itch.io

I played the original game jam version of this game, and I remember loving it! The core game loop was, and still is, really addicting. I am happy to see that this is kept pretty much the same, as I remember having to actively put the game away to be able to study:P

Now, the game seems to have come a long way since then. The atmosphere of the game is really amazing, with fitting music, satisfying SFX for the spells (ESPECIALLY the dagger), consistent art and interesting story elements. I know that it is moving towards commercial release, which is apparent, and something I'm looking forward to!

I wish to go a bit deeper into the spell brewing, as I know most of the jam time has been dedicated to this. First, I think the brewing mechanic enhances the experience quite a lot. There was something satisfying about creating a good spell and calling it my own as it destroyed my enemies. The actual brewing was also a nice change of pace in between the battles. So I think it was a good decision to create the mechanic.

I like the overall look of the brewing screen. The UI makes it quite intuitive what you have to do and the ingredients going into the cauldron is a nice touch that enhances immersiveness. I don't think the  "start over" works yet, and if it is supposed to it does not for me. Anyways, in addition to starting over completely, it would be nice having some way to remove only specific ingredients from the brew. Additionally, I would like to see what each of the ingredients I have already added is doing to the spell. Maybe this can be displayed in one of the two empty boxes in the bottom corners of the screen (as they leave quite a lot of empty space), or when you hover the added ingredient (similar to how it is shown before you add them)?

I also want to mention one minor element of confusion for me during the battle gameplay. It took some time for me to realize that some of the enemies had barriers, and I didn't understand why they sometimes didn't take damage. Of course, after I realized this, the big light beam at the beginning of each round became obvious. So it could have been just me being a bit slow, but I wanted to mention it anywas, because speaking from my own experience every extra data point is good!

All in all, I had a good experience with the game again. This time I got it from steam, and I haven't had that much time to play cause I went abroad  on vacation right after the jam ended, but I will definitely play more in the time ahead once I get back! I am looking forward to its further development and release! Great work with the brewing mechanic, I think it's a good addition!