Deepest Sword by Strega

:dagger: Summary
Venture deep into the Cavern of Longing. Plunge your sword deep into the dragon's heart! How deep is your resolve? Post your best times in the comments!
- Feel the weight of a giant sword!
- Move in ways you never thought possible.
- Overcome your deepest struggles.
Join the Official Deepest Sword Discord

:video_game: Controls
Keyboard and Mouse * Move - WASD * Swing Sword - Mouse buttons * Restart - R
Keyboard Only * Move - WASD or Arrows * Swing Sword - < and > or Z and X * Restart - R
:bulb: Credits
- Vu Ha - Code & Sounds
- Rose Peng - Art
- Johan Soriao - Music
| Link | https://cosmicadventuresquad.itch.io/deepest-sword |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/deepest-sword |
Ratings
| Overall | 15th | 4.395⭐ | 1005🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 84th | 4.11⭐ | 1006🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 26th | 4.385⭐ | 1006🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 128th | 4.259⭐ | 1007🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 55th | 4.591⭐ | 1007🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 126th | 4.105⭐ | 989🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 56th | 4.215⭐ | 996🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 175th | 4.165⭐ | 987🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 30🗳️ | 54🗨️ |
an original idea, and great mechanics.
my favorite so far.
Maybe just for the jam you could give people the ability to skip a section from the teleporter? Just so that way if someone like me gets stuck and can't beat a section they have a way to progress through the game anyway?
Only problem I have is that the screen shake is very dizzying
I guess the innuendos were inevitable with this theme and the concept of a large sword lol.
The movement is really nicely made, awesome
The art, music and overall presentation was fantastic! All in all this was an amazing game so a big thank you to you all for making it!
Felt like the gameplay was pretty frustrating though. Maybe ease up the difficulty or give some powerups?
I thought the sword mechanic was a ton of fun, but didn't enjoy the level design at the end. I ended up being stuck in a place I couldn't move in level 4 and gave up after using R to reset. I really wanted to keep going to see more dialog! While the mechanics helped the story, in the end there was a bit of mismatch between the HEAVY masochistic difficulty and FLUFFY kookiness. Might be better for one to give.
Really a great game, though I was in pain by the end. The camera moving at every wiggle started giving me a headache. Would have been nice if there was a bigger zone where it wasn't moving. The look-ahead also contributed to the nausea because I was constantly going back and forth.
I normally try to give constructive suggestions on improvements with every comment, but I'm honestly at a loss. I would say the only thing I want is for it to be longer, but the dragon might like that too much...
lol seriously though phenomenal game. The challenge is right in that sweet spot where I feel like it should be easier so I keep trying. It's more difficult than it initially looks, but still so rewarding. This is a super solid submission. Well done!
I should also point out the humor of wielding a sword so big in such tight quarters had me laughing the whole time. It helped me chill out when I got frustrated. Love this game.
Also me: I hate this game so much, haha. Make me rage. :D
Although it is too difficult to me ,hahaha.
Why? Easy. This can definitely be a rage game of some sort if this is pushed even further.
In fact, this could be considered a speed game if done right!
Usually I would hand out critiques on what could be done better but this is mostly done very well!
Well, other than this, of course:

This is the only point in the game where you can't really do anything but restart.
but it's great
Solid work, well done!
Nevertheless, this is a winner in my book. Congratulations!
PS: How much of the double entendre was intentional? :P
PPS: Just over 25 minutes
The problem with it is that there's no sense of accomplishment when you eventually overcome one of the challenges. It's like rolling a 100-sided die until you get a 46. Like, hooray, but I didn't feel like my successful attempts were a result of anything other than doing it over and over again. It also got in the way of really good design choices. For example, early stages are made more difficult with the longer swords (fantastic idea!) but it doesn't really work as-is because the challenge comes from the unpredictability of movement rather than player precision or puzzle-solving.
There were a few places where I got stuck even though the principles of levers (which the game reminds you to consider almost as a preemptive complaint avoidance scheme, very clever! :-P) would apply. This is utterly forgivable since it's edge cases and this is a jam game, so that's just playtest feedback, not actual criticism.
Great work for a jam game. I think the high-level of presentation polish invites comparisons to published works, which certainly isn't fair. I think this would be a great game to keep working on for commercial release. I'd love to see it as a puzzler with a bunch of bite-sized sequences like this, with different themes, goals, or items to swing. I wouldn't add much to it, even though you certainly could.
But, the movement needs to be addressed. The market for "Getting-Over-It-likes" is only so large, and this game can't count on meme-aesthetics like that one did. What it has is a greater focus on lateral thinking with it's faux-rogue-like structure. Lean into that and less into the controls being frustrating for their own sake.
(Also, you can totally cheese the second-to last area with both the swords you bring to it).
**EDIT: Your stats show you have no karma or given ratings for other games yet. It's early still so I just want to encourage you to do so even though you probably won't need to considering all the attention this is getting already. I don't like when some LD games get a lot of attention and skate by without participating in the system, so I hope you choose to avoid that fate.**
Awesome job! I'm sure i'll see this on randomize user :D
PS: i had a little technical problem where the game slowed down heavily and the sped up, throwing me off cliffs. Not sure if it was my browser or systems fault. Oh, and the music was pretty silent.
The art is pretty cool, and it's a good idea to colorize each zone.
Really impressive for a jam! Great work!
The controls were pretty unique and took a bit to master. I found using keyboard + mouse controls easier.
The only complaint is that the difficulty shift between level 4 and level 5 was too big in my opinion, another level between those two would feel a little better I think.
However, i think the last stage is a little bit too frustrating, but the rest feel so polished, one of my favourite game so far !
Reach for it my `***`. Whoever decided to put this in, and the rest of you who didnt stop the person - I'm not proud of you.
Anyways, GG WP, nice game. Music is much quieter than sounds for some reason - which is a pity cause I liked it very much.
I don't know what more to say about it, I really loved it.

