Started my day watching your playthrough and seeing your progress and perseverance to finish was amazing!
You revealed some flaws the game has and also an objective bug as well (when you exited right away to avoid combat).
On one part of the vid, immediately I was like "YES!" when you had an epiphany during the boss fight.
(You stayed in the air by resetting attacks with the dash.)

For another Quick Tip: Dash has a short invulnerable time window.

But yeah, overall I enjoyed the video, commentary & of course the cool playthrough & strategy.
Thank you so much for taking interest in Gyzer Zero!
P.S. sorry about the flame throwers being invulnerable 😂 so I might need to reconsider that.

Thanks for the in-depth comment! You have an interesting take on the game & would definitely take it into consideration. 😊

I did feel that the enemy HP is a bit high, but I did find it necessary if players want to string various combos in a character action game. In fact in this game, if you do juggle the enemies long in the air, you'd be able to eliminate them in a quick fashion. Especially if you utilize air combos & bring it all down with a continuous dive attack damage. But yeah, I agree that the game just needs a combat tutorial or maybe a difficulty selection. For now I heavily rely on player's creativity at this stage of development as I would make changes/additional mechanics to combat.

Probably some tips if you choose to retry:

• Red Ether bonds to the enemy, signified by a gauge above their head, which fills up when you attack them. When full, it allows you to pull them in.
• For minimalistic UI, the enemy HP only shows up when you lock-on to them (MMB).
• There's a strategy to the activation of checkpoint fountains if you want to speedrun the game.
• There's a hidden attack/move, the "Jump Cancel" which you can do during an incantation move (signified by the red rune/rings). Useful way to air juggle, break-off the monotonous combos & of course dodge.

This is really a passion project of mine & having your comment is truly helpful in the development of Xekureat. Definitely watch out for more as I have ideas for better exploration/level design, unique robes you can find & equip, multiple enemy types, boss battles & of course a short but engaging story.

Thank you! I'm already planning on things to add & fix, as well as adding support for mobile browser. Come check it out again once it's out. 😄

I really like looking at the artwork, feels really relaxing, except when I turn on doom mode haha...
Anyway, I enjoyed tinkering and figuring how to play the game, but so far I'm not sure if there's a win state... Is there?

A delight to play! Worldbuilding and gameplay are the highlights of this game. The puzzles were good enough to make the mind think and I appreciate that it wasn't a chore or annoying to do. Nice to have those cutscenes and a good bit of drama, so very well done guys!

I had a great time! Felt like a soulslike adventure but without the frustrating risk of losing resources. The upgrade screen seems broken though, as it doesn't update when I press the buttons. But it updates once I leave an area or I respawn from death. Also might be nice if there was an indicator or a clue what a powercell is, as I got confused and associated the blue pickup item as the energy and battery. Other than that, the game is just fun!

You got some fun factor to it! Maybe needs a bit of storytelling and why we shoot or collect bubbles. Other than that, it's smooth to play, no issues whatsoever. Enjoyment and challenge are balanced. Plus game can be finished, which I greatly appreciate in a jam game. Good job!

Very clean, simple and relaxing puzzle game, almost felt like a rubik's cube to play with, cool indeed!

I like the mechanic of the directional socket a lot, it has some great gameplay potential!
I also appreciate the story and conversations, it's a short, sweet and charming adventure.
But here are some things that can be improved:
-Maybe instead of arrow keys, the WASD control can be used. Because I realize Sprocky changes to the + shape whenever jumping or falling, so probably let the player move the socket direction via WASD when airborne, making it more simple to use. While when grounded, user can press S, to interact with objects.
-Also, the "E" button can be used for interact as well, as it seems the more general control for that. It's also easier to press when skipping dialogue.
-The difficulty curve got a bit high at the start, so maybe ease that a bit.
-and lastly, the main dialogue text content can be a brighter color or white, for more readability.
I hope this helps!

So yeah, experience was solid, no bugs whatsoever, great work overall!

