and for putting on this jam

I think im starting to understand. I want to make something really scary but not just jump scars you know. i feel like being jotted or supprised isn't the same as not wanting to turn off the lights at night or having to sleep on the floor idk. Do you have any games that you would point to and say this has the atmosphere?

Ah ok so when you say meaning, are we saying the way you get scared has to be connected to what is going on? Or could you elaborate more? Im starting to see that the feel of the game matters a lot to add to the atmosphere, but what about the atmosphere/vibes lend to creating fear?

Dope thanks for sharing it's cool when a simple system can create such interesting behavior!

This is cool I feel like you hit the opposite-day theme for sure! 

Fun game. I like the checkpoint system. I was only able to get to the second screen but i felt like the game has a cool vibe and interesting backwards jump :p

Hey, It had some flappy bird vibes. TBH it got kinda of frustrating lol but cool concept. 

I was also having the issue where marionett gets stuck, but the sound and visuals are nice. Think the game is moving a bit to fast. 

Great game overall. I thought the mix of puzzle and platforming was smart as well as how you layered on the mechanics. 

Hey! I finished this it was interesting. I had fun with it took me 5 for six tries to beat the last room. Overall it was a fun experience i had to think about what order to do things in, i can see how the first few jump levels are a bit frustrating, as it took be several times to clear.

The Ai was really cool. I felt like it was coming to talk shit when it beat the small guys. What techniques did you use?

Hey! I played with the controller. It felt great to enjoy how the big turtle controlled. Nice dash with a ranged attack and resources system :p. Fun stuff good luck with the jam!

gotcha so what are some things that contribute to a good ambience if you are trying to make someone fearful?

I see many games use jump scars or loud sounds to disturb the player or very gross things, but does that scare you? Does it make you not want to do something is that fear? I think one way to look at fear is the thing where when you don't want to do it, but for some reason you are compiled too. It's the trigger for courage or to say it another way the way to invoke your conciseness in times of the unknown.  

What are some other ways to view fear? or what is fear to you?

its a ghost

Thank you for your kindness. 

Very unique adventure game

The big tv's animations and screen effects are so cool! I was not able to bet it ran out of mp and then went 15 or so turns attacking, gave up. The look and feel were greater. I appreciate the screen transitions.

I like that you are an ant. The attack was very cool. Also agree with others the vibe is fun and spooky. I think the textures work well but maybe the colors are off?  The background and mobs are too close I think. Cool idea with the power-ups too.

Thank you for taking the time to play and comment! I put some visual bugs in the game, the main bug theme is meta and only I get it, but another twist on the bug idea is. Casino -> Parasite -> Bug 

To me, the pacing is well done.  And it felt like you added mechanics at a good rate.

It's awesome that you are playing curating games! Could you possibly add the link to each game in the post so we are not forced to go to your youtube to get it. I bet the dev would really appreciate that. 

Here is the link if anyone wants to play and rate also.
https://itch.io/jam/game-off-2021/rate/1274188

Beat it! Sweet game art and sound are AAA

Holy F your not kidding! Cool game Noah!

Cute, mysterious, and adorable game. Thanks for making it.

After 63 kills no more enemies spawned

I liked the visual overall and the touches like how the robots come up from the trap doors or how they explode when you shoot them. For me, the hard part was trying to line up my other robots. Something about how you have to be facing when you connect with the other robot was the unclear part. This is a great example of how you can progressively layer on mechanics! Excellent job!

I think if you can move or rotate the prisms between rounds or every so often it would make the game feel less punishing. For me thinking about how the colors blend and what reflects off what was engaging and unique. 

The game did not load. I would also recommend lowering the resolution

The 4th puzzle or so was very hard the bit of story between each puzzle made me really want to finish. <3 game