Four Scepters by Benjamin

[raw]
made by Benjamin for LD26 (COMPO)
Find the 4 scepters to banish the necromancer who rules those lands.
Play the Fighter Wizard Thief and Assassin in the order you like.

CONTROL : Game is played with the arrow keys

< IMPORTANT > I could not finish help in time So here's an important point :

To use his habilitie the Thief needs to be in stealth mode, you can achieve this by hiding near an empty wall in a room without monsters.
Once in stealth mode you will unlock the first door or steal the first treasure on your way.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 4.16 14
Audio 2.97 400
Fun 4.08 9
Graphics 3.84 127
Humor 2.55 356
Innovation 3.82 100
Mood 3.66 90
Theme 3.85 277

Feedback

whitetigle
29. Apr 2013 · 03:47 UTC
First I definitely hate blue blobs and poisonous snakes.

Ok so I really enjoyed the way you move ( pv ;) ), the different abilities of the 4 characters. And I really enjoyed finding the scepter and then dying.
The game is very easy to play, it seems simple, it is but very rich nonetheless. And it very innovative. Bravo!
RealyUniqueName
29. Apr 2013 · 05:41 UTC
I like dungeon games, and your great "team" idea made so much better. I hope you will keep working with this game after compo is finished.
Suese
29. Apr 2013 · 06:05 UTC
I like how you made the controls minimalistic, very clever. Suprisingly deep game-play.
Colapsydo
29. Apr 2013 · 11:01 UTC
Like Kali's Ladder, this game is so addictive.
Just got three scepters so far, so I didn't try the puzzle mode.
Narayan
29. Apr 2013 · 12:00 UTC
I like the controls, very clever !
Kiwiboi
29. Apr 2013 · 17:17 UTC
I REALLY liked this game! Very well made with a lot of content and detail. Cheers! :)
TijmenTio
29. Apr 2013 · 19:14 UTC
Love it, 5 stars :)
Andrei Barsan
29. Apr 2013 · 19:26 UTC
Pff, I wouldn't have expected less from the creator of Super Strict Farmer and Beetlefield: The Forecast. Brilliant game, capable of keeping me hooked for a very long time!

Also, I somehow managed to get stuck in the top-right room of the third, level. I'm not sure if it's a bug or not, though.

