Subverting the Survivors-like genre by stacking chaotic "Trust No..." modifiers every 30 seconds—like friendly drones betraying you, controls reversing, or abilities freezing—is an absolute stroke of game design genius! Turning your own upgrades into unpredictable hazards fits the "Don't Trust" jam theme in such a chaotic, addicting way, making every run feel fresh and high-stakes.
A few hitbox, drone tethering, and balancing polish ideas for post-jam updates:
- Slash Hitbox & Enemy Knockback: Tweak the slash attack vector and collision response so enemies get pushed outward rather than upward/toward the player, preventing accidental damage from enemy overlap.
- Drone Range & Tethering: Add a maximum leash distance or recall button for drones so helper units don't get trapped fighting distant stragglers far off-screen.
- Debuff Visual Cues & Cursor Visibility: Keep the hardware mouse cursor explicitly forced visible on the UI/title screen, and add subtle screen-edge color tints or HUD banners when debuffs like "Reversed Controls" trigger so the shift feels intentional rather than like input lag.
Incredibly clever mechanics, catchy title track, and a phenomenal spin on the Survivors formula for a solo jam project! If you get a free minute, I'd really appreciate your detailed feedback and rating on my solo jam entry as well: /jam/brackeys-16/rate/4953523