A great game tackling a difficult subject. I like how the field of view is reduced as you get more down, making the game more difficult.
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The Struggles Within's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Story | #34 | 3.961 | 3.961 |
| Music | #83 | 3.705 | 3.705 |
| Fun | #93 | 3.775 | 3.775 |
| Mechanics | #118 | 3.636 | 3.636 |
| Theme | #203 | 3.713 | 3.713 |
| Aesthetics | #262 | 3.496 | 3.496 |
| Sound | #428 | 2.473 | 2.473 |
Ranked from 129 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How many people worked on this game total?
2
Did you use any existing assets? If so, list them below.
Audio: Main Menu: Visions of Innocence. Credit me as "Tungerman". https://tungerman.itch.io/tearjerker-music-pack Cutscene 1: Heart Initial - https://sonatina.itch.io/infinity-crystal Cutscene 2: Trust Initial - https://sonatina.itch.io/infinity-crystal Custcene 3: Airship Initial - https://sonatina.itch.io/infinity-crystal Level 1: The Horde - https://ivanduch.itch.io/dragon-tales-1 Level 2: The Last Stand - https://ivanduch.itch.io/dragon-tales-1 Menu Select - https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/audio/sound-fx/fantasy-sfx-32833 Scroll Opening: https://freesound.org/people/ukjoncollins/sounds/441549/ Characters & Animations: Emoji Icons: https://sysl.itch.io/mit-licensed-icons Character (cutscenes): https://cypor.itch.io/12x12-rpg-tileset Character & enemies (gameplay): https://rgsdev.itch.io/free-cc0-modular-animated-vector-characters-2d UI: Buttons: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/gui/fantasy-wooden-gui-free-103811 PowerUp Images: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/gui/icons/free-rpg-fantasy-spell-icons-200511 VFX: Particle Effects: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/particles/spells/48-particle-effect-pack-13998 Environment: Gameplay scene: https://rgsdev.itch.io/free-cc0-modular-animated-vector-characters-2d Cutscene: https://cypor.itch.io/12x12-rpg-tileset
Comments
This is a very cool game, and looks very polished!
The story is very well told at the beginning. The music (which is very good...), animations and other elements are very well orchestrated to create the right atmosphere.
PS: If you want some feedback... I would think about adding a Multiplayer feature (maybe, Netcode in Unity...) so another friend can play with you against the Bosses, especially (because they tend to be difficult to beat... but with a friend or two it would become something even more interesting, due to the 'Networking' factor).
Congratulations.
Submitted
DimensionsGreat game! I like music and gameplay the most.
I think you need to make more levels and boosts for player.
Thanks for such a cool game! :)
Submitted
Through the WorldsThank you so much for the compliment and the review! :)
Yeah I got something cooking from the basis of this game, and I do agree more levels, powerUps just make the game always more fun!
Glad you liked it! Hope you made it to the boss level, since that's where the powerUps especially start to affect the game (one thing especially makes the boss level HARD mode) :D
I love this game, very nice, very wholesome, I loved the powerups and those decisions affected the final boss, however I did want to say that the final boss felt to hard, it might be bc i am not good at Bullet Hell games so maybe tone down the difficulty to make your buff abilities feel a bit stronger and less of a downgrade. Also maybe have an endless mode with the first leading to the 2nd levels, so you can go longer to build stronger and then fight your inner demons as they are also stronger bc people love that increase in power! GG
Submitted
Body Builder: A Tale of Bob the BlobThank you so much for your amazing words! :)
Haha yeah, we're especially proud of the boss fight and how it is different based on your powerUps, but yeah I get that it is difficult for sure, and needs even more playtesting to perfect the balancing. Also some powerUps (one especially), might make the boss fight HARD mode :D
Yeah that would be really fun, I'm planning on starting a proper VS style game with a bit of a twist and in that it would for sure have some kind of endless mode where there would be LOADS more of powerUps, since I LOVE the increase in power myself as well :p
This was good fun. Managed to create a good balance of difficulty there and the poweups came out at a nice pace.
