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I just tried the web build. Promising start! I was confused about the description of the ice spell, it wasn't clear that an ice attack hit every square. Wasn't sure if ice did something else, like create walls around you, or increase your defense, or something. On that note, would be nice to see spells differentiated more. I assume that's in the works. different tilesets for different areas is a must. I never encountered the curse spell in my playthrough.

After basic mechanics worked out, looking forward to more complex gameplay that will allow for more strategy, i.e. more choice over how to level up the character to differentiate different runs. (i.e. something like the Shape That Waits stat allocation, or Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup with species and class).

DRL, as a fast-based roguelike, comes readily to mind when thinking about the playdate's style of game. Looking forward to seeing that influence here, maybe?

would it be possible to add a "best time" tracker for clearing the dragon, in addition to top score? I've gotten to the point where my goal is consistently playing a perfect game (maximizing points, only grabbing hearts when at 0 health) but also fastest game. (My current top score is 357, but my current top time, 9:38, is recorded in my noggin and nowhere else.)

Thanks for listening- it's a great game, I really enjoyed it!

oh my god i've been grinding end-game state for days and just now saw that "Quartz does not naturally spawn in the magma layer." Can that hint be incorporated into the clue prompt for that turtle?!?!

Is there a repo of community maps, or a specific discord server??

Is it possible, or will it be possible, to download other people's level designs, or upload level designs for, idk, if you ever do some sort of game update?

The Kaizo maps are indeed super challenging (I gave up on the Hardcore-er accomplishment, sadly) but I'd love to see what other players come up with. I could see the playdate community coming up with some really interesting map designs that create some interesting environmental storytelling.

Any chance ports like this will make it to catalog?

Delighted this is still in development, and not just that, but that careful consideration is given to all the details. The playdate catalog team better be watching this like a hawk, because this seems like it should absolutely be a flagship (pun intended) catalog release when completed.

Wow, amazing game. Finished classic mode - with TONS of deaths - now going for the ironman achievement on hard maps!

A few questions:

1. What the hell does the Mage Hand do, actually? I haven't tried anything with it outside of attempting to fail to trigger some of the late game workshops.

2. Can any paintings be found in any water source, or by the second boss? Or are certain paintings tied to specific levels, and to specific bosses? Trying to grind the 100% logbook achievement and it is... rough.

3. Any point to dusk blocks outside of aesthetics?

Thanks!

Thank you!!! Good to know about the respawn solution, though that does call into question regal legitimacy xD

I didn't think to cross reference my logbook after harvesting the item, but I am 95% sure I figured out what it was. Granted, I haven't figured out what it DOES, but I am sure I will, with enough experimentation.

Are there any non-secret items that can't be duplicated if destroyed?

In the third world, at the front gate to a massive structure, I tried to collect a floating device when my inventory was already full, and unfortunately I destroyed it without harvesting it.

Am I softlocked out of collecting that item for my logbook, or can I build it later?

Trying to be vague on purpose to avoid spoilers. I know there is at least one other secret item in the game that needs high level gear to harvest, I worry that someone grabbing that rare, non-reproducible item could destroy it like I did with the floating thing. Haven't tested that, though.

this game has hours and hours of replay value. Keep coming back to it. Amazing game.

Just a heads up, I'm eagerly looking forward to the balancing changes, and I just reinstalled the game on my play date to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but I tested it and it looks like they haven't been pushed to the catalog version yet. Melee damage, for example, hasn't been modified. Not sure what the turnaround time is for catalog updates, but wanted to let you know. 

Just finished regular mode, now playing challenge - what an amazing game! The game play is terrific and fully incorporates the crank into both combat and puzzles seamlessly; the dungeons are delightful, and everything else screams polish. Easily the best RPG/adventure since Ratcheteer, hands down, without a doubt. Amazing that so much was able to be accomplished with the Pulp engine.

I hear what you're saying, i just feel like the zelda-esque map suggests the world have its own Kakoriko, lost woods, etcetera. But that's just my preference. I really appreciated the flavor text of resonant tale, but I get that this is a totally different, more old-school inspiration then that, and I respect that.

Can't wait to see what you do next!

I just fought the first boss, and I had to sign on to itch to make sure you actually made this using pulp. I am shocked you managed to do so much with the pulp engine! Its so polished and smooth , with such detail and embellishment, it feels like a completely different engine. I cannot wait to play every single aspect of this game. Well done.

Lolife is a fantastic addition to the playdate catalog and a worth spiritual sequel to Resonant Tale. Orange Thief is able to pack a ton of game into a tiny package, and the addition of plenty of secrets, cheat codes, easter eggs, and accomplishments give the game huge replay value. A completionist will find themselves investing as much time into this as Ratcheteer or any of the best playdate titles. The relatively simplistic pulp engine graphics conceal a game as polished and enjoyable as the best games  that the playdate has to offer.

Orange Thief has, once again, demonstrated a mastery of the Pulp engine. A must buy for RPG, adventure, or zelda fans.

I would love to see the world map updated to give names to the villages, castle, graveyard, forest, etcetera - adding some canon flavor text would be a great little added touch that wouldn't require any code but would make the world feel more fleshed out.

spoiler alert, NOWHERE NEAR the top 9, yikes!

You can now see your high score and where it stacks up against the top 9 players!

I've been waiting for playdate catalog to let me update the game to see the changes, but my download tab in my playdate still says there are no updates to install, unfortunately.

I did, I've made it to main deck 8 but died before I could escape 😢

Sidenote, I noticed the credit payout for taking out high level void enemies far surpasses the bonus points you get for items or for killing basic enemies, but i wasnt sure if many players get that deep so I wasn't sure if that is actually a problem, or if it is just a feature. 

Oh man, i hope my suggestions are good 😬

Ok!

Removing the 1 hit kill damage threshold may require lowering hp of main deck enemies.

Bug issue: mine layer causing crashes. It seems like when i use the mine layer to score kills, it corrupts something in my game file  causing the level to crash either after killing 6ish enemies with mines. 

Also maybe the time crystal thing that adds a turn seems to be linked to crashes.

A few balance suggestions:

1.  Get rid of the 1 hit kill feature for guns. The flamethrower, explosive launcher, and bullets that pierce through and hit the enemy behind the first target all insta kill any enemy. This is hugely imbalancing for the leveling system. There is no point in putting points into accuracy if late game weapons do infinite damage. There is also no point in leveling strength if firearms do infinite damage. With 1 KO guns the only viable build is perception.

2. Strength should increase max AND min damage. My end game melee weapons are dealing an avg 21 per hit with a melee build. End game guns leveled deal ROUGHLY avg 70/ shot, assuming they arent 1 hit KO.  That outclasses melee so much it makes strength builds pointless. Yes, melee benefits from not running out of ammo, but it is so weak that the extra time spent fighting an enemy drains your O2 and Mind stats.

3.  MAYBE --- Reduce the gun drop rate and increase ammo capacity for guns by a proportional amount. Right now, because end game guns are so powerful, there is no point in boosting accuracy, when you can just find a top tier gun instead. Dumping everything into perception ensures a steady supply of top firepower and renders accuracy pointless. Making it harder to find guns, but also increasing ammo to ensure guns are still viable, might make Accuracy a more valuable skill relative to perception.