Potato Dungeon by _Rilem

[raw]
made by _Rilem for LD26 (JAM)
Hello! Welcome to the Ludum Dare 26 page for: POTATO DUNGEON!

Potato dungeon is a sidescroller with a very minimalistic combat system. You have a sword which you control by pointing it with your mouse.

To defeat your enemies, stick them with the pointy end.
So that's minimalism for you, game design wise, with a cool simple and fresh style to match it. :)

Your goal is to clear the dungeon, save your horse and claim the treasure hidden deep within.


Controls (title screen):
any key - start the game

Controls (game):
A,D - move left and right
W - enter door, jump off horse
S - drop through platforms
Space - jump
Mouse - control angle of sword, your sword aims at the cursor
Reload button (top right) - reset current level
F11 (browsers) - go fullscreen

Horse controls:
Click on horse - switch horse between fighting and transportation mode
Jump on horse (while in transportation mode) - RIDE ON BROTHERS!


Credits

Diane de Wilde (@Ziryf): Game design, concepts, sound effects, game art
Richard Lems (@Rilemtwit): Programming, game art, level design, game design

Music was found under creative commons license on newgrounds, all credit goes to Zenuel for this amazing piece of music.
Zenuel (zenuel.newgrounds.com) : Music

A few animal samples from freesfx.co.uk




Enjoy, and don't forget to rate the game! :)

Ratings

Coolness 84% 2
Overall(Jam) 4.37 3
Audio(Jam) 4.03 19
Fun(Jam) 4.29 2
Graphics(Jam) 4.58 10
Humor(Jam) 3.69 28
Innovation(Jam) 3.88 37
Mood(Jam) 3.86 30
Theme(Jam) 3.24 274

Feedback

DaanVanYperen
30. Apr 2013 路 01:47 UTC
Some interesting things going on here. Definitely worth a play!
Sgt Squirrelly
30. Apr 2013 路 01:49 UTC
Having trouble going through the first door? Is that a puzzle I'm not getting?
馃帳 _Rilem
30. Apr 2013 路 01:50 UTC
Ah yes, you can go through doors by pressing 'W', the controls section has been updated. :)
Sgt Squirrelly
30. Apr 2013 路 01:50 UTC
Actually, got it by mashing the keyboard. Guess I'll figure it out
Aiji777
30. Apr 2013 路 01:50 UTC
I think this game was very good, my only problem was that my mouse didn't seem to be very responsive. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the game or my computer, but it made the game much harder to play. I like how you made a game that was more based on having enemies run into your sword than slicing and dicing, it's cute, and makes the game stand out.
Sgt Squirrelly
30. Apr 2013 路 01:50 UTC
Haha, just saw the reply, thanks.
Sgt Squirrelly
30. Apr 2013 路 01:51 UTC
Maybe allow use of the up arrow, too? Didn't know I could even use WASD (Although I now prefer it)
Ray_Mickelino
30. Apr 2013 路 01:54 UTC
This is pretty good for a jam. This game has some serious potential.
Sgt Squirrelly
30. Apr 2013 路 01:55 UTC
Favorite entry so far. The polish is extremely impressive. Perhaps this is something that could deserve a "post-compo" version.
Rutger Megahertz
30. Apr 2013 路 01:56 UTC
Nice aesthetics and generally really well polished. Don't know if it's that minimalistic though. But this was definitely well executed.
0beah
30. Apr 2013 路 02:09 UTC
BRILLIANT
Korda
30. Apr 2013 路 02:09 UTC
The best Ive played so far
Cory Martin
30. Apr 2013 路 02:10 UTC
The sword controls are really fun. I wish your jumping and falling speed were faster though; it feels kind of floaty.
theo
30. Apr 2013 路 02:11 UTC
I really, really want this to win. Don't know how this is possible in so little time.
YsenGrimm
30. Apr 2013 路 02:11 UTC
Nice idea and nice graphics too.
ShinkiroCode
30. Apr 2013 路 02:31 UTC
So fun! 5/5
Nanolotl
30. Apr 2013 路 02:35 UTC
Incredible. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay was pretty much perfect. The sword mechanic was great an the bosses were fun. One criticism is that it felt like it went on for a bit too long.
captainkraft
30. Apr 2013 路 02:37 UTC
This game is incredible, if a tad long. I tried to finish it, but after the 30th level I had to call it quits. This game would have been perfect with about 6 levels, 700 is a little much for a Jam Game. I shaved before this game, and now I have to shave again.

The art style is amazing, the controls are great. The sword mechanic is also incredible, and fairly unique. I was really impressed by the whole thing.
NateAGeek
30. Apr 2013 路 02:42 UTC
Great game! Had so much fun!
Zathalos
30. Apr 2013 路 02:46 UTC
The graphics are really awesome and the gameplay was interesting. After I got the horse, things started to get more fun. If this was made into a full fledged game, that would be be awesome. Great job!
馃帳 _Rilem
30. Apr 2013 路 02:49 UTC
@captainkraft, too bad you stopped, the game ends at the 31th level :D
ThePhantomLemon
30. Apr 2013 路 02:50 UTC
excellent. Better than the average browser-based game. (yeah, I'm comparing it to non-ld games too). Heck, if it was expanded upon a bit I'd pay for this game.
tonbery
30. Apr 2013 路 03:10 UTC
this is one of the best games i ever see on a Jam


