SAKURA by ZekySky

[raw]
made by ZekySky for Ludum Dare 55 (JAM)

I present Sakura, a turn-based card game based on type advantages.

Please, don´t forget to vote in audio couse it is a great part of the game. Sorry for the inconvenience<3

Ratings

Overall 865th 3.314⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Fun 889th 3.134⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 907th 3⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Theme 992th 3.085⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 684th 3.581⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Audio 197th 3.841⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Humor 824th 2.606⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Mood 761th 3.397⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 60🗨️

Feedback

Iluvatar
15. Apr 2024 · 15:10 UTC
The game is quite simple but at the same time it is actually pretty engaging and well thought. Im not a huge fan of card games, but I seriously enjoyed the Ninja theme. What I appreciated the most was the difficulty settings (I think Ive never seen that before in an Ludum Dare game). Which is a great touch for player.
My only feedback would be maybe the Screen composition to be a bit "smaller". Like the cards are could be smalled and not so stretched around the entire screen. But that is probably just my personal taste, nothing wrong with your version :)
LDJam user 302659
15. Apr 2024 · 15:14 UTC
I like this game
Play our game Poizon pets
🎤 ZekySky
15. Apr 2024 · 18:07 UTC
@iluvatar i really apreciate that u've enjoyed my game<3
Nash
16. Apr 2024 · 14:33 UTC
The beautiful logo got me to click this game. :)

There is a lot of stuff in this game. Lots of cool art and even other content in the form of difficulty modes. Difficulty modes are quite a rare sight in jam games but they are actually super useful since a wide array of different players will be playing your game during the jam.

If you were to keep working on this game after the jam, I would add improved feedbacks. Now, it was quite hard to follow what was going on in the battle. I really needed to pay attention to keep track of everything.

But other than that, a very solid and beefy entry!
m0dsat
16. Apr 2024 · 14:39 UTC
A lot of good stuff here. Took me a little time not to simply do random things with my cards. I like the overall aestetic although I was slightly overwhelmed at times. Thanks for the game!
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 14:39 UTC
@nash Thanks you for the comment bro. Yes, i know that the battle is quite fast and you can be lost. I thought in adding some colldowns for the battle but the times flies, u know... I'm very proud u enjoyed the game<3
0x0961h
16. Apr 2024 · 14:43 UTC
I liked the visuals of the game, would be great to see more juice/animations happening on the screen though, would be easier to understand what is happening, but other than that, that's a pretty solid base to build upon! Well done. :smile:
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 14:59 UTC
@m0dsat If it's true that the cards and everything in general take up the entire screen, in my future games I'll add a pause mode so players can take a second to think about what to do. Thank you very much for your comment, it helps me a lot to improve.
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 15:00 UTC
@0x0961h Yeah, I thought about adding some animations, but time got the best of me, and I decided to have a finished game rather than a pretty one (though it's also pretty, hehe). Thanks for the feedback.
0x0961h
16. Apr 2024 · 15:37 UTC
@zekysky That's totally understandable and the necessary evil of the game jam, I'd say. But you finished a game and published it, so it's all that matters now after all. :smiley:
CGraen
16. Apr 2024 · 16:07 UTC
Didnt quite work for me, since I could not press the difficulty and start button. Cool art though
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 16:12 UTC
@cgraen Sorry for that. if that happens reload the web and i think that happens if u move so fast the cards. Despite that thanks for enjoying the art
Asrata
16. Apr 2024 · 16:31 UTC
I can't play :( ui doesnt work for me
DuduBertolDev
16. Apr 2024 · 16:33 UTC
hypee!! Congratss for your game!
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 16:38 UTC
@Asrata I'm gona put a downloable zip for that, try it if you have time please
cmakota
16. Apr 2024 · 16:39 UTC
Quite complex to understand, but once you get into it, because fun. The sword volume slider was an amazing touch, well done!
Congeesetador
16. Apr 2024 · 16:43 UTC
Normally I'm not much into card games but this on was really cool! I love the art of the ninjas and the music was super soothing to listen to, I felt like I was in a ninja village, I also really love how you could upgrade the cards to make them stronger it really added extra strategy to the game on top of what there already was! It would be awesome if you could play again other players that way you would be going against smart opponents but this was a really fun game! It reminded me a lot of Card Jitsu from Club Penguin but an upgraded version of it, good job!
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 16:53 UTC
@congeesetador Wow, thank you very much for the comment, it's a real pleasure that you loved the game. Although it is true that I was thinking of adding an online mode, I didn't want to get into something that I couldn't do perfectly, but if there is enough support for it, I could do something similar. Thanks for your comment, friend.
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 16:56 UTC
@asrata Hi bro. I uploaded the windows.zip give it a try<3
jb106
16. Apr 2024 · 16:58 UTC
The main menu gives me such good vibes ! Got a little bit lost with the battle, but I managed to beat the game in hard by upgrading one card a lot '^^ I know it's a detail but I loved the volume slider with a sword haha
Congratulation for finishing the jam
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 17:00 UTC
@jb106 Thank u mate, that detail was made in the lasts hours jeje
LDJam user 261538
16. Apr 2024 · 17:21 UTC
@cgraen I also didn't understand how to start the game at first, but it's because you have to place the cards to be able to press start. I'm not sure why you need to do this, because there are 5 slots and you have 5 cards. Maybe at some point you can buy new cards, but I didn't see that option. I did upgrade the cards I had, which was a neat feature. It would have been really nice though if there was some animation or text or something to better explain what happens in the fight. I feel like I need to look at our hands after to even know who won, who died, etc.
🎤 ZekySky
16. Apr 2024 · 17:27 UTC
@amberfall92 that is couse you need to put 5 card of ur decks hand to play
Kirass
16. Apr 2024 · 23:09 UTC
You are really great! The game turned out great!
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 10:22 UTC
@kirass thaanks!!
Momotiktik
17. Apr 2024 · 11:49 UTC
I like the idea of ninja fighting card game, in terms of UI and gameplay in general as a big fan of deck building games I can say there's a lot to improve here, but then again this was done in three days :) I liked the style and music! So well done, keep it up!
Aaron Hart
17. Apr 2024 · 13:28 UTC
This is cool! I like the little touches, like the sound level being a sword unsheathing. And you were right about the sound, it's good!
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 14:11 UTC
@momotiktik I appreciate that comment. Yes, i play mtg Arena and i know that my game is lightyears of develop if i compare to games like that. However, i appreciate that people like you who play this kind of games enjoy my game<3
.
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 14:13 UTC
@aaron-hart Yep. me and my mate @albertorf26 We were looking for a way to make the game's style fit as best as possible with the music and sound effects that my partner created. Thank you for appreciating it.
Bry
17. Apr 2024 · 14:50 UTC
Fun rock-paper-scissors style card game. Great audio and nice visuals.
Suksu
17. Apr 2024 · 14:50 UTC
Very nice game, could use a little bit more balancing and content. If you were to improve on this, I feel like it could be a cool game. Well done!
LDJam user 388881
17. Apr 2024 · 14:51 UTC
Very cool, good job
OblivionCreator
17. Apr 2024 · 14:55 UTC
I Quite enjoyed this one! Despite not reading how to play it only took a couple turns to figure out the rules & how to play. While Hard mode kicked my rear, I had a good time with the easy mode, at least :P

