Time for Downgrade

shelvid 2017-12-04 11:20

Has a potential. Art is really nice. You could increase pacing of the game because its too slow. It doesn't feel like anything is being degraded when leveling up as i tried to degrade speed as much but i felt like i was becoming faster. You can add different enemy types for more fun :) for example you could have ninja that throws shurikens from random places, it would add a little depth to the game so you can focus on something. It lacks challenge a little bit but as i mentioned: has very big potential. good luck!

myrrysmiesi 2017-12-05 16:45

There wasn't any downside to downgrading defense: it's easy to kill all enemies without getting hit at any point. With more variety and difficulty this could be quite a good game though. The graphics are very nice and clean :)

nenrei 2017-12-05 16:52

Yeah, I totally agree with you two. I'll keep working on this game to make it better and fun. Thanks for the feedback :D

2017-12-06 17:56

Simple but well made game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 40 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUur4iynK94

cerno-b 2017-12-06 22:05

Hey, just letting you know, the itch link is dead. Let me know when you fix it, I'll be back to play your game. Looks neat.

velvetlobster 2017-12-07 00:28

I would love to be able to have more variety of moves and ways to dodge enemy attacks. This can be fun in an ipad I believe

korpokrowa 2017-12-07 16:09

The game is too easy. I killed all the enemies without getting any hit, so I was decreasing my defence every level since having good defence was not useful at all. From the other hand i love the graphics in this game <3.

gamedevbynight 2017-12-07 16:13

I really liked the graphics and the idea for the theme. Would like to move with wasd or so and more enemies on the screen! :)

cerno-b 2017-12-07 20:17

Nope, still nothing:

404.PNG

I visited https://nenrei.itch.io/time-for-downgrade

nenrei 2017-12-08 09:17

@cerno-b Screenshot_1.png

cerno-b 2017-12-08 23:46

Dude, you haven't published your game yet. It's still set to draft (see DRAFT at the top). Only you can see it on itch.io.

cerno-b 2017-12-12 20:32

It's working now on itch. Thanks for the fix!

For someone with little experience, the game is pretty good!

The visuals are very nice and you even added screenshake, which is cool.

A few ideas for improvement:

I think it's hard to pull off a game where the main character gets less powerful over time as it is easy to fall into the "less powerful == more boring" trap. An idea would be to offset the loss of power in some way. This could be humor (making your character level up visually by e.g. growing larger or more threatening, but at the same time dealing less damage, having a glass jaw, etc) It could also be a game mechanics twist (you level down, but you can collect weapons that make you stronger, unless your level gets too low and you can't use them anymore, this would give you something else to do besides kicking enemies' butts)

I thought the balancing was a little off. The enemies are a bit too easy to defeat and there is no real punishment in downgrading defense or speed, because you don't need either to progress. Then the difficulty could ramp up stronger so that after defeating a few enemies, the player will notice a significant challenge and will have a hard time getting past wave ten or so. For a game with little to explore, the challenge could be to replay it and see whether you can beat your previous best. But that would require faster, shorter sessions after which you could get right back into the game to try again.

You may want to re-think the controls. Using LMB to walk and RMB to strike would give the player some more control over the action. A defend skill paired with a little more aggressive opponents may make the game a bit more challenging.

Music is a challenge for a lot of people (or sometimes there's just not enough time to compose). There are music generators out there which are fair game in the Compo to use, although you need a good ear to determine whether a generated song sounds decent or dissonant. Even better would be to learn how to produce tapestries of sound using synth pads. They don't require a lot of skill but create a relaxed atmosphere. Probably not the best choice for an action-packed arcade game, but still better than silence.

Anyway you made a neat game that looks very polished but needs a little more work in the gameplay department. Good job overall!

philstrahl 2017-12-22 17:06

Hey Nenrei! If you want to hear me (mis)pronounce your name and downgrade from life, now you finally can: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoYb4Qywy04

bros 2017-12-28 18:55

Lovely Artstyle! But the game was way too easy. I could finally use my Cookie-Clicker skills though...

Sadly, there is no ending.

Overall a good game that needed a little bit more time.