Congratulations!

and i that shovel knight feeling ;)
dagothig
30. Apr 2013 路 03:10 UTC
This game... is just excellent... like... it's really fun, simple and addictive
ddionisio
30. Apr 2013 路 03:17 UTC
Great game! I love the look and feel, it looks crisp! I love the animations, simple yet expressive! Also good music! The sword mechanic felt a little monotonous at the beginning, but got very interesting later on.
DBRalir
30. Apr 2013 路 03:18 UTC
Awesome! This game is delicious.
syawqy
30. Apr 2013 路 03:21 UTC
great! nice graphic and gameplay
stromchin
30. Apr 2013 路 03:40 UTC
I loved the horse
biscuitdough
30. Apr 2013 路 03:41 UTC
Amazingly polished, took a great idea and just ran with it
CappaGames
30. Apr 2013 路 03:47 UTC
Amazing game, best I've played so far. I love the sword mechanic and the horse teammate.
MinionStudios
30. Apr 2013 路 04:01 UTC
I am The Potato Slayer, The Spu-Breaker! WOOHOO love this game. Vote on Minion Studios' game too, it has potatos, keys and bats.
invi
30. Apr 2013 路 04:22 UTC
This is beyond perfect! 6/5!
Luxorix
30. Apr 2013 路 04:48 UTC
Nice graphic and interesting gameplay! Super!
lightnarcissus
30. Apr 2013 路 05:51 UTC
Pretty much the most polished game I've played from the lot of LD26. Great job!
Andrio
30. Apr 2013 路 06:12 UTC
Awesome!
Elemnir
30. Apr 2013 路 06:22 UTC
Best. Game. Ever. The end boss battle was insanely fun. I just wish Pard wouldn't go running off in the wrong direction when I needed him.
angelk
30. Apr 2013 路 06:39 UTC
At first I thought the potatoes took too many hits, but then I realized I just wasn't swinging fast enough :) The graphics are excellent, music is good and the design seems implemented well.
Travis Irby
30. Apr 2013 路 06:42 UTC
Looove the graphics. Interesting concept also with the mouse/sword action great job!
GeorgeBroussard
30. Apr 2013 路 06:45 UTC
Amazing game and style. Final boss was hard (probably died 15 or so times) but the game was so good I had to see the end. Amazing art style. Jump physics were too floaty but easily fixed. The horse was awesome! My pal, the horse. Loved his additional mechanics.
karsyf
30. Apr 2013 路 07:54 UTC
That was really good =D
Chman
30. Apr 2013 路 08:56 UTC
Fun sword control, cool idea ! Graphics & sounds are great too. I'm too fond of the player physics though, a bit sluggish.
wonderwhy-er
30. Apr 2013 路 09:20 UTC
Wow, man it plays as good as it looks! Awesome job man!
馃帳 _Rilem
30. Apr 2013 路 11:34 UTC
Wow! thanks for all these positive comments, we really poured our heart and soul into it. :)
BrothersT
30. Apr 2013 路 12:38 UTC
Great game! will definitely be coming back to finish this one :)
PushmePullyu
30. Apr 2013 路 12:51 UTC
Best 2d swordplay ive played since Prince of Persia. XD
RobKat
30. Apr 2013 路 12:51 UTC
Great game but the mouse mechanic didn't really sell it for me, possibly some tweaking or scrap the mouse n keyboard n go for game pad! analogue sticks would be awesome for this.
recursor
30. Apr 2013 路 12:57 UTC
This is great. My only complaint is I wish there were some way to lock the mouse cursor so it doesn't keep going off the screen. Love the horse!
BNeutral
30. Apr 2013 路 13:01 UTC
Best Ludum Dare horse+potato ever.
RealyUniqueName
30. Apr 2013 路 13:03 UTC
One of the best entries i've played so far! Actually everyone in my office is playing now :)
Alex Shestakov
30. Apr 2013 路 13:06 UTC
Nice mechanic!
theomnis
30. Apr 2013 路 13:08 UTC
Not quite sure how this fits in with minimalism, but it's one of the better looking games I've played.
EdoMiyamoto
30. Apr 2013 路 13:11 UTC
Very smooth, clean gameplay !
Pierrec
30. Apr 2013 路 13:16 UTC
Very very fun.
It took me ages to understand that I could move the sword with the mouse (first encounter with Pard) and I had fun anyway ^^ I even thought it was very innovative to forbid the player to turn away.
The game is a bit light on theme, but it is excellent overall. I wish I could use the W to jump though, and space to jump off the horse. Because A+D+Space+Mouse...Hey! I'm just an human, I only have two hands!
Alex Shestakov
30. Apr 2013 路 13:17 UTC
A horse with a sword - this masterpiece! Thank you guys for game!
PixelOaks
30. Apr 2013 路 13:18 UTC
Man, This had to be one of my favorites!
zatyka
30. Apr 2013 路 13:33 UTC
Awesome game, I just beat it. I loved the art style, and simple gameplay. This one is going to be a frontrunner for sure.
