LudumData

Spellcard Exile by fusionnist

[raw]
made by fusionnist for Ludum Dare 58 (COMPO)

A classic arena bullethell with a twist: your attacks are the consumable "spell cards" in your collection.

Controls:

WASD - movement Left click: shoot Mouse wheel, shift+mouse: change spell (not recommended) Spacebar, hovering a spell card: select spell (very recommended) Right click, when the power meter is full: cast a spell for free

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Tips & info: -The game is pretty short! See if you can't reach the boss :) -Make good use of calmer moments to cast regeneration spells! -The bomb spell is a great candidate to use for free.

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Tools: Coded in C# using the monogame framework Artwork done in aseprite Sfx & music made in ableton live, using the vital synth.

Made in ~26 hours of work.

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Link https://fusionnist.itch.io/spellcard-exile
Link https://fusionnist.itch.io/spellcard-exile
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/58/spellcard-exile

Ratings

Overall 5th 4.35⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 4th 4.325⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 28th 3.925⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 80th 3.738⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 16th 4.31⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Audio 4th 4.15⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 13th 4.25⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 17🗳️ 20🗨️

Feedback

Maytch
Oct 05th · 23:11 UTC
Long time no see! Excellent work as always. It was fun to experiment with the different cards in-between dodging attacks, and it provided a good challenge! I nearly had it on that third time. If I didn't run out of that one card early on, would I have won since I got the rest of the cards? Or is there a fixed time to it?
🎤 fusionnist
Oct 06th · 00:22 UTC
@maytch Long time, and thanks! Glad to see you around here :)
There's no 100% requirement to beat the game, empty slots just make the final fight a bit harder ;)
MaxineY
Oct 06th · 20:50 UTC
The character animation is very vivid.
PetitLu
Oct 06th · 21:10 UTC
The game is really great, well polished, and fun to play. I did way better in my first run than my second somehow.
The graphics are "simple" but work really well together. The audio is really good, especially since it gives feedback on when you are damaged or kill an enemy. It's juicy, satisfying, smart use of the theme, people who like bullet-hells will likely enjoy. The best game I've seen so far in the comp category.
UsuMidori
Oct 07th · 02:48 UTC
Very interesting. The art and music are also great.
d-demetori
Oct 07th · 08:52 UTC
That’s a cool game! I love the art and the variety of cards. It’s a bit hard to tell, though — is there a goal, or is it just endless waves?
Kenneth Gibson
Oct 07th · 19:32 UTC
Great game, challenging, smart way of using your abilities, spent long time playing
LDJam user 280624
Oct 09th · 12:09 UTC
An atmospheric and addictive game. The sheer variety of weapon choices is simply astounding. Nice, polished entry
pe4Q07
Oct 11th · 20:47 UTC
Yo, this one is super vast in abbilities and I LOVE it! I am stunned that you manage to accomplish such a saturated gamedesign in 3 days, that is so cool =O
The boss stage is just a little too long and I lacked feedback about if I am damaging it or not. I struggled as well with the amount of particles on the screen and it seemed that balance is altered towards the player, my healing felt unfair against enemies, yet it allowed me to beat the game in 2nd run which is totally fine for gamejam. I wish you make more vissually impressive projects like this!
🎤 fusionnist
Oct 13th · 15:47 UTC
@pe4q07 Thanks a bunch! I saw your itch review as well, these are all things I'll take into consideration as I work on the post-jam version :)
Adam Konig
Oct 13th · 18:43 UTC
Very cool entry, had a lot of fun! Definitely vibed with the pixel art grungy dark aesthetic and thought you packed a ton of variety of attack options in a jam game. Definitely the main thing that needs improvement is how you swap attacks. Having to move the mouse off the arena to mouse over something disengages you too much from the active gameplay, maybe a radial pop out menu that also pauses or slows down gameplay while you're switching? Not sure but otherwise very solid game!
orangeoceans
Oct 14th · 03:48 UTC
fusionnist, you always have the most polished entries. The gamefeel is super impressive for a game jam submission.

The weapons variation was fun, though I managed to beat the boss just by spamming everything I had. I wonder how players might be encouraged to use weapons more strategically?
🎤 fusionnist
Oct 14th · 17:08 UTC
@orangeoceans Thanks! I wonder too, for jams I prefer making games easier so that most people get to see the boss or the end. I have a few plans for a post-jam version which involve weapon synergies, and a better focus on the resource management aspect of the game. I'll see what else sticks!
Ismael Rodriguez
Oct 15th · 00:53 UTC
Very cool - love the visual style and variety of abilities - a few minor nit-picks: Sometimes in chaotic situations the player character gets buried behind bullets and particles, i think either layer the player on top or create a type of "see through" effect. There's minimal feedback when selecting a card, a sound & more visual feedback would be nice. I wish the boss had a health bar - "Victory yay :)" feels a little silly the ending... No big deal... but the boss just kinda shook till the game crashed, not sure if that's intended or something else was supposed to happen.

Overall, very well done! Great job!
🎤 fusionnist
Oct 15th · 01:22 UTC
@ismael-rodriguez all intended! and everything you're bringing up is 100% valid - I just ran out of time ;)
bentglasstube
Oct 16th · 18:48 UTC
Very cool and polished shooter type game. I really enjoyed exploring the different cards to see what they did. The visuals and audio were fantastic and the level of chaos seemed about perfect. Nice work.
LDJam user 243193
Oct 17th · 14:22 UTC
Nice shooter game with alternate way in using cards. I might try this again sometime.
If this is to be updated, I hope there would be card info so player could know which card is for what.