nice art, very interesting idea. You developed game mechanics very well. I liked this game. I will wait for the next polished releases. Good Job :)
Play game
Sorcerer Vs. Swordsman's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Originality | #520 | 3.819 | 3.819 |
| Fun | #627 | 3.514 | 3.514 |
| Overall | #652 | 3.611 | 3.611 |
| Presentation | #1101 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
Ranked from 72 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
You must connect blocks in game to either apply debuffs to your enemy or buffs to yourself. You can sever those connections and remove the buffs/debuffs with your sword. Hence, the dynamic of the game changes depending on which connections are active.
Did your team create the vast majority of the art during the 48 hours?
No
We used pre-existing art
Did your team create the vast majority of the music during the 48 hours?
Yes
We created the vast majority of the music during the game jam
Comments
Thanks for letting me to play your game! My comments:
Things I like:
- Really like the concept of having strategic boxes throughout the map that you have to capture & also beware not to break the linkage. Pretty good mechanic to make traversing & fighting the sorcerer more interesting
- Good art & animation
Things I didn't like:
- Was confused with the control mapping until I asked you on discord to clarify them (Thanks :)).
- Sliding hotkey was a mistake (actually E) - that is fine.
- "Connecting boxes" hotkey was confusing at least to me :P (IMO the tutorial is actually right but I did not get it 1st time that I need to right click the sorcerer or swordman block first)
- Controls: When fighting an enemy that is flying, IMO it is really important to get jumping & attack controls right, but both of them cannot happen at same time. Everytime i want to jump and attack it ends up only attacking without jumping, which was kinda frustrating
- Having Sliding as "E" is not a good choice when A & D are for movement IMO. Better if sliding can be something done by another finger while 2 fingers are occupied by A & D/ ALso sliding itself doesn't really seem useful for me (I guess you also realise in the tips already haha)
Overall it was still pretty good though, good job & keep up the good work!
Submitted
Cavern JunkersHi 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
This has a lot going on for a jam game, which is awesome! The controls are pretty hard to handle, and as far as I could tell, you had to actually right click on the blocks, not just be standing by it. (I don't think I ever figured out exactly when and how you can connect blocks. Sometimes I could, sometimes I couldn't.) I would recommend swapping the characters, since in videogame shorthand, the player is usually on the left, and enemy on the right.
Very solid tight animations and overall really well done!
Submitted
Diamonds are for the Boys!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
I like the game but I feel like the the tutorial could be shortened or replaced. I know a lot of people playing jam games will just skip yours after having to download it and read 3 pages of text. You could try programming in an interactive tutorial but I understand there probably wasn't enough time for that. Cool game though!
Submitted
MERJHi 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
Yeah exporting to WebGL really helps, over 95% of the people that have played my jam games played the WebGL version. Also, I can't remember if you used Unity but if you did you might be having a common issue where it gets stuck loading which can be fixed by disabling compression
Cool game and some really tight controls! I really enjoyed seeing all the abilities play out and honestly just moving around the map in general, everything felt really good :)
One issue I bumped into on my first run is that the sorcerer ended up getting stuck and I was able to endlessly wail on him to an easy victory which led to a really fast win. That's something that could definitely be tuned up post-jam though, doing AI like this for a jam game can be really ambitious and I think you did a great job in the time you had!
All in all, good job!
Submitted
C.O.M.P.R.E.S.S.I.O.N.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
I would have only liked for the swordsman to stop moving left / right if I release A / D in the air. Apart from that, really great idea! I love the setting, graphics and how you implemented it, feels great. Good job!
Submitted
Defying InstinctsHi 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
Really cool idea, and controls feel great!
Unfortunately I wasnt able to link the boxes so my only option was to run around, break sorcerers links and trying to hit him with a sword, so I was keep loosing all the time 😂
Submitted
Twin PlanesHi 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
Super interesting idea! I played a couple of rounds to get the hang of things, but the AI kept on beating me :' ) You did a great job getting that into the game in just 48 hours!
Submitted
Telephone TroubleGreat fight game and cool character animation !
I won 2 times and won 1 time, it would be really cool if there was another mode where we could control the sorcerer :)
Submitted
Laser ConnectionHi 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
I loved the art!!!, It's an amazing effort for 2 days game Jam!!
I really loved the game by the way I think I will play it all night 😂
Submitted
Salt & PepperHi 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
Cool presentation, unfortunatly sliding didn't function :< Interesting loopy fightsystem you've made!
Submitted
Eat prey, loveHi 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
Just with a little bit of polish, this game is on to something great. I really like the idea. With the timed changes to the connections coupled with my attacks being able to sever them, I found myself tiptoeing in adrenaline while focusing on killing the enemy while managing the connections. Good job!
Submitted
Soul GazerHi 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
Feels like a really well put-together game. I would like there to have been more time for level design and perhaps a bit more polish on that end as well. Generally speaking, it was a really intuitive game, and I think this could be expanded into something more in the future. Great job!
Submitted
Helm's OddityHi 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
Very cool game! I love the variety of strategies for different play styles. I was bad at platformer fighting so I burned the Sorcerer to death.
I feel like you shouldn't have to click on the blocks though since the Swordsman is already there. Also, changing the font would be an easy yet significant visual improvement.
Overall amazing game!
Submitted
The Island of Dr.SchliemHi 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
Clever idea, and it's great to make the decision to attack, sever connections, or make your own. However, I had a lot of difficulty moving a character this fast (end up flying over platforms instead of on them), and wall-sliding hurt me more than helped. No-one else is saying this, so maybe it's just me?
Submitted
FranTicTockHi 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
Great idea and execution. All the essential feedback FX was there which is something I regretted not having the time for in my jam. My main critique's would be that the wall jump just feels a little too sticky. Hard to describe but it just feels off. Also it would maybe be cool if you could transition to either side of the map via the edge of the screen! (maybe with a cooldown or something to balance it)
Submitted
JekyllHey 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
A neat game with some cool mechanics. I felt the controls were a little tricky and overall I felt the overall difficulty was a little high. Also some of the blocks felt mostly un-impactful such as the speed up or down. The idea that you can give either yourself or the enemy buffs / debuffs was cool but took away from the focus of the game so much that I tended not to go for it. Overall very polished game, nice use of the theme, and I was able to eventually win when the enemy got stuck lol.
Submitted
KraftsI was a little confused about how the different powers work, but I still had a good time running around swinging and hacking at the sorcerer! The AI works nicely too. Good job!
Submitted
Kreepy and KrawlyI really like the responsiveness of the controls, although I feel like an interactive tutorial could definitely do the game wonders, aside from that the game is amazing
Submitted
Divided We FallHi fishyladerino!
Thank you for the feedback! Interactive tutorials are definitely something I need to work on, so I didn't have time to put one in the jam. Rest assured the game will have a much deeper tutorial system when we ramp up production in a few months! Thanks for playing!
Best,
Brandon from TheIndieDream
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