miharbi
30. Apr 2013 路 13:34 UTC
Really great game. Really loved the graphics and audio and the sword mechanic was really fun and simple
pereubu
30. Apr 2013 路 13:34 UTC
well that's a very well designed game here. I think a faster pacing would have been cool.
8BitPimp
30. Apr 2013 路 13:35 UTC
This is awesome. Determinately the best game I have seen this LD. I love the horsey. Very very great.
ReveLorenfield
30. Apr 2013 路 13:43 UTC
Really fun, clean, well animated and polished, good job :)
dissonance
30. Apr 2013 路 13:45 UTC
Really fun game, good job! My only issue with it was it felt a little too floaty. Nice work.
lun
30. Apr 2013 路 13:46 UTC
Great game, guys! I love the way you aminated your knight. Perfect!
Alphonsus
30. Apr 2013 路 13:53 UTC
Fun gameplay, minimalit controls, excellent sound = 5/5 best LD26 game ever!
Fadobo
30. Apr 2013 路 13:54 UTC
Best one I've played so far. Greatness!
dvdking
30. Apr 2013 路 14:02 UTC
AWESOME game!
patrickward
30. Apr 2013 路 14:10 UTC
Great job! Nice graphics and sword play. Glad to see the potato theme snuck in there.
Jhelle
30. Apr 2013 路 14:43 UTC
Enjoyed it a lot. Awesome to see what some people can create in 3 days. Good job!
TeamEagle
30. Apr 2013 路 15:01 UTC
Great work! :D
visibleatom
30. Apr 2013 路 15:04 UTC
Best game so far. Really done in just 72 hours? That's amazing.
myachin
30. Apr 2013 路 15:08 UTC
great
aquilicoco
30. Apr 2013 路 16:00 UTC
Good work! I like the game.
[-BipolarDesign+]
30. Apr 2013 路 17:35 UTC
Very polished, well done! I could see this turning into a full game :D
Linus Lindberg
30. Apr 2013 路 17:39 UTC
Wow.
Prelucid
30. Apr 2013 路 17:50 UTC
Nice work. Very challenging
Nsmurf
30. Apr 2013 路 17:56 UTC
W - enter door, jump of horse
jump off* horse
martijn
30. Apr 2013 路 17:56 UTC
Best game I have seen so far
NicoSaraintaris
30. Apr 2013 路 17:57 UTC
Great game!
DDDBOMBER
30. Apr 2013 路 18:03 UTC
Really nice graphics and gameplay, well done!
fr_automatik
30. Apr 2013 路 18:04 UTC
That's fun, but it froze in the level where I got the double jump.(Opera)
Harsay
30. Apr 2013 路 18:12 UTC
Must play
Yacodo
30. Apr 2013 路 18:13 UTC
Amazing one !
bytegrove
30. Apr 2013 路 18:26 UTC
Super slick art style and combat mechanics! I appreciated all the special effects put into this one, really made it feel like the sword hits had "impact". Pard is awesome! The game felt a little too long though, especially as there are not much changing between the levels, by the time I came to the boss I became a little frustrated it just spawned more enemies and that the sequence restarted everytime I died. Just having him shoot projectiles that you could reflect or something or something different than the already utilised enemies had been nice. Other than that, the game felt really polished, Pard is awesome and so is the music. Really nice work, would love to see this made into a full fledged game! :D
bompo
30. Apr 2013 路 18:26 UTC
Amazing style!
Beerman
30. Apr 2013 路 18:29 UTC
Outstanding. The combat mechanic works really well.
That wizard is an absolute *bastard* though.
Brassawiking
30. Apr 2013 路 19:04 UTC
Super polished and awesome combat. Dead simply but very deep dynamic. I really like how you had to be two persons to defeat the giants, really put the partnership in focus. Totally rad!
Diamonde
30. Apr 2013 路 19:08 UTC
This game I enjoyed very much! Thanks for making it :)
Casino Jack
30. Apr 2013 路 19:09 UTC
That was really beautifully polished, and I love the attack mechanic.
ilovepixel
30. Apr 2013 路 19:14 UTC
Impressive game! and graphics are amazing. great game!
Nsmurf
30. Apr 2013 路 19:20 UTC
Awesome game!
klianc09
30. Apr 2013 路 19:21 UTC
This... is... AWESOME!! This would have never been so great without Pard. Thank you Pard. It also looks so "finished" which is also really cool to achieve within a weekend.
Meep
30. Apr 2013 路 19:22 UTC
Very fun game! I loved the horse! It's a bit too long/repetitive between introductions of new mechanics, but great work regardless! :)
CosmicAdventureSquad
30. Apr 2013 路 19:26 UTC
Strega: Awesome game. Really nice graphics and great simple combat. I feel like the some of the enemies have too much health though, at times I would just sit there and wait for them to kill themselves. Maybe you could have the player velocity correspond with how much damage you deal.

