itch.io

Good game.

Some minor criticism:

-On the 2nd map, the lowest 2 tiles are blocked by the menu such that you can't click them to move units there (maybe using fullscreen fixes this, I didn't try that, but might be worth looking at regardless).

-During the tutorial, I made a scout unit right after creating the surveyor unit, but it still forced me to make another later in the tutorial. Maybe either take into account already existing units for the unit creation tutorial, or don't enable the creation of specific units until that part of the tutorial.

-The final quest broke for me and gave me the win early (the quest said I needed to find the guy with the overmind, and bring a unit that fought it back, but I just fought a random enemy, brought that unit back and got given the win despite never seeing the overmind in that expedition (I did see it during the tutorial after letting the soldier unit go out fighting, so maybe that has something to do with it)).

-On that note, it's frustrating that the tutorial railroads you into sacrificing a unit, since I want to save everyone I can (I get that the point is to show that not everyone can survive, but that unit ended up being the only casualty for my playthrough (even though I got the glitched win, I had enough crystals and barrier health left to train units to capture the overmind without unnecessary deaths)).

Overall as said above, good game.

Kinda fun, though the attacks as well as the enemy moves happen way too quickly so it's hard to keep track of what's happening. Also it's really difficult to tell in what order pieces attack if multiple are targeting one enemy, so that could be clearer. It kinda sucks that you can't cancel a piece's attack without breaking its line of sight as well. Finally, maybe remove the snarky comments in the level quitting menu, no one wants to be berated for using a utility feature.

Ok game, could be better.

I discovered that one too, but it didn't bother me as much since the game didn't force me to interact with the mirror as opposed to the box. It doesn't help that I'm more scared of missing something important than of dying and reloading, so I'm particularly susceptible to this kind of trap cause I neurotically interact with everything possible.
By the way, what are the clay faces? I feel like it's implied there's
fbzrguvat fhcreangheny tbvat ba, naq bhe znva crefba zragvbaf univat znqr bar (V nffhzr gung'f gur fnzr bar gung jnf va gur obk).
Where do they come from? Are they related to
gur 'tehqtrf' bar bs gur grezvanyf zragvbaf?
Them being made of clay reminds me of golems/early religious icons. I like them a lot, they're a really unique concept for a monster.

Anu vg'f pbby, V'z whfg cnenabvq naq jnf rkcrpgvat fbzr fuvggl eht-chyy gjvfg jurer bhe thl fnpevsvprf gurzfrys naq gur onq thl fgvyy jvaf fb vg qbrfa'g znggre. Vg'f whfg n ersyrpgvba bs gur mrvgtrvfg V thrff (gubhtu gurer vf fbzr chfuonpx gb gur geraq bs plavpvfz jvgu gur arj Fhcrezna zbivr/Ybbx Bhgfvqr, vs lbh'ir urneq bs gung tnzr). V whfg jnfa'g rkcrpgvat Nofbyhgr Pvarzn sebz n enaqbz vgpu vb tnzr V pyvpxrq ba bhg bs oberqbz (ab bssrafr).

You're welcome! Another suggestion, I almost stopped playing at the very start after opening the Box That Kills You, since I thought there may be more bullshit deaths like that. Maybe don't hit the player with something like this, it might give the wrong first impression about the game.

Qrsvar 'jbefg'. V whfg jnag zl tevzoevtug 'frys-fnpevsvpr sbe gur tbbq bs gur crbcyr' raqvat. (V trg gur srryvat guvf vfa'g gur xvaq bs tnzr sbe n shyyl tbbq raqvat, V'z cebonoyl abg gur gnetrg nhqvrapr sbe guvf gou nf V qba'g ernyyl rawbl avuvyvfgvp raqvatf, fb qba'g gnxr guvf nf na vffhr ba gur tnzr'f cneg, vg jbhyq whfg or avpr vs bhe yvggyr thl pbhyq znxr n zrnavatshy vzcnpg(nf V fnvq, abg na bowrpgvir snvyvat vs guvf vfa'g gung xvaq bs tnzr, vg'q whfg or n ohzzre sbe zr crefbanyyl.

Just read the hint txt, things make a lot more sense now.

V jnf haqre gur vzcerffvba gung fvzcyl vafregvat gur HFOf vagb gur tngrf jbhyq 'qryvire' gur rkcrevzrag qngn (juvpu V ershfr gb qb orpnhfr qhu), fb V arire tbg gb vagrenpg jvgu gur cbqf va gur svefg cynpr.

