I am totally digging the 2D + 3D art style. The gameplay needs some feedback for the player and probably better telegraphing, because I couldn't figure out how to use my powers and not get game over. I am looking forward to more of this. Merlin as the star is exciting.
Play thing
Nobody Cares About Merlin Prismriver's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Concept | #6 | 4.278 | 4.278 |
| Visuals | #8 | 4.417 | 4.417 |
| Story / Writing | #18 | 2.306 | 2.306 |
| Audio / Music | #18 | 3.417 | 3.417 |
| Overall | #24 | 3.444 | 3.444 |
| Use of Theme | #24 | 3.194 | 3.194 |
| Challenge | #28 | 2.917 | 2.917 |
| Gameplay | #28 | 2.972 | 2.972 |
Ranked from 36 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Team Members
pontifus, otoutochan
Streaming Permission
Yes
Comments
as a sakuya player i am very aware of merlin prismriver, however i am happy for her to do light theft instead of violence (throwing people is only a tiny bit of violence)
basically: super cute game
i did not beat it because i am bad and because you have to restart the game every time you die (and also because there isnt that much time left to play everything) but I LIKE IT
Submitted
Ghost StoryInteresting prototype! So far I can throw things and Reimu attacks me when I'm in her field of vision. Would like to see how the actual gameplay will be. Also, love the pixel art inside the 3D environment.
Submitted
An Unimaginable Freaky Obituarylol yeah, we needed a possessable, scareable NPC, and as unlikely as an actual human visitor to the shrine is, everybody else who visits would've been too big of a threat ...
For me the controls not working issue seemed to happen at random, but I guess it probably has something to do with the movement state that's active when you lose. Still trying to figure that one out.
Hits in the feels good, even though it's a prototype.
The interactions work quite well. Only odd things I found were how:
- If Reimu is alerted by the man's panic and runs towards him, Merlin can just jump over Reimu. It feels like Reimu should prioritize attacking Merlin if she sees her on the way.
- Breakable objects like pots and bottles, as well as objects thrown directly into the NPCs' field of view, don't seem to attract attention, but I'm sure this was planned for later
- sometimes, grabbing and haunting doesn't work after a game over.
As for the rest, it's a really charming style of presentation and gameplay, I really want to see a full version of this!
Cute Merlin! But it was a pity that things did not catch well!
Submitted
Tatara Kogasa's Surprise OperationFun concept. Struggled a bit with figuring out Reimu’s whole AI but this is definitely something that could be expanded into a very interesting game. Still fun as it is now though.
Submitted
The Gadfly of GensokyoI threw the same poor guy over and over again 💀
Regardless, the combination of 2d and 3d is outstanding! The visuals are really cute and colorful too! Imagine what would this art turn out like if given a proper time.
Submitted
Yuuka's Defense for SunflowersCute 2D Merlin in a 3D shrine! btw I stole 20 items and got caught as a table
Submitted
FUMOficationInteresting stealth mechanics! It's fun to throw objects around.
Submitted
99 Seconds To GumuI stole 17 things out of Reimu's house by attacking an innocent bystander, 10/10 would rob a shrine maiden again.
Submitted
Yuugi and the Jailbreak KingIt seems like Cunningham's Law applies to game jams too: the best way to get people to play your jam entry is to make a game with an objectively incorrect title. As one of the few people whose favourite Prismriver is Merlin, the moment I saw this game's title, I was honourbound to figure out why someone would post such libel. To my surprise, I was met with a charming little game starring everybody's favourite poltergeist trumpeter, thus revealing this game's true nature: a deceptive ploy to convert everyone to the Merlin fanbase.
Jokes aside, even as a basic prototype, this is pretty nice! The artstyle is absolutely adorable, and the 2.5D aesthetic vaguely reminds me of the first Paper Mario game. The mechanics don't seem to be fully implemented, unfortunately; I couldn't possess anyone, but I could pick up and toss the person in front of the shrine. I was able to steal the Yin-Yang Orb, but placing it in the "IN" bag locked Merlin in the holding state, preventing her from taking anything else. However, what does work shows promise, especially given the short turnaround time, and I'd love if this concept was elaborated on further!
Overall, while the current build is indeed pretty simple, it definitely has the potential to be incredible if it were fleshed out into a full game.
Not sure there's such a thing as an unappreciated Touhou character, really ... there was supposed to be some stuff in there about how she feels overlooked as the middle sibling and decides to cause problems for that reason, but then suddenly it was 15 minutes before the deadline.
In theory you should be able to possess the random villager, though not Reimu, but we did have an issue with buttons occasionally not working for some reason. We knew of at least one way you could get stuck in the hold state involving breakable items, but the bag thing is an exciting new one. But anyway, thanks for the comments--this is an idea that I do want to try to get fully working at some point.
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