Cultist's Cookbook by chromaticGray

[raw]
made by chromaticGray for Ludum Dare 55 (COMPO)

0.2 update: Some more bug fixes, Better Mouse and Keyboard support, better visual feedback for some actions. Items disappear after a while on the ground

0.15 update: Some bug fixes, a little rebalancing and added keyboard support (Clunky, but present).

Originally made for a Xbox Controller ( should work with other controllers). Controller seems finicky on Chrome, but works fine on Firefox and Edge. –-------------------------------------------------------------

Keyboard Controls:

WASD to move Q to drop item Shift or Left Click to Interact Space or Right Click to Use selected ingredient (Banish Monster or Donate to Altar)​ Mouse over or 1,2,3,4,5,(6) (keypad works as well): to navigate the Ingredients Essences Helper

Left Click and Right Click to make guesses on the Essences Helper

~: Hide/Show Help Overlay

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You are cultist tasked with offering the correct ingredients at the Demon's Altar. There are 15 ingredients available, each imbued with one of five mystical essences: Cursed (Yellow), Madness (Purple), Bones (Off-White), Plague (Green), and Blood (Red). The essence associated with each ingredient is randomized with each playthrough.

To identify the correct essence of each ingredient, you must observe the outcomes of banishing monsters. Each monster represents an essence, and by banishing a monster with an essence that is opposite to what an ingredient represents, you can deduce the true nature of that ingredient.

When offering ingredients at the altar, you can experiment and learn from the demon's reactions. A positive reaction indicates a correct match, while a negative reaction suggests an incorrect one. Pay close attention to the demon's requests: if the demon requests a "Lower" essence, you need to conquer that essence by beating it; if the request is "Grow," then you must allow yourself to be defeated by the essence the request is associated with.

Currently, some gameplay elements intended to aid in determining essences are missing, (NPCs, Pause Menu with full list), but updates to improve this mechanic are planned.

Inspired by the basis of Codebreaker/Rock,Paper,Scissors I wanted to make a Real-time,Action,Puzzle,Deduction Game

Hints:

  • The notes you take (Left Thumbstick + RB or LB) Are to help you figure out which ingredient has which essence. It is memorized, so even if you lose the ingredient, the next time you pickup one, the info will still be there.

  • There are 15 ingredients, 3 of each essences, randomly distributed. Each gathering spot gives 3 potential ingredients. To get all the ingredients you must farm all the gathering spots. Bushes, Trees, Ponds, Grave, Shrine. The friendly cultist trades randomly. The Shrine may summon monsters

  • Press A at the altar to open the current Demon's Request. Press X with an item to give it to the altar (once the request is shown).

  • Use (X) your objects when a monster is nearby (within a 1/4 of the screen approx). If the monster flashes red and flee, it means the essence of your item is strong against the monsters essence (The color of the monster is its essence). If the monster doesn't react, it can tell you that the essence of the object is not strong against this essence.

Ratings

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Feedback

mdotedot
15. Apr 2024 · 08:42 UTC
unfortunately the keyboard controls don't match the requested action. For instance A key moves to the left and does not interact. Therefore I couldn't do any real thing. That is too bad because the art style, music made for a solid mood that I would have enjoyed more. Nice animations on the things that I did see.
🎤 chromaticGray
15. Apr 2024 · 11:11 UTC
@mdotedot It's made to be played with a controller. I've added keyboard controls now(as an afterthought so it's not as good to play that way IMO). Instructions in the description
mdotedot
15. Apr 2024 · 12:23 UTC
Ah that is a shame .. I don't have a controller.
ABRDs
15. Apr 2024 · 14:26 UTC
I appreciate the art style, good work!
wilsk
16. Apr 2024 · 13:26 UTC
Looked great and quite interesting but was a bit confusing on keyboard with all the controller hints.
TheMaskedMan
18. Apr 2024 · 14:48 UTC
Looks sounds and plays good, but I couldn't figure it out.
Spent some time randomly gathering stuff, use-ing it, gave some of it to the altar, but still zero understanding as to what do.

I might have failed the IQ test, but the vibe & direction's cool regardless.
🎤 chromaticGray
20. Apr 2024 · 01:58 UTC
@themaskedman Don't worry you haven't failed the IQ test, my game is pretty unclear and I'm fully aware of it. That's all the time I had and couldn't make it clearer. Thank you for the review, much appreciated.