At the moment I'm in still in a prototyping phase, so updates are on hold and I'm working on Game #3. After 5 or so games I'll decide on which game to take to a full version so it very well could be this one. I've loved the ideas from you guys and I think a full game with lots of different maps and challenges could be really fun.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
I don't typically like Roguelikes. The concept of losing my progress grinds my gears.
This game... this game should serve as the gold standard for what RPG/Roguelike blends should aspire to be. The farther you get, the more the game rewards you for playing.
5-star, and a developer who follows up with all the comments? I will watch your career with great interest.
Thanks so much :) I did feel like this game was a bit of a gamble. Kongregate (and web games in general) usually have constant progression and upgrades, while a rougelike/lite is a sawtooth version of that where players go on a wild ride of ups and downs. I'm glad people weren't too frustrated by the resets, and that they seemed to feel progress not just from the upgrades over time, but also their skill level improving in loot analysis. Really encouraging words, I hope to keep pumping out cool games for everyone!
Water3 is a very underrated set-bonus. I've found it can push through some areas that you really don't belong in, where you normally get wiped out away. Thanks for playing!
Thanks a lot :) I haven't come across one either. One of the main inspirations for this was playing Diablo 3 endgame, where I realized I no longer really cared about the combat grind anymore, and only found the loot portion interesting. Not just obtaining uniques, but figuring out the best build based on what drops I'm getting. Then I sprinkled a few more mechanics and you got this game. Glad you like it!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
I find it interesting that you can use judgment on the stage before the final boss in order to skip the boss and immediately win (if you have auto-advance on and need less than 3 victories to move to the boss stage). I assume this is a glitch, but I like to believe that the boss was simply terrified of my skill at the game and immediately gave up.
Haha I like the in-game explanation :) Nah it's not a glitch, I actually coded that in because a lot of people weren't using judgment early on so I thought it was underpowered. Once people figured out how to use it better though, it turns out it didn't need help after all but I left it in anyways.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
This took awhile to figure out a good strat, but eventually I dialed in on 3 Fire + 2 Earth, paired with Judgement and Hail, adding Adv. Execute once unlocked.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
So fun. i talked to you about fish legend fish, but this game is also a phenomenal game. it took me quite a few runs, but i finished the game and am now working on clearing every zone to unlock each peace of equipment. Yet another good test/game/experiment. 10/10
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
This is the first time in a while that I have played a game over a couple of days and not found it tedious to complete. Great game, thoroughly enjoyed!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
I've hit a stone wall and I don't really know what to do. I've completed every path halfway through the map. If I go up, I get clapped by the spirits, and if I go any other direction, the skeletons kill me before I can get them, causing me to run out of time. Any suggestions?
Yea the mid-game is probably the hardest part. Have you unlocked Set items? They're along the lower paths. If you can access Set Items, you open up a few options. Stacking Earth pieces can build you like a tank and you can slowly bust through some walls, and stacking Fire pieces will allow you to build up lots of STR over time. If you have not reached Set items yet, using Fortress can slowly chip away at tough areas since you're invincible. Slow but it works. As for the skeletons, Berserk is your best bet there. You may want to wait a bit after casting Berserk to build up more stats before tackling them. Good luck!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Awesome game! At first I was a bit bummed that I lost my progress when I got my new computer. Then I started playing again and had so much fun I got right back to where I had been very quickly. I like the learning curve and figuring out how to go to new areas in the right order. It was a bit fast for me trying to figure out which gear was best. I might play it again on slow mode now that I have the badges and can just play for fun. Thanks for making a game that isn't the same boring thing that someone else did but you did better. This was original and very well thought out. 5/5 because that is the highest I can give. I wish I could have given it 10!
Thanks for the thorough feedback! I'm glad you didn't feel like it was a drag trying to replay the game to get back to where you were, that's always a good metric to hit. I appreciate the words about making original content. It really encourages me and I hope to continue making games that explore new kinds of ideas. I think web games are a great place to test out those concepts, there seems to be a lot of players like you and I that look for these kinds of experiences :)
Definitely agree with you and that's something I'll put into a full version :) With these prototypes I really just want to concentrate on figuring out how well the gameplay and art works out with players.
Definitely agree with you and that's something I'll put into a full version :) With these prototypes I really just want to concentrate on figuring out how well the gameplay and art works out with players.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
A very good game. I ended up liking getting 3 fire right away so you can build strength with every win. Then try and get 2 of another element to boost another stat. Descideing on what item to pick starts to make your brain hurt late game but works anyway. Keep up the great work.
You caught on fast and you're totally right, the game cranks up to a speed where it's impossible to fully analyze every item and you have to make sacrifices on what to look at. Thanks for the support, it means a lot!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
I was thinking this was going to be a dumb grind-fest but it was actually really satisfying to find the optimal path on every attempt. I'm glad to see a new spin on the rogue-like genre that was very well executed.