The dragon reactions were funny too and globally the game is well polished, very impressive for a jam game !

I gave up, but I really enjoyed it.
Sound design is simply gorgeous, and the mechanic is quite original. It remembered me "Getting Over it".
I also really loved the graphics.
Nice work !
ok ok, actual stuff, great game, my god love it, real fun :D fun idea, fun execution. Just all around well done, polish is nice and the game makes me want to play more. perhaps be a bit nicer to your players with the distance, because even after I got the hang of it I still would fall 70% of the time simply because it goes very fast. That aside, It feels great, looks great and is a fun one for the theme. Excelent entry!
I think what I disliked about it was the way the puzzles could be figured out long before the maneuvers were executed. It took a lot of fiddling about to get the sword to do certain things. I understand that it's by design, but I felt it took away from the experience and added a lot of frustration to the game. That wasn't for me.
Apart from that, solid game.
Self-contained game with nice progression curve. Has a fun narrative to accompany it too! I was playing on track pad so I had a tough time playing it through. Giving key controls (like K/L) for rotating the sword would've gone a long way for me.
Stellar job!
Thank you very much!
The game looks and sounds great ^^
The difficulty curve could use a little work in my opinion, I felt like I had to figure out some of the sword's properties on pretty challenging parts right off the bat. Or sometimes the game would challenge me on a new concept for the first time at the end of a series of 2-3 "jumps", and I'd have to redo the whole series to try again which makes figuring it out take longer than needed.
Very enjoyable game overall :)
I have 1 suggestion, maybe after each stage we should fight a new enemy/dragon with a deep and deeper opening than the last one. :D
Good Job
Well done! You guys all did an amazing job on this game! The music and graphics fit nicely and were stellar, level design was on point and meshed well with the concept, and every was tied together neatly with a story and a ton of amazing polish.

This expression exemplifies exactly what I am feeling right now!
Delicious!
Delicious!
Delicious!
This art is wonderful! Congratulations to the artist!
The music is fantastic! Congratulations to Sound Designer!
The physics of the game is perfect!
Congratulations to the developer!
But I want to say to the creator of this game: Your idea is Fantastic! Your interpretation of the theme was phenomenal!
This game is on my list of "Best games of all LD".
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
I'm in love with "Deepest Sword"!
Also cool soundtrack and charming sprites!
The level design is also brilliant with using the same levels over and over again but with the longer sword, which each time is making the previously hard section easier. And it creates additional playtime with reduced design effort. Making the last sword golden is a nice touch to indicate the final level, which by the way was fucking brutal on my first playthrough. Level 1-4 were a breeze, but level 5 tool 13 minutes to finish, resulting in a 21:01. Sub 20 would have been nice, but that's saved for another playthrough. YES, I will come back to this game and give it another try. :crossed_swords:

