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SYMMACHUS's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Presentation | #7 | 4.235 | 4.235 |
| Overall | #9 | 3.647 | 3.647 |
| Concept | #10 | 3.882 | 3.882 |
| Use of the Limitation | #16 | 3.059 | 3.059 |
| Enjoyment | #16 | 3.412 | 3.412 |
Ranked from 17 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Team members
HYPERTELEX
Software used
Python engine, coded in VSCode, Reaper, GIMP
Use of the limitation
The game is set in a pocket universe and plays with ideas of dimensions. The player is dwarfed by enemies like worms, spiders and bats. The underground theme is reflected by having plenty of dirt, rocks, crystals and lava as well as the aforementioned cave enemies.
Cookies eaten
chugged a lot of chai tea over two sleepless nights
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Comments
Style reminds of old games heavily, definetele had fun playing it, well done
UI is great, mechanics are cool, and I like the concept! Very complex thinking game of how to use your spells, which moves you make and etc Cool you added lore and story! Great work on the game jam!!! and I wish you luck on the game jam!!!
Really impressive you were able to get this done within 3 days on your own.
Really impressive work for just two days, and superb otherworldly atmosphere. (Although I'd be a liar if I said I understood most of the tablets)
thats intro add some really good vibes! like that athmosphere!
very good game and well polished :D
This game is so unique, very different from the games I've played and made for game jams! I wouldn't even know where to start making a game like this, really impressive! I can tell you put a lot of work into this. Also totally insane that it says you submitted this a whole day before the deadline, you are very talented!
That is very high praise, thank you! It was 48 hours for me because the jam ended on Monday so I had to go to work - had a nice sleepless night or two! Once the hex movement system was in place, a lot of things were able to be implemented quickly. It helps that it's a very asset-light game and the crappy sprites and MIDI music were easy to whip together. If you are looking to create a game like this, think about understanding and breaking RPGs down into their fundamental gameplay components and tackle them one at a time - for me it was cells, movement, tilesets, fog of war, health, enemy spawns, combat, then magic. That way, things don't seem so hard at any one step. Appreciate you trying the game!
A whole story and LORE plus all these mechanics made in 72 hours is WILD, really impressive stuff!! Took me a bit to figure out but once I did it felt very satisfying to keep trying to get all the sigils. Really clear UI and nice graphics, too.
One small remark maybe is that I found myself never using the Scry spell as it only revealed one tile and healing ended up being the more useful scenario. I think if it revealed more tiles or a certain path like the crystals I would've used it more. But that's only a nitpick, great job!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Yes, the magic system was a bit of an afterthought and underbaked. I definitely would love to go back with this game and figure out how to balance everything to make it challenging but functional. Thanks for the praise!
Very neat presentation and aesthetics, I think you nailed it! The retro art-style is on point.
As mentioned in other comments the UI is also flawless keeping the windowed, operating system-console game. I have nothing to say about it because is 1:1 to a retro game without losing the modern touch.
It's a good treat that you considered to add that much lore too, it add some additional layers.
About the gameplay, it is addictive. First, it seemed too dificult but once you get the loop and, most important, you do understand every system, it is so entertaining. Very polished I'll say.
Congrats!
Thank you for your thoughts! The evocation of old fashioned computer design was the main goal. It's definitely an interesting trade-off between going for authenticity and user-friendliness - maybe keeping a windowed 640x480 scale and keyboard only approach isn't for everyone. Glad you found the gameplay loop works - I had very little time to think about balancing!
HEXAGONS OMG Sorry I love hexagons. Great exec! As others mentioned story is great. I love the UI made it feels like an old point & click! Thanks for making it <3
Interesting concept, the story is also verry great !
Story is really nice, and UI and thw whole game to be honest feels finished, polished. Nice work!
UI/Layout is great, impressive stuff with the limited time.
Althought this type of game is not my favorites, the game is well polished.
Other than that, I would say the diagnal movement was hard discover at first.
Thank you for your thoughts on the game!