Against the Titan by CodeRaurus

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

"Against the Titan" is sort of a rhythm/action game, where you have to time your inputs for better results. Gather forces and prevent the apocalypse.

Controls/how to play are given at start but you need keyboard and mouse for this one.

screenshots2.png

Font is "Hexenkötel" by Tup Wanders

Enjoy!

Ratings

Overall 166th 3.537⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Fun 213th 3.244⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 154th 3.39⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Theme 62th 4.073⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 61th 4.073⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Audio 97th 3.525⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Humor 208th 2.671⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Mood 75th 3.763⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Given 44🗳️ 64🗨️

Feedback

ollie_d
15. Apr 2024 · 04:12 UTC
Very nice! I got all the way through it and enjoyed it for the most part. I do wish the game was much faster at the onset. 1.5 felt still too easy, but was a good pace. I just chose increase speed every time. Also I would introduce the black keys sooner and (I'm sure you already thought of this) but have multi-notes to spice things up :)
Rob6566
15. Apr 2024 · 04:38 UTC
Nice game - I summoned a fish! I'm not very good at rhythm games, but found this a fair difficulty. I like the choice to make it more difficult for extra points. I was a little confused at the start, as I didn't realise the symbols were arrows, and was trying keys based on their position on the circle. Nice work getting this together in a short time :).
🎤 CodeRaurus
15. Apr 2024 · 10:30 UTC
@ollie-d Thanks for playing. I blame my tradition to work levels and optimization in the last hours but I do agree with you. I was planning a second track (among other things) to spice things up but had to cut it, unfortunately.

@rob6566 Thanks for playing. Glad you found the difficulty fair. I had the urge to go over board but decided to play it safe for accessibility. I was afraid the symbols might not be legible enough... Need to work on that.
Jazkottaja
15. Apr 2024 · 12:05 UTC
Very nice game! Little slow beginning but understandable since you are still learning the mechanics :) not my favorite genre but I enjoyed playing this. Took me a while to see the arrow directions in the symbols but got there eventually :D
Inkweeper
15. Apr 2024 · 12:08 UTC
Very nice work. The audio and the graphics, especially the hand gesture of the character, together bring up a mysterious atmosphere.

The outer ring with some four pointed star confused me at first for I thought it was something needs me press space.
LDJam user 298496
15. Apr 2024 · 12:12 UTC
You've create a really nice atmosphere with your entry, but I agree that the speed starts too slow and also went for the speed increases every time.

Great work!
LeoAtopos
15. Apr 2024 · 15:13 UTC
Got FISH twice. I'm not good at rhythm games, but enjoyed the mood.
🎤 CodeRaurus
15. Apr 2024 · 15:21 UTC
@jazkottaja Thanks for playing. It seems I really have to clear those symbols quite a bit after all.

@inkweeper Thanks for playing! I omitted the stars from guide but in hindsight I should've added them.

@matt-ravenhall Thanks for playing. I'll bump the speed up when I update the game.
ollie_d
16. Apr 2024 · 04:24 UTC
@coderaurus I'm right there with you haha, you spend so much time making sure all of the systems work (most of the time) and limiting the scope to the thing you know for sure will work is a hard, but a good decision to make. Plus the game was still fun without it so I'd consider it the right decision :)
LDJam user 259831
16. Apr 2024 · 21:56 UTC
Art work is really good! I love the hand gestures and the increasing amount of followers behind the player. Gameplay was fun but I agree with other commenters that it started out a bit slow. Overall it's a fun game!
RoughSkin
16. Apr 2024 · 21:56 UTC
Really nice game! the art was so nice and the rock symbol... rocks! As a lot of people said the game starts to slow and at first it feels very repetitive, the arrows at first where a little bit to similar between them, but the game looks so polished, the particles, the followers appearing. Nice entry!
AshKetchdem
16. Apr 2024 · 21:57 UTC
I liked this game and I think it is a nice take on the summoning theme. I love how after every note you make a different gesture with your hands (shoutout to the rock sign). The graphics look nicely drawn and the soundtrack is also nice.
If you'd like some constructive feedback, I would like if the 'notes' were on some beat and there would be some visual indicator of that beat (for example the second circle moving on the beat). Also for me the speed was a bit on the slow side, and especially at the beginning it would be nice to speed of the notes up a little.
It was enjoyable to play nonetheless, great submission!
FFenril
16. Apr 2024 · 22:47 UTC
I had fun! The graphics, music, and little feedbacks as keys are pressed convey a really great mood in your game.

