Hey,

Nice game, I enjoyed playing it.

I do have some tips/recommendations:

It would play much nicer if I only had to press the spacebar once and shoot something instead of needing to hold it and then just auto shoot. Taking damage could be more obvious by seeing a visual effect or color change, that's up to you. The music is ok but could be better.

It takes really long to get to the end, what I understand (it should be a challenge), but for the first (and only) level, it was too hard.

I like the way that you have to pick a card with an ability and play with that for the rest of game, but I think there could more in a different way.
I love the art and think it really fits the game. I would only add a little bit more detail to the background.

For your first Ludum Dare, I think you did great.

I will rate it after the Game Jam is over.

Great job!

@davethedev Thanks for the review. I'm will take this tips for future games. For real, it was my first attempt to make music by my own, I'm was used "BoscaCeoil" for this. I'm glad to read what you enjoyed playing it :)

This was a fun game - thanks for making a web build!

My feedback below:
- The ship seemed to have a non-intuitive velocity function: changing direction didn't really happen as I thought it would, and it was a little tricky trying to adjust for the game's handling.
- Progress is far too slow for the first level - this makes it difficult to complete
- After picking an event card, some kind of count down to prepare the player when re-entering play would be nice
- Music could use work
- An arena that "wraps" - moving off-screen left results in entering screen right - would make this interesting.

This was a great first Ludum Dare submission! Well done!

Awesome game. Had a good time playing it. I have a few bits of feedback:

The movement was very strange to start off with took a little while to get used to, but after a minute or so it seemed fine. (so only a small thing)

The enemies (destructible's) stay on the screen for a long while after being destroyed. it would of been nice if they would of clear a bit quicker, i found my eyes kept going back to them while they was on the screen just incase i hit them.

I wasn't sure what the bar at the bottom was ( i assumed it was the end of level progress bar) if it was then the level in my personal opinion was too long. I couldn't fill it any more than a quarter of the way to a third. (Could just be me though)

That's just some constructive criticism for you, but other than that the game was great, love the graphics. the sound was pretty good and i had fun playing it. Will be rating when i can :)

Cool submission, especially for your fist time. Like the concept a lot, potentially a great game with a little bit more work.

why am i so fast Omg its blast i allah akcbared the other plane at the end oh my

Nice game you have here! I recommend continuing development.

The concept was quite cool, but I feel like the game was ruined by the floaty controls.

This is a pretty fun game, however I think that taking hits should have more kick, sometimes I don't realize when I loose a life :frowning2:

Nice game man! lovely graphics and pretty fun mechanic to add cards you can pick. Kinda reminds me of asteroids and slay the spire combined in one, which plays really nice!

I played without reading the description... Had no idea what was going on :(
Nice idea though. I would suggest communicating the controls in the game!

I would have liked to have seen the cards included more frequently. Maybe include the controls somewhere in the game next time, I managed to miss them. Overall, great idea and good execution :)

Interesting concept! Controls were alright, and the score could be better, but nice job!

Art was really good :). Progression seemed a bit too slow, and it would be nice to see the controls in-game. Not bad overall but quicker progression and better music would improve the game a lot.

@corc0 Thanks for the tips, now I'm agree what progress of game slow. Not seemed so obvious that at start.
And timer would be nice to see.
Thanks for playing!

@eddyneave Movement was even worse then now, at start of development...
I'm need to learn better, how to make controls of the top down player.
Yep enemies stay on screen too long I'm totally agree with that.
Thanks for playing!

@drunkardwolf Thanks for review man!

@boblova To dodge enemies at the end of the game or some game events, player ship needs move fast.
Thanks for playing!

@noah-eichler Who knows, I'm already have one active big project on stream. May be after it. Thanks for playing!

@willops Damn controls. Thanks for the review and playing.

@sellout Yeah I'm think what red screen for it would be nice here. Thanks for playing!

@darkanice I'm glad you liked my pixel art here. I'm not artist so that impressed me a bit. Thanks for playing!

