Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD41 → Cardbound
By silvae
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 664 | 3.38 | 36 | |
| Fun | 687 | 3.22 | 36 | |
| Innovation | 253 | 3.72 | 36 | |
| Theme | 407 | 3.82 | 36 | |
| Graphics | 972 | 2.69 | 36 | |
| Humor | 927 | 2.18 | 35 | |
| Mood | 944 | 2.80 | 36 |
That was an interesting game. I couldn't beat the first level (either my timing was off, or my cards were wrong) and redrawing always gave me the same options so I wasn't sure what cards to pick. I enjoyed the music, was soothing. The pause also was really useful to try things out.
Good job!
This is more like a puzzle game than a platformer. The player is selecting the five actions to reach the end of the level. Getting zoom in is not helpful for playing since that hides the layout of the level. That's not good for a puzzle game.
@gi11 Sorry you weren't able to figure it out. If you're interested, I've posted one of the solutions to the first level on Twitter - https://twitter.com/MoonlightMade/status/988600740506734593
@Skyc Thanks for the feedback! I originally intended for the game to lean more towards a puzzle game but had to pivot when I realized how large the scope would be in order to implement the required features. You're totally right about the camera thing.
Game had a certain level of difficulty to it but was able to complete a few levels. Was an interesting concept for a game to find you can only use the abilities previously chosen before game start. Could do with a tutorial to show when to select cards and maybe a mini map to show the full map after zoom in but I enjoyed playing!
Try to improve the card selection mechanic. Congrats on finishing the game
Took a little bit to beat the levels, but that is a good thing in a puzzle game, it felt more like a puzzle game than a platformer, but the music is soothing which works well when you need to restart a lot. The camera was a little difficult to deal with, but the rest was pretty good.
I really like this! I actually made a pretty similar game myself, but as a tile-based puzzle game rather than a platformer. The platforming in this was fun, and the cards were interesting, and added for some interesting mechanics. Personally, I would have preferred if the 5 cards were linked to five hotkeys (possibly just 1-5), but I still really enjoyed this.
Also... I managed to beat level 2 through some pretty glitchy means, but I can't tell what the intended solution was. The gap above the stairs was too small to go through, so I had to go underneath the level, which was sort of weird. It would be interesting for me to know what I was supposed to do.
@Chaseplays going under is actually the intended path :). I put the gap up top to distract players from finding the "outside the box" solution. I'm glad you liked the game!
I'm loving all these card-game combinations here, hahah. This is a bit rough around the edges, which is understandable for given time frame - but a pretty cool idea. Props to that!
Wow, those levels are tricky. Just immediately throws you into the deep end and makes you use the mechanics in interesting ways (I didn't realize I could air-jump until I looked back at this page and saw the gif). But I enjoyed the challenge, and it left me wanting more levels after the end!
I agree with the other comments that it feels more like a puzzle game than anything else, and the camera zoom was a bit annoying.
I think the "platformer" side of the genre mashup was done pretty well, but I wish the cards were a bit more interesting. Usually, cards mean that the game will have some kind of shuffled random element. And usually, a card drafting mechanic means that you're being force to commit to the cards you're drafting for the rest of the game. But the fact that the cards are the same every time and you can instantly redraw means that the drafting mechanic doesn't have any real stakes.
The graphics were pretty basic, but very functional and it fit with the theme of the game. The music fit well, too. I wish the player character had a little bit more personality.
i love the use of an auto scroller mixed with the cards similar to our game!
i feel like it's a bit rough tbh when it comes the the abilities of the character mixed with the level design. maybe a flatter level with a focus on jump cards?
overall very cute!
The mechanics of the game are fun. It's a great idea. However, the second level feels like a cheaty level to me. It feels like having to abuse the game itself to find the correct solution.
@Szekeres-Szabolcs I published a bugfix build which should resolve the bugginess with the cards if you're interested in giving it another shot.
@diptoman Thanks!
@BluShine I think I'll have to incorporate some tutorial levels in my next jam game :). You also make some good points about not having any risk in your card selection. Noted!
@Axe I wanted tricky levels where the solution wasn't straightforward. I think I should have done some (flatter) tutorial levels to set the stage though. Thanks for the feedback!
@nander Perhaps I did make the second level a little too weird haha. Thanks for the feedback.
Really interesting take on the theme (very appropriate, I think). A very cool game mechanic. I found it very hard to plan, given that I couldn't see the full screen other than during the draw phase. But I liked what you did with it. Very creative.
Agreed a lot with BluShine's feedback here. I think the puzzle-like concept of this game is really neat, with the control scheme of platforming based on a limited set of actions you can activate. And I was also tricked by level 2 like others. :P
I agree that the camera is a little tricky and the card-drafting part as it is currently feels extraneous - I think something that would help 'guide' the players a lot in early levels would be to have a smaller subset of actions (and/or guideposts in the level iteslf) so it's obvious what the "correct" combo is. But it sounds like you had that sorta idea anyway and just ran into time constraints. :)
I also think it's a little hard to visualize the actions in hand - the suit/letter combos don't seem unique per action (like there are two different S-Spades in stage 1) and the "hand" organization means the text is covered up sometimes. I like casino theming but it might be easier to have unique icons.
p.s. Having the chara trail be visible is cool! Maybe you can also add icons for where cards were activated.
Really interesting concept. I wish there was more levels. I had fun.
You know, I'd have gladly played a full version with all the mechanics polished. First level had me thinking longer than it should've, for some reason I assumed that I can't jump in the air, when there was nothing indicating such a constraint. A great idea and solid realization!
Level design was on point for a jam game! I had to think and test multiple ways each time, and that made for a very pleasant experience.
You've got a very interesting concept here. If you ever decide to expand on it I'll be sure to follow
Really interesting and fits the theme perfectly. It's great because it requires you to foresee the possible routes to the exit and get strategic about your picks in advance. Just the right difficulty for an LD puzzle game.
I especially liked being able to use cards while paused - really nice quality of life mechanic that keeps click accuracy/speed from dominating the game.
I'd definitely like to see more of this - these are probably the highest ratings I'll give out this LD.
I love this game, man! I loved this idea of giving a zoon out to show the stage and to make the player think of a strategy!
Congratulations on the idea!
If you can, check out my entry at this link: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/type-hero-adventures
Ooh, this was pretty cool! It took me a while to figure out some of the puzzles, but I eventually beat all 3 stages. I liked how you get to pause to make your decision. It would've been nice if there was a way to zoom out to see more of the stage during the pause screen. If you have time, please check out my entry, I still need ratings! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/blackjack-beats