Submitted
Resonance RaveThanks and glad to hear you liked it and felt like the difficulty was just about right for you! :) Hope you made it to the boss battle, since that's where your powerUp choices can come back and kick your ass ;)
Balancing is definitely a hard talent to master, some people have said that it's an alright difficulty, some have massive issues, which I completely understand that it ain't from the easiest side of VS games :D
Really liked it. Only thing i missed it is a score at the end.
I want to note that changing the visual type is always a nice way to emphasize 2 dimensions theme.
Submitted
Entertain MeGlad you liked it and thanks for the comment! Oh yeah, we focused more on ending the story, but you are correct a "longer" version of this game would definitely need a score, or maybe a timer how quickly you beat the boss or something. Obviously boss will change based on your powerUp choices.
Thank you so much, that's what we were going after. We have got a lot of criticism off the artwork and to be honest I do agree with most of them, since neither one of us are artists, but we knew we didn't want the same art asset, since we wanted to portrait the 2 dimensions, but yeah maybe with some time and work it could have been more linked but different at the same time.
The MC's issues may have touched a little closely to home. I really dug your twist on the Vampire Survivors clone. A lot of people do a straight copy of it and this felt unique because of the twists you added on it. One thing I was confused on was the increased speed, there was 2 of them. I'm guessing one was character speed and the other was bullet speed, but I wasn't sure. I really liked the boss fight, I thought I might lose and came pretty close, but I won in the end. Very fun :)
Submitted
Project: CodonsYou and me both mate <3 :)
Glad you liked it, we wanted it to have a story and the boss might to be affected by your powerUp choices so it would be our own creation! :)
Oh yeah, no they do the same thing, there is multiple increase speed powerUps (I just didn't have time to code the powerUp randoms to be set so that the same wouldn't come up), so both are player speed.
Nice job on making it to the boss and beating it, it wasn't too easy for sure :D
This game is awesome. I has a strong story. The Vampire Survival Upgrades. The BlackthroneProd run and gun... CutScenes. Nice Job on this game. I really loved the music game me Conan "Basil Poledouris" vibes.
Submitted
Spirit GuideBro, the game is amazing, I was having fun with “double the trouble” and “imaginary friend” until the bossfight came 😂😂, I almost lost, the story is simple but using it in this context is great and I specially liked how the screen gets darker the more damaged you are, that is touching! and I love it.
BUG: the first time in the “fighting in mind” mode I reached the max level but the boss transition didn’t happen, I had to let them kill me then start again, and I felt the “increase speed by 20%” isn’t actually applying the effect for one of the cards.
Submitted
Good here, bad thereThank you so much mate!!! :)
Hahah, yeah the imaginary friend really ramps up the difficulty in the boss fight 😂 Good on you to beat it with that on, since that's like the secret hard mode pretty much :D
Oh thanks, I loved the effect as well, it works for the game and the story, me and my teammate were bouncing ideas on like almost second last day and came to this idea.
Oh damn, I heard someone else saying as well that for some reason the boss transition didn't happen, maybe I've F'd something within the code, might need to check it! But happy to hear that you liked it so that you even started from beginning!! Off the top of my head I can't really think why it would do it, but I have a hunch. It shouldn't be the increase speed by 20%, but something else, but you never know until you check! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this and for your kind words! :)
Nice game, I really like the music and the differnt level ups, but for me a bit too hard (i can't even win the first battle) and it would be nice, if you get level ups earlier.
Submitted
Johns 2D LifeReally great game, congratulations! Gameplay wise at first it is a little too overwhelming and after some upgrades it becomes underwheling, so I think it would need a little more balance, for example with increasing enemy spawn rate, when leveling up. The boss battle was a little hard, I almost lost it, but well it wouldn't be a nice boss battle if it was too easy :D Keep up the good work, you are awesome! :)
Submitted
RiftwalkerThank you so much for the kind words and good feedback! :)
I completely agree that the balancing is something that needs to be looked into, but at the same time we wanted it partly to be hard in the beginning and feel a bit easier in the end ( so it would portrait the mental health issue a bit, not exactly on thos terms purposely, but one commenter really pointed it out well). But yeah balancing is something for sure that needs very much playtesting from variety of experienced and unexperienced players and people who love the genre and people who have never played the genre! Hard art to master for sure :D
Hahah, yeah I do have to say that the boss battle wouldn't be getting easier even if I had the chance to revisit this, I like the fact that depending on your powerUp choices the boss battle gets some variety as well. Almost all of the powerUps somehow affect how the boss fight will be, some more on the stats (which you can't see) and some more visibly.
