This is actually amazing. It does feel a bit grindy, and with some characters having a ton of depth (pixel-wise) and the environment not being too fleshed out, it does feel a bit odd, but otherwise this game looks absolutely incredible
Unfortunately for now, there is only one zone. I will be working on making more content (The free story mode is planned to be 8 characters over 7 zones), but I've got a few bug fixes and small features to add that the community requested first. I'll try to rotate between bug fixes, features, and more content so that everybody benefits.
Thank you for playing!
(The text that shows when you hold/hover on the Oasis tooltip is initially "Complete Glades to Unlock!". Now that you've beaten the final boss, it should say "Available in the next* update!")
Ah, that's a bug then. Multiple people have asked this question, and I guess this is why. In the next update I'll have that fixed. I think I'll just say it's not available upfront.
Hi, just wanted to give some quick feedback: it would be nice if the stat allocation screen automatically closes after applying the points. Since you've already made your choice at that point, there's nothing to see in the screen anymore. Having to close the window every time before you can start a new fight is a bit tedious.
I see now, after the first reset you get automatic stat point allocation. So the whole point is to defeat as high level areas as possible because you get only limited encounters per reset. It might be a good idea to communicate this better the first time your character dies or collapses from exhaustion. Right now the character just collapses and says "I must get further" or something and I had no clue what was going on. Maybe give a lore reason for why you can only fight a limited amount of encounters. And some story for what happens to the character and why you go back to the start.
I think the mechanic of choosing an area to fight in based on the bonus you want is really cool. You can streamline the game a lot more with these tips:
Remove the % chance for an encounter. It feels a bit clunky and having a random chance to encounter a monster makes the game really inconsistent. The gameplay loop is to be as efficient as possible with your turns, making the amount of turns random in this way feels a bit unfair.
Have the player choose the next area by clicking it instead of walking around. Then animate the character walking there.
Instead of showing multiplier bonusses on areas, show how much of each resource you get for defeating an area, and the monster you have to fight. This adds even more clarity to the game. For instance, one area gives 1 gold and 5 levels, the other area 5 gold and 1 level.
Instead of experience and levels, simply show how much stat points an area will give. You already level up multiple times per area, this will make the choice of area much clearer again.
When entering the boss area, it is a bit confusing that you can get random encounters as well. I clicked the fight icon because I thought I would get the boss, used my ability, and then found it was not the boss at all.
I hope the feedback is useful. Personally I feel like if the main gameplay loop is more streamlined, I can focus more on what I want to achieve for my next reset.
Some small feedback on the dialog in the first area: the main character does the same thing in every dialog. Complain about not knowing what is going on. Then the knight ignores it. It's not very interesting to have this same kind of dialog multiple times. Think about what you want to achieve with the dialog. If you want to communicate that the MC feels lost, this was already clear after the first time.
One more thing: maybe rename the "Peons Defeated" run statistic to "Monsters Defeated". Calling them Peons doesn't make much sense here.
Overall a great game, and it feels very unique. This feedback was all based on playing the first area up to the first boss.
It might be a good idea to communicate this better the first time your character dies or collapses from exhaustion.
Having some dialogue relating to how the encounter point system works is a good idea. I'll add that to my todo list.
The fact that the character resets is discussed on your second playthrough, but it is not yet explained why everything is happening. This is intentional as I don't want to give all the mysterious details right away.
Remove the % chance for an encounter.
Doing this would change a lot of things. It would mean Distance/Encounter is not applicable as a stat. Many EP related achievements would also not make sense. It is an interesting idea, and I think it can work! But I don't think it's something I want for this game. Instead, I will be making the base distance/encounter considerably larger.
Have the player choose the next area by clicking it instead of walking around.
Instead of showing multiplier bonusses on areas, show how much of each resource you get for defeating an area, and the monster you have to fight.
Instead of experience and levels, simply show how much stat points an area will give.