Btw. I see which game you took as a reference and I'm happy to see other developers also getting inspired by the great Bennett Foddy. Your game is more inspired by Getting Over It, while we choose to follow the QWOP route. Normally, I don't ask others to play my game, but I would really love to see your feedback on it. 😉
I'll try again later, I need to calm down.
Otherwise excellent work the sound woaw I write this message with the music in the background!! i love it.
The visuals are crazy too really nice and clean.
The game design is very well thought ( I tried to cheat several times to pass more simply, what a mistake! ).
A great team from A to Z, keep working together! Thank you and I hope to finish the game!
Really enjoyed my time here. Using the sword rotation is such an interesting puzzle mechanic, thanks for creating this! :)
This mechanic is clearly inspired by Getting Over It, but the growing of the sword and the almost puzzle-like levels really adds something to it, to the point where it doesn't feel like the same game at all. It's also quite challenging and frustrating but in a good way, as you don't lose too much progress when you fail.
Pretty crazy that this was done in 72h!
Really good job, I had a great time playing your game! 5✰
I found the control idea genious and very innovative although frustrating at times. But the game was visualy pleasing, very polishedand also had great humor. I think the rotating sword movement overshadowes the theme a little bit. Overall great game and really fun and easy to play, but at some points to difficult for my skills. Loved it, keep it up. I'd like to see more stuff like that from you!
Incredible work but wowie was it tricky on that last level in a way that none of the other sections were.
nice game!!!!!
best game I've played yet.... amazing in all aspects :D
Really cute and relaxing game, GJ!
Very clever design. The sword feel, the heaviness. It's just right.
Great work, I enjoyed it ^^
-- Humor is on point and art is beautiful. Lovely
but either way, u guys deserved all stars
Also, SO HARD. But worth the effort to beat.


The graphics, the gameplay, the dragon, the dialogue. I loved every part of it.
I don't usually give out full star reviews cause that means it's peak performance and I won't ever be able to rate anything higher, but this deserves it. 11/10 would play again.
LETS DO IT AGAIN.
The mechanic is great, I love being my own worst enemy on a mission to really _stick it_ to that dragon.
Speaking of, she is full of life and sass, just like all of the characters. The mechanic alone would definitely not have been enough, but its surrounded by such a fun world and such gorgeous animation that it all meshes together perfectly.
Really incredible work.
You are so talented guys. Well done.
The levels are great and how they're reused but play much differently due the having a different swords and mechanics for it.
its a polished game already.
Really stellar jam entry! You could straight up publish this on Steam as-is. This is really great.
The main idea is just super super clever and cool !
One of the best of this year !
Definitely one of the top games of this LD for sure ^^
Also... pretty dragon :eyes:
- Amazing pixel art
- Clever, well-utilized game mechanic
- Good difficulty curve
- Great take on the theme
- Super polished experience... :v:
It's actually pretty hard to say anything bad about this game, brilliant work!
The main mechanic was also rather interesting and innovative in its design. However, this is also where I find my main issue. It is always hard to balance wacky physics based antics with controls that feel fun and responsive. And although you have gotten quite close, given the time frame, it's not 100% there yet. I found myself often feeling at the mercy of the game's physics with my character having an unnecessary amount of slipperiness to them, resulting in the feeling of kinda just getting knocked around uncontrollably. The reason why I think this is an issue is because the main mechanic has a lot of potential to be something really fun. Imagine a game about timing your sword swings just right so that you get more and more momentum by using your environment. As it is currently though, it feels more like awkwardly trying to wiggle your way around a cave that is not designed much with the mechanics in mind. Maybe that sort of slow paced experience is your intention, or maybe there was just way too little time to iterate on levels, but either way, to me personally it doesn't feel as fun as it could be. Perhaps with more pixel perfect movement, more momentum gain from the sword and level design made to facilitate that momentum, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Overall, though, I think that you have accomplished everything one could dream for with a Ludum Dare entry: polished, complete, technically well-executed and despite having flaws: really showing potential to take this idea and make something truly great out of it. Good work!
Well done haha :)
But game great, idea too, mechanical so hard! I love it! Keep doing that game!
I even managed to get a really good time in my first try. If it had an online leaderboard it would be perfect!


---
* There are lots of good things about this game as the 500 comments already suggest. I will try to avoid repeating them, so I won't put much emphasis on them.
* One thing that I really liked is that how with each upgrade the same levels became easier / harder. It was interesting to see how you could take shortcuts with a longer sword, but at the same time some corridors became trickier
* Really interesting sword mechanic. Reminds me of "Getting over it"
* Cute character
* Good music
* Nice art
* Good controls
* Nice game flow
* Nice polish
The bad
---
* Last level can be a bit frustrating, although this is not necessarily bad in case you want to pose the player with a challenge so that they can prove they have mastered the mechanic
Summary
---
This is an excellent game and I loved it. It also feels like a finished game. I am not sure if it could be expanded upon with more levels as the last one was already a bit frustrating to go through, and I think 30 mins for this type of game is excellent (maybe could go up to an hour ?). But this is just my opinion and I cannot think of ways to expand it.
Congrats on the game and keep up the good work!!
Thanks for the game I enjoyed it!
Easily the best game I've played so far.
I at the end: "Oh my God, now I can climb here and here, but how to get HERE?!"
I really love this game! Wonderful job)
Hope this game gets expanded in the future!
You really do move in ways you never expected; there's movement strategies that kind of "emerge" out of necessity and frustration (Waggle the sword.) I think even more movement would have been more exciting, but overall it was a nice concept, more of a puzzle than I anticipated.