LudumData

Backpack Simulator by legavroche

[raw]
made by legavroche for LD 42 (JAM)

LD42Menu.PNG

"Backpack Simulator? Did you run that by a focus group?"

~My Imaginary Boss, probably

In this RPG, you were reborn in a mythical fantasy world of your dreams... as a backpack. Worst yet, your Adventurer is a kleptomaniac and a hoarder. Your only hope of seeing the Goddess again is to keep your Adventurer alive by managing their inventory and making sure that they don't run out of space.

"Has a good sense of humor, I guess."

~Imaginary Focus Group, probably

As a sentient backpack, you control all the items that are inside of you. You can circle locations and encounters on your map to guide your Adventurer. Each monster/encounter is unique with varying degrees of difficulty and strategy. Some monsters require more preparation and certain buffs/items. However, with each monster defeated your kleptomaniac Adventurer will take all the loot... and the sticks... and the nails... You will need to craft and combine these items to keep your storage low and your Adventurer unencumbered.

"Explain to me what you mean by 'Video Game Competition?'"

~My Next Job Interview, almost definitely

Features: - Nine different enemy encounters including two different (randomized) boss enemies. - Over fifty items each with their own unique flavor text - some of them are even funny! - Blood, sweat, tears, sleep deprivation, friendships forever shattered due to this game. - A full fledged inventory management and crafting system. - A ~~immersive~~ combat system with buffs, debuffs, enemy special attacks and sfx. - Some semblance of a plot. - Streamlined RPG mechanics: as a backpack you cannot equip or wear armor/weapons, I mean how would even hold a sword?

Capture.PNG

CraftingMenu.png

HTML5 (web) https://ewdlop.itch.io/backpack-simulator
Windows https://ewdlop.itch.io/backpack-simulator
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/backpack-simulator

Ratings

Overall 863th 3.138⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Fun 876th 2.936⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 441th 3.333⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Theme 234th 3.925⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Humor 102th 3.737⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Mood 603th 3.118⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Given 44🗳️ 20🗨️

Feedback

Sthor726
14. Aug 2018 · 02:59 UTC
Really cool idea. The core gameplay was really good for 3 days. The art could use some work tho. Overall pretty good
MarkoPoloDev
14. Aug 2018 · 03:13 UTC
* the sound effects are very loud compared to the music
* "fish: somehow it smells even worse than fish" :D
* I couldn't scroll in the backpack window using a scrollwheel, I had to click and drag the bar.
* seems like there were two witch attire recipes in the crafting list, but I couldn't scroll down far enough to see the second one?
* are the enemies random? The dragon was the only encounter labeled boss that I noticed
* Neat take on things to be reincarnated as a backpack XD

Thanks for making this game :thumbsup:
StabAlarash
14. Aug 2018 · 19:56 UTC
I really love the idea although the UI is kinda hard to use
m.dam
15. Aug 2018 · 15:43 UTC
I have to admit that I couldn't really figure out how to play it. The idea seems promising though.
dimlight
15. Aug 2018 · 16:29 UTC
I love the idea of this game XD

But the UI is a little bit hard to use and the boss is a little bit easier than I think:(

And the sound effect can be smaller :)

Overall, great game! I like it!
Lyxil
15. Aug 2018 · 20:22 UTC
Great game! Lots of features for the time limit. Funny story. The UI is pretty clunky at times. Gameplay-wise, the combat shifted heavily towards elemental damage and then the game became really easy, since being overencumbered didn't matter at all anymore. In this way, there could be better balance so being Encumbered/"Running out of Space" has more impact in late game.

I had fun playing! Well done :)
Amba
16. Aug 2018 · 01:50 UTC
![1.png](///raw/a43/91/z/19eab.png)

I loved the game. The idea itself is great. The mechanics and the gameplay are pretty good. UI, graphics and sounds need more polishing yes, but the game and the idea itself are really good. I enjoyed the game a lot and would love to see it with more polishing and content!
paulhocker
16. Aug 2018 · 02:08 UTC
i found this game too hard to play - things kept overlapping and just felt klunky - i think behind that is an interesting game - thanks for making it
Mark Usmiani
16. Aug 2018 · 05:10 UTC
Really like the concept for the game, and the combat is good. Really enjoyed all the little items too.
Paula
16. Aug 2018 · 15:12 UTC
It's amazing!!! Really entertaining and it's feels like going in an adventure. The humor sense in the explanations is a great point and i love the dialog battle style you did, really original. The music is also fits perfectly. The only think i got lost is how to use clothes, i couldn't use them in battle or outside. Apart from that, you did an excellent job and i hope you continue developing this game
player2point0
17. Aug 2018 · 14:30 UTC
It's a neat take on the theme, which made some good opportunities for humour and you used them really well. It's a very funny game.
velvetlobster
17. Aug 2018 · 14:41 UTC
Great Idea! Nice take on the theme! I have seen some games use the idea of inventory organization but this one is kinda complex indeed. I actually like the art as it is, its kinda like some 90s games, it has something special to it.
sebbernery
17. Aug 2018 · 15:12 UTC
When I was young, one of the part I loved the most in Diablo was the inventory management. This game is the next level !
I think it's a very interesting idea to do an RPG only focused on crafting and inventory handling.
Ganonwarrior
17. Aug 2018 · 21:23 UTC
You coped very well with the mood of your game, no exaggeration and well done. I really enjoyed the game itself and the mechanics of organizing the inventory were very well worked out. Good job!
Arch
18. Aug 2018 · 16:30 UTC
Good job, you definitely fit a decent bit of content in a little bit of time. I agree with some of the above commenters, if you spend more time refining the game, go for some GUI polish. (I.E. Scrolling with scroll wheel, blanked out "use" button if you cannot use it, etc). Good GUIs are hard to do, especially with the level of information you are trying to communicate, but you did an excellent job with the time you had.
kruemelkeksfan
20. Aug 2018 · 02:27 UTC
Great and innovative game idea. Sound effects were a bit annoying and I didn't figure out how to actually use weapons/put on armour, but still fun to play :)
saoi-games
21. Aug 2018 · 06:14 UTC
I ran into an issue with the menus displaying over others, and then I got myself stuck in a battle that I couldn't win without knowing how to craft items or use anything in the inventory.

For example, I had a helm, and when I clicked on Use I expected it to equip, but nothing happened.
I also had some food that I thought would give the adventurer some health, but nothing happened.

At first, the recipe book was behind the info of the adventurer; then it wasn't available at all.

I was playing the HTML5 version on Itch.io. Is there a better version where I can see everything and get a better sense of how to play?

![backpack-simulator.png](///raw/337/31/z/1a583.png)
amkingTRP
23. Aug 2018 · 02:12 UTC
like others have said, excellent idea but wasn't able to do things like equip weapons, etc. and menus had a habit of overlapping.
would love to see an updated version.