Making these changes would oversimplify the game. It would add more clarity, but part of the game is getting a feel for how good things are, and making uninformed decisions. Over time, these uninformed decisions turn into informed decisions. Implementing these changes removes a lot of the skill expression of the game. I don't want the game to become one of those shovelware game where you start with 10 points and the only options are "multiply by 2" or "add 7". If the choice becomes too obvious then it feels like the game is playing itself. And this might be what people want. Your ideas could be the most optimal for reaching the widest audience possible! But I, and many others, don't like playing that type of game, so I couldn't bring myself to implement it.
When entering the boss area, it is a bit confusing that you can get random encounters as well.
What do you think I should do to make it more clear? The boss doesn't show up as the enemy if you were to start a fight in a zone where there is a boss. Additionally, I was under the impression that many players wouldn't even see the boss, or recognize it as such until they were already in the level 100 area.
Some small feedback on the dialog in the first area: the main character does the same thing in every dialog.
The dialogue between the main character and ??? where the main character is exasperated with ???'s antics is only 10 lines or so long. It's meant to be a bit of story building and a bit of comedic relief. The ways in which ??? responds to the main characters questions is varied, even if they do all boil down to willful ignorance. More elaborate details are available later on in the game. Given the brevity of the content that you get early on, I think I'll stick to what I have (for now at least).
One more thing: maybe rename the "Peons Defeated" run statistic to "Monsters Defeated". Calling them Peons doesn't make much sense here.
It is a weird word. I use it because it was a word used in the wiki for a game I played when I was young (The Battle Cats). But I like the word because it distinguishes itself from bosses, whereas a word like "monsters" does not. Many of the definitions that you find for the word online are archaic, see Dictionary.com's explanation:
Today, peon is used more generally to refer to poor people or those who perform menial labor—work that is often considered lowly and degrading. The word peon often implies that such a person receives poor treatment or is being exploited.
I know I disagreed with a lot of what you said, but I truly appreciate the feedback! There are a few issues that I think exacerbated the problems you had with the early game, and I'm working on fixing those.
When you guess wrong on a stat distribution and move into an area and lose a fight you have to get back out of that area to fix your build, but you frequently lose another fight along the way. Then you have to do a fight or two to try to correct your mistake, and you've used up a big chunk of your fight allocation.
It feels like it's punishing experimenting with builds or trying to push your stats to hit the equipment unlocks, which feels bad. Maybe some kind of hints on some 'builds' that are useful?
So far it feels like the only thing that gets me any progress is some kind of even distribution. Which is boring.
Also, the progress feels glacial so far. I'm only getting a few percentage points on each run. I might be doing it all wrong, but I have no idea because there's no guidance or feedback.
Some guidance on how stats should be allocated is planned! But I do want to encourage and make it easy to experiment without worrying too much about that stuff.
I think the overarching problem here is that the early game has very little leeway in making any mistakes. Progress isn't meant to be slow (in fact, that's the opposite of what I set out to do). But you're right it will be slow unless you play things unreasonably well.
I actually intended for the first boss to be beaten with only three equipment. I see now that most people get too frustrated with this, and grind for more equipment slots (which is not a good experience, especially so early on!)
I am working on fixing these issues so the progression feels a lot more smooth. Thanks for your feedback!
I'm not sure I understand your feedback though. What does "drop tables from stages" mean? Also, restarting a run quickly is possible by opening the Settings Menu -> Other -> Reset Run.
Also, the game is coming to Steam soon! Steam just needs to verify my identity then we should be good to go.
zone 1 drops 1 apple but i dont know that zone one drop that, so a gray icon give me the hint that there is something i could get out so i can grind that zone ^^
Ah I see, this is a feature that is being worked on. I want there to be a sort of monster log, that lets you see the stats of enemies, where they are, what loot they drop, etc.
If you're willing to use something outside of the game, what you're looking for does exist! (Warning! Spoils loot drop locations.)