V qvq trg gur oyhr rlr, qvqa'g xvyy Abu naq tbg gur bcgvba gb gnxr Rin jvgu zr. V whfg arire bcrarq gur frpbaq qbbe (jryy V qvq bapr juvyr jvgubhg Rin ohg erybnqrq orpnhfr gur rivy ovyyvbanver zna gbyq zr V unq whfg hcybnqrq gur qngn) naq xrcg puvyyvat va gur unyyjnl ybbxvat sbe nabgure jnl gb svavfu gur tnzr.

Just to clarify,
bcravat obgu ynfre tngrf qbrfa'g tvir Pevzrf-ntnvafg-Uhznavgl Wbuafba npprff gb gur erfrnepu sebz gur yno? (Gung'f jung V zrnag jura V fnvq gurer jnf ab jnl gb ershfr (jryy, rkprcg sbe fcraqvat rgreavgl va gur zrng cvg jvgu lbhe qrenatrq inzcver oblsevraq, ohg lrnu.))

That didn't work.
Zl thl whfg fnvq 'Vg'f qrnq' sbe rirel zbafgre. Gevrq jvgu obgu qbbe ybpxrq naq haybpxrq.
Are you sure it isn't broken?

WAIT WHAT?? Does it have to do with
gur pebjone va gur ebbz evtug orsber uvf qrngu? V gevrq cvpxvat gung hc ohg vg whfg gbyq zr gung vg jbhyq fybj zr qbja gbb zhpu/V pbhyqa'g pneel vg.
I guess I'll have to check that section again.

Edit: Figured it out, but it doesn't seem to change anything.
V fnirq uvz naq cynlrq gb gur raq obgu jvgu gur qbbe ybpxrq naq haybpxrq, ohg ur qvqa'g fubj hc ntnva naq V fgvyy whfg raq hc fghpx va gur ebbz jvgu gur ynfre tngr. V'z ubarfgyl fghzcrq. Vf gurer zber V unir gb qb sbe uvz gb fheivir?

Also, lore question:

To what degree did Eva

n) xabj nobhg gur angher bs gur rkcrevzragf gung jrer tbvat ba, naq
o) nccebir bs jung fur xarj bs gur cebwrpg?

Gur qvnybthr qbrfa'g ernyyl znxr vg pyrne jurgure fur xarj nobhg rirelguvat naq bayl ertergf vg abj gung gurer ner pbafrdhraprf, xarj nobhg gur gbegher ohg gubhtug gung vg jnf sbe gur tbbq bs uhznavgl, be qvqa'g xabj gur gehgu ng nyy.

Gur qvnybthr evtug nsgre lbh fnir ure znxrf vg frrz yvxr fur jnf ba obneq jvgu vg guvaxvat vg'q svk ure, ohg gur pbairefngvba jvgu gur grezvany fnlf gung fur qbrfa'g nccebir ng nyy (be bayl vs vg jbhyq fnir nyy bs uhznavgl?).

GY:QE vg'f irel bofpher gb jung qrterr Rin jnf npghnyyl pbzcyvpvg va gur ngebpvgvrf, be vs fur whfg oynzrf urefrys sbe orvat gur erfhyg bs gur rkcrevzrag qrfcvgr univat ab fnl va vg. Guvf vf ernyyl naablvat fvapr gung'f jung gur ragver qrpvfvba jurgure fur qrfreirf erqrzcgvba uvatrf ba. V'q nccerpvngr fbzr pynevsvpngvba ba guvf.

Thanks.

I've played the game almost to the end, but I have some questions (spoilers are written in Caesar cipher with key 13):

Is there an ending except pubbfvat Abu where you
qba'g tvir gur qngn gb gur ovyyvbanver thl?
I feel like the game has been building up to to the choice between
trggvat erfphrq ohg nyybjvat gur uhzna snezvat gb pbagvahr be qrfgeblvat gur erfrnepu ng gur pbfg bs lbhe bja yvsr. V zrna, V pna whfg abg vafreg gur svany HFO naq fgnaq va gur svany ebbz sberire, ohg V'z xvaqn qvfnccbvagrq gung gurer frrzf gb abg or na raqvat sbe ershfvat. (Hayrff V'z zvffvat vg, va juvpu pnfr V jbhyq nccerpvngr n uvag.)

Sorry, but where exactly are the choices? Every time I choose to stay during the memories it just (ROT13 for spoilers)

fnlf "Ohg hasbeghangryl gung'f abg jung unccrarq". Gurer'f ab jnl gb punatr gur cnfg naq fgnl ba Rnegu gung V'ir sbhaq, naq vg nyjnlf raqf va gurer abg orvat n cynarg jura lbh bcra gur fuhggref.