@ismael-rodriguez I'm believed, what controls was intuitive, but in games tutorials are important.
Thanks for playing and review!

@jeplmr Thanks you!

@wskilljoy Score system, yes I'm totally missed that! Damn. Thanks for playing! :)

@jack-hipson I wrote music for my first time so sorry.
I'm glad you liked my pixel art here. I'm not artist so that impressed me a bit.
Thanks for playing!

Nice game, liked having the different cards to pick from for the ship weapons or having a shield.

As for advice, maybe having upgrades after surviving for a while to improve your ship and a bit clearer UI E.g the bar on the bottom?
Also really like the art for the ship! Well done.

@inventorofstuff Yes progress bar is not thought out. Thanks for playing and review!

Seems like you tried to add quite a few features in the short time for the compo. Hit detection seems to be a bit wonky. Sometimes it looks like I should get hit for sure and I don't, other times nothing will be near me and I'll just lose health. The game overall is fairly slow as well. Nice job on adding some variation to different ships and sprites, adds flavor to the game as well.

@apples-mmmmmmmm Thanks a lot! :)

I ran into a strange issue where enemy shots would collide with either my ship or my shots and then would stop moving, just staying on the screen. (When colliding with my shots, my shots would also stop moving)

Also, you definitely needed to have a sound effect when the ship gets hit. I sometimes lost lives without even noticing. This wasn't helped by the acceleration/deceleration of the ship making it feel hard to control.

It doesn't really "feel" like a card game. The SHMUP part is basically a normal SHMUP, whereas the card choices don't have a lot of the things people would usually associate with a card game.

That being said, it was pretty fun. Great artwork for a game jam!

@notgreat Thanks for review. :)

Nice game. I do think it'd be better if the controls to your ship was a bit more tighter though. Right now it feels like I either move too slow or too fast.

nice game I kind of like how fast the ship moves. wheeee!

@potondo I'm guess I'm need make more top-down games. :) Thanks for playing and tips!

@niksg :) Thanks for playing!

@corc0 @eddyneave @drunkardwolf @boblova @noah-eichler @willops @sellout @darkanice @ismael-rodriguez @jeplmr @wskilljoy @jack-hipson @inventorofstuff @apples-mmmmmmmm @notgreat @potondo @niksg

Please rate my game if you already not! I'm will be really appreciate that!

@Serious07 Have already done so :D

Really good game (I still haven't beat it though :P)

I like how you implemented the card system in the game! It reminds me of Star Wars Battlefront (in a good way, of course!) Really great concept!

I agree with the comment above, about making the damage more remarkable, because sometimes you just can't see that you were beaten and it's confusing when you lose.

Anyway, not bad at all. Music too! Maybe someday this concept will turn into something really great!!

@gr8fulgamedev Thanks for playing and review :D

@Serious07 rated :)

Really cool game. Sometimes the bullets or rockets doesn't launch in time. Other than that, great work.

The WebGL build didn't work for me, don't know if was my browser or what. The desktop build run well.

Nice concept. I would love to play it if it was more flexed out and polished, where I would pick cards once every while and fight various kinds of enemies. Clever idea of combining two quite different genres.

The level is just far too long and repetitive.

@acoto87 Strange, WebGL is warking fine for me. Thanks for playing and review!

@boltkey I'm will deffenetly polish it and fix some bugs after. Thanks for playing and review!

Great game, especially for your first! It matched very well with the theme and had a nice feel to it.

@supertibbles Thanks for playing and reviewing it :D

I enjoyed this as a fun, straightforward shmup. I quite liked the music, too :)

I have to admit that I didn't really "get" the card aspect. If I understood correctly, each card represented the only "action" I would be able to perform (w/spacebar) until the next selection? Not sure. Is there any way to "combine" card actions, or upgrade the ship over time?

Thanks for the game!

@dlowe Thanks for review.

I'm add card choosing element, for weapon and events in middle of fight.

Cards change game mehanics before next card picking stage,
difficulty of game increasing by time, and player need to choose what card will be effective the most in current situatioin.