Great job. Don't EVER skip a Ludum Dare. :D
FuzzyWuzzie
29. Apr 2013 · 19:48 UTC
This was a lot of fun! Reminded me a of an even more minimal version of Gauntlet. Very hard though!
Thotor
30. Apr 2013 · 10:03 UTC
Really fun ! I enjoyed it a lot !
Andrei Barsan
30. Apr 2013 · 14:18 UTC
Potions don't seem to be able to remove the poison effect (I'm playing custom mode now, the last level).
Xatulu
30. Apr 2013 · 17:54 UTC
Very addictive, can't stop playing, thanks for making this! Would love to see it expanded!
nilstastic
30. Apr 2013 · 18:57 UTC
Pros: Solid gameplay and nice graphics! (as always)
Cons: Nothing much, felt like sword of fargoal and that game i hate. *Argh* =)
jami
30. Apr 2013 · 20:03 UTC
Really nice game! Good job!
ilo
01. May 2013 · 00:32 UTC
Although it feels like you have to learn the dungeons through trial and error in order to know which order to pick the characters, the simplicity of the game and the depth that emerges from it is really delightful. It looks fantastic too!
🎤 Benjamin
01. May 2013 · 07:46 UTC
Andrei Barsan > Ouch the potion bug is a big problem. Anyone know if I am authorized to hotfix that ?
robotality
01. May 2013 · 09:34 UTC
Like the minimal approach on the rpg game here :) Nice touch with the monologues when a character dies :)
The Consul
01. May 2013 · 11:34 UTC
Impressive game!
WiseGAMER
02. May 2013 · 00:35 UTC
Nice game I like how the game play was minimalistic and still fun!
sP0CkEr2
02. May 2013 · 01:29 UTC
great game and follows the theme to the core -- awesome effort!
Jarcas Studios
02. May 2013 · 02:13 UTC
I've rated maybe 30 or so games so far, and you are getting my first 5-star Overall rating. Great job!
Tom 7
02. May 2013 · 03:07 UTC
This is super good! It really fits the minimal rogue-like theme, but unlike other "minified" games it's just just crapified -- the graphics are perfect and the game actually has impressive puzzle play and a great mood. One of my favorites so far.
jwolf
02. May 2013 · 03:38 UTC
Very nice puzzle / adventure game. Well done!
GreenPixelDev
02. May 2013 · 03:41 UTC
Great concept! The gameplay is definitely minimalistic and I really enjoyed the art style :D
GeorgeBroussard
02. May 2013 · 06:42 UTC
Fantastic little game! A lot of decisions and options and replayability.
FezMan
02. May 2013 · 07:12 UTC
Great game! A proper puzzler with RPG elements.
jacklehamster
02. May 2013 · 07:34 UTC
Love the simple gameplay with only the arrows, yet you don't feel limited. I had a lot of fun with this one!
jacklehamster
02. May 2013 · 11:37 UTC
Believe it or not, I found this game so fun and addictive, that to be fair, I had to downgrade other games that previously had 5 stars.
silentspartan72
02. May 2013 · 12:13 UTC
Fun game to play but very hard, could only get to the second scepter.
zatyka
02. May 2013 · 14:15 UTC
I thought this was excellent. Great implementation of the theme with the battle system. Thoroughly challenging, without being frustrating (at least for me). Very nicely done, and keep up the excellent work!
Boiúna
02. May 2013 · 14:19 UTC
Fucking GENIOUS!
rujo
02. May 2013 · 14:22 UTC
really nice entry, i love the graphics and the minimal gameplay is perfect for the theme
Angerus
02. May 2013 · 14:26 UTC
Really like your game and realization! Old school, minimalism, and the humor inside
JaJ
02. May 2013 · 14:47 UTC
Very good! Havn't gotten very far yet, but I'm going to keep trying!
Dining Philosopher
02. May 2013 · 15:19 UTC
Whoah, this is hard! It took me a while before I tried custom, which makes practice a lot easier.

Insane props to anyone who managed to do solve this without paper to draw a map of each level. In the end I could do it without using the wizard or the assassin, I guess it's not possible with one character only.

Kind of a sad ending, and I had to take a few shots for the spelling mistakes :P Very good game though!
MinionStudios
02. May 2013 · 16:27 UTC
Simple and really fun! This game rocks! I enjoy the size of the game, and even with the limited graphics it has a load of options and paths. Great one!
EdoMiyamoto
02. May 2013 · 17:23 UTC
Very very good!
acro
02. May 2013 · 17:29 UTC
No idea how you made that much animated pixel art and gameplay mechanics in 2 days. Just awe-inspiring!
enzo
02. May 2013 · 18:43 UTC
Old-school gameplay, old-school art, and old-school... difficulty!! If that's what casual is like, I'm never going to survive puzzle :)
Even though there are only 4 buttons, there are tons of options! (Sadly, most of those options will result in horrible death.)
Madball
02. May 2013 · 19:04 UTC
Phew... What playing it for two hours, and made a complete map and a "that wasn't intended!" walkthrough (only 2 heroes used) (I instist you to only use it if you completed the game) (Maybe somebody will come up with an 1-hero walkthrough?)
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53633853/Four%20Scepters/Walkthrough.txt
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53633853/Four%20Scepters/Map%201.png
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53633853/Four%20Scepters/Map%202.png
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53633853/Four%20Scepters/Map%203.png
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53633853/Four%20Scepters/Map%204.png
Ah, the feedback. I found the game very unintuitive. What mob exactly is undead? Why do necromancers die from an one-damage spell? What do you use, when you have different options (several spells/arrow)? And, the bug: health drain can lift you HP over the maximum. Also, a "back" key would be great.
deepnight
02. May 2013 · 19:51 UTC
Very hard but interesting take on the theme :) It lacks a restart key to make the whole thing a little more fast paced.