I agree with the other comments here though, it starts too slow and does not build up quickly enough, I also went for the speed upgrade everytime and it felt like things did barely change when I did.

Still, great mood, it felt a bit like a meditative experience :)
Merb1000
16. Apr 2024 · 23:04 UTC
Fun game you have here! Graphics were nice to look at and it felt rewarding to earn more followers over time. I was a bit confused what the outer green circle was for. If it had a purpose that purpose was not clear and if there was no purpose then I think it was just distracting. I also felt like the only good upgrade was speed, though it maybe should have accelerated faster. Overall a great project, especially considering it was made for a jam!
ThaProfesional
17. Apr 2024 · 11:06 UTC
Music and graphics were great, and a really cool execution of the theme.

Loved the hand gestures.

Managed to beat it (got the fish), found it easier the faster it ran. Also had more fun the faster it ran, especially towards the end when there were more symbols offering a bit more variation.
tempestCognitor
17. Apr 2024 · 11:07 UTC
I loved the hand movements changing with each symbol activation, and the game was really fun once it had sped up, being able to control that pace is an interesting touch, but it felt like it progressed a little slower than I would have liked. I didn't really think the options between showing off added much, and I was sad I didn't get to do an ultimate dance off to summon Leviathan at the end, but had a lot of fun doing funky wizard dance moves!
🎤 CodeRaurus
17. Apr 2024 · 16:44 UTC
@gabriel-chan Thanks for playing! I'll be tuning the speed.

@roughskin Thanks for playing. I'll see what I can do for more variations. Basically would need more content.

@ashketchdem Thanks for playing and the feedback. The current system doesn't really support rhythm but I'll see what I can do in the future. Would be cool.

@ffenril Thanks for playing, glad you liked it! The content needs some tuning for sure.

@merb1000 Thanks for playing. The outer circle is showing you the next ring, to counter sudden notes in the next cycle.

@thaprofesional Thanks for playing! I'm sorry to say but "the fish ending" is the losing one. Gotta tune the difficulty.
nardandas
18. Apr 2024 · 06:14 UTC
Well, despite my best efforts I summoned a fish! I found it really hard once I had both the light and dark arrows, really mind bending. Not too difficult I think, just something I had to get used to. Really cool!
Chuckiee
18. Apr 2024 · 07:28 UTC
Get rekt volcano titan :smile: Very nice art, reminded me of Naruto with the hand signs :smile: I think I summoned with 2 days left :cool:
bradur
18. Apr 2024 · 08:22 UTC
I liked the circular summon thingy. As others have noted, the difficulty could ramp up a little faster. Also I found it a little confusing that the "it's time" button was there but it's basically a "lose now" button unless you have enough power. And how to know? Trial and error. Also, I really liked the art!
Rakowu
18. Apr 2024 · 12:42 UTC
i thought the style was very nice and also that you had to trigger with both hands. I didn't quite understand the advantage of being 10% faster and having 10% more followers if I can have 20% followers and the circle doesn't turn so quickly.
I think the concept is nice. Especially in the short time
LDJam user 3808
18. Apr 2024 · 16:31 UTC
I managed to summon the fish and win. Difference between choices was little bit unclear how they effect the play. Faster was more workable but how would that benefit me.

Also as rhythm game I would have liked to have music corresponding with the note beats. This would make it easier to play.
ajpl
18. Apr 2024 · 16:57 UTC
That was enjoyable, and I loved the titan flushing graphics :D
One thing I would improve are arrows graphics - a little bit larger and more readable would be nice (although that might require different way of telling where to hit)
KaisenTheGreatOne
18. Apr 2024 · 17:05 UTC
That's a nice game you have there. I managed to summon the giant fish.
As other commenters have said, I like the coordination that you have to manage with your hands and eyes. It would be a little more intuitive if the clicks matched the beat of the background music.
Nevertheless, all in all a completely successful experience! :D
rasblo
18. Apr 2024 · 19:13 UTC
Another rhythm game! :) But what you got here is way more innovative, and fleshed out. Very cool unique take on it. To me the notes were definitely off beat a lot of the time though which would improve the game feel miles, or did you make a system for it and I'm mistaken? For me that took quite the effort.

Love the 2d art also, very effective to set a mood. Great jam
🎤 CodeRaurus
18. Apr 2024 · 21:28 UTC
@tempestcognitor Thanks for playing. The ultimate dance off should definitely be a thing! The pacing and downtime options were poorly balanced. I'll see what I can do about it.

@nardandas Yeah, the two hand coordination takes time to get used to. It got me as well. Thanks for playing.

@chuckiee Thanks for playing. Naruto definitely was an inspiration but time didn't allow me to do more signs... Risky move, summoning early!

@bradur Thanks for playing. You are correct, early summoning is pretty much just spelling your doom at this state. I had bigger plans for it. N-no, I wasn't over scoping. I was merely setting up room for updates... :P

@rakowu Yep, the game needs balancing. Thanks for playing.

@denvil Hey, thanks for playing. Choosing to go faster you basically get a bonus to points which determine how many followers you get. As for the rhythm part... I do kind of agree. Even though it did cross my mind I didn't want to tie the inputs since I was too far in current implementation. And syncing the music creates a whole new set of things to think about. But I'll consider it for sure.

@ajpl Glad to hear you liked it. The arrows sure need a visual update for legibility. I'll see what I can do.

@kaisenthegreatone Thanks for playing! I'll try to add more rhythm and sync to background music to the notes.

@rasblo You too? The notes don't follow any rhythm or anything because I knew it would be a huge undertaking for me within jam. Instead, they're only somewhat randomized (with some logic depending how many there are). Thanks for playing.
Baluj
19. Apr 2024 · 00:52 UTC
It's an interesting concept, I'm not good at rhythm games but I didn't have a hard time keeping up with it and I ended up having a good time. Good job!
LDJam user 364744
19. Apr 2024 · 04:23 UTC
speed speed speed speed speed

love the upgrade take on a rhythm game! the hand animations and followers made me laugh, and all the art is fantastic. nice work!
🎤 CodeRaurus
20. Apr 2024 · 08:51 UTC
@baluj Thanks for playing. Always good to hear from the other side of the spectrum that you've set the difficulty well, instead of always being too easy (which I also understand).

@dishwand Thanks for playing!
Chiara Sanviti
20. Apr 2024 · 11:03 UTC
The idea is very nice, it's not easy to create an original system for rhythm games, in my opinion this is quite original and thematic. Great game!
JamieOK
20. Apr 2024 · 23:10 UTC
This is awesome! Works brilliantly as a rhythm game and the visuals look great to support it. Honestly not a single fault with this, great work!
Jonathan Vinesar
21. Apr 2024 · 05:13 UTC
Pretty polished game, just wish the ending was more satisfying. Definitely looks like there could be a lot of depth to this idea, I enjoyed it! The animation on the hands was awesome, and the art in general was great. Good job!
MSolomon
21. Apr 2024 · 14:15 UTC
Short, polished, good graphics. Reminds me of the good old days of flash games. Only thing I didn't understand was what constitutes an invocation and how many followers I would get for each brilliant, or good hit, but regardless the goal was clear.
Also I feel like a more flashy feedback for brilliant hits would boost the game feel a lot.
burnedkirby
22. Apr 2024 · 09:10 UTC
The graphics are really good. I really like that at least one of the hand gestures are just silly (in favor of more sillyness, but I guess it is enough). My first go at this game was a literal flop, but the second go I managed to flush away the danger. Interesting choice of inputs for this game, though it kind of makes sense as you need to input "commands" and using both arrow-keys and WASD-keys fits. Good work!
magicdweedoo
22. Apr 2024 · 11:22 UTC
really cool, one of my favourites! it's fun using WASD + arrows when it's really fast. at first i thought the progression was a little slow but then realised i had some amount of control when i found i could increase the speed myself each round. graphics and audio are great, a complete package. my only suggestion would be to make the arrow symbols larger so they're easier to see. nice work
🎤 CodeRaurus
24. Apr 2024 · 03:20 UTC
@chiara-sanviti Thanks for playing! Glad you like it.

@jamieok Happy to hear you like it, thanks for playing!

@jonathan-vinesar Thanks for playing. The ending definitely could do some work. Previously discussed dance off would be great.

@msolomon Thanks for playing and the feedback! The invocations are the beats you're trying to hit. You get scores depending on the accuracy. Maybe it would be clearer if the logic was shown after each level.

@burnedkirby Hey, thanks for playing! I wish I had time to put more hand signs in.

@magicdweedoo Thank you for playing. Yeah, symbols could be clearer.
Untitled Studios
26. Apr 2024 · 02:01 UTC
Loads of fun! Really cool to combine this sort of rhythm game-thing with this other strategic bit. Really cool! By the end, when I was using both sets of arrows and it was going really fast, I felt like a wizard weaving spells with both hands-- which I feel like was the game's intention, and it was conveyed expertly. Really good! (Also, fantastic art.)
![Screenshot 2024-04-25 205930.png](///raw/2c7/c/z/64ce6.png)
kiv
26. Apr 2024 · 07:18 UTC
very nice rithm-based game! improvements between days are the game changer. you can tune speed based on your results which is very neat. visuals are great. got a fish! good job!
SweetWizzle
26. Apr 2024 · 18:37 UTC
What an excellent submission. The atmosphere is just perfect for the theme. On one hand, it could have been a tad faster at the start, but on the other, this way even someone like me who sucks at rhythm games was able to complete it!
🎤 CodeRaurus
27. Apr 2024 · 16:03 UTC
@untitled-studios Thanks for playing! Glad to hear I got the game feel right.

@kiv Hey, thanks for playing!

@sweetwizzle Thanks for playing. Yep, the beginning could have been a tad faster but it's great that people feel they've been given a chance. Kind of the point I keep in mind.
Mirtol
28. Apr 2024 · 10:29 UTC
Bit slow to get going but fun once it speeds up. Good number of options and well implemented. Gj :)
ildfuglen
28. Apr 2024 · 10:31 UTC
I won with I think 57 followers! The art style is great, the music really helps set the mood. The gameplay loop was a bit repetitive, but overall, I enjoyed it.
🎤 CodeRaurus
29. Apr 2024 · 09:08 UTC
@mirtol Thanks for playing!

@ildfuglen Thanks for playing!
goddzeproject
30. Apr 2024 · 14:43 UTC
Interesting gameplay, especially at high speed, some more variety and this would turn into OSU
Austin C
30. Apr 2024 · 14:47 UTC
Really enjoyed the art and atmosphere you had. If time had allowed it potentially having a difficulty setting could've done real well to increase the speed and the number of followers required but that didn't take away from the gameplay for me. Great job.
🎤 CodeRaurus
01. May 2024 · 17:22 UTC
@goddzeproject Thanks for playing!

@austin-c Thanks for playing. I was considering adding difficulty options but due time constraints didn't implement it.
shared
01. May 2024 · 20:36 UTC
Lovely art ! Finished with 70 summoners and got the fish (were there several endings ?)
benskca
01. May 2024 · 22:21 UTC
Rhythm mechanics were really fun! They could definitely be expanded further (multiple notes at once?) if you wanted to but what you used worked well and was very satisfying to hit. The graphics are great, the pixel art is really impressive and I really loved the shading.