(this is a team account)
plash
30. Apr 2013 路 19:47 UTC
Great graphics. Combat can be a bit annoying. Level difficulty didn't ramp very well.
multitude
30. Apr 2013 路 20:33 UTC
AMAZING! Love the potato fart bubble magic. please bring this to steam! or humble bundle :D
rxi
30. Apr 2013 路 20:33 UTC
Looks and sounds great as everyone has said. It plays fairly well, though I found it dragged on a little bit, and by the end I'd went a bit mad from wiggling my mouse around for the combat. I constantly kept wanting to click to attack, it felt much like I was just putting my sword in the right place and waiting for the enemy to run into it!

You guys did a great job.
Kimeric Labs
30. Apr 2013 路 20:50 UTC
Incredible well done, please make a full game out of this!
naughtyloose
30. Apr 2013 路 22:22 UTC
great work all tough the sword fighting is a bit weird :)
Jacques_le_lezard
30. Apr 2013 路 22:51 UTC
Well, there can't be always good comments: the only thing I really love was music (but you didn't create it). It's pleasant to see but it quickly become boring =/
Dmitrix
01. May 2013 路 00:02 UTC
I love the graphics and minimalism game play!
zkenshin
01. May 2013 路 00:08 UTC
Absolutely fantastic :D
PixelOaks
01. May 2013 路 00:10 UTC
Why is this not on Steam yet. I need more!!!!

-PixelOaksCurtis
7Soul
01. May 2013 路 00:20 UTC
I loved it
Shugor
01. May 2013 路 01:11 UTC
By far, one of the best entries I have seen so far. Very polished, making it baffling how you managed to make such a great game in so little time! The gameplay was smooth with no apparent glitches and I found the way to move the sword a lot more interesting than the typical "press (whatever button) to attack". The only downfall is the amount of levels this has, making it impossible to play entirely through in my limited amount of time.
ahm99
01. May 2013 路 01:28 UTC
It crashed. but I might play more later. I really enjoyed it. GOOD JOB :)
MinionStudios
01. May 2013 路 01:45 UTC
Strong entry. I like the mechanics and the minimalist design is used to good effect.
chowdy
01. May 2013 路 01:48 UTC
Really great job. My favorite so far. Reminds me a bit of Slayin.
alvivar
01. May 2013 路 04:30 UTC
i give you 5 stars in everything. AWESOME.
Benjamin
01. May 2013 路 08:16 UTC
Incredible game. The 8 directions arts ( dont know how to name that ) is good and color choice is perfect.
The different game mechanics are very innovative and Pard is lovable, my best friend, I wish I could bring him with me for further LD26 gametest :D The only bad part is probably leveldesign, most levels was boring or very oddly designed... For example I dont understand the use for rest room with only hearts in a game with infinite continues, maybe there's a special perfect run ending ?
I played until the boss and give up there but mostly because of my computer, the game is very laggy on my netbook.

One of the most amitious game I have ever saw in a Ludum Dare Competion.
Congratulations !
glisk
01. May 2013 路 08:31 UTC
AWESOME, love the visual style, the gameplay and the music.
rogueNoodle
01. May 2013 路 08:36 UTC
This is just as good as I hoped it would be when I first saw the screenshots! I want a shirt with that horse on it - make it happen ;)
Yann
01. May 2013 路 09:02 UTC
Pretty impressive (:

For some reason, I had a weird bug for the boss fight: I could hit both tiny pig soldiers until I killed one and then the other didn't register the collision of either my or my horse's sword. I guessed you somehow destroyed the two collision. After trying a few time I succeeded though.

But overall nice game idea, and you managed to find some really cool pseudo-coop mecanisms =)
recursive frog
01. May 2013 路 10:31 UTC
You know, when I first saw the gifs of this posted on the blog I had a feeling it was going to be pretty special. This entry really shines, I think. It's got a great style, great music, and an invincible horse to do your bidding.

You really packed a lot of gameplay into such a small package. Hats off to you.
Xaychru04
01. May 2013 路 11:07 UTC
Amazing graphics, very cool music and sfx, it's sooo long and difficult to finish, I love it :D
M0N0QUARTZ
01. May 2013 路 11:20 UTC
Very cool game, graphics are awesome and audio too.
aviktorov
01. May 2013 路 14:14 UTC
Awesome game! I like visual style and gameplay! Horse with sword is awesome too. :)
kidevil
01. May 2013 路 21:21 UTC
Love the look of the game, and the music is excellent! Double jump wouldn't work for me though, and found the best way to fight was just to stick the sword out and let the baddies jump into it. Maybe work speed into the damage, so you have to be moving the sword to kill them? Brilliant style though. Great game!
Tater_hater
01. May 2013 路 21:23 UTC
Loved it
LTyrosine
01. May 2013 路 21:24 UTC
Loved it, really nice music and gameplay. Nice job.
Jorjon
01. May 2013 路 22:23 UTC
Game was fun, but a little bit too long. I didn't get much "minimal" experience, and it was running very slow (maybe because of being fullscreen).
Roan Contreras
01. May 2013 路 22:26 UTC
Hey, I love this game. :D
DavidErosa
01. May 2013 路 22:32 UTC
I loved this game, a little weird controls but once you get used to them, the gameplay is pretty nice! Thanks!
Robotic
01. May 2013 路 22:33 UTC
Probably my favorite entry so far, it has everything I like, from the cool sword mechanic to the light artstyle and the perfect feedbacks. I know this game will inspire me a lot in the future.
SomeNetworkGuy
01. May 2013 路 22:37 UTC
I am not a fan of the sword control at all. My character would move to the other side of the mouse, then all of a sudden I'm swinging the wrong way.

But over all, real great job. I had fun playing!
vilya
01. May 2013 路 23:46 UTC
Fantastic! I haven't been able to beat the wizard yet, but I really want to come back & try. Great job!
dem0
02. May 2013 路 00:48 UTC
Excellent and polished game on every aspect!
cadin
02. May 2013 路 01:07 UTC
Very impressive. The graphics and sound are very polished. I love the art style. The sword control mechanic is interesting at first, but I felt it got a little tedious since it take so many hits to kill the enemies.

