itch.io

Thanks! Yes, it's still not as simple as that, for several reasons. First, a long touch for every chant would make the gameplay pretty awkward. Also I'm planning to add  distinct buttons for mobile.

Still, the problem with mobile is not just the controls (I'd release it for mobile in 15 minutes if that were the case). But the game freezes on the title screen, so I have to take my time and investigate what's going on, maybe preloading resources, maybe some audio file is too big... anyways, I have to investigate a bit more, unfortunately it's not only the controls.

Stil, thanks for sharing!

That was a beautiful game. I liked it, I don't know if it only has 2 stages, because I completed both and there were some more drawings left but I didn't get the option to go to a third isle.

Still super chill, loved the ambience sounds, the visuals, it reminded me of "Three robots" (from the series Love, Death & Robots). However I have to point out that the sound of activating the camera is way too loud, the sounds are super chill, the birds, the waves, the slow walking make it for a super chill and relaxing ambience, but the sound of the camera just shatters it all. I'd change that for a soft shutter sound or something like that. And I'd also remove the godot logo, it breaks the immersion so much for me, you have a beautiful setup, you made a visually stunning game but that logo there makes it look like a tech demo... I don't know, it's just not for me sorry! (I'd argue that people should stop using the godot logo as a mascot or easter egg tbh, but that's just my opinion).

In any case I see this being build upon, maybe more photos in the same isle, more elements, more isles, maybe random events, like a strange fish the size of a dolphin or even a whale jumping off the water and you have to capture the moment, or birds going through something and you have to time it to get the most of that scene, maybe with ratings so if you take the picture without the birds or without the perfect timing you get 3 stars and if you capture the moment perfectly you get 5 stars.

In any case, I see future in this, people need relaxing games and you've already achieved something visually impressive I wanted to keep playing, I wish I could explore more paths, with caverns and fireflies or night scenes with stars and comets and that you have to capture a comet as it passes over a pointy rock or something like that. Anyways, I loved it, good job! Are you planning on continuing the game after the jam?

Hi, I'm glad you liked it, Thanks for playing! I also loved your game, great job!

Hi! Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, the menu issue is easy to fix, I'm adding it to the backlog. I'm also hoping to turn it into a full game after the jam. I'm working on it right now.

Thanks for playing it, I'm glad you liked it!

Hi!

Thanks for playing. Yes, the blurry text has already been fixed. It gets solved with subviewports and camera zoom for the main scene. So the next update won't have blurry text.

I'm glad you liked the ambience, thanks for playing!!

I am SO BAD at these games. I don't know what they're called, but I've seen a few in this jam.

For instance, a poet without readers comes... so I choose humility and sorrow and he's like "dude, WTH is this mask??" haha, I seriously suck at these games, I wish I could be better so I can enjoy them more.

The art is... OMG, so beautiful, I remember like a queen so beautifully done,  All the characters, the environment, clearly you're a talented artist. Good job on this one!

Thanks a lot! I'm so glad people enjoy my game. About the sound, I'm not even a sound designer really, here's how I achieved some of the audio if you’d like to peek behind the curtain :-)

I'm glad you liked it, thanks for playing!

Thanks for the feedback!

The very first sentence you see when the level loads explains that you chant with right click, but it's ok, it serves me as a reminder that some people (myself included sometimes) skip the tutorial and want to jump right into the action. And that's ok, I'm not complaining, I just have to take this into account and adapt it to the player's behavior and convey the information in a way that is not as invasive for them. I'm redesigning the tutorial because I'm getting comments of people that either skip it or find it a bit overwhelming at first.

In any case, I'm glad you could go past that and enjoy the game. Thanks for playing!!

That's super cool for your first project, congrats!! Step by step, we all started there, don't worry. Good job so far, keep it up!

I haven't really thought about it. Now that you bring it up, generally, survivors-like don't go for precision or skill (like aiming, shooting, timing, etc...) they're more relaxed games that can basically be beaten with WASD only. What I've seen in Costume Crash is that the attacks are mainly directional. For those kind of attacks I'm sure you know, survivors-like mostly aim automatically at the first enemy that comes in range and auto-attack. So... I don't know what to tell you, I didn't see any huge benefit of having them being manual really. You just have to ask yourself why. Is there a reason it would make the game better if they're manual? Are you expecting aim and fire skills and accuracy from the player or you want them to have a casual session after school/work? It's a design choice that unfortunately I can't help you with, it all depends on what you want from the game to be. But it's a big one, it can make or break the game.

If I had to decide, seeing that Costume Crash goes for for a friendly casual halloween aesthetic, I'd make them auto. But that's just my opinion really, it's all up to you. Hope it helps. Good luck with that!

Thanks for your support! I'm already working through the backlog, so I'll have news about the game soon.

Hi. It would help if you could please add some screenshots and if possible, the web version. Thanks!

This is an AMAZING auto battler! Why haven't I seen this before? There's a lot to unpack here, the different characters, the halloween theme, the way you can customize your own mask adding different powerups by just sticking them to the face, the art style, the stats, the boosts, the tech tree... that was A LOT for a game jam game, good job!

