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I love a good bait and switch.

There actually is one, though it's not super obvious--In Respiration, there's a snail that you can see above you but can't reach directly. If you go left, then up, then right through a false-wall, you'll be able to talk to them, prompting them to give you the map module (and it will be usable provided you've unlocked the HUD).

So, for reference, (ROT-13) V'ir nyernql purpxrq gur Ngynf naq xabj gung guvf bar'f jung V'z fhccbfrq gb gnpxyr arkg, pnhfr V znantrq gb trg gur cvax snvel va zl beo naq fbyirq gur nolff chmmyr gb trg gur crney arpxynpr. (Naq sbyybjrq gung guernq gb trg gur cvax xrl sebz gur peno thl'f uvag).

The thing is, I'm completely stumped as to what to do for this obelisk. Cause the islands around it are clearly some kind of hint, right? But they don't match up to any symbols I've seen up to this point, so either I missed something somewhere earlier, or there's some level of abstraction going on that's completely going over my head.

Any guidance towards a solution is appreciated, cause I'm completely stumped after turning this one over in my head for the last day or two.

I already left a comment on the main page for this one, but wow, I really liked it. It warms my heart to see how much Cave Story has been a huge influence for lots of other people.

Very enjoyable.

It's interesting to me how much of a lasting impact Cave Story has had on video games since its release over two decades ago now.

And I mean this in the best possible way, if that wasn't obvious. I was already feeling a bit bad for our buddy in circulatory when I first started reading some of those terminals, and then, once I had begun scouring through the last of the map, I kept wishing there was something I could do for the poor guy. Seeing "Tow Rope" as that last item I had found, and realizing what it meant sent me over the edge and had me teary-eyed at the whole thing.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the little world you've shared. <3

I didn't realize how much I needed to hear this exact thing, until I did. Thank you. <3

I don't think I've read all of the manifestos in this jam, but I've read a whole lot of them at this point. And I think yours definitely takes the cake (or the Tiger's Jaw pizza, as it were) for bringing up the most visceral feelings in me. Like, holy cow. I haven't consumed something that made me feel things like that in a long while. Thanks for the dog treat. <3

I look forward to the day that this whole AI bubble finally pops and there's just the soap scum floating around amidst the cultural debris. There, in that cultural froth perhaps we will see a renaissance of the algorithmically-derived weirdness you and I and most of the other commenters here yearn for...

Also, I love how good Spire 1 is at testing how good your deck does things. It does it with elites, obviously, but bosses are probably my favorite examples here. The first and third acts especially. Act I rewards you for having your deck be able to do a particular thing, while Act III punishes you if you're over-reliant on a particular thing or set of things:

ACT I:

Hexaghost tests your ability to scale. You either need enough attack to kill it before it nukes you with a 6x6 attack or some way to survive past that without too much effort.

The Guardian tests your ability to attack or defend consistently, depending on which mode it's currently in.

Slime boss tests your ability to burst attack damage, but also your AOE capabilities.

ACT III:

The Awakened One punishes you for being too reliant on powers.

The Time Keeper punishes you for spamming low-impact/low-cost cards.

Donu and Deca punish you for having a deck that takes too long to scale effectively.

I think someone could probably write a whole book on the oodles of amazingly good design in that game. And I would read it!

"I will lay on my deathbed and the doctor will ask if I want palliative care and I will say no because that sounds like a Skill name and I need to be ready for Gremlin Nob in the afterlife."

The manifesto jam has lead to me reading so many brand new sentences in the past few days, but this one has got to be one of the top 3 best jokes I've seen out of the whole jam so far

Don't worry, I figured that was what you meant. I just had to say something in support of unreliable narrators, because when they're done well (I somewhat recently read Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir) there's absolutely nothing quite like them!

I legitimately laughed out loud when I finally got to the end of the pool at the top and saw what you had done. Well played. lol

ore nobble war aghast lure

It's odd how discoverability works (or fails to) on itchio. Something I'll keep in mind for if I ever get to posting any games is that I've discovered so many people's cool and neat projects because I clicked on something they made for a jam and then go see their backlog. It's definitely an imperfect system, but I've found a lot of neat stuff people have made that way, such as this. 8)

Thanks! I love my new dachshund so much!

This is an absolute treasure. All of it. Especially the FAQ section. 

However, that being said I strongly disagree with point number 4. You SHOULD read gardening magazines for tips on making video games.

Untimeliness is, in part, I think a good bit of the reason why I liked the book The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't read it, but it plays around with the idea of Zachary being "too late" to a mystical secret world that's already long since fallen into ruin (this is of course a falsehood. Time isn't linear, and nothing ever truly ends).

It's a bit of a divisive book if you look at the Goodreads page for it, but I think if you enjoyed (or wrote) this manifesto you'll likely appreciate the ideas it's meditating on.

Anyways, to be a bit more on topic, this is a very nice manifesto! 8)

This absolutely does count as a manifesto!

I do, however, disagree with "a text-only game cannot lie to you." Because I hope to one day make one that does. I've seen very few games pull off the sort of rug pool that leaves players truly disoriented and reeling from something they didn't expect and I hope to one day emulate it.

But again, very well written. Some of the best games I've played, even with graphics, were ones where photorealism wasn't really a goal. (Return of the Obra Dinn is a recent example that comes to mind for me).

Thanks a bunch! I can't believe I didn't catch onto that sooner!

Hey all!

First of all, I'm loving this one so far; while it's definitely distinct from TUNIC, I loved the little quirk in the orthography that made translating it far more interesting than just matching up letters 1:1 (which was already enjoyable to begin with)

At this point though, I've gotten stuck in two different places (though I think I know which one I need to tackle first, given the entry in the atlas).

(ROT-13 questions below)

For reference, in my inventory I have the instrument (flute?), the completed tablet, and the sack with both the ax and the pickaxe in there.

1) Va gur ehvarq ivyyntr, V'ir sbhaq obgu gur fznyy cvyyne va gur ybjre yrsg bs gur znc naq gur pnir va gur hccre yrsg bs gur znc. Ng svefg, V jnf nffhzvat gung V'q unir gb hfr gur syhgr sbe bar be gur bgure, tvira gung rknzvavat rvgure bar qbrf abguvat. V ernyvmrq vg jnf *qverpgvbaf* vafgrnq naq sbyybjrq gurz bayl gb svaq n ybpx jvgu gur zrffntr gung "fbzrguvat svgf urer." Nsnvx, vs gurer'f n xrl sbe vg, V qba'g unir vg lrg. Nf sbe gur ehvarq ivyyntr pnir, V nz pbzcyrgryl fghzcrq naq jbhyq nccerpvngr n ahqtr, nffhzvat V unira'g zvffrq fbzrguvat, juvpu oevatf zr gb gur frpbaq cneg bs guvf.

2) Va gur yvggyr uvqqra ornpu frpgvba (nepuvcryntb?) npprfvoyr sebz gur vfynaq, V'z nyfb fghzcrq ba ubj gb trg cnfg gur boryvfx gurer. Qb V unir rabhtu vasbezngvba ng guvf cbvag gb qb fb, be vf vg fbzrguvat V'yy qvfpbire bapr V'z cnfg gur pnir va gur ehvarq ivyyntr? Vs V pna, jung nz V zvffvat? V'z nffhzvat gung V'q or hfvat gur syhgr gb fbyir guvf bar whfg yvxr gur ynfg bar va gur qrnq pbeny sberfg, ohg tvira gur ynpx bs qvntbanyf, V'z ng n ybff. V'ir purpxrq gur flzobyf ba gur gnoyrg, naq pna frr fbzr fvzvynevgl orgjrra fbzr bs gur vfynaqf naq gur flzobyf, ohg jvgu ab jnl gb cynl gubfr flzobyf V'z hafher bs ubj gb cebprrq.

Any help is appreciated. Many thanks to anyone who has any clues about what I should be doing next. 8)

I was confused on those at first too. They've got a restriction on them so that you can only use them on hero cards (not monster) that are of rank 9 or greater. So using them on an 8 or lower card will not work.

While it's probably good advice to use that stuff on the higher cards for more benefit in general, I wish that I was able to use it on the lower value cards, as it would make flushes that more reliable to achieve with the ability (as you can do with the help of the tactics ability).

Uhu, V arire ernyvmrq gung nobhg gur tnetblyrf! Nf sbe gur zvzvp, V svtherq zbfg crbcyr jbhyq cebonoyl or noyr gb svther gung bar bhg sebz gur zbafgreabzvpba vatnzr.

Gung'f nyfb jul V pbzcyrgryl sbetbg nobhg gur qentba rtt fvapr V jnf whfg tbvat qbja gur yvfg va gurer. 🤦‍♀️ Gunaxf sbe gur nqqrq vasb!

This is an amazingly good concept executed perfectly. The presentation is wonderful, not just in the graphics, but also the replay showing you everything sped up after you die.

My personal best so far is 10372. It's very fun getting up to the higher scores and solving all of the little ethereal puzzles that come about over time. 8)

I found it very fun to slowly learn the rules for how everything is positioned and placed in this game, but after playing this every so often for months now, I realized there was one I missed, which inspired me to do a writeup on all the little enemy patterns and hidden things in the game here. Decode any of the entries with ROT-13 if you're struggling (or just curious to learn more):

1) Rats - Gur qverpgvba gurl ner snpvat nyjnlf cbvagf gbjneqf gur pbyhza va juvpu gur ENG XVAT erfvqrf. Vs gurl ner va gur fnzr pbyhza nf gurve aboyr zbanepu, gurl jvyy fgnaq ng nggragvba.

2) Bat - Ab cnggrea gung V nz njner bs.

3) Skeleton - Ab cnggrea gung V nz pheeragyl njner bs ba guvf bar rvgure.

4) Gargoyle - Gurfr barf nyjnlf nccrne va cnvef. Vs lbh'ir sbhaq bar, gurer'yy or nabgure bar nqwnprag gb vg begubtbanyyl (abg qvntabanyyl).

5) Green Slimes - Ab xabja cnggrea bs juvpu V nz njner. Gurve ybpngvba pna or erirnyrq vs lbh qrsrng gur FYVZR JVGPU naq hfr gur fpebyy bs ERIRNY FYVZR gung fur qebcf.

6) Minotaur - Gurfr uhyxvat ornfgf jvyy nyjnlf thneq n gernfher purfg, juvpu gurl ner snpvat njnl sebz, fb lbh pna fbzrgvzrf hfr cebprff bs ryvzvangvba gb ybbg gur purfg jvgubhg svtugvat gurz. Or sberjnearq ubjrire, nf vg vf pbzcyrgryl cbffvoyr sbe GUR ZVZVP gb trarengr arne bar ol punapr.

7) Sentinel - Cnl nggragvba gb gur fuvryqf gung gurfr ryvgr thneqf orne. Juvyr gurl ner fgebat, gurer vf bayl bar cre dhnqenag bs gur obneq, fb vs lbh'ir vqragvsvrq be qrsrngrq gur fragvary bs n dhnqenag lbh pna or fher gurer nera'g nal bguref yhexvat jvguva gur obhaqf bs gung pbeare.

8) Purple Slimes - Gurfr fyvzrf ner gur yblny thneq bs gur FYVZR JVGPU, jub nyjnlf fcnjaf ba gur rqtr bs gur svryq, fheebhaqrq ol svir bs gurz. Vs lbh'er abg fgebat rabhtu gb gnxr gurz ba qverpgyl, vqragvslvat gurve sbezngvba jvyy nyybj lbh gb fgevxr ng gur FYVZR JVGPU qverpgyl, jub vf culfvpnyyl dhvgr jrnx.

9) The Lovers - Ebzrb naq Whyvrg rnpu fcnja ba gur yrsg naq evtug fvqr bs gur obneq, va gur fnzr ebj. Gurl jvyy zveebe rnpu bgure, nccrnevat gur fnzr qvfgnapr sebz gur zvqqyr (be fvqrf). Fb vs lbh'ir cbfvgviryl vqragvsvrq bar, lbh pna znex gur bgure bar nf jryy.

10) Mine King - Nyjnlf fcnjaf va bar bs gur sbhe pbearef bs gur svryq, naq qebcf gur inyhnoyr FPEBYY BS QVFNEZVAT. Vs lbh'ir nyernql vqragvsvrq guerr bs gur pbearef, lbh pna fgevxr ng gur sbhegu (cebivqrq lbh unir gur urnygu) fher gung gur xvat vf yhexvat gurer.

11) Rat King - Frr gur ragel ba ENGF sbe shegure qrgnvyf. Vg fubhyq or abgrq, ubjrire gung vs lbh'ir nyernql qrsrngrq gur FYVZR JVGPU naq pynvzrq ure gernfher, gura gur eng xvat jvyy or gur bayl havqragvsvrq rarzl bs fgeratgu 5 ba gur obneq (tvira gung TNMREF pna or vqragvsvrq ol gurve PBASHFVAT NHEN). Qebcf n fpebyy bs YBPNGR IREZVA ba qrngu juvpu erirnyf nyy gur engf ba gur obneq. Qrguebavat gur eng xvat rneyl vf rffragvny vs lbh jvfu gb pbzcyrgr n eha nf n ☼ENG CNPVSVFG☼

12) Gazers - Jvgu gurve qvnzbaq-funcrq PBASHFVAT NHEN, gurfr qrivbhf sbrf pna or punyyratvat rira vs lbh pna culfvpnyyl orfg gurz, qhr gb gur unmneqf gung fghzoyvat oyvaqyl vagb n zvar cbfrf.

13) Slime Witch - Frr gur ragel sbe CHECYR FYVZRF

14) The Mimic - Gur fcnja pbaqvgvbaf sbe gur qernqrq zvzvp ner pbzcyrgryl enaqbz. Guvf qbrf zrna, ubjrire, gung vg vf abg obhaq ol gur fnzr ehyrf gung purfgf ner fhowrpg gb jura fcnjavat. Va bgure jbeqf, vs gurer vf n purfg yrsg hathneqrq ol nal ZVABGNHE, orjner!

15) Mine - Abg zhpu gb qvfphff urer. Gurve qnatre orvat bar uhaqerq vf pbairavrag orpnhfr lbh pna qrqhpr gurve ybpngvba rira jvgu nyy fbegf bs arvtuobevat rarzvrf.

16) Chests - Trarengr oruvaq n ZVABGNHE, jub vf thneqvat gur pbagragf vafvqr. Purfgf rvgure pbagnva n FPEBYY BS URNYVAT (2), be svir tbyq (3). Cevbevgvmr svaqvat gurfr. Lbh jvyy abg tb sne vs lbh snvy gb.

17) Gnome - Gur tabzr jvyy nccrne ba n fnsr fcnpr naq gryrcbeg njnl jura hapbirerq. Guvf cebprff ercrngf hagvy gur svany fnsr fcnpr (nyjnlf pbagnvavat gur tabzr) vf hapbirerq, ng juvpu cbvag lbh jvyy or njneqrq avar tbyq.

18) Healing Scroll - Gurer ner avar urnyvat fpebyyf gbgny. Guerr erfvqr va purfgf. Svir ynl fpnggrerq ba gur svryq. Gur ynfg gjb, bs pbhefr, ner uryq ol gur ybiref. V nz hanjner bs nal cnggrea gurfr sbyybj sbe trarengvat orlbaq gung.

19) Scroll of Revealing - Trarengrf ba gur tebhaq. V nz ntnva hanjner bs nal cnggrea guvf sbyybjf sbe trarengvba.

20) Scroll of Disarming - Qvfnezf nyy zvarf, gheavat gurz vagb gernfherf jbegu guerr tbyq. Irel zhpu jbegu vg vs lbh unir gur 10 urnygu arrqrq gb qrsrng gur zvar xvat.

This was so well executed. Just enough evidence to really point you in the right direction without ever spoon-feeding you any of the answers. It's a difficult balance to achieve in mystery writing and games about solving mysteries, but this one did it very well.

Oh my gosh, this is great on so many levels.
Just for starters, I'm a total sucker for the trash mammals that scavenge through the waste of the anthropocene (and these ones in particular are adorable in the game art). <3

But more to the point with gameplay, while the tactical combat is fun and engaging, the upgrade system is just *chef's kiss.*

Firstly, I love the fact that any boons that you aren't purchasing from a store are a choice between two different ones. It makes it so much more immediate and engaging than an option you can reroll, especially if they're both boons you could really use.

Secondly, the digestion tetromino puzzle system for stat boosts is also so engaging. Because you're left trying to figure out whether you allocate the stat boosts to specific characters in order to shore up their weaknesses or play on their strengths or prioritize getting those bonus stats for the whole group.

All in all, the design of this whole thing is stellar and shows a large amount of thought and care went into this. I've already wishlisted it on Steam and will likely be getting a copy on there once it's fully released for sure. I usually don't tend to buy titles if they're still in early access, but I very well might make an exception here because this is something special alright.

Ahh, this one makes me nostalgic for 17776. Very different in some ways, but remarkably similar in others.

On the off chance that it still matters a week later and you haven't found a way past it already after posting this, the way you do that level is you hop up onto the block right above you and then jump down and to the left into the green line, then let yourself rebound back up to reach the door.

The trick is that the gravity shifts preserve your speed, so you can reach the same height you started from when you make a jump.

Hope that helps!

We're all just horsing around here.

10/10

This is a delightful little bite-sized game. The controls are responsive, the pixel art is gorgeous, and the writing is *chef's kiss*

Rot-13: Jbhyq xvyy genafcuborgrpu-oeb ba znaf ntnva yby

What a cute little game!

Also, the rapier was a very fun easter egg to find! 8)

So far, this has been a really interesting experience, and I'm excited to see the full game!

The one gripe that I really have with it is the plant enemies. The rooted status is simply too strong. I've had two separate runs that ended because I essentially got stunlocked in one place by a plant enemy. Even though I had some ranged cards, there wasn't a way to effectively fight back against the plants because they weren't in line of sight.

But, assuming that it isn't a problem in the full game, I have no complaints. This is really cool! =)

itchio randomizer, my beloved. <3

This is a neat little game. I'm just a sucker for that paper-mario-esque aethestic. "2.5D" or "Billboard" iirc. There's something that's just very captivating about the look of that stuff!

This is a neat little experiment! I don't know if it would translate well to any longer format, but I enjoyed the scrabble-like mechanics in this short and sweet little package.

The turbine level is insanely difficult compared to the rest, but overall this game is a very enjoyable eggsperience!

I don't think I can put it into words better than Kitty Horrorshow did. This does feel like some kind of Atari-esque adaptation of a Twilight Zone episode. And it's shorter than one too!

If you're somehow reading this comment and haven't tried this one yet, go do it already!