The music nicely fits the ninja theme & I always enjoy a creative interpretation of the theme
Meru
17. Apr 2024 · 15:05 UTC
Very nice Concept and the music is fitting and supportive. I really like Card Games and the Retro Style in this. This could become a real fun Game After some more polishing!
DinDotDout
17. Apr 2024 · 15:12 UTC
The art as a whole is really nice. The game was pretty clear and straightforward wich made it easy to step into but it was a tad too simple, also the speed stat (which i assume increases dodge chance) made it pretty easy to take on the hard mode, especially once i started putting al the resources into a single summon. Great job
LDJam user 382819
17. Apr 2024 · 15:14 UTC
Why did it take me so long to discover a gem of a game like yours? There must be a glitch in the LD's recommendation algorithm! :D Seriously, I'm a huge fan of pixel art, and I'm also really into card games. My goodness, the way you've mastered the retro style is just incredible—you guys have totally read my mind. However, I feel that the gameplay might still need a bit more polish; sometimes, I find the feedback from the game mechanics to be a bit lacking. If you continue to develop and refine this game, I'm confident I'd be willing to pay for it.
Alessandro2024
17. Apr 2024 · 15:14 UTC
Neat Game
TokArts
17. Apr 2024 · 15:16 UTC
I think the strategy is just to upgrade just one ninja a lot, and put three of that one in your hand? That way you get triple value from each upgrade.

Very simple game, but I really like the addition of two difficulty modes and that volume slider - something I haven't seen yet in a LD jam game!
deformhead
17. Apr 2024 · 15:37 UTC
The volume-sword! :heart_eyes:

Really fun game, I liked the ambiance and the mecanics, really good audio! ;)

I had issues with the resolution, I think the UI is cropped (PC, resolution 3000*2000, device pixel ratio 2):

![Capture d'écran 2024-04-17 173420.png](///raw/e6f/81/z/641cf.png)
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 15:43 UTC
@deformhead U can try it in fullscreen couse i dn't adjust my game to some resolutions XD
deformhead
17. Apr 2024 · 15:48 UTC
@zekysky I had the same issue in fullscreen ^^

