itch.io

Thanks so much for the comment, and the very constructive feedback :) The game is indeed quite long for a jam game, mostly since I spend a lot of time on it and overall the balancing was difficult. I also already have an update planned for after the jam.

• As mentioned, one of the struggles is the playtime. I can finish it in an hour (which might already be long for a gamejam) but on average it’s like 2 hours. On the other hand I had playtesters tell me like “I already finished it in 2 hours where is the rest of the game” So I was not sure where to put it in play time. The future update is making the current game a lot quicker though.
  
  Beyond that I also planned on making this a metroidvania instead of doing a roguelite

• Thank for still mentioning it in the future update (which I can upload after the jam) movement overall should feel a lot more fluent including vertical movement I added a higher jump and less gravity, for which I had to adjust some platforms but this should make the platforming feel more faster while still having this snappy feel. Also did some adjustments to attack and platforming overall. I mentioned some bug fixes planned on the game page

• Thanks I do make my own music. But music does take a lot of time (especially since I had to focus on the coding for the jam). While I was able to make a main menu music (also used for credits) as well as a boss version of the music in the dungeon, I was not able to make more. I would have liked to add more variety. And it is a point for the future if I can find the time.

Thanks again for playing and hopefully you might be able to finish it in the future (either with this update or the one after the jam :D)

Nice metroidvania with amazing art and music. Personal preference, but the jump felt a little bit too “floaty” especially going down. Also would be nice to get some invinsibility frames after being hit. Overall a lot of fun.

Nice game and concept with the auto attacking and the upgrading of the sword. Would like to see it in more constrained levels (with different enemies, obstacles, dangers etc.). Was now just able to walk down and let the enemies come towards me.

Yeah I should have added an option to attack with another button as well. On a laptop without an external mouse this would indeed be an awkward control to attack. Will add it to things to add after the game jam is done. (Since I’m not allowed to add/change things during the voting) Was actually thinking of adding an option to rebind controls (Have never done that before so I did not have the time during the game jam to add that feature)

Thanks for the feedback, 

Unfortunately with the time constraints of a gamejam, I was not able to finish everything as I would have liked and  there are still a lot of things to polish. I have some things planned to add/fix after the game jam is done, since I’m not allowed to add/change things during the voting.

• One of the things is for the character to move with the moving  platforms. I did try but it was very buggy of how I had set things up. So I eventually decided to go with no inertia for now, due to time constraints. Hopefully I’ll be able to add it in a future update.

• I also did not want to make the character very ”floaty” but the jump could have been a little bit higher (or less gravity applied on upwards movement). Have been tweaking it a lot. It’s always difficult to find the right setting that fits most people. The character does have extra gravity applied while falling. Also if you hold the jump button you jump higher (and visa versa if you release the jump button you instantly start to fall. should probably add that to the tutorial)

• For attack I think the speed is right (So far the only monster which I can not easily defeat is the mimic boss). I think where most people struggle with (also the people who playtested it for me) is that you can not move left and right while attacking. There is actually an animation cancel if you jump. But I am thinking of some options to change it after the jam:
  • Add animation cancel, when pressing left/right again
  • Add upgrades for attack speed 
  • Or tweak some other options
  • Also was thinking of making a jump attack

Glad that some of you enjoyed it. I also added a “Known Bugs” & “Planned for Future” section to the description.

Fun game. Runs very smoothly and I liked how the upgrading is randomized. As mentioned by others as well, it was fairly easy for me. But I can definitely see how with more enemies and bosses etc. it becomes more challenging. If this is not already the case: maybe make the enemies faster the longer you take to level up (and reset that on level up) so it is encouraged to pick up experience even more. Also it would be nice if there was a way to pause the game. (unless I missed that)

Thanks for your feedback, Yeah the moving with the platform I wanted to add. I did try but it was very buggy of how I had set things up. So I eventually decided to go with no inertia for now, due to time constraints. Hopefully I’ll be able to add it in a future update.