Ah yes, the features were incomplete, but I already have the animations just lying around. I just got sucked into asset creation and other stuff and ran out of time and even energy. I'm happy of the output still.
And the cinematics didn't take me that long to create actually, I think playtesting was the culprit, I fooled around the map when the hero was finally able to move, couldn't help myself to just play... But yeah, I'll definitely add the grappling feature soon, it'll be like Batman in the Arkham games. Anyway, greatly appreciate the video, this will help a lot. 😃

I like it, controls were smooth, grappling physics were nice. Mechanics and controls were explained clearly. Not a big deal but the camera movement when pressing down can come faster, more snappy. This will enable the player to quickly plan their next move. Or better yet, the camera moves based on player position and aim position.
Btw, I found this after I died at the 2nd room/level.
Might have happened during respawn, but not sure...


But yeah, the game is pretty solid, so definitely a great job! Also I love that your game reminds me of Horizon Zero, where you can shoot the Tramplers with tripwires, did you get inspired by that? 😄

Pretty whacky idea, risking his life for internet haha. Nice unique use of theme as well! I like the graphics and level varieties. Couldn't pass the third stage though. As for the physics, they felt fair and almost realistic. I kept doing wheelies when it comes to slopes, and I was very happy that double spins was even possible, which felt amazing!
Aside from that, maybe turn down the character explosion effect as it was turning into some kind of jumpscare. A slow-mo might reduce that effect.
But overall I enjoyed this game a lot, so great job!

I love the exploration, especially finding the hidden relics. However it was a bit hard when it comes to the linking of the flames. If there could be a way to see from a distance, or a hint that the player is aiming close to the brazier that would make it much better. Other than that this is a well balanced entry! Great work!

I see, the current color swap could still work though. They just need to have some distance to the other color orbs when they spawn.
In my experience with the game, they appear on top of each other so it was hard for me to get to the color I want to be in.
As for the bullets, most shmups make use of white dots with colored thick outlines (like hot bright plasma orbs) maybe that can help. 😄

Unique and appealing visuals, and loving the phone menu. I believe you made a charging station? Sadly I couldn't find it... I desperately needed it as the cultists were so overwhelming lol. I'd like to be able to finish the game, just need the help as I couldn't figure out what door or how different the door should be. Got any hints?

I had a great time! More people should try this, highly recommended!

Nice hypercasual game, I love the effect of connecting the dots especially! I could see this as a puzzle of a Resident Evil game or something like that. 😁 Good work!

Actually a really cool presentation, simple and very clear.
Plus the animation of plugging the head was already satisfying! I'd play it just for that lol.
But seriously, great job on this, you did well despite being sick. Get well buddy!

Nice and beautiful visuals, there were some slow downs to performance, not sure what's causing it though... Probably in the shaders? mesh count? Anyhow, this is actually a good start to work on, you've got the assets already, making the levels should be easy now, but you got to fix the character collision with the sphere/orb first. So definitely work on this more, it'll help on your game dev adventure! 😊

I really like the theme, visuals and action gameplay of your entry, however it suffers from being flooded by effects making it hard to tell what's going on the screen, especially at the higher levels.
To solve it maybe make them less bigger or less brighter.

Also might be nicer if there's a dedicated button for certain actions like dodging/dashing or shooting to give the player more control, making it very clear what moves they're doing.

But aside from the things above, it's definitely a fun game with creative concept! You have talent for action games, keep it going! 😄

Very atmospheric/immersive vibe for a simple shmup, which I quite enjoyed. SFX really gave a big positive impact in my opinion. The progression could be streamlined a bit so it doesn't get overwhelming at the beginning. Also probably make the bullet color swapping in the control of the player (just like weapon swap in most games). Plus maybe make enemy bullets more prominent as I didn't even know what hit me lol. But man, this is interesting and solid game all in all. Keep it up!

