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Hey! Thanks so much for trying the game and leaving your thoughts! 

The truly sad part is that almost all of the suggestions you gave were actually planned for the game but had to be cut due to time (why cruel world!? 😭)

The game originally was supposed to have a much more engaging combat system. The clicking combat definitely turns the boss into a bit of a bullet sponge which is not at all what was originally planned. It was actually meant to have rogue-lite elements where you spend the gold after defeating a boss for different weapons, abilities, and upgrades.

Although probably not communicated enough, you can save your gold you earn. After defeating a boss and collecting the mythical meals, you have to return to your home by pressing 'T' and sell them at the laptop by pressing 'Enter'. The game automatically saves your gold amount when you do this even after exiting and coming back to the game. However, if you die in combat your gold score is reset to zero.

The boss was supposed to have a lot more abilities. In fact, I was going to allow more than 3 abilities for the boss per boss fight which would help increase the difficulty and allow more variation. Also, multiple different looking skins for the boss were also planned but didn't make it in time.

I suppose I was too ambitious for only a week's worth of work when I was the only programmer, artist, animator, sound designer, and writer. 😅 But the foundation definitely turned out well and gave me hope to expand in the future. Also, the music by Levi Q. Bridge was fantastic and set the mood perfectly for every area of the game. Definitely glad for his help in that area!

Thank you so much for the critique! It definitely means more than you realize!

(P. S.  - I hadn't even thought about letting the player skip the boss intro; for sure a quality of life improvement that would help immensely for longer play sessions!)

Thanks again! 😊 

Hey! Thanks for playing the game and leaving a comment!

Yes, the flying ability is definitely tedious and over powered. Also annoying if the boss uses it multiple times in a row. Thank you for struggling through that! 😂 

Thank you for the encouragement as well, it was definitely planned as a bigger game and most of the time was spent simply building the foundation to add more content. Perhaps one day I'll turn it into a full game!

Thank again!

Thank you for playing the game!

Yes, you're absolutely right. I definitely would've liked more time to add some various effects and introduce the player to mechanics.

This seems to be a common critique that others have also mentioned. The combat was planned on being more engaging with more feedback and weapons as well as having the infinite jump locked behind an upgrade, however time got away from me (Why cruel world?! 😭 😂)

Also, yes the teleportation probably should have been reiterated somewhere (maybe at the main menu along with the other controls or via an onscreen hint for the first time until used🤔) so that players clearly know what to do.

I very much appreciate the feedback, it means a ton and definitely allows me to learn! I had a blast developing the game/story and I definitely agree the music was fantastic all thanks to Levi Q Bridge! I just wish I had more time 😂. Maybe I'll keep developing it in the future!

Thanks again! 😊 

First off, thank you for playing the game and leaving the review. It's so important to me and definitely helps me learn!

Yes, his health definitely ends up turning him into a sort of bullet sponge. I was hoping the rogue-lite elements I was planning to add would allow more unique interaction with the boss by adding different move sets and weapons as well as upgrading your damage and own HP, but the jam's timeline got the best of me and I wasn't able to add them. (Still kicking myself for that! 😂)

Also, the writing was definitely one of the most fun parts to come up with. I'm glad you liked it! 😊 

Game jam timeline definitely got the best of me, lol. 😂 

Thank you again for playing it and the feedback.

It means a lot!

Thank you! Yes, scope creep got the best of me and I only ended up finishing the foundation. Thank you for playing it!

Thanks so much, that really means a lot! Definitely was planned way over scoped for this game jam and would probably make a better game as a full release. Thank you again for playing it and the encouragement! 🙂 

Hey, thank you so much for playing and for the comment! It means the world to me!

This is an accurate play through. Most of the game was built as a foundation with much more planned for player abilities, upgrades, and attacks upgraded in a rogue lite manner but I ran out of time (Sorry! 😟).

 The glyphs each represent a different boss ability when rolled, this allows for each boss fought to have different combinations of abilities ensuring battles are not all the same. (Ended up with 7 unique boss abilities due to time, but the game was built with modularity in mind so adding more is super easy. For instance, I was able to add 4 just in the time crunch on the last day of development while mainly focusing on other things that day.) 