Unfortunately Steam needs to do a background check. They say it takes 2 - 7 days for that to go through. Then, I should be able to put my game on Steam.
I do want cloud saving to exist eventually. That way you can play on any platform and pick up where you left off. But I've got to do some work to implement that.
1. Animations are painfully slow. Decrease the duration to the web standard of 0.4s. It takes the whole 20 seconds to start a new run even if I don't do literally anything. Maybe make the quick restart button for when you didn't get extra SP
2. I can't see if the item is equipped, or if I have it, or if I can purchase it. Make it visible, e.g. as text on item E-equipped 1-has one, 2-has two, + - can buy, EE1+ - two equipped, has 1 extra, can buy fourth (for rings)
3. Why can't I move with mouse on PC? Also I would've like to rightclick to move to a point or something
1. I am working on a setting that will increase the animation speeds drastically! Other people have also said similar things.
Also, there is a restart run button! Settings Menu -> Other -> Reset Run. You can select it and it will replay the level without having to go through the main menu.
2. I am also working on that feature as well! I was thinking of making it much more simple with a "B" saying it's been bought for non-accessories, or a "1/3", "2/3", or 3/3" for accessories. I'll experiment with your idea of showing if an item is equipped/purchasable. It's not something I thought of before, but it sounds like a great idea!
3. I will add this! It should be easy given that it already works with touchscreen devices in the same way.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
love the game. looking foreword for the new updates
This is actually amazing. It does feel a bit grindy, and with some characters having a ton of depth (pixel-wise) and the environment not being too fleshed out, it does feel a bit odd, but otherwise this game looks absolutely incredible
this is a masterpiece
Thanks really like the game)
great work ! i like the art !
Thanks! I have the license to use the art, but most of it is not mine. If you want to see who created it, check the info button on the main menu!
ok cool ! thank you so much !
Woah, this is perfect.
And every update will make it even more perfecter.
:D
What is the benefit of leveling both characters? Do the stats/achievements/points/skills from one influence the other somehow?
I don't understand this interaction
i dont think so, its just a change in history
There is a benefit! I know it is a bit convoluted, but I'm working on making this more clear.
Find how many Boss Points you're getting from other characters by clicking on the Info Button on the Augments page.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo that makes sense
I finished map 1 for both characters, but now the second map does not open. The oasis map
Unfortunately for now, there is only one zone. I will be working on making more content (The free story mode is planned to be 8 characters over 7 zones), but I've got a few bug fixes and small features to add that the community requested first. I'll try to rotate between bug fixes, features, and more content so that everybody benefits.
Thank you for playing!
(The text that shows when you hold/hover on the Oasis tooltip is initially "Complete Glades to Unlock!". Now that you've beaten the final boss, it should say "Available in the next* update!")
In that case, I can confirm that it still says "Complete Glades to unlock!" rather than anything about updates.
Ah, that's a bug then. Multiple people have asked this question, and I guess this is why. In the next update I'll have that fixed. I think I'll just say it's not available upfront.
Sorry about that!
Hi, just wanted to give some quick feedback: it would be nice if the stat allocation screen automatically closes after applying the points. Since you've already made your choice at that point, there's nothing to see in the screen anymore. Having to close the window every time before you can start a new fight is a bit tedious.
I see now, after the first reset you get automatic stat point allocation. So the whole point is to defeat as high level areas as possible because you get only limited encounters per reset. It might be a good idea to communicate this better the first time your character dies or collapses from exhaustion. Right now the character just collapses and says "I must get further" or something and I had no clue what was going on. Maybe give a lore reason for why you can only fight a limited amount of encounters. And some story for what happens to the character and why you go back to the start.
I think the mechanic of choosing an area to fight in based on the bonus you want is really cool. You can streamline the game a lot more with these tips:
I hope the feedback is useful. Personally I feel like if the main gameplay loop is more streamlined, I can focus more on what I want to achieve for my next reset.
Some small feedback on the dialog in the first area: the main character does the same thing in every dialog. Complain about not knowing what is going on. Then the knight ignores it. It's not very interesting to have this same kind of dialog multiple times. Think about what you want to achieve with the dialog. If you want to communicate that the MC feels lost, this was already clear after the first time.
One more thing: maybe rename the "Peons Defeated" run statistic to "Monsters Defeated". Calling them Peons doesn't make much sense here.
Overall a great game, and it feels very unique. This feedback was all based on playing the first area up to the first boss.
It might be a good idea to communicate this better the first time your character dies or collapses from exhaustion.
Having some dialogue relating to how the encounter point system works is a good idea. I'll add that to my todo list.
The fact that the character resets is discussed on your second playthrough, but it is not yet explained why everything is happening. This is intentional as I don't want to give all the mysterious details right away.
Remove the % chance for an encounter.
Doing this would change a lot of things. It would mean Distance/Encounter is not applicable as a stat. Many EP related achievements would also not make sense. It is an interesting idea, and I think it can work! But I don't think it's something I want for this game. Instead, I will be making the base distance/encounter considerably larger.
Have the player choose the next area by clicking it instead of walking around.
Instead of showing multiplier bonusses on areas, show how much of each resource you get for defeating an area, and the monster you have to fight.
Instead of experience and levels, simply show how much stat points an area will give.
Making these changes would oversimplify the game. It would add more clarity, but part of the game is getting a feel for how good things are, and making uninformed decisions. Over time, these uninformed decisions turn into informed decisions. Implementing these changes removes a lot of the skill expression of the game. I don't want the game to become one of those shovelware game where you start with 10 points and the only options are "multiply by 2" or "add 7". If the choice becomes too obvious then it feels like the game is playing itself. And this might be what people want. Your ideas could be the most optimal for reaching the widest audience possible! But I, and many others, don't like playing that type of game, so I couldn't bring myself to implement it.
When entering the boss area, it is a bit confusing that you can get random encounters as well.
What do you think I should do to make it more clear? The boss doesn't show up as the enemy if you were to start a fight in a zone where there is a boss. Additionally, I was under the impression that many players wouldn't even see the boss, or recognize it as such until they were already in the level 100 area.
Some small feedback on the dialog in the first area: the main character does the same thing in every dialog.
The dialogue between the main character and ??? where the main character is exasperated with ???'s antics is only 10 lines or so long. It's meant to be a bit of story building and a bit of comedic relief. The ways in which ??? responds to the main characters questions is varied, even if they do all boil down to willful ignorance. More elaborate details are available later on in the game. Given the brevity of the content that you get early on, I think I'll stick to what I have (for now at least).
One more thing: maybe rename the "Peons Defeated" run statistic to "Monsters Defeated". Calling them Peons doesn't make much sense here.
It is a weird word. I use it because it was a word used in the wiki for a game I played when I was young (The Battle Cats). But I like the word because it distinguishes itself from bosses, whereas a word like "monsters" does not. Many of the definitions that you find for the word online are archaic, see Dictionary.com's explanation:
Today, peon is used more generally to refer to poor people or those who perform menial labor—work that is often considered lowly and degrading. The word peon often implies that such a person receives poor treatment or is being exploited.
I know I disagreed with a lot of what you said, but I truly appreciate the feedback! There are a few issues that I think exacerbated the problems you had with the early game, and I'm working on fixing those.
Thanks for playing!
why dont u call the normal monsters "pawns" or "minions" then?
(aslo that was my only objection i agree in everything else, you are a based dev)
Uhhhh... you're right those are way better...
I immediately chose peons, and I have not looked back until now. I think I will change it to minions.
Thanks!
Now make them say "banana" in aprli fools.
When you guess wrong on a stat distribution and move into an area and lose a fight you have to get back out of that area to fix your build, but you frequently lose another fight along the way. Then you have to do a fight or two to try to correct your mistake, and you've used up a big chunk of your fight allocation.
It feels like it's punishing experimenting with builds or trying to push your stats to hit the equipment unlocks, which feels bad. Maybe some kind of hints on some 'builds' that are useful?
So far it feels like the only thing that gets me any progress is some kind of even distribution. Which is boring.
Also, the progress feels glacial so far. I'm only getting a few percentage points on each run. I might be doing it all wrong, but I have no idea because there's no guidance or feedback.
Some guidance on how stats should be allocated is planned! But I do want to encourage and make it easy to experiment without worrying too much about that stuff.
I think the overarching problem here is that the early game has very little leeway in making any mistakes. Progress isn't meant to be slow (in fact, that's the opposite of what I set out to do). But you're right it will be slow unless you play things unreasonably well.
I actually intended for the first boss to be beaten with only three equipment. I see now that most people get too frustrated with this, and grind for more equipment slots (which is not a good experience, especially so early on!)
I am working on fixing these issues so the progression feels a lot more smooth. Thanks for your feedback!
i really love this kind of games, i did play this game kind on my phone for years.
here something i miss
drop tables from stages.
even if it just a gray icon somewhere, just to let the player know
items for each hero ? i love it personalt, but could be frustattit if you need to get it for each new hero ?!
gameplay looks pretty good
speed of battels 8/10
restart of a run, 4/10
gameplay 9/10
monster and hero desing 10/10 for now
i hope this game come to steam.
i know steam cost money, if you need money for steam, make skins for the heros, so you can atleast get your money back :)
I'm glad you like it!
I'm not sure I understand your feedback though. What does "drop tables from stages" mean?
Also, restarting a run quickly is possible by opening the Settings Menu -> Other -> Reset Run.
Also, the game is coming to Steam soon! Steam just needs to verify my identity then we should be good to go.
As in, some sort of "you need to grind X thing for Y item, for those completionists out there that really want one of everything.
Thanks for the clarification :)
zone 1 drops 1 apple but i dont know that zone one drop that, so a gray icon give me the hint that there is something i could get out so i can grind that zone ^^
Ah I see, this is a feature that is being worked on. I want there to be a sort of monster log, that lets you see the stats of enemies, where they are, what loot they drop, etc.
If you're willing to use something outside of the game, what you're looking for does exist! (Warning! Spoils loot drop locations.)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-QynA3ZfWwRtnZU3pIr9Z-ZveClRylYZ-YEo4Az4MiM/edit?usp=sharing
Did you release the game on steam yet?
Unfortunately Steam needs to do a background check. They say it takes 2 - 7 days for that to go through. Then, I should be able to put my game on Steam.
Do you think it would be possible to export saves or would that be too much work from your side?
I do want cloud saving to exist eventually. That way you can play on any platform and pick up where you left off. But I've got to do some work to implement that.
It will happen though!
1. Animations are painfully slow. Decrease the duration to the web standard of 0.4s. It takes the whole 20 seconds to start a new run even if I don't do literally anything. Maybe make the quick restart button for when you didn't get extra SP
2. I can't see if the item is equipped, or if I have it, or if I can purchase it. Make it visible, e.g. as text on item E-equipped 1-has one, 2-has two, + - can buy, EE1+ - two equipped, has 1 extra, can buy fourth (for rings)
3. Why can't I move with mouse on PC? Also I would've like to rightclick to move to a point or something
1. I am working on a setting that will increase the animation speeds drastically! Other people have also said similar things.
Also, there is a restart run button! Settings Menu -> Other -> Reset Run. You can select it and it will replay the level without having to go through the main menu.
2. I am also working on that feature as well! I was thinking of making it much more simple with a "B" saying it's been bought for non-accessories, or a "1/3", "2/3", or 3/3" for accessories. I'll experiment with your idea of showing if an item is equipped/purchasable. It's not something I thought of before, but it sounds like a great idea!
3. I will add this! It should be easy given that it already works with touchscreen devices in the same way.
Thanks for your feedback!