Filicide by Artylo





https://youtu.be/x1wNMEyx26w
You are tasked with keeping the daughter of your influential boss alive - whatever it takes.
[Warning: The game can be morbid, so tread with care if you don't wanna be blue all of a sudden.]
- D or Right Arrow Key - Move Forward
- W - Hide Behind Cover (when below)
- Space or LMB - Shoot (or continue the dialogue during cutscenes)
- Mouse - Aim (there is no crosshair, so rely on your gut)
Escape - Close the game at any point
F1 - Restart
- F2 - Skip to next sequence
19 April, 2020 - 22:51
Filicide is the first game I've made in three years. I haven't even written a single line of code in that time, but it was a nice feeling to be back. Surprisingly, the whole development cycle went very smoothly. Scope was exact and achievable in the given timeframe, which was very unusual for me just a few years ago. It also has a narrative, which was impossible to fit in before (a feat of which I am very proud). I will attempt to fix any crashes on launch or game-breaking bugs even after release, but I will leave the original version available at all times. You can see any of the changes made here or on my github in the following weeks. I will also be making a full developer commentary and timelapse of the development, which I will embed here when available. I look forward to hearing what you think of my game.
19 April, 2020 - 23:19
The first wave of feedback was mostly how easy it is to cheese the game by spamming bullets off-screen and killing everything. There is code in place to despawn bullets at a certain range, but it seems that it wasn't enough. I implore you to try going through the game without spamming the fire button. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience. This will eventually will be fixed in the post-compo version. Thanks for understanding.
20 April, 2020 - 17:25
I have made the executive decision to patch the bullet bug out. At this point I would consider it game-breaking. The original version is still available for download on itch.io and github. I don't know if this is frowned upon in LD, but I felt it necessary to be done.
20 April, 2020 - 20:21
I've recorded and added a video to the page which features a full playthrough of the game along with a developer commentary track and a timelapse of the 48 hours of development. I also gave voice acting a shot, reading all the lines, which you might enjoy at the expense of my eternal shame.
20 April, 2020 - 21:31
In the latest version, I've set a limit on how many bullets you can fire, which works similarly to fireballs in Street Fighter - you can't fire another one until the last one is gone. That should in a way limit how much one can cheese through the game. Please note that enemies do die in one hit, while you take a few, so the game will always be stacked in your favor. The feedback currently suggests that it is not challenging enough, so I'll see if the current change to the gunplay settles that; if not, I'll just bump up the damage you receive and see how that plays out.
Ratings
| Overall | 316th | 3.649⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 680th | 3.095⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 537th | 3.278⭐ | 38🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 485th | 3.716⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 97th | 4.162⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 100th | 3.833⭐ | 38🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 64th | 4.027⭐ | 39🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 63🗳️ | 15🗨️ |
That being said, the graphics were awesome, the visual effects really engrossing, sound was great. Overall a good game!
As feedback, I think you could've given more difficulty. I could just shoot straight non stop and the enemies would die off screen. Maybe something to deter me from doing that? Running out of bullets, bullets despawning after a lenght, or hitting the child would make me think twice before shooting
The atmosphere is really great, a bit like Katana Zero. You did a great job playing with the lights and the character line of sight. The audio add a lot to the mix ! Since you implore us to do so, I didn't cheese the game and had a great feeling with the gameplay, a little more difficulty would have been perfect.
The visuals are pretty nice, but I would have gone more easily on the screen effects and shakes, it hurts the brain after a while :p
Music is nice and could have been a little louder.
Nicely done!
A very solid game!
The best thing about it is probably the art, and by art I mean both the graphics and music that are awesome!
I really like the shaking animation when you shoot with your gun, it is a really nice touch!
The game is fun, however being able to spam the gun makes it too simple, perhaps add a limited number of bullets and make so that you cannot kill the enemies offscreen?
Overall, I love it!

Considering the feedback so far, I have decided to patch the bullets not despawning bug out. The original binary is still available, as to not ruin the spirit of the compo, but if you would like to give it another go, it is available.
I love the feel of this game, great work!
Also wow, did not see that plot twist coming.