OK no problem, I understand, I had a similar but worse issue on my game... :joy:
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 15:49 UTC
@drgcandle Wow, thank you so much for your comment (and for everything else too). It's true that I feel like my game hasn't come out complete in terms of gameplay adjustments. Thank you very much, those words have made my day <3
NaPlz98
17. Apr 2024 · 16:25 UTC
So fun andd beautiful looking card game!
Also the audio is superb and the idea is really cool, congrats guys!
Memnarch
17. Apr 2024 · 17:35 UTC
Nice visuals and interesting concept. Though the randomness made the Color A vs Color B aspect somewhat irrelevant as it didn't feel like any tactic was needed. I simply bruteforced it by choosing one color and pump it with the majority of tokens and a second color to put the other half into, thereby simply going with a 3/2 color split.
Doctor_Zeus
17. Apr 2024 · 17:40 UTC
This game's sound and visual appeal (all of the UI, art, and layout stuff) was well done. I really appreciate the tutorial info that plays when it starts too, it made it pretty easy to figure out how to get things started.

I agree with what other folks mentioned about gameplay feedback: it's hard to know where to look while playing, and the steps of combat resolve very quickly. Even though it has nothing to do with the actual mechanics of gameplay, the easy-to-miss information makes it harder to interact with the strategy of the game.

I think it's extra challenging for games of this type - games that are turn-based or have more "indirect" control have to do extra work to show the player how their actions impact the state of the game. If we play as a ninja in a 2D platformer game, pressing right moves the character right (we did it, the result of our action is clear!). In a card game, clicking a button to end our turn triggers a lot of gameplay actions (our characters attack each other, get hurt, die or retreat back to the hand) and none of that gets communicated automatically.

All that is just me trying to say that it's a hard problem. Having the "dodged" text was nice one you did that was definitely valuable - without that it would've been really, really hard to figure out what was going on.

Gameplay-wise, I think the idea of a rock-paper-scissors kind of strengths-and-weaknesses system is cool in theory, but in practice I didn't have a whole lot strategy to my play. I could make guesses at what's best on average based on what the opponent has left, but I didn't really have any extra considerations (mostly came down to "play my strongest card").

Having some kind of effect that carries over between turns (cards get tired for a bit after they're played, that might be a relatively simple one) could be a good way to get new strategies without having to make the game way more complex, but there are definitely lots of ways you can expand.

You've done a lot of the hard work already, you made a game that executes all of the logic of a card game, a CPU opponent to play the other side, and a bunch of cool art and music to pull the whole thing together. It'll be exciting to see how you could expand it if you want to take it further. Nice job!
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 17:57 UTC
@doctor-zeus Friend, I really appreciate that you took the trouble to provide such a high-level critique as you did. You're absolutely right in everything you say, and I would have loved for everything to have been perfect, but what's a jam without gameplay issues, right? Anyway, I truly appreciate that despite some aspects, you liked my game. I'll try yours as soon as I can.
🎤 ZekySky
17. Apr 2024 · 17:59 UTC
@memnarch You're right, I should have adjusted it even more to make tactics more necessary. I've thought about only having 2 choices for each card and, when at a disadvantage, you hit weaker and take more damage. I don't know what you guys think about it.
Memnarch
17. Apr 2024 · 18:18 UTC
@zekysky try it out. For our game, we do have a mix mechanic together with pro/con on elements and the balancing needs tuning there, too. See what sticks :)
pres2300
20. Apr 2024 · 14:04 UTC
It was really helpful to have the color guide right in the middle of the screen to know what cards worked best against what colors. Good job on the artwork and the music. I found this pretty engaging. I don't think the AI never had anything but one of every color for the few rounds I tried. It would be nice if that were a bit more randomized. Overall, great job!
chusmimax
27. Apr 2024 · 11:06 UTC
Really fun and awsome entry to the jam. Maybe balance is a bit off and power funneling too op, but doesn't matter as long as I can keep buffing my ninja Ori.
AlezJL
30. Apr 2024 · 11:18 UTC
Great game mate!!!! I love the art an the idea. Really good point the difficulty selector.
josang1567
02. May 2024 · 08:13 UTC
Great game , it was quite fun ti play it, the art is amazing and i wish there was more levels to play it
Baluj
02. May 2024 · 16:45 UTC
I like the sound and idea but I'm shocked that the color order of the cards and the color order of the upgrades are not the same. It's a nice game. Good job!
milq
02. May 2024 · 20:41 UTC
I absolutely love this game! As a fan of Magic: The Gathering, I can say that the attack and defense mechanics, similar to the creatures in Magic, really hook me into this game. The music, graphics, and gameplay make it a very well-rounded experience. For me, the strategy lies in always using points on the same character; however, if there were another element or mechanic that forced me to think about distributing these points, making tough decisions, it would be even better. Despite this, I can only offer my congratulations—I've thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish, and it's clearly very polished. My compliments! Great game!
🎤 ZekySky
03. May 2024 · 11:17 UTC
@milq I really appreciate your message coming from someone with experience in ldjam. If it's true that the mechanics of making certain decisions should be more polished, I'll take it into account for future releases. Thank you very much for the comment.