Some random pull beatwean 5 weapons card can bringht player lose or win.

May be I'm not mixed 2 genres good enough, but I'm think what that action was destroying all the fun from game.

Thats my point of view.

The idea for this game simple and that is good. The graphics is overall okay, and the music is super cool for this kind of game. For me the game felt a bit too difficult, and I would liked that there had been way fewer enemies from the start of the game.

@jk5000 Big thanks for reviewing my game! Have a nice day!

Nice game dude. I think you will get enough advice for this one game, but still the best advice you can get its to never stop. Practice more, its actually the best think ever you can do. Eventually you will get, how to make best games you are capable of. Congratulations with your first Ludum Dare. Удачи мужик.

@dumivid Thanks for review and advices, I'm will keep moving my way strate forward :D

Damn, really nice for you first game. I really dig the flat colors. If you have time, also rate my game. It's a combination between Flappy Bird & Tetris :D

@mazzletov Thanks for playing! You game is good as well. :)

yea your game too slow to like my) but interesting!

How do you already have so many ratings @Serious07 ?

@wskilljoy I'm don't know really, I'm just reply the users and watch other games, I'm think it's just a luck.

The ship moves a bit to fast and it was really hard to tell when I took damage. But you made a nice game, good job!

@fashionbatman Thanks for review and playing. I'm agree with you.

Really awesome game! My only gripe is the asteroids flying at top speed from the bottom of the screen. I think it's too hard to see them coming. But it's a good game nonetheless.

This is pretty awesome. I love how the cards are randomized. A little hard to tell when you take damage. Maybe add a sound for that? Otherwise, great game.

@driedwatermelon @coatline Thank you for playing!

Good game! I like the controls and the idea and i appreciate the small time making it on your own for the Compo
Great Work!
Check out our JAM Submission if you want to: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/incompatible-rally

@wassim Thanks you! I will definitely check your submission!

BOOM! there i go lol. that was fun. two things tho, 1)i found it takes a little bit for the first shot to come out, cud be a bit more quicker response, & 2) i found the movement speed to be too fast so i kept running into stuff lol. other than that i enjoyed & interesting theme combo. good work on ur first ludum dare.

=)

@shinbaxter Thanks you!

The combination of the two themes is very original and the overall gameplay is nice! The controls are a bit slippery, I think some indication that you lost health would be nice and a counter to show how many points you have, but otherwise the graphics are not bad and the gameplay is fun!

If you have the time you could take a look at my Compo entry! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/a-knight-of-music

@danny88881 Thanks you for honest review. I'm definitely will take a look at you game!

Very interesting concept! I enjoyed it! Great job :)

@steel-dev Thanks for playing! :D

Interesting concept that can be exploited much more.
Some observations:
- The movement of the ship is too "loose" for a shooter game. The acceleration seems endless.
- The Cards could have much more impact in the game.
- The difficulty evolution could be more rationated

Great game! Some fixes would enhace the fun even more

I like the idea here, and it's pretty well executed.

In general, I think things could be "tightened up" a bit - snappier controls, quicker progression, etc. A checkpoint system, so the player doesn't have to start all the way from the beginning again, would also be helpful for something like Ludum Dare - after all, you want people rating your game to see as much of it as possible.

All in all, a pretty good showing for your first Ludum Dare - hope to see you in the next one!

@macdoom Thanks for honest review. I'm can not wait to update game fix all my mistakes and add new fun stuff by all the reviews I'm got :) Did you know when I'm can start to do so to not be disqualified?

@rjhelms Thanks you!

Very simple but very good game.

@smallboss Thanks for playing!

@serious07 I have the same question. It's really hard letting be just some hours of work!

@macdoom I've got an answer, if you interested. https://twitter.com/mikekasprzak/status/988987586638172160

I'm sorry if this is harsh, but it seems that you didn't have a full grasp of what is fun about both the genres that you tought of mixing up in this game.