I also did not want to make the character very ”floaty” but the jump could have been a little bit higher (or less gravity applied on upwards movement). Have been tweaking it a lot. It’s always difficult to find the right setting that fits most people. The character does have extra gravity applied while falling. Also if you hold the jump button you jump higher (and visa versa if you release the jump button you instantly start to fall. Should probably add that to the tutorial)

For attack I think the speed is right (So far the only monster which I can not easily defeat is the mimic boss). I think where most people struggle with (also the people who playtested it for me) is that you can not move left and right while attacking. There is actually an animation cancel if you jump. But I am thinking of some options to change it after the jam:

• Add animation cancel, when pressing left/right again
• Add upgrades for animation speed 
• Or tweak some other options
• Also was thinking of making a jump attack

Basically overall, as always with gamejam games, there are still a lot of things to polish :P Glad you enjoyed it though!

Interesting concept. Really liked the idea of using cards for an upgrading system. Game play could be more streamlined so it’s a bit more clear what to do.

Thanks, I've put a lot of time and effort into this submission. It’s a bit long but I think It turned out pretty good.

Thanks for the feedback! (Tl:dr, I’ll probably add an option to turn energy off in a future update after the jam)

The balancing of the game was one of the more difficult parts. I'm already planning to reduce the resetting via the pause menu from 20% to something like 5% (needs more testing) and maybe adding an option to turn energy off. Although I’ll have to add a similar note, I’ll write here.

The game was designed to play like an arcade game, with multiple retries. (similar to permadeaths  in roguelikes) I did not expect players to make it in their first try.

Although I have seen some friends doing it, with very careful puzzle solving. Eventually the idea is that the player gets better in the puzzles, and develops a strategy (which item do I buy, what do I pickup? Etc.)

It’s also up to the player how they want to solve each level. The game itself (about 18 puzzles) is a puzzle. “How to make it to the end with enough energy?”. Of course the first time you play it is unknown how long the game is (see middlepattrn’s comment and my reaction)

Some more decisions for the player also change the difficulty, like: Do I pick up all batteries/candycanes? What Items do I buy and when? Do I go for all the presents?

For example it is possible to get to the credits (which is seen to me as Ending 1); without any of the presents and only picking up some of the batteries and none of the candycanes. This without getting below 70%, most of the times >80% energy and ending at 83% (solving each room first try). Which should give enough leeway to make a couple of mistakes and resetting some rooms.

Of course there are more secrets etc. which make the game easier but are not required to finish the game. Unfortunately I can’t do spoilers in itch.io comments (I think), on how I did some of the testing. But the videos on the game page (and bellow) should give a fair indication on how few energy you actually need, or reach out to me in discord.

That said, I’ll probably still add the option to turn off energy with the warning, for players how just want to solve the puzzles and don’t want to worry about the energy. Even though it is a core mechanic for this game. I also have some plans to add more/better in-game hints and some more tweaks/balancing.

Either way, thanks for the feedback and sorry for the long reaction! :P

Solution Videos (SPOILERS)

These videos are intented for players who get really stuck on a puzzle. I would encourage however to try solving the puzzles yourself. There might be multiple solutions this is just how I solve it. (The books in the intro levels also give some hints)

Thanks! :) I did spend a lot of time on it (maybe more than the average jammer) but i'm quite proud of the result. 

I have been working on and off with Godot for 2 years but never really released something so this was my first time doing that. 

I agree for the jam it might had been useful to add a puzzle counter. But for the game itself it was a deliberate choice. Since it's a bit of the challenge to keep enough energy and not knowing what is still ahead. (Which should make the player a bit nervous/cautious) At least the first time. (The game was supposed to play a bit like an arcade game. With multiple retries)

Still thanks for the feedback, next jam I'll try to keep it a bit more jam friendly. I might also add some updates after the jam voting is over.