Overall, it's great though. Great job!
NAMKCOR
02. May 2013 路 03:36 UTC
Fantastic.
Jellycakes
02. May 2013 路 04:07 UTC
Some really nice graphics and some solid gameplay. Really enjoyed playing this. Good job!
sparkleswirl
02. May 2013 路 05:32 UTC
This is a really solid game. The mechanics are simple but fresh, and the way the double jumping and the horse add to the game are simply brilliant. Usually double jumping is really just a key for a lock, but the way you implemented combat means that it's an extra, risky tactical option. With the horse it also opens up things like flanking and strategy. Really well done! My only complaint is that the key opening the door in stages where you kill all enemies is kind of redundant, and sometimes breaks the flow by making you backtrack to get it. But I can also see how it's easier to do that programming-wise.
Shigor
02. May 2013 路 08:08 UTC
Very good and very polished game. I wasn't able to get through the horse though :/
Knighty
02. May 2013 路 09:46 UTC
Nice game. Graphics and Audio were nicely done. Having to use Space instead of W to jump was a bit awkward for me and took awhile to get used to. The sword mechanic was fun, but sometimes my sword was inside an enemy and it wasn't getting hurt, and I couldn't figure out why.
enzo
02. May 2013 路 14:48 UTC
Pard is literally the greatest companion in any game ever
blackmagic
02. May 2013 路 19:39 UTC
AWESOME dudes !!!!!!!!! omg omg love the art, thanks for this game, really i mean it! Rare thing to have so nice visual feedbacks !! 5stars !!!
MinionStudios
02. May 2013 路 20:29 UTC
I am The Potato Slayer, The Spu-Breaker! WOOHOO love this game. Vote on Minion Studios' game too, it has potatos, keys and bats. I even came back and rated this one higher!
KEFIR
02. May 2013 路 21:46 UTC
It is the best entry! But i wouldn't say it is minimalist. But game is very cool, complete and I pretty sure it's going to be a big title!
JohnnySix
02. May 2013 路 23:45 UTC
Epic stuff - first game on here I've stuck at until the end - the pay off was worth it - best treasure ever. More please. :)
lekochen
03. May 2013 路 01:50 UTC
PERFECT!!!
Alucard J
03. May 2013 路 05:53 UTC
A fun game with some excellent ideas and gameplay mechanics. Lowering enemy defenses is really hard, I found wildly swinging the sword while jumping around worked best. Really liked the horse companion. Graphics and music was admirable. Well Done =]
scottychips
03. May 2013 路 12:52 UTC
So much fun - thanks for the great game, very enjoyable
gslance
03. May 2013 路 14:33 UTC
nice, good work, I liked it :) Cleared the game, it wasn't THAT long, it was just enough imo. Nice use of visuals and the main game mechanic worked good!
shawn42
03. May 2013 路 17:00 UTC
AMAZING! I loved it!
mildmojo
03. May 2013 路 18:39 UTC
Fantastic game.

I was a little frustrated by a game-breaking bug in your input system. You're not calling preventDefault() or stopPropagation() (or both) on the event object in your keydown/keypress handler, so pressing a key to move bubbles up to my browser (FF 20) and pops open my typeahead find feature, taking focus away from the game and consuming all further input. I make HTML5 games myself, so I'm super-sensitive to it. =) I had to switch to my backup browser to play.

Very polished. Love the character art and simple level design. You packed a lot of content into such a short development cycle. I noticed you pretty much had to attack the pigs from the left since their swords reset to the right after a hit.

Bringing in the horse with a sword and providing a riding option was awesome.

It's a lot harder to play with a trackpad since the game rewards you for swinging your sword back and forth. It would probably work well with a twin-stick controller.
Pixelulsar
03. May 2013 路 20:15 UTC
I really liked the sword mechanic and this was fun to play. It also looked good. My favourite game so far.
Husky
04. May 2013 路 02:40 UTC
Awesome!
Simple yet brilliant,
I do love the graphics ans music!
Great work! :D
Sylvain.p
04. May 2013 路 02:53 UTC
Great game good works...but potatoes wasn't the theme, no?
brxtr
04. May 2013 路 04:37 UTC
The sword combat is suitably minimalist and fun to use, but I find having to use space to jump irritating when I see no reason not to let W do that. The graphics and music are nice.
Gungnir
04. May 2013 路 05:56 UTC
Fantastic! Really novel and well tuned controls, charming style, minimalist without being simplistic. It'd be great even without considering the limited time in which it was made.
nicotr014
04. May 2013 路 07:13 UTC
OMG this is so f'ing cool.... I LOVE the sword fighting gameplay.... brilliant
cwilloughby
04. May 2013 路 07:20 UTC
Super cool. This is awesome! Great artwork. Got stuck on the push down level and didn't see how to restart until coming back to page - would love to see those hints in game. Great work! Overall, reminded me of die by the sword. :)
Polar
04. May 2013 路 10:53 UTC
Literally the best game I've ever played in a Ludum Dare :) Seriously, it's got an unbelievable amount of polish, a bit of a storyline, and a really interesting game mechanic. My only issue was, if anything, that it was too short - please, please make a Post-Compo version with loads more (and saving) - I'd quite happily pay for it if it was on Steam (or equivalent)!
Lizzip
04. May 2013 路 12:31 UTC
Damn horse! Great game
Kareemroks101
04. May 2013 路 14:16 UTC
Definitely the best I've seen so far. 5/5
DrGeraud
04. May 2013 路 14:34 UTC
Awesome game dude ! The fight against the horse was the best one. The plateformer aspect could be better, but it still very good and impressive.
Madball
04. May 2013 路 17:02 UTC
Great game! I liked the fighting system. It looks very balanced. The boss was quiet challenging though.
Hayawi
04. May 2013 路 19:05 UTC
One of the best games yet
SuperDisk
04. May 2013 路 19:07 UTC
What a glorious game. It kind of reminded me of Slayin' (http://www.pixellicker.com/games/games_slayin.html) and even somewhat of my warmup game.