Satisfying mechanic, especially when your hit "connects". Love the part where the minions spawn one by one, that was perfect! But maybe it would be better if there's a line/arrow showing where the player's attack is gonna go, just for quality of life.
Also the 5th stage/boss was too hard for me to finish, I believe frustration was the word 😅. Probably there can be a way the moves can be anticipated more fairly. I'm sure, with time, you can only make this better!
Overall, great job on this, contains huge potential, could even be made for mobile.
Thanks for the experience. 👍

Immersed me right away, I always look for that in games! Nice work guys!

I really like the wire mechanic, so satisfying to use! Good job!

Hi Rostiger, I was rewatching your playthrough and still makes me smile to see your reactions in the game.  The "house of the rising sun" jest cracked me up! 😂
Well the game is now complete and would love to see your take on it again if your interested. Check it out anytime you like! Again, thanks and cheers! Peter 😄

Wow! Thanks for the video, really funny reaction at the death part. 😂
I've improved and added new stuff in the game and excited to share it by next year.
Thanks again for trying out this version. 😄

Oh noes! The rating for the jam is over and haven't rated this in time, my apologies! But here is what I have to say...

This is a really well-built game! Lots of interactions, decision-making and a streamlined progression. I can see the amount of work that's been put here. I think you nailed the experience you wanted to give.
Great job! Only stuff I can ask for is the top text/subs to have a little bit more space from the edge of the screen and also for the sprint to work while strafing. Also found a trigger that doesn't go away once completed at the HR, maybe check on that as well.

P.S.
In my run I ate some doge food and found a lost turnip haha.

I like the setting, sounds and theme. However the gameplay and controls took me some time getting used to. Maybe remove the forward movement when pressing space and make it work like a flappy bird mechanic or just make the crow fly in-place. Then press left or right to start accelerating towards that desired direction. When released, the crow decelerates. Also maybe add life-steal to the attack, the red claw effect really made me think of life-steal. So I think your game has an interesting concept and I can see the fun, but needs a bit more polish to gameplay.

Definitely agree with others, as I felt the dread as well, great job! Impressive transitions and smooth controls too. Didn't need the jump, but it was nice to play around with. Just need optimizing on some laggy areas as I felt a little bit of motion sickness. But other than that this is nice work!

I see, maybe look into something like Metal Gear Rising, whenever there's a dialogue sequence, the main character is limited only to idle and walk state.

Good use of sound, really immersed me in the game. Also impressive trickery with the cabinet, I tried to find any seams, but couldn't find any, well done! The chase was effective and legitimately scared me. But then I got curious and tried the lose scenario which then I found myself a horrifying but also intriguing creature. Overall this is a nice solid experience. One thing I could ask for is the sprint button to be available right away but maybe just jogging speed at the beginning. :)

Thanks so much! That's very nice of you :)

Will definitely finish the game some time soon, excited to continue the story.

The initial plan was to build up that tension/threat in the forest, but yeah sadly had to remove the work I did due to lack of programming time. Thanks for checking out the game, I'll try your game a bit later. :D

Thanks for the feedback, this is useful info. Will keep this in mind. :)

Thank you! That's interesting, I haven't looked up the rake creature until today, they're very similar indeed. Originally the creature in this game was inspired by the engineers from the movie Prometheus, found them very intimidating just like Resident Evil's Mr. X.

Was it the warehouse that's scary? I always find abandoned warehouses kinda creepy, specially at night. Feels like they're out of place for some reason. Anyway, the official story does not end there yet. In this version I had to cut it due to lack of time, but I'm happy you still had a nice time. :D

Thanks! Definitely put most of the time to develop the art, animation and setting, really wanted to put out the vision I've been having for this game. Glad you enjoyed it! :D

Somehow I couldn't progress through the game. I read the hint in the game page and tried multiple times but I still couldn't figure it out. I also fell out of the map near the door in the foggy basement, which btw is too much fog. You'll also notice if you move near the wall, the fog will disappear. Other things I noticed are the mouse cursor being gone in the main menu after triggering game over.

It's a nice concept, and the hiding mechanic does give the game legit tension, but definitely needs more development time.