Vs V qvqa'g zvff fbzrguvat (juvpu V qba'g guvax V qvq, fvapr V jrag onpx zhygvcyr gvzrf gb grfg vs pubbfvat qvssreragyl punatrf nalguvat), gur cneg va gur qrfpevcgvba nobhg znxvat pubvprf naq qrpvqvat ubj gur fgbel raqf vf whfg fgenvtug hc snyfr.

Hayrff guvf vf na nonaqbarq hasvavfurq qrzb, guvf jubyr guvat vf whfg envyebnqrq zvfrel c--a qvfthvfrq nf n plbn.

TL:DR gave this game a chance out of boredom and got reminded why I don't play this kind of game.

This position can be reached via

n qvfpbirerq nggnpx ol gur ebbx pbzvat sebz o2. vs gur ebbx vf ba u3, ur pna'g unir zbirq guebhtu gur xvat sebz p3 gb tvir gung qvfpbirerq nggnpx.

Holy hell, called it. So it was an unintended side effect rather than a deliberate troll?

I encountered the beacon fleet ~3 systems from the end point of the demo, beat it by quickly rushing the beacon before it could raise too many reinforcements, and then the game offered it to me in the salvage window after the fight.

Of course I took it since it seemed like a unique one-off ship, and I like collecting things I'm not supposed to have in games. Then I started thinking about it, and realized how OP it would be if the beacon gave me unlimited free ships, to the point that it would trivialize the entire run, so then suspicions started to arise regarding whether this was a troll, so I decided to write my comment, and shelve it until I could confirm it's safe.

Unfortunately I finished my run that same day before ever trying it (or fortunately I guess, since it would have probably wiped out my entire fleet if I did).

As for functionality, maybe have it act as a command/control system, and give the player +2 or 3 fleet cap if it's in their setup (if that's possible within the limits of the code), so that you can have more ships in the battle, but at the risk of losing the beacon. This would give players a reason to use the ship without turning it into just another standard piece. Maybe later in the game you could get the option to add some movement and defensive/offensive capabilities to it, but it shouldn't turn into a fighting vessel imo, so that it retains its unique character.

Alternatively, it could work like that one upgrade (I don't remember the name) that gives you a free ship before every battle, with the lore explanation being that you use it to lure lone SMI ships and hijack them. (Though this may already be too OP for never having to risk the beacon, and since it's a ship, I would prefer having to actually field it to reap its benefits. Maybe have it give you a free ship after a battle only if it was on the board.)

Finally, you could just leave it as is, since it is rare, and it would reward the player for paying attention to the story, though then the lore text should hint more at it still being a threat, so that people who aren't riddled with paranoia like me don't get unfairly punished. (Also, this option would be kinda boring imo, since it would turn a unique ship into just an 80 credits-button as soon as you know about it.)

All in all, I had a lot of fun playing. I am generally not a roguelike person, but I'll be looking forward to seeing how this game evolves. :)

Hi, question: how exactly does the beacon ship work? Does it do the same thing for me that it did for the enemy? I just captured one and am unsure whether to keep or sell it.

Summoning an additional ship every turn for free seems incredibly broken, to the point that I'm paranoid about whether it's a trick (since the lore text says it summons SMI ships, so a mean dev might have it keep spawning ships for the enemy).

Also, if it's not a trick, it has to be balanced in some other way the game isn't telling me, right?

Edit: Completed the demo without even using it, I thought the game would last longer.

Upgrade sword and armor as much as you can, and try to enter the fight with 3 extra lives. Fight normally until you go down, then use your invincibility to charge and stunlock him. He has to make distance to use his charge attack, so stay close and keep hitting him with your sword. Also, don't be afraid to reset if you die to get back your lives. The spear guy is by far the hardest boss in the game because your character is still very  weak, but with a bit of luck it's doable.

I've discovered a bug/exploit. If you quit out of a level whilst you're downed, and re-enter, enemies will not spawn. This lets you just walk through the level without any trouble. It doesn't work on boss stages though since it causes the boss fight to not trigger and you to get softlocked. You can make enemies spawn again by reloading the page and continuing from there.

The feedback form glitched out for me so I'll add my feedback here.

1. The timer definitely has to be reworked, the short time makes it way too hectic with no time to actually strategize, especially late in the game when you have a lot of ships. I'd suggest instead of having 1 minute flat every turn, have 1 minute be the baseline, and add 30s per ship/planet you control.

2. I disagree with @Squonk about the game being a 'spamfest'. You actually have to consider which ship types to build and where to deploy them if you want to win efficiently. I don't know how they played the game, but randomly spamming ships would get you overrun by level 3 when the enemy starts getting a headstart.

3. I like the rock-paper-scissors system of the game a lot, but it was difficult to remember what beats what at times. I'd suggest adding a diagram that shows the ship triangle on screen rather than only showing what a specific clicked ship is strong/weak against.

4. Attacking/moving in general and the attack/move order specifically need to be explained better. I only found out after beating the game from the comments that moving exclusively happens after attacking. I'd suggest having a dedicated tutorial level, or a section in the menu where the player can read all the info about each game mechanic.

All in all the game has a lot of potential and it would definitely be cool to see it improved.

I FINALLY MANAGED TO SAVE ALL THE CIVILIANS!!!

Cool game. One thing though, please make the mouse sensitivity slider carry over from level to level. Having to set it manually every level is kinda annoying.

Gameplay aside, the lore aspect of there being a galactic council that votes whether they exterminate a species is terrifying. Good thing they're not that far ahead of humanity tech-wise, or this would be a straight-up horror game. Cool game!

Really tho

The hitboxes and responses to input are pretty scuffed. Cool concept but kinda unpolished.

As a German, fuck you. Hitler isn't some kind of Joker-esque sad antihero who is evil because he had a rough childhood or whatever. Real life doesn't work that way. Besides, no amount of Tragic Backstory™ could justify his actions.

Everyone wants glory for their country, but if your idea of glory is to exterminate minorities and subjugate other nations, there's something seriously wrong with you, as was with Hitler.

Hitler didn't 'fight' in World War I, he was just a courier. You can be in love with your country without relating to literal Hitler through it. If you truly loved Germany you wouldn't defend the man who plunged it into the worst war in the history of mankind.

If you are in fact German as you claim, you should know better. Also, regardless of your country of birth, you should do better.

By the way, no war is 'great'.

What the hell

Good game. Short and sweet but very interesting.

I first got the Reunite ending because I didn't notice the flower.

When Suzanne first mentioned the similarity between Evelyn and Eva I had the theory that Eva was a lost loved one of Suzanne and all of it was in her mind. Because of that I also thought that the Ghost ending meant that Evelyn was an actual ghost, instead of referring to ghosting. Oops.

So, is the Elope ending canon? If so, here's my interpretation of the lore:

• Suzanne has gained her supernatural powers in the wake of her car accident, but needs the flower to use them, perhaps as a focus. She is still very inexperienced with it, so using it too frequently strains her body/mind and causes harm to her. She is apparently very attached to the memory of Eva, though perhaps unconsciously.
• Evelyn knows about her own power but can't control it. Her appearance seems to reflect the thoughts of people around her, causing them to see her as whatever they expect to see. The change in appearance has to be either physical or at least consistent for people in her vicinity, given that she's worried about eavesdroppers, but not about people seeing her as someone different. It's unclear how the source of the reflection is determined, though the person being reflected has to be physically present, indicated by Evelyn's inability to post pictures before meeting Suzanne, showing that the power doesn't work remotely. It could be that Suzanne's focus on Eva is simply the strongest influence, though since they're on a date, perhaps Evelyn's feelings for, or focus on Suzanne cause her to catch and reflect her mental projection, opening the possibility of Evelyn learning to control her powers in the future.
She also knows that other powers are out there, but didn't know that Suzanne had one until she suggested the Paranoia Princess book. She seems to know more about powers in general than Suzanne, having potentially met mind readers before, hence why she understands how Suzanne's mind reading works so quickly, and is more careful not to draw attention to herself.

• Eva seems to be in some way important to Suzanne, perhaps as a (possibly tragic) former love. It could be that they lost touch because of the car accident. There isn't really a lot here, other than that Suzanne most likely has a lot of unresolved feelings towards her.

In the end, after Suzanne opens up about her accident, Evelyn seems to notice someone watching them and they flee, possibly to go into hiding together or for Evelyn to teach Suzanne more about powers.

Sorry for the wall of text. Feel free to confirm, or correct if I've gotten something wrong or missed anything. Great game.

Great game. I'm happy that the wholesome ending is canon, though after that I'd like to have a word with those village elders...

I absolutely yell cat

gæ

funny

I feel like there might be other factors involved as well idk

The demons give better relationship advice than my therapist 10/10

10/10 would crab again

Yes sheriff this comment right here

Good Game

HUH

Visibility slowly decreases while I'm hidden but instantly jumps back to where it was as soon as I return to normal space. Otherwise a really cool game.

This is what going into the kitchen for a snack at 2am feels like.