Great polish and great mechanics! 5's all around.
Orni
04. May 2013 路 19:16 UTC
I had to get the hang out of it first - but once I did I fell in love with the game (especially since the visuals and audio are so great)

very cool game, well done
SecondDimension
04. May 2013 路 20:29 UTC
That was....amazing. Great graphics, loved the music, good fun to play.
matthias_zarzecki
04. May 2013 路 21:19 UTC
Great work! Love the graphics and the sword-fighting.

The speech-bubble has a lot of potential, and could be extended greatly.
SneakySalmon
04. May 2013 路 22:23 UTC
Awesome fun, i love the combat system :D very unique.
PabloAlexandre31
04. May 2013 路 22:40 UTC
I like it, but in some moments, the control of mouse is very hard. Anyway, great job!
GaTechGrad
05. May 2013 路 02:46 UTC
Nice gameplay and graphics. Reminded me a lot of games like Adventures of Link and A Link to the Past.
Covenant
05. May 2013 路 10:34 UTC
Awesome idea, very fresh... Graphics were excelente, loved the horse!
someone
05. May 2013 路 14:21 UTC
That was AWESOME!
Loved the combat and the horse was brilliant.
Interestingly the arrow keys worked with up being jump, but not double jump.
alcazar
05. May 2013 路 14:53 UTC
Best polished and amazing game i have played in this LD26
A very good job gues ;)
skunkaroony
05. May 2013 路 18:15 UTC
Pard - that's the most epic name for a video game companion EVER! :D
lorancou
05. May 2013 路 19:08 UTC
Cool visuals, really fun to have a sidekick horse by your side !
Dans17
05. May 2013 路 19:32 UTC
Incredibly original and fun game-play!
larb
05. May 2013 路 21:47 UTC
Amazing. Not a fan of the controls (on a touchpad here). But really polished. Amazing music, sound, and visuals.
SecondDimension
05. May 2013 路 22:17 UTC
Played it again, best game I've played this LD I think
EatenAlive3
06. May 2013 路 01:05 UTC
I knew from the middle on that this was all fives. Great job!
SaintHeiser
06. May 2013 路 01:26 UTC
Hah, not bad!
Smash, smash, smash THEM ALL!!! XD
gregdevice
06. May 2013 路 04:50 UTC
My favorite jam so far! Love the sword fighting, especially between the bosses. The companion horse is a great touch. This would make an epic game with some more story! Nice work!
馃帳 _Rilem
06. May 2013 路 06:27 UTC
Thank you for all the kind comments guys! What an overwhelming response! :D
We're looking at all the feedback and taking notes on what to improve. We both fell in love with pard while creating the game and it would be a shame to let the adventure end here. :P
Thank you for playing. But thank you most of all for allowing pard into your hearts. :)
ferasmi
06. May 2013 路 10:58 UTC
Loved your game really really cool :)
robotality
06. May 2013 路 17:41 UTC
Love it. Very well polished in every aspect. More of this.
atraxgames
06. May 2013 路 18:36 UTC
Really good game, i loved the way you control the sword. good graphics and music too
lotusgame
06. May 2013 路 18:43 UTC
The best game i played in this LD, polished, original, challenging, with a deep progression and more. Win the horse was so delightful :) Excellent job !
lasergans
06. May 2013 路 18:46 UTC
Amazing work! Beautiful graphics, easy but solid gameplay. Had SO much fun! Thank you a lot!
evilDan
06. May 2013 路 19:08 UTC
That is so stinkin' clever!

I don't usually enjoy wasd+mouse but this is done in such a thoughtful way.
geckojsc
06. May 2013 路 19:33 UTC
This entry *has* to win the Jam, it's a masterpiece!
Jarcas Studios
06. May 2013 路 20:11 UTC
Very cool! The only frustrating part was that the angle of the sword would move when my character moved even though my mouse was still. Could fix that by ensuring the player's character is always centered.
Beldarak
06. May 2013 路 23:06 UTC
Ridiculously awesome. the mechanic is quite unique, it's a ton of fun and I simply love that horse look :D
moomoo112
07. May 2013 路 03:59 UTC
I liked the fighting mechanic in this
TenTonToon
07. May 2013 路 06:14 UTC
Absolutely brilliant visually - I love this kind of geometric look. The sound design is great, too.
As for the game itself, it got old quite quickly for me. There's something about the passive act of letting enemies impale themselves on your sword that I don't find too exciting.

The use of the theme is 50/50 for me. The combat is minimalistic, indeed; a little too much, maybe, as I already pointed out. But the rest of the game's design is standard platforming fare. Simplistic, you may say, but not minimalistic.

Also, why the choice to use SPACE to jump, instead of 'W'? It seems counter-intuitive to me, and not too comfortable.