Thanks for the words :) I was looking to try out new concepts so I'm happy people are really feeling it. I think there's room left for innovation in a lot of genres so I hope to keep striving for that!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Since in run you have to make quick choices is ok to have small texts (i wish i could pause? but i understand is a game hadicap) but when checking items i whish to have a larger explanatory text. By example, fire set 4th tier says gain 10st on death. this 10 points are permanent or only in that run? this means my death or enemy deaths?. Also wish to have text to explain the skills, STR AGT END may be easy to understand but wisdom is not. I had to have several runs to catch what really does (mostly because i never knew you need 20pts to actually do something), and even so im did not completly get how wisdom affects gameplay after some more runs.
This lacks of basic info can drive to confusion and quitting of the game.
Thanks for the feedback! Those are all fair points and I was gauging early feedback to see how in-depth to make the tutorial and such. Some of the earliest feedback was that there was too much info on screen so I actually scaled back quite a bit from the original version. I definitely get your point though, and if I tackle a full version, that kind of feedback will help me figure out how to revamp a tutorial. With more time and screen real estate I should have more options for handling giving the player the right info at the right time.
Thanks for the feedback :) The interface was definitely the trickiest part, trying to balance info for the player and clarity. I think a full version with just higher res and more estate could be a good start.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
It's kind of fun looking at the different strategies (though I was pretty one minded, I never sat in an area farming loot. I was always moving forward). The one I finished with was getting some Intelligence so I could recast Berserk before it could run out, allowing the Endurance and Agility to keep stacking. Ended at over 1000hp and nearly 400 agility. Fun little game.
It was an interesting puzzle from a game design perspective. Since I didn't have combat as the main player focus, I had to figure out neat ways to make different builds do different things. I'm glad you recognized that element and that a lot players can find a neat combo in the pile of strategies. Thanks for playing!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Shield Adv Reflect + Sword of Judgment + 2x speed is so overpowered.
1. Use Advanced Reflect
2. Sword of Judment on last enemy in wave
3. Return to low-level 2x speed to halve cooldown times
4. Repeat
5. WIN!
Nice work! You're the first person to mention dropping back to a 2x zone for skill refilling so I'm really glad you guys are pushing strategies like that. It was a strat I had in my head while developing but kinda forgot about it since no one mentioned it til now.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
LOL I had +5 wis and used judgement on the last enemy before the boss. Completely skipped the boss. I never even got to see what he looks like
Heh yea that is a built-in trick to that skill. Tbh the boss isn't suuuper crazy but I can see how you'd want to find out yourself. Thanks for playing!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Intelligence build with improved berserk & fortress and regular hail. Fortress will insure that before your intelligence is above 50 you won't run out of berserk, hail will just help deal chip damage, and will also always remain active. By the time you get to the final boss you shouldn't be capable of taking damage. One of the many different ways you can charge through the game.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Fantastic game! I can see that the feedback was implemented well, because once I got the basic premise of the game (when I realized there wasn't a "best path" since they all unlock game-changing upgrades at some point) I got into the flow of it. I like this game a lot! You rock!!
Thanks a lot and that's the plan :) I've been a Kong player since the beginning and I love flash-style games so I'm no different than you guys. I think there's a ton of room for innovation and I plan to keep proving that statement is true. Game #3 is having some dev speedbumps but expect to play it in a month or two!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Really nice game. Had lots of fun playing it but I was a bit decieved at the end. Lets put it like this, I completed the game without killing the final boss. If you happen to have enough wisdom and time it properly with "Smite" ability you might be able to skip couple battles and complete the game without even facing the final boss. I dont know if this is supposed to be like this but the final boss should be faced nonethless.
That said, let's keep up the fun!
Yep I put that boss skip ability in for Judgment because it was not commonly used at the time, but in retrospect it's fairly strong and I probably could've left it out. Something that's really funny though, the skill is called Judgment, but I actually originally named it Smite so somehow you were able to figure out my original intentions with that skill lol. Good feedback and I appreciate the encouragement!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Damn, this game has the most chill developer, replying to every comment! This game should get even more traction! like now!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Loved the game!!!! I thought it was great how it turned from a slow burn start to gradually accelerating, till you are hurtling at the final boss at warp speed!