Thanks again, really enjoyed the comment and the feedback!
What a twist, cool game play. Real dust till dawn vibes and cool graphics.
Submitted
Dimensional MayhemManaged to beat the final boss. I enjoyed getting the upgrades and get gradually stronger to defeat my demons
Submitted
SynthetikaWow, this was really cool! Good job implementing the gameplay mechanics. It was challenging to play without being overwhelming. The metaphor of fighting inner demons was well done and I like how it was even reflected in the names of ability upgrades. One suggestion I have is maybe adding the ability to pause. Great game! :)
Submitted
The Adventures of FlatrickThank you so much for the lovely comment and you perfectly understood our point even the powerUps (we had a plan to start from childhood and go all the way to adulthood, fighting your difficulties from each time and powerUps would be for those, but bit of a big scope and the game would have been too long).
That is a perfect suggestion, didn't even cross my mind for the gameJam, but now that you say it, it's obvious :D
It reminded mit of survivor.io if you know that. Very well made.
For me on Firefox everything worked fine and the XP was there too.
In the beginning the mob incresed in size so fast that I was only running away I almost couldn't get to the xp-pickups and then in the end I just mowed them down so a little scaling of how many spawn might be nice... and the Boss was very well done he was just a bit too fast I think cause I had already 3 speed pickups I think and still could not avoid many of his bigger attacks - if I had less he might have bee too strong.
And I love the message of this game -in reality its not that simple, sadly but its a good start to seek help!
Submitted
Time SwapThanks, yeah I think I might know what you mean!
Glad to hear everything worked and you liked it :)
Yeah that is a good point and true, it was very hard to balance it so that it wouldn't be too easy or too challening. Also wanted the feeling that in the end you are kind of mowing them down since you survived the worst.
Hahah, yeah that's actually on purpose (obviously needs a bit fine tuning), but the boss is different on every playthrough depening on your powerUp choices, so if you hadn't chosen speed pickups, then then boss would be balanced with that as well, but have something else you picked up as powerUps! ;)
Completely agree that it's not that easy sadly, but it is a good first step to the right direction! :)
I love the Vampire Survivors vibes! Nice little twist at the end, and the art brings memories of some older flash games. I only wished for two things, more variety in the mobs abilities/movement and full gamepad support. It just needs the right stick to look.
Oh, and the "xp" bar didn't show up on the WebGL build, probably a resolution thing.
Submitted
WeldingThanks!! We planned on adding full gamepad support and started with it, but in the end we completely forgot it and literally on the day of submission with few hours left, we were like shiiiiit :D But yeah sorry about that!
Glad you liked it thought, yeah the boss fight can be relatively fun especially with few of your powerUp choices giving it a completely different twist.
Oh weird, just tried it myself and it was working, but sorry to hear that, thankfully you sticked around to make it further though! :)
Hahah aah, fullscreen should help on that :D
No I know, but gamepad support for sure would be great and that's something I will for sure do on my next game, since it's not good to kind of diminish the amount of players that are willing to play your game and it's such an easy add on as well :D
Oh yeah 100%, we agree with that. We actually did try some SFX, but due to the sheer amount of shooting and enemies getting hit, they were very overwhelming and we just ran out of time, since neither one of us are artists/musicians, so it wasn't our bread and butter so to speak. So we decided to focus on the background music :)
I thought this was going to be a chill story game. And then it turned into vampire survivor and THEN it turned into a bullet hell boss fight. Omg. There was a lot going on this game. I came close to killing the boss a couple of times but I wasn't able to do it :(. But I thought this game was very cool :). Alot of elements going on there ;)
Submitted
Arrow’s NexusHahah, thanks! Yeah it had some variety. We wanted the story to give meaning to the gameplay and then didn't want to just have VS copy (and with this timelimit a shitty one of that), so we wanted to give our own twist to it with boss fight, which changes based on your powerUp choices. Because it's yourself who you're fighting so what you chose in life, would obviously come back to haunt you.
Glad to hear you liked it though! :)
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