All in all, a very nice game with huge potential for a post-compo version that moves away from the theme, that I think doesn't add anything to the game.

Congratulations! :)
Hatscat
07. May 2013 路 06:54 UTC
I definitely love this game!
lotusgame
07. May 2013 路 09:45 UTC
Sorry, i revisited my judgment because i think this game doesn't fit the theme at all. Even the gameplay isn't minimalist. Some said this game must win the jam, i think the opposite, if it wins there is no more interest to follow a theme. A good game but completely irrelevant.
dick_claus
07. May 2013 路 11:05 UTC
Great game. Spent playing this game more than other games ever. Can't finish it though.
EggDestroyer
07. May 2013 路 11:44 UTC
The controls are awkward, the jump is quite floppy and I don't really see the "minimalist" part (even gameplay wise).
Apart from that, I had a lot of fun playing (I finished it eagerly), the level design is very well done and the whole graphic & audio work is fantastic !
Infin8
07. May 2013 路 16:47 UTC
Just brilliant. I must say the gifs alone piqued my interest.
xdegtyarev
07. May 2013 路 18:30 UTC
That's the best game for that ld i've played!
numpad
07. May 2013 路 20:27 UTC
Awesome! The best game I played. Maybe in every LD.
Graphics are so lovely!
N427
07. May 2013 路 22:32 UTC
Very innovative, light hearted fun! I loved it. I wish there was a different control scheme for moving the sword though, maybe have it centered around the middle of the screen or maybe when you click it puts down a point that you rotate around? Idk, just felt awkward trying to keep up with the hero's movements.
barkergames
08. May 2013 路 01:35 UTC
I love how each level teaches you how to use a different feature.
Taro Omiya
08. May 2013 路 03:56 UTC
What an excellent, polished game you've got there! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
dector
08. May 2013 路 08:39 UTC
5+. Great and fun game.
aaron9000
08. May 2013 路 16:58 UTC
Awesome. The direction of the sword is confusing however.
mildmojo
09. May 2013 路 05:33 UTC
@lotusgame: Note that only the Compo rules say the game "must" follow the theme. The Jam rules say the game "should" follow the theme. The Jam's a lot less strict than the Compo.
馃帳 _Rilem
09. May 2013 路 10:27 UTC
Thank you mildmojo. :)
I'd also like to add that:
There are no combat buttons to attack with, the combat sytem is completely minimalist but creates depth without making it complex.
The artstyle is minimalist, clean, doesn't add anything that is unnescesarry.
We created something original instead of just taking the first google hit, the Mondriaan style and saying: "Wow! Our game is DEFINITELEY minimalist now!"
'completely irrelevant' is hardly the case, I think we did a great job on capturing the theme without sacrificing too much of the gameplay, art or content etc.

I respect all your opinions, but when you have to say "the game doesn't follow the theme." Please do elaborate on why it doesn't.
rosa89n20
09. May 2013 路 12:03 UTC
Very interesting! I like it <3
Dissing
09. May 2013 路 12:28 UTC
Incredible fun and amazing art style. Only complaint is that the web version repeatedly broke my sound driver (pulse). But the desktop linux version worked perfectly. Probably the best game I have played this Ludum Dare.
bobiniki
09. May 2013 路 14:24 UTC
This game should be the winner! In every aspect this game is GREAT! If you make a bigger game I will buy it for sure. Great job guys!
robcozzens
09. May 2013 路 19:19 UTC
That was fantastic!!
I can't believe how complete it felt for being created in such a short time!
And I love how you would introduce new controls by having the player tell his horse what he was going to do.
noddy2006
10. May 2013 路 03:42 UTC
Super cool, but I noticed a few problems. I found the combat to be pretty fun, but it's quite easy to get hit due to the way the "invincible enemy" thing works after you damage them. Instead of being able to juggle enemies in the air, they would just fall through my sword after I hit them once. The small enemies also took a bit to kill, which really slowed down the pace of the game, which I found detrimental. I also found pushing the boxes around to be a bit frustrating, as the physics didn't always play nice. Do I have to push the boxes with my sword? Wasn't intuitive to me. Finally, why were the boxes rendered at a 45 degree angle? That was weird to me, kind of perspective-destroying.


Despite those issues, however, I thought it was a really fun game. With a bit of tweaking and polish, you could definitely turn it into a great little game.
ataxkt
10. May 2013 路 12:26 UTC
I love the way you attack enemies! It grows old pretty fast without variation though. I'd love to see more weapons and enemies!
Smaxx
10. May 2013 路 14:15 UTC
Very nice, I like it - also runs great in IE10. The only complaint I've got is the sword fighting. That's introduced almost a bit too late. I nearly lost interest "oh it's the same over and over again", and then that fighter pig appeared... :)
donan
10. May 2013 路 15:05 UTC
Really awesome game. Love it :D
Jod
10. May 2013 路 16:21 UTC
Wow, one of my favourite entries. Enough difference in gameplay to keep it interesting and the end boss was quite a blast. It gave me some serious Zelda flashbacks, only in this game the idea is executed cooler, much more energetic.

