It's a nice idea, but controlling the character and trying to hit those bullets was a bit too tricky, making the game very frustrating. Having a bigger hitbox for the shield would have helped a bit, I think.

It really feels like a boss fighting scene. I love the different stages you build there and the use of the stripping armor animation. :trophy:

I really like the idea, but i feel like the shield could be on button, like you press a button and get the shield for a second, would make the game more challenging, since attacking would put you at risk, also the bullets often miss the boss, i feel like it would be better if they would go directly at where you aim instead of the sides, laser going through shield was a bit incositant, like i wasn't sure what i can and can't block, maybe make it so the red stuff disables the shield for a second, and then damages? game could use of some extra juice, idea of layers in the boss is pretty cool, and use of theme is pretty original

I liked it... the lasers going through the shields caught me off guard at first. Took a couple of tries to get the hang of it. It definitely takes some skill to used aim the curved shield to get the bullets to hit the enemy.

Changes I'd consider... zoom out... I found it too easy to move out of view of the enemy.
Additions I'd suggest... add a health power up that gets emitted now and then to give me some longevity. Someone suggested using the button to turn on the shield... if some of the bullets were health packs (different colour) the left click could be used to temporary turn the shield off and let the health pack through.

Would/will play it again.

Nice little boss battle. I definitely cheesed and stayed uber close so that I didnt have to aim so much, had some cool skill shots with a few deflections.

I really like the hand drawn art style!

I thought the difference in mechanics was fun, I found myself "aiming" the mouse more directly than trying to figure out the reflection angles, but the pacing felt good and the game was fun!

Thanks for participating in the jam!

I enjoyed the game, I played through 3 or 4 layers of the boss but wasnt able to beat it. The shield deflection was frustrating because of how it curved, so you had to hit it pretty exactly to reflect the projectile where you wanted. It was also frustrating that if you were moving sