Amazing game, well crafted I managed to reach the end after several hours. I really loved the narrative and the way you slowly get your suit fixed while you see unreachable parts in rooms as you play to know to go there after the suit upgrades. I am also stunned by how big the game is and how the rooms are reused over and over again to lengthen the game.
I would have added more shortcuts though and indications in the map to where the batteries are (as soon as they have been discovered first) because it was really tiring to traverse through rooms again and again to find them again. Also, the checkpoints were at times annoyingly put in places where if you mistakenly went to a room where you thought there is a battery and there wasn't, now you can't die on purpose to go back, you have to go back room by room again.
But overall it is a great game, it took me 3-4 hours to finish but it kept me playing. There were times I wanted to just save the game and play it some other time (especially when getting tired to find again the batteries i saw at places before).
Your games are absolutely amazing all-around and incredibly well-polished. I am sure if these games were released back in the days they would be amongst the most popular on gameboy. You should feel proud of yourself, the games are really top class. So glad I found you!
I would like to thank everyone for your many valuable comments in the section and your constructive feedback!
As some of you stated, to widen tactics and strategies to win, the weaker pieces should be buffed, while also several people mentioned to add a button to validate piece selection to not have to wait the timer to end every time.
So, that creates the first update of the game, which will be released just after the jam ends:
[UPDATE v1.1.0 -to be released just after the jam ends-]:
UI:
- Addition of a "Ready" button to validate piece selection - Fix the cauldron bug
Gameplay tweaks:
Pawn - It cannot die from The Jester - If it survives a duel, it will be promoted to a Queen ["Queen Promotion"special move]
Knight - The first time a knight is used in a duel, regardless of the duel's outcome, it will also take down a random opponent piece from their team. ["Fork" special move] (used only once in the game by each player)
Bishop - If a bishop loses the duel while having another bishop in the team: Destroy the opponent's piece as well. ["Double Fianchetto" special move]
These gameplay tweaks should make the strategies more exciting and the kings more vulnerable, in order to increase tension.
Thank you again for your constructive feedback, and keep it coming -it means a lot-!
These are some great and creative ideas, thank you!! I will definitely take them into consideration. Yes, the key is to add counterplay from the weaker pieces through special behaviour. Perhaps the special moves can be in the context of the actual special moves in real chess. Like the fork move as you said of the knight, or the pawn could be promoted/turned into a queen if it successfully survives a duel. Also, the first time a pawn is used it can have some more power (just like in real chess when it moves 2 squares) - or perhaps a "en passant" like special move. Really appreciate your input!
Thank you for your feedback! That's great advice, yes I will add some more mechanics to make weaker pieces have more value during battle. The pawn is already the best option to counter the Jester to take the minimum damage, but as you said it should have some more strength.
Thank you for your feedback. This game is build to scale and in the future is going to receive updates with increased opponent difficulty based on an elo system, to not allow the same strategies to be used all the time. For now, picking your strongest piece early will probably win you pieces but doing it all the time will also risk losing your strongest pieces and king power (for example the best way to counter a jester is with a pawn), losing quickly your rook, jester or even losing the game if you use your king repeatedly from the beginning.
Regarding the theme, it relates to the aspect of rounds and duelling again and again doing the same thing (just picking a piece) in order to win.
This game is very enjoyable!! Nice idea, try beating your clones on each lap! Also really good visuals and the game itself is nicely polished. Great job!
The fact that you thought to make a game about tieing your shoes and you did it so perfectly it amazed me. That was creative AF! When I managed to do the first knots, I laughed at how much I struggled to do it compared to how quickly I do it in real life. And the fact that there is a walking test in the end is unbelievable. Hands down the most creative idea in a game I played so far in this jam!
Whoa, that was some deep storytelling! When I first left Everjoy I was a bit disappointed that the game ended too fast, but when I played again and reached the actual ending it was so fulfilling. Amazing storytelling, I got sucked into the story. Well done!
Whoa! Didn't expect that ending. That was creative and... brutal! After the new arrival I was like "Ohhhhh!" and was eager to know how it was going to end up. Great job! It took me some game restarts though as I found my self stuck after some decisions.
This game was pure enjoyment! The ghost mechanic was an interesting concept, but to be honest, after a while I wanted more challenge and preferred to play without it.
Fantastic job! Fits the theme perfectly! Everything was solid (idea, gameplay, artwork, music) and the game was full of life. The puzzles keep your mind busy constantly, and the time limit is accurately put to sustain the gameplay.
Thank you for this detailed review! Yes, as you said, the elo system will help build recognizable patterns on each difficulty to value more the ability to predict the opponent's strategies.