Only criticism i guess i would have, is that i felt like hail and berserk were the only 2 skills worth taking. they help you clear multiple stages and faster too, but the other skills are 'one and done' with not much progress made overall. It was always better to hail+berserk and push a tree path, then reset and do a different one, than to try and use a different niche skill combo to beat a single zone (I say zone, because the cooldowns will generally prohibit you from pushing further if you cannot kill them normally)
Thanks for the feedback! I do tend to like the hail/berserk combo cuz I can be a bit lazy with it lol, but later on when you can stack more INT, cooldowns can drop very low (even to 0) and those active skills become much stronger. I'm glad you liked the pace of the game, that was one of the most challenging parts for me to tune for all player types so I appreciate that :)
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
A fantastic game. Simple but fun. Things got a bit fast that by the time I had all the sets, I gave up trying pick the best pieces of equipment and just added pieces until you have 4 regardless of what stat bonuses it had. After that, I just clicked on potions. But I enjoyed it. 5/5 stars. Keep up the great creativity!!
Thanks a lot! I like the breakdown of your gameplay. It was tough but I wanted to make sure there were lots of strategies and builds to beat the game with. I'm really hoping to push more design boundaries in the future so hope you tune into my future games as well :)
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
I only came here for the badge. I stayed for the thrill. This game is a lot of fun once you manage to understand it. I especially liked that you had to work hard to "learn" new skills. Thanks for this cool game.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Badge hunters, second path from the top is easiest to get through. Prioritize 3/4 fire gear asap to gradually build offense from the easy parts, 2/4 wind if you can. My skills were arrow rain, berserk, whirlwind. Topmost path pretty much requires berserk and full wind to survive and will leave you gimped for the end, but you can do it once for the passives.
Glad you found it :) I didn't think a lot of people would use judgment because it's not as sexy as other skills on paper but I've been surprised at how many people use it.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
You got a fun game here but an absolutely dreadful upgrade system. Terribly uneven to the point that the upgrades have more negatives than positives and you can barely advance.
Thanks and that can definitely be the case due to the RNG. The idea was inspired by action RPGs where you only get some upgrades in the mounds of loot that you sift through. The best way to mitigate this is to stick to weaker areas to farm up a bit if you're not getting good drops so dancing around different areas might help.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Pretty cool game. It's like a new spin on the roguelite genre that I like. Every upgrade was pretty clear and i really appreciate that. I got stuck at around the point when you unlock the set bonuses. But with a bit of luck I pushed through. Also, I like that the dev replies to most of the comments which is nice.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Judgment gives you 1 victory for the next level if the number of victories needed for the level you're in is below 3. Really useful, but a weird interaction with this is that Judgment will bypass the boss's level if you proc Judgment on the level right before (and if you needed less than 3 victories). I skipped the boss by accident on my first clear with that ; did a second run after that to see the actual boss.
Glad you found the judgment trick :) In retrospect I could've made this more clear that it was intentional, and that players would want to see what the boss actually was. I had ignored it at the time because the boss is not super unique but I can understand the confusion.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Very intense and very playable (even with my pensioner reflexes). I had to use rules of thumb because there isn't enough time for analysis. Really enjoyed playing.
Awesome work and that's indeed the trick to it. It's less about being able to pause the game and analyze the optimal thing, and more about having an idea of what's working for you and looking out for those stats instead. Great thinking on your feet!
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
If you overkill a stage requirement with sword of judgement (as in, 1-2 victories remaining) it'll start the next stage with 1 victory already. If you overkill the second to last stage with sword of judgement, you start the final level with 1 victory and instantly win.
Glad you found it :) I didn't think a lot of people would use judgment because it's not as sexy as other skills on paper but I've been surprised at how many people use it.
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
While the game is nicely created and has different rewarding paths that need to be unlocked one after the other, the developer is to be congratulated on this little gem, but also to be told that this is all it is - a little gem. A small game, one that with some more polish and a lot more content could be very well worth paying for. Would I recommend going that path? That depends: Possibly contesting for "game of the month" and such will prove to bring more income on Kongregate. Possibly creating a full-fledged game and publishing it on Kartridge and other digital stores will prove more successful if the price is right. I really can't give any opinion here. I only can say that I believe that games like these are refreshing and enjoyable by combining known mechanics with new ideas (time limit, branching paths).
In any case: Many thanks for making this game available for free!
Thanks for the feedback! Those are things I've been thinking about a lot lately as well. I would like to put a game on Kartridge or Steam one day since webgames don't provide a ton of revenue nowadays. My current path is to prototype ~5 games before making the decision on which game to turn into a full version. You're right that these games are basically small vertical slices to prove that a core concept is enjoyable, and once that's proven I can think about what to tack on from there. You have really good business insights, thanks for sharing them :)
Under rating threshold (hideshow)
Surprisingly fun being so simple. It does seem to snowball towards the end. Once you get set bonuses, those matter far more than any other stats. Overall, I think 1-2 hours was about the perfect length.
Thanks for playing :) I've noticed that when people really pick up on the strategy and how to develop a build, they do indeed start to go very fast. So great job figuring it all out, there's a lot of stats and info to sift through!