Shmups usually have fast-paced action and lots of enemies and bullets flying around, because they are ultimately a game that rewards precise skill. Having with a slow-firing weapon and times where you have no enemies on the screen (or some that just pass by) is a bit frustrating.

Otherwise, card games reward planning ahead of time and strategizing correctly. Your card elements just add a bit of randomness to the game start, and nothing else, and could be more integrated in the game (you could select 3 cards from 10 and have swap them mid-fight to fight different types of enemies, for example)!

Don't get this the wrong way, though! I think you have the passion and the potential to do great stuff, and it's clear that you care about the games you make (awesome work on all the reviews you got out there, btw!), and I'm sure it's just a matter of time until you get a grasp on what you "favored style" of developing is. I think this is what you should focus: play more games with an analyzing mindset, find out WHY they are good or bad, and "steal" these concepts to use in your games.

Either way, your heart is in the right place and I think your skills will catch up to it really soon. I'm looking forward to see your new games in the future! <3

@gustavo-manchae Thanks for honest review and tips.

I'm agree with you my game not follow the most typical Shootemap games.
But for this game I'm was wanted to speed up my work, and to balance a game,
I'm decided increasing enemy amount on the screen with the the time, and make difficulty increasing gradually that way.

Usually this is achieved not only due to the number of enemies but also their different types.
I knew, what I'm have not much time and the better solution here, create fundament things to make something at least working for the cempo :)

Also I'm think what “stealing” of concepts not always the best idea, couse market of games for now is tons of clons,
all what making them different one each other is story, graphics and one main core feature.

I'm love to experemnt with my ideas and usualy try not look at other works when I'm think out something,
even if in summary my idea will be similar to the one about which I did not yet know before.

In conclusion, I want to add that what my main mistake was the time, between showing cards.

I'm will try harder on next Ludum Dare!

@Serious07 Oh, I didn't mean "steal" in a bad way, thats why I put it between quotes! I wanted to say that you should start looking at other games with this in mind: "what are they doing right in here and how can I use this to enhance my game ideas?"

It's not stealing per se, because you are, in fact, learning.

I get that you tried to be different, but every changes have to come with a purpose, not just for the sake of being different. There's no shame in doing something like everybody else - but it's always better if you put at least a bit of your style on it. That's how you'll develop your own, unique game style!

Let me know if I can help with anything else! :)

@gustavo-manchae Okay, thank you!

Good idea, I liked the abilities and tried all of them, they are so cool. But, I wished that I could pick more than one card with categories for the abilities : defence, attack and ultra power. But it's still a good little funny game though. And I like those graphics and this great music. Good game!

@belga54 Thanks for playing! :D

Nice concept! Good job! It's kinda hard! I loved it!

I like the main concept of mixing shmups and card games, and the ship graphics are neat! As a shmup the controls are way too floaty for me though - I feel it is veeery hard to succesfully have acceleration and deceleration in shmup controls. The card part also doesn't really differ much from normal "choose a ship" with different shots, or just normal powerups, in most shmups.

@mariosmaniatis @neontropics Thanks for playing and review! :D

Good start! I included it in my Ludum Dare 41 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCS-SbQWjlE

Nice game, it might need a big of work to polish it, but the idea of using cards as powers is interesting. If you update it in the future, try to improve the ship movement so that it doesn't accellerate that much and it will feel way more responsive. Congrats on finishing the game!

I did not like this game. The game's mechanics needs to be adjusted. The movement of the space ship is way too fast in the game. Also, the background is way too dark and I can barely see anything. The enemy bullets in the game look to similar to the stars in the background and I can accidently bump into the bullets while thinking they are stars. Also, there should be a limit of how much I can travel up or there should be a way to shoot enemies behind the player. The audio needs to be louder and should sound better. I seriously can barely hear the audio unless my volume is near 100%. I should be able to hear the audio clearly near 50%.

P.S. The audio sometimes does not play when I open up the game. I think this is might be a Google Chrome issue.

Good job! Cool game!

I left my rating of your game, if you can leave your feedback in our game, Witch's Escape.

I hope you continue with the project.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/witchs-escape