Loved it!
kddekadenz
10. May 2013 路 20:49 UTC
The graphics are awesome, but the gameplay sucks.. The attacks are too slow, the gameplay is well-known and used..
Codexus
11. May 2013 路 12:34 UTC
Excellent game! The characters are well designed and the gameplay has a good progression that made me play until the end.
I'm not a huge fan of the idea of controlling the sword with the mouse, it's original but get tedious quickly.
rezoner
11. May 2013 路 15:13 UTC
Hello jam winner! I am sure this will be a hit if you decide to finish it.
Mago
11. May 2013 路 16:35 UTC
AWESOME!!!
Puzzlem00n
11. May 2013 路 19:03 UTC
Very nice. You guys have a really, really strong combat system with these swords. And the graphics are fantastic. My only complaint that can be of any use to you guys is that pressing W is a bad choice for dismounting. I kept pressing W when I wanted to jump out of habit from other games, and I'd dismount against my will.

Another thought: if there were a game that controlled the sword similar to this, except that clicking thrusted the sword and allowed for slash attacks (i.e. hold the mouse button while swinging forward) then that would be a very cool game. ;)
Puzzlem00n
11. May 2013 路 19:08 UTC
Oh, forgot to say, you guys did an amazing job with that horse's AI. Seriously, I'd have no idea how to make it follow you around like it does so well.
TurboDindon
12. May 2013 路 07:34 UTC
Great. I think this entry will win the jam!
Very complete and well-executed game.

- SEPHY (@sephyka)
ecool377
12. May 2013 路 08:51 UTC
Great twist. Great game. 10/10 -Game Informer
Jeremias
12. May 2013 路 09:34 UTC
Great work! I love the graphics, the sound effects, the music and the setting... I mean... a horse buddy with a sword and fighting pigs... just great. Was fun to play through. Two things I noticed: during the bossfight there was one of the smaller pigfighters who was invulnerable (I let me killed by him and tried it again and then it worked). Secondly, sometimes I didn't notice that I lost a heart, so that should be communicated better.
jolle
12. May 2013 路 13:06 UTC
This is really great, in every possible way.
SamoojaMies
12. May 2013 路 17:05 UTC
Had fun time to play it. Enjoyed the graphics and controls!
ethankennerly
12. May 2013 路 22:56 UTC
Lancing potatoes from horseback thrilled me. If you continue to develop this, sometimes the horse's sword would not seem to hit the pig, and clicking the horse and then pressing jump button to get on the horse confused me.
TheSheep
13. May 2013 路 16:54 UTC
Very cool idea with the fighting mechanic, but it's spoiled by too large number of HPs the monsters have -- waiting for them to impale themselves on my sword enough times is boring, and not waiting makes you die...
Xanjos
14. May 2013 路 22:20 UTC
Pretty awesome game. Became really interesting when the horse joins your party. Also, dunno if this is some sort of bug or glitch but if you jump (unmounted) then constantly keep clicking on the horse while you're in the air, you pretty much get unlimited jumps in the air (sorta).
lotusgame
14. May 2013 路 22:29 UTC
Thank you mildmojo for your precision, i didn't know the jam was less strict about the theme.
Sorry _Rillem ! I have overreacted, probably because i was jealous about how your game is great ^' My apologies !
Saturnyn
15. May 2013 路 18:39 UTC
Best game I've played so far. Very well done !
brantkings
15. May 2013 路 23:47 UTC
Just excellent game overall. The simple mechanics of pointing, the teaching itself level design, and that horse maybe is one of the best videogame characters ever. You sirs, deserve a lot. Genuine fun!
SnoringFrog
16. May 2013 路 09:59 UTC
Easily one of my favorites for this LD, even if it did result in another failure to my "I'm going to go to bed earlier tonight" scheme. Great work, loved the audio in particular, and the graphics were simple but great. Had some issues with my cursor disappearing when it wasn't moving that threw me off a tad, but otherwise no issues at all.
Threef
16. May 2013 路 16:45 UTC
You know that this game is in top 5 of 26'th Ludum Dare Jam? Maybe even no. 1. :D
wallmasterr
16. May 2013 路 20:21 UTC
Amazing, and nice tennis Zelda style at the end
Jonapulse
17. May 2013 路 02:41 UTC
Rawesome. I liked the horse.
someone
17. May 2013 路 20:08 UTC
Back for more. Just played it though again for about the fifth time. Still my favorite game here.
The AI on Pard seems a bit off on the level with the two moving platforms and four pigs, after first killing one of the two to the right pard will always go to the left and get stuck, sometimes falling down the abyss.
deepnight
17. May 2013 路 21:13 UTC
Absolutely stunning *_* The theme relation is a bit thin but the overall game is incredibly fun and efficient.
Great job guys!
Sebastian
18. May 2013 路 18:42 UTC
This is so much fun! XD
Pig-wizard is driving me nuts, but I just need to hone my horseback sword-fighting skills a bit more and I'm certain i can defeat him and his evil minions.
Serious contender for first place here I'm sure.
Alprog
19. May 2013 路 11:19 UTC
Combat system of this game is unusual but very cool (control sword鈥檚 direction by mouse).
This feature was enough to get good rating but beyond that the gameplay is constantly changing and does not get bored. There are a lot new abilities during game (unexpected but awesome).
And stylish graphic. And logic puzzle. And bosses. And humour. The best one.

Not very clear keyboard control, but it is not critical. I willing to buy full version :)
Hiku
19. May 2013 路 12:47 UTC
HORSE \o/
Roupette
19. May 2013 路 14:46 UTC
Rampage ! Come on my sword :) !
(the double jump works only with "space" and not with arrows)