I think the keys you used for the gameplay are somewhat strange and hard to get used to.

I really like this game! The concept is super unique and in particular the art style is really cohesive and appealing. I found the controls a little difficult, and was only able to block a falling sword like 1/5 of the time. I think polishing that up a bit would do wonders for the game!

Congrats on completing the jam and thank you for sharing!

Very intriguing. The keyboard controlls are a bit strange though, especially in germany, where "z" and "y" is switched.

I kept dying after the 3rd wave of swords even though I was not touched by any of them.
How to keep it alive?

I love the pixelart style for the graphics! The game is simple but fun, good job!

I love the graphics! It was quite hard to block the swords, and it took a while for me to start blocking them most of the time. The sounds are very fitting for the game. Good job!

The visuals are super cool and the gameplay is fun and challenging. The keyboard keys are a bit weird, but ok when you get used to it.

Overall, the game is simple but it works, good job.

Like the look of the game but it was pretty difficult to protect the flower without dying yourself.

its difficult to stay alive long in there. Nice cute mini game. I really liked the art work the whole style of the game blends together nicely. Audio would really help this lil thing. Controls are a bit tricky to master, just arrow controls should be enough. Good try !!

Nice game. Would really benefit from having a good sound effect when hitting the swords back, though. A fine concept nontheless

Nice style but could use some little improvement regarding the hitboxes. Sometimes it seems like the flower is hit even when a sword isn't touching it visually and the flower is also hit when you stand in front of it and get hit - so you take one for the team but get punished twice. The choice to use x/y is also debatable imho when looking at the various keyboard layouts and it always baffles why this is the default in so many games. But fortunately you can switch between layouts pretty easily these days.

Visually cool game. But there is no reason to move far from the flower, as far swords will never hit the flower, but may damage you. Also controlos are very stiff IMHO.

Interesting concept. A few bugs include attack sometimes not working and swords killing flower without hitting it. Controls are also a bit unusual, but overall the game was quite fun.

Anonymous, you need to save the flower too or else you lose!

@siegmayer @joe-cowman @remus-rain @gullyngames @elendow @elendow I'm sorry, I didn't specify clearly in the description but this game almost **requires** to be played with a controller. I didn't play it with the keyboard at all and I can only imagine how painful it must be to be played like that. So if you have a controller at hand that is what you should use instead to enjoy the game a little more.

I don't know what kind of layout should be used for games like this on a keyboard, the arrows + zxc configuration is standard japanese indie controls and what feels the most natural to me. Any suggestions?

@trashstar that is actually by design to avoid you being too close to the flower. I understand what you mean with the flower hitbox, it doesn't feel that right.

@hacktrout it's a feature lol

@marco-le-van @miklo Thank you so much for the feedback!

@trashstar you're right, initially I designed more elaborated patterns and powerups that required you to move and strategize your position, but I ended up being short on time, so your criticism is more than valid. The extra swords are there mostly to give a rhythm for the falling swords and make you understand when the next one is coming.

@convg Thank you! I feel like these aren't actually bugs but mostly visual hiccups, the trail of your attack isn't active for all the time it appears on screen because otherwise the game would be almost trivial, and the hitbox for the flower is a little bigger.

Plays much better with a controller. I didn't realise I could jump with keyboard controls because I have a QWERTY keyboard, so 'w' was actually jump for me. I'd recommend using XCV, rather can ZXC in future as they are in the same location for QWERTY and AZERTY.

Controls aside, I loved the art style and mood. The gameplay, while simple was actually pretty fun, particularly juggling the falling swords! SFX/VFX when attacking and hitting swords would go a long way to make the mechanic more satisfying. I'd also suggest making the flower a different colour from the rest of the ground, I had no idea where it was for ages :D

@almax thank you so much for the feedback! You're right that XCV feels like a better choice, I am changing it now to make things a little less frustrating for those that don't have a controller. And you're definitely right with the flower, it is easy to miss, I have to find a way to make it stand out a little more.

Nice little game. Easy concept, easy play. It remember me an Spanish saying: "You are as Heavy (metal) as a rain of axes!" :) Good entry!

Quite a somber take on the theme, I like it!
I don't have a controller on hand at the moment but I do want to try it again with a controller. I do still like it though, it's quite challenging without a controller.
The hitbox for the flower does seem a bit unforgiving though, especially at the top. There were times I thought I had swatted the sword away just in time but still lost a petal.

more visual feedback while hitting would be nice. Also having the collision box of the hit stay active longer would make it easier to enjoy the story. Thanks for making this it was fun.

Visuals are great, and I like ambient. But keybord controls are strange.

Nice creepy music. Maybe more sound effects on game action.