Great job on the art, it looks low-fi but not cheap :)
DST
02. May 2013 · 20:30 UTC
Awesome!
mrexcessive
02. May 2013 · 20:37 UTC
Plays like dungeonquest, what with all the death... the mapping and room selections is clever. One of my favourite games of all time was wizardry 1-3 on Apple ][, this reminds me of that (not visually but the room by room aspect). Good job!
KunoNoOni
02. May 2013 · 22:52 UTC
I love the art! Great use of theme. very addictive.
LTyrosine
02. May 2013 · 23:23 UTC
So much with so few, a really clever usage of theme in a complex, deep game given time it was made. A really top 10 of LD26 in my counting. Amazing job!
ovenchips
02. May 2013 · 23:34 UTC
Very slick - really loved it and can imagine the replay potential is huge! Well done.
ENDESGA
02. May 2013 · 23:49 UTC
AMAZING!!!
Very fun. I played it many many times :)
thank you c:
Jellycakes
03. May 2013 · 01:28 UTC
Seems like a pretty cool game, I liked the mechanics and the old style RPG elements. I didn't get to play it all but I will do it eventually!
savethejets1
03. May 2013 · 05:05 UTC
SO GOOD! I loved the colour palatte :D
TijmenTio
03. May 2013 · 17:21 UTC
Still playing it, it goes so deep...
LeafThief
03. May 2013 · 17:39 UTC
Tight mechanics and great overall execution. It's engaging and fun to play. You did a great job!
Ragzouken
03. May 2013 · 19:02 UTC
Really hard! I like that you're made to play all the characters to complete the quest rather than just picking one and missing out on 3/4 of the game.
sudorossy
03. May 2013 · 23:35 UTC
I love the movement mechanics, and I feel like there's tons of content. Definitely a game I can spend quite a bit of time on.
matthias_zarzecki
04. May 2013 · 18:04 UTC
Well, this is great!

nice work boiling down an rpg/roguelike. I like the fact that every room is just one object, and there is no actual movement within.
Biped
04. May 2013 · 20:22 UTC
Loved it!
NateNaterson
05. May 2013 · 01:06 UTC
Amazing work. The controls are so simple but there's so much depth here!
Dir3kt
05. May 2013 · 07:42 UTC
Excellent! Amazing work!
belickim
05. May 2013 · 11:09 UTC
This is so unbelievably simple and good, great job.
Jod
05. May 2013 · 14:37 UTC
Very damn good. I thought Gods will be watching was the best, but I liked this better.
free_napalm
06. May 2013 · 21:04 UTC
Really fun and simple to control game with high depth. Probably the LD26 game I spent the most time on.
The only annoying thing was that the wizard sometimes did not feel like using his spells for some reason.
Also: This is the first RPG/dungeon game I have seen that would work well on smartphones. Polish it, add a new dungeon every week and it could be a hit on the app stores.
JustinMullin
07. May 2013 · 20:18 UTC
This is so very very cool. Everything is super polished, and all of the graphics and sound are totally spot on. I love it!
NostraDamon
09. May 2013 · 22:28 UTC
My favorite LD game so far!
Adrian
10. May 2013 · 11:50 UTC
That is a hell of a good game! Really enjoy it, and this one I plan on finishing some day... But it's haaard.
lasergans
12. May 2013 · 11:51 UTC
Really like the game! Had a lot of fun :)
brantkings
12. May 2013 · 11:56 UTC
Excellent game. It's so cool it gives you a lot of options, expect you to make the best of it.
naufr4g0
12. May 2013 · 13:05 UTC
Love different abilities of the characters, that are well engineered.
I only took 2 scepters so far.
Xanjos
12. May 2013 · 13:40 UTC
Loved the retro feel of the game and how each character class is distinctly unique in terms of playstyle and abilities.
ethankennerly
12. May 2013 · 15:45 UTC
Innovative minimal party dungeon crawl! Choosing which monster to attack interested me, and the tropes of dungeon crawling games made feel content. If you continue to develop this, I was overwhelmed by options while seeking the second scepter. I didn't understand the strategy of which monster I should fight first.
pereubu
12. May 2013 · 18:34 UTC
t'was fun and easy to play. There's a good flow in it :3
Orni
12. May 2013 · 19:12 UTC
I love this game !

the idea is so brilliant and simple that I'm hitting my head against the wall for not thinking of it

it's also very nicely executed and graphics and audio are spot on

well done :D
vandriver
14. May 2013 · 00:36 UTC
android me this game!
Catman
14. May 2013 · 07:22 UTC
Loving the mechanic, this is maybe the only game I'd keep playing after the LD ends ;D
Zim the Fox
16. May 2013 · 05:50 UTC
First of all, thank you for commenting on my game! <3 I responded to your comment on my page.

This game is really cool and hard. Even the casual version is rather unforgiving. It's some sort of puzzler and I love it, but I didn't get past the third level.

You did a fantastic job with the graphics, animation and audio. Also, HaXe... I had never heard of that language. Awesome, I just learnt about a new language!
Zccc
16. May 2013 · 18:34 UTC
It's like a puzzle adventure! I couldn't beat the third level, but the gameplay is very addictive, well done!
mildmojo
17. May 2013 · 07:14 UTC
Great work. Very difficult, very replayable. I like the character classes and their cooperation a lot, though I wish the thief's ability was more than one-use.

It feels like there's very little left to chance, which makes it more of a puzzle game. I did find myself in one situation where a portcullis shut behind me and I was stuck in just two rooms with no items or monsters or a way out (may have needed a key).
Captain_Genial
17. May 2013 · 10:10 UTC
I like the concept,
Great use of the theme.
Puzzle mode is really hard, good job :D
someone
17. May 2013 · 13:10 UTC
That was awesome. Love the control mechanism.
Puccini
17. May 2013 · 18:49 UTC
It's a great game! very adictive!
namuol
18. May 2013 · 06:17 UTC
Challenging, but in the best of ways. You've clearly got a hit on your hands!

Great production all-around, too.

One question: Are the dungeons always guaranteed to be solvable? I'd love to hear about your approach; mostly because the layout is so simple, it would act as a great starting-point for getting into "procedural" dungeons/puzzles (although I'd guess you had more deliberate control of the dungeon design).
🎤 Benjamin
18. May 2013 · 07:49 UTC
@namuol No I can't guarantee it and I'm very sad about it, I wrote a post mortem of the reasons you can read it in my journal.
However, some players certified the game to be finishable in easy mode. I'll definitively work on a better leveldesigned post-compo but not in the next months.
For the procedural question, I dont think procedural can generate good puzzles on those game types. Computer can still assist you if you create a solver. While you leveldesign the solver tell you in real time how many solutions can finish the level. Your goal is a number nearest to 1.
I had no time to make the solver in the 48h but I did it for my previous entry : Extinct ( there's also a postmortem on solver-assisted leveldesign you can read )
Gungnir
19. May 2013 · 16:44 UTC
Nailed the theme in every respect. This needs a full release on mobile. It's a compact gem, the best kind.
Martin_Monosys
19. May 2013 · 19:04 UTC
This is great as a game, but as an entry in to 48 hours compo, it's just... out of this world!!! :)
berareu
19. May 2013 · 20:21 UTC
Fantastic! It's really fun and addictive, even if it's hard
klianc09
19. May 2013 · 21:04 UTC
Everything is possible, except completing the first level with the assassin... Really like this game^^
Misael.K
19. May 2013 · 21:05 UTC
Great adventure-puzzle game. Tough, but fun.
TurboDindon
20. May 2013 · 06:56 UTC
This is definitively a very vey very very good entry. One of my favorite compo. The gameplay is very ingenious. Good graphics, good mood, good fun, good theme.
Congrats.

- SEPHY (@sephyka)
acronaut
21. May 2013 · 02:13 UTC
hands down! I love the style, and simplicity of this RPG! this I could definitely see as an mobile port. I only wonder if you could do another build of this with more classes! (as many as imaginable!)minimally slick-wicked work and congrats!
Filth and Money
21. May 2013 · 03:46 UTC
Very interesting idea!
EatenAlive3
31. May 2013 · 21:27 UTC
Awesome game! I really enjoyed it even though I finally gave up. Challenging!