I'd polish the UI a bit and make it a full released game. Keep in mind you can enlist your game for the halloween sale! This is a cool halloween game to get for a few bucks. I'd give it a try if I were you. Good luck!

Thanks for the kind words, they mean a lot, every comment motivates me to keep working on the project. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for playing!

Hi! Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, the followers button will be centered in the next update to make it more clear, I already added it to the backlog.

Thanks for playing! I'm glad you liked it!

Nice game, well presented, intuitive, almost no need for instructions, everything felt natural. Great entry!

That was AMAZING!!! I loved it. It’s like Papers, Please with a twist, kind of a Men in Black vibe, and it’s so funny! The space dust with “human” on their ID and wearing fake glasses and mustache, hilarious! Great art, good music, overall a fantastic entry for this jam. Great job!

That was pretty good, I liked it! My only issue is that I had to read other comments to know that I could run. You don't need to make a tutorial, just edit the game description and add what you need to add. That would help a lot.

Also I don't understand if the red X is an objective or something that's bad, because every time I grabbed an X a progress bar would go down, but is that health? or objectives progress? Also I didn't know what the shiny things did.

So basically, the game needs instructions badly, but it's really fun to play, if you edit the description of the game in the game's page and add what each element of the game is and what are the controls and objective of the game it would help a lot. I can tell you put a lot of effort in the masks, the stats and all that, it's just a matter of communicating them to the players so they can fully enjoy your creation.

Good job so far, as I said, the game is fun!

Thanks for your review!!

Yes, I will be making the mechanics more clear in my next tutorial. I will also place the followers counter in the top-center, above the High Priest so it's even more clear. I mean the tutorial already explained how to buy them, but like me I'm sure most people just skips tutorials and want to jump right into the action, lol. I'll take this into account since you're not the first to point that out.

I'm glad you liked it, thanks for playing!!

About the screenshot, sure, no problem!

Yeah, I'm never trying an RTS for a game jam again. Maybe something like yours, isometric, place buildings, but that's it. Maybe a tower defense at best, but pathfinding, selecting multiple units, units spreading to take on different targets instead of piling up on the closest enemy, formations... it's A LOT for a few days jam. Still, at leasy yours is playable, in mine the balance is waaaay off and you either get destroyed on wave 2 or survive forever by spamming knights. :-D

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it, I tried my best with the visuals even though I'm not an artist, I'm pretty happy with how they ended up looking. I'll probably improve them after the jam ends. Thanks for playing!!

NOW we're talking! That’s pretty good! Keep in mind that making an RTS in 9 days is way too ambitious (I made that mistake myself, so take this as a cautionary tale), but you still somehow managed to pull through with something playable. Sure, it needs some polish, but it was still pretty fun to play for a jam game! Good job!

Thanks! I'm glad you liked the ending, thanks for playing!!

I definitely think it might have legs of its own, maybe even smashing the environment to break floors or a sideways dash to break walls... or hit columns to shake them and make something fall down. It's all about how creative you get. I'd ditch the mask stuff and the whip, and I'd go for a character called "hammer head" or something like that and base the whole game on that fun mechanic. In any case, good luck with that!

I acknowledged it is unfinished (only one level and it's a bit buggy), but it has something special.

You have to understand where I’m coming from. Jams tend to be crowded with unoriginal and boring puzzle platformers that have nothing interesting to offer, even if they are "finished", even if they have decent art or add a crappy CRT monitor shader to make them look more interesting than what they really are. However, yours truly had something special. Jumping and smashing down enemies felt unique and super fun, the animation is great. I know it’s a stone mask, but I feel like a hammer with legs, super powerful. I've learnt to watch past the unpolished or unfinished stuff and find what makes a game truly fun.

You also went the extra mile to add a few more mechanics, the will-o'-wisp, the whip at the end... Even if it is unfinished, I found it a lot more refreshing than other "finished" platformers where you have to get keys, open doors, and collect reskinned power-ups as "masks" to forcefully fit the theme.

In any case, that was fun. Too bad you didn't have more time to add more levels and polish the mechanics, or that you probably felt tired or unmotivated to finish it, because I found it really fun and if you had pushed a little more you could have had a top contender.

Good job anyway!!

Thanks a lot for your review! I'm so glad people are enjoying my game, especially the ending. And on top of that, getting compliments from fans of the eldritch/cosmic horror genre means a lot to me.

Thanks for playing!

First I was "wait, this is a Spike?? How did I die??" and kept dying around that area and like 2 minutes later I realized I had to activate the mask. I'd suggest a short text on the first screen "E to activate the spirit mask" because I see a lot of people (like myself) confused by it.

Other than that, it's a good puzzle platformer, the art is beautiful, nice tileset, the character reminds me of the old castlevania like graphics. Really nostalgic, good job!

WOW, interesting take on the vampires-like genre! "Die" to attack, that was pretty cool I loved it, and it was very addictive, I got to the 2.5 million upgrade. Now you just need some art, some levels, different enemies and powerups and you have a game! Great job!

