Nice concept. Good job on the Boss as well :) the Graphics could be improved I guess... I Like the classic sound effects :P I think the way you have to recharge the shield is not very intuitive... and it did confuse me a lot before reading the instructions again ;) I think it should also recharge the shields power fully after it got completly destroyed.

How could I not think about it
I think it should also recharge the shields power fully after it got completely destroyed.
And according to the recharge not being intuitive, I don't know how to make it more intuitive.
I believe that it's the best way to recharge your shield

Hey, came here to beat "The Mage", and I can proudly say: I DID IT :)

I think that your game is amazingly polished gameplay wise. Sure, the visuals are basic, but it feels very precise and satisfying to play. It could use some quality of life improvements like better indicators for the shield strength (it is barely visible when its almost gone. Also I dont see how long exactly it takes until its back), but thats very common for game jam entries.

The difficulty is really high for a jam game, but I totally see how that is something at the core of your game. It leaves you room to improve yourself and you can actually feel getting better. That is something I can very much appreciate in games. My victory over "The Mage" gave me an amazing feeling I usually only find in souls-likes.

The time and determination required to master your game is above average in jam entries which is why I feel most people dont finish it. Don't worry about it too much. If you want more people to finish the game make it easier and more approachable (in-game tutorials, more QOL polishing, etc.).

Good job!

Thanks, really appreciate your commitment!

Have you beaten the enhanced knight? :)

"shield strength (it is barely visible when its almost gone. Also I don't see how long exactly it takes until its back)"

I don't have an idea how I could do that, I wouldn't like an energy bar (but maybe I should have added it). I referring to the time it takes, it's around 5 seconds. I figured that it's short enought that I don't need to add any indication. Also you get notified when it's ready again, so I feel like that's all that is needed.

I camme back to try the mage again but failed :) But I have noticed another thing that could improve the game: a custom cursor. Because my default curser easily gets lost within your background :) Also nice Idea with the statistics...

Took a lot of hassle to set them up, but I believe that it was worth it.

I can't say I've got much experience playing bullet hell games, but it felt nice and smooth to play and I had some real fun playing, so very nice job with this :)

@egorexw I gave the enhanced knight a try but wanted to finish the mage first :p

I might give it another try over the weekend!

Concerning the visual clarity of the shield, here is what I can think of:
- Maybe an outline to the shield that is always 100% visible diregarding the shield strength could help (at least where it is casted, but may also work for when its thrown). This way I can always see where my shield/projectile is even when I have barely any shield left.

- For the shield recovery timing - it doesn't have to be an energy bar. It could also be a simple visual clue just indicating when the actual refresh is happening. Something like this for example (just some random idea):


Hope this gives you some idea of what I am talking about. Have a nice weekend!


@thejan14 Love your idea! Will implement it! Also great gif to illustrate that.

Nice weekend to you to!

A fun game so far, with tight mechanics, however a little bit too hardcore for my taste, I couldn't even beat the first boss and I gave it a good few tries. Some indication of how much health the boss has left would help out (not necessarily a health bar, but just something visual). I tried fighting the mage as well, however I am unsure how my new ability is supposed to help me in the fight... But maybe this is just not my kind of game, sorry.

But as I said the implementation and the controls are tight, I could see this going somewhere, and an audience is clearly there!

@andidebob
"however I am unsure how my new ability is supposed to help me in the fight…"
It becomes useful in the second half of the battle. You can also damage him by teleporting through him (thought people will figure it out).

"(not necessarily a health bar, but just something visual)"
Would you give an example? Because I am not really sure what I could do.

@egorexw I am not sure, maybe a change the color of the character, or the color of some particles he is emitting. Maybe give the enemy some armor which he progressively loses, or in general change his sprite. You already have the indication of multiple phases, but those phases could be cut into smaller intervals which don't necessarily change the behaviour, but just the visuals to give you a sense of progress throughout the fight.

Obviously you can always still go back to the health bar, really depends on what you think feels best.