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A jam submission

Mana RushView game page

A high-speed broom race through dying crystal caverns.
Submitted by netravelr (@jodoran) — 5 days, 13 hours before the deadline
Rated by 14 people so far
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Mana Rush's itch.io page

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AI Tools Used
Planning/Documentation: ChatGPT
Programming: Codex
2D Images: GPT Image 2
3D Models: Meshy
Sound effects: Codex/Eleven Labs
Music: Suno

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Comments

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

Have played some runs in the game, maybe because of me playing the game with keyboard and mouse, so I often hitting the ground and stuck onto it when charging forward, slightly go backward after charged did unstuck though. And I'm not sure why, but I don't seem find a way to upgrade or purchase my magic broom or something? The visuals did looked stunning, these 3D models are surely high quality.

I'm quite new to primarily AI-assisted game development just at starting this July, especially on the 3D aspect, so I'm really exciting to play some 3D games here and wanting to try other AI tools to make some 3D models and textures that I want for my long time hobby project. I have read your devlog of this game and I wish you have fun developing your games, good luck on your game dev journey!

Developer(+1)

Thanks so much for playing and for the thoughtful notes! The ground-sticking while charging is a good note. I’ll look at adding cleaner slide/knockback recovery after floor impacts.

The broom/upgrades are meant to be in the between-run shop after finishing a run but if you couldn’t find it, that’s on my UI/tutorial flow. 

Also really appreciate the kind words about the models and devlog. I’m still learning a lot with AI-assisted 3D too, and this jam was a fun way to figure out what works and what still needs hand-tuning. Good luck with your own project!

Submitted

Impressive if a bit disjointed 3d design. The workflow for generating assets seems really good. Sound is a bit harsh. Controls are quite clunky as well, I think controller would have worked better, I was using mouse and keyboard.

I think the main disconnect for me comes from the constrained cave, the camera angle is fighting against it, I feel like this angle demands an open ceiling.

Developer

Thanks for trying the game out! I agree with the main concerns. The controls have gone through many revisions but none have felt 100% there. We do have controller support in case you want to try! 

Submitted (1 edit)

The graphics and interface are excellent. I agree with the other comments that the controls take some time to get used to, and the game would feel even more satisfying with a slightly friendlier control scheme. That is only a small detail, though. Overall, this feels remarkably polished for a jam entry. Congratulations!

loving the 3d theming, impressive for the time limit!

The concept is there but if i was going to work on something specifically lacking right now in the game it is the flying physics, right now it is quite clunky to fly. Im not quite sure what exactly would fix it but momentum and control isnt quite there. i tried the q and e for up and down but then realized the mouse affects your direction so i mostly used that. Maybe driving is mostly done with mouse aiming with space as an accelerator  and the wsad is like a short dash perpendicular to current trajectory

Developer

You're right the controlling has been the hardest thing to get right. I've made another build with a different way of controlling. Hopefully it works better?

Submitted(+1)

good time flying in the tunnel, i didnt go far enough but maybe theres outdoor map. a first person view would be cool too, good music

Submitted

The game’s world, music, and gameplay systems were all absolutely fantastic! The high-quality 3D presentation and simple controls were especially impressive.

I played using the arrow keys together with Q and E, but I think the game might have felt even more comfortable if the controls worked something like this:

  • Movement is forward-only, with no ability to move backward.
  • The up and down arrow keys perform the current Q and E actions.
  • Another key, such as Space, moves the character forward.

That said, I thought the overall experience was excellent!

Developer

Thanks for the feedback! I tried to implement a forward-only movement system, let me know what you think!

Submitted(+1)

The game is very nice and got my high rating; I like the graphics. The witch character is very beautiful and fun. Good game.

Developer

Thank you so much for the feedback! 

Submitted

The game environment looks great, the effects you have used are really well done. I assume though it’s not intended to be mobile friendly? The text and on screen buttons are very small on my Iphone. I will give it a go on PC when I get a chance. Nice game.

Developer

Yeah, I believe the itch.io page says it’s not intended for mobile. I added in on-screen controls this time as I wanted it to work, but since it didn’t start on my iPhone on Safari I didn’t push for it this time. 

Developer

I've tried to make a new push to fix the controls, if you have a chance, please let me know if it works on your end

Submitted

Here is what I am seeing on my Iphone. The controls are responsive but it’s not completely clear which ones I should be pressing. Unless you’re talking about the controls on PC? In which chance I’ll get a chance to test in a bit.

Developer

I don't see anything. Can you send me a screenshot or share with me on Discord? 

Submitted

Sorry here is the screenshot.

Developer

Okay, I tried to make a fix. Hope it works for you!

Submitted

I've just tried your game and it is really fun! I like how it feels like a game for console. I'd like to play it some more, but what is the progression here? There is like a single beginning for a net of routes or what? Are there any upgrades?

Developer

Thanks for checking it out, and I’m glad you had fun with it!

The progression is roguelike-ish: each run sends you into procedurally generated caves with branching routes, and between runs you can visit the shop to improve your broom, hat, and permanent upgrades.

The caves keep getting harder the deeper you go, so it has an endless-runner structure too. Eventually the cave will get you, but the goal is to push farther down each time and build out your kit along the way.

Submitted

Overall- What a beautiful game, and great concept. However it's pretty clunky to fly around. It doesn't feel smooth or effortless, which I think flying should feel. 

Developer(+1)

Thanks so much for playing and for the thoughtful feedback. I agree that the flight needed to feel more effortless, so I’ve made a handling pass based on your comment.  Hope you'll give it another try and let me know if you have any other feedback!