That was creative and well presented, a lot of mechanics, analysis,  thermometer, ventilation... cool and fun game! Good job!

Good and polished art and gameplay, well applied theme, very smart level design. Good job!

Different, relaxing, creative, 5 stars in originality. Good job!

The art is super cool and polished, but I had no idea what I was doing, or what the goal was, or what I had to do with the shutters (close them of feed the monster?) or how the masks defended me from the monsters, there was also no UI to indicate me anything really, no quick tutorial, I wish I could play it properly because it does look like a fun game loop, I just don't understand it :-(

If you tell me how to play it I'll gladly give it another go and rate it, so I'm not giving a bad rating just because I don't understand it. Let me know!

I loved the art and the idea. It is a bit hard, not gonna lie, I hate sword fishes lol, they're too thin and too fast. Also I'd run out of O2 pretty fast, so I'd just stay at the bottom of the ocean and play from there, it is a bit challenging at first but I won't deny is very fun. Good entry!! 5 stars in originality and graphics since I haven't seen anything like this in the jam and it looks awesome.

Hi! thanks for the feedback! I'm thinking about making it one-click friendly, I just have to get around the idea of how (maybe two buttons at the bottom of the screen?).

I'm so glad you liked the cutscene!! Thanks for playing!!

Hi!! Keep in mind you can fix game breaking bugs, I think you are able to reupload in that case. The art is super cool, congrats to your girlfriend, too bad I wasn't able to properly play it, if you talk to the admins and fix the issue maybe they'd let you reupload, I can tell you guys put a lot of effort in this, I loved the art style, it would be a shame if you're not able to show it properly, if you reupload please let me know and I'd gladly play it again!

OH MAN!!!! Too bad you weren't able to make just omore levels, that was super cool!! I loved the art.

The fighting is a little buggy but can easily be fixed. This is a solid base for a castlevania, why haven't I seen this before!! great entry!! If you had made like 4 or 5 levels I'd definitely see it as a top contender. It feels so satisfying to jump-slap the enemies and see the mask breaking, super cool concept, great job!!!

I started with 3D (Blender and Unity) and I realized exactly that, I focused too much on the models and animations and ended up dedicating too little time to actually polishing the game mechanics. That's why I go for 2D now. It's still a challenge, but it gives you more time to focus on your core game mechanics.

Still, you made A LOT within nine days, great job!

I know the feeling. I'm also someone who tries to play as much games as I can, right now I'm half way through, I have 60 rated and 55 not rated. And I'm hoping to get them all by when the jam ends. At least I always play the game of people that review mine. 

And yes, thanks! I was able to play yours, thanks a lot for the effort and sorry for the inconvenience. Cool idea! I love the secret maskarade party/secret society vibe, sort of like eyes wide shut (I actually made devlog post titled that, lol!) anyways, thanks for making the html version, I left you a review, cool idea that could be expanded upon with even more crazy ideas, lol! :-)

Oh thanks a lot, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, I was able to play it! Good tech demo. My only complain is that the enemies don't react if I shoot them from afar, so it was a matter of shooting them from the doorway and that would clear the room. It would have been cool if they all reacted at once to your first shot and they'd all charge at you, that would be really scary and fun, I'd also expand the radius of detection.

Another crazy idea are distractions, since you have a mask and you try to blend in this secret party, maybe have like cups on tables that you can throw across the room so that they all look that way and you'll be able to stab some of them without other people noticing, it would make it like a "hitman" like game. Maybe even poison their drinks, hiding bodies under tables or stuff like that. Also, not just shooting everyone Rambo style, would make it more tense, since you're walking around dangerous people who can react at any point and kill you, it would make for a more exciting and unnerving experience. 

Still, you have a solid base to expand upon with new ideas and crazy mechanics! That was remarkable what you put together in just nine days, I worked with Blender and I know how hard it is to make 3D characters and animations. Great job so far! Good luck!

Hi! Totally agree, it was hard to find a balance between people who enjoy a challenge and those with shorter attention spans, lol. Nowadays everything’s fast, TikTok-like, and people don’t enjoy slow burners as much as they used to. Plus, they have to play and rate lots of games, so it would be unfair, and a bit selfish of me, to expect them to spend an hour on mine. I just hope people see the game’s short length as a bit of sportsmanship on my part toward the other contestants.

Other than that, I’m glad you liked it! All the art was done by me, it took a lot of effort, honestly. Lots of tutorials, since I’m not really a pixel artist, I’m a programmer who can make passable art. I know it’s not perfect, but I try to learn new things every day. Still, I’m pretty proud of how the ending cutscene turned out, so it makes me really happy to see people enjoying it.

After the jam, I’m planning to give the game a more balanced pace, add a prestige system so you can replay it, and include new endings, buffs, and so on.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your review! It’s so wholesome seeing people enjoy the game I poured my heart and soul into for nine days straight.

Super glad you liked it, thanks for playing!!!