As far as the gold, after grabbing the food that drops in the middle of the dungeon after beating the boss, and you've returned to the wheel room, you can press 'T' to teleport back to your home and sell the food by pressing "Enter" next to the laptop. (The old chef mentions this in one of his dialogue lines, but maybe I should have repeated this again elsewhere, sorry for that)

Also, the gold amount is actually saved, so you can exit the game and come back with your save later. However, if you die during the boss your gold is reset to zero. So, the game's goal ended up having to be a high score for gold in arcade style.

Thanks again for playing, and I hope this response helps clear some things up! ( I guess I need to get better at instructing the player on game mechanics in my games 😂)

Very fun game. I loved the spell cast mechanic when I got used to it! Very cool how your skill in the game is tied to practice with the game. I could definitely see this game concept expanded into a full game. Great job!

Great game! The online multiplayer mode really made it fantastic! Super addictive!

Good game! Fantastic gameplay and could definitely see this as a larger game if given the time and opportunity. Good job all around!

Hey! Fun game, I especially liked the rhythm game (although I wasn't extremely good at it, lol) Also the ball tilt maze was fun. Perhaps adding an option to increase tilt speed would be a nice quality of life addition. Good job getting it done for the jam!

Yes, that's valid. Most of the game was built as a foundation with much more planned for player abilities, upgrades, and attacks (just ran out of time). So, it turned into a bullet sponge attack system via clicking when aiming at the boss.

 The glyphs each represent a different boss ability when rolled, this allows for each boss fought to have different combinations of abilities ensuring battles are not all the same. (Ended up with 7 unique boss abilities due to time, but the game was built with modularity in mind so adding more is super easy. For instance, I was able to add 4 just in the time crunch on the last day of development while mainly focusing on other things that day.)

Thanks so much for playing the game, it means a ton to me! 😊 

Hey! I just tried, reviewed, and rated your game and really enjoyed it. Great job working on it!

If you'd like to try mine, here's the link:

https://itch.io/jam/theveryseriousjuniperdevgamejam/rate/4707233

Fun game! Great use of the theme, and a nice "spin" on Russian Roulette.

Will definitely review yours. 

Would love to have you try ours, thanks!

https://itch.io/jam/theveryseriousjuniperdevgamejam/rate/4707233

Just played it; great game! I think it has tons of potential.

I'd love to hear what you think of mine.

Rate Dungeon Boss - The Wheel of Seriousness by PeculiarProgrammer, LeviQBridgeMusic for The Very Serious Juniper Dev Game Jam - itch.io

Okay, seriously well-made game. I could see this as a product someday if fleshed out with even more content. Great job. I definitely enjoyed my playthrough!

Hey, great game! If you'd like to try mine, here's the link!

Rate Dungeon Boss - The Wheel of Seriousness by PeculiarProgrammer, LeviQBridgeMusic for The Very Serious Juniper Dev Game Jam - itch.io

I would love seeing that!

Good game! I love the simple premise! It has a very addictive gameplay that captured my attention for much longer than I was planning. LOL! Fantastic use of the jam theme, keep that windmill spinning! I can see how this could be even bigger with expanded scope/content if given more time. Maybe you could update or release a newer version in the future with more of the originally planned content? I for one would definitely love to see that! Good job all around!

Man! I really like this game! Fantastic job on your first game together. Even though it is simple, the whole game just feels very cozy in a world building kind of way. The sound design is done very well in the way it's tied into the gameplay. Speaking of gameplay, it's just challenging enough that you have to stay on edge in order to protect your mecha. Very good use of the theme with the main mechanism being a spinning valve. All around, a very fun game. Good Job!

Good concept! I like the idea and good use of the theme by spinning the clock.

Very serious game. I would have liked more tie in with the jam's theme, but it is very ambitious for the amount of time for the game jam. Good job!

Hey, I very much enjoyed the game! Definitely reminiscent of the early FPS games such as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, which is a great aesthetic that I appreciate. The game was fun and fast pace, and the theme was put to good use too by allowing me to "spin" all those trolls! Thanks for a fun little game!

I like the concept; it is a very good use of the jam's theme. I also like the Retro 3d aesthetic.

Hey! Great submission! I very much enjoyed the gameplay and found it to be quite addictive. Could definitely see this being expanded upon if given more time. Very fun! I also liked the use of the theme with how the character must spin in order to move in the right direction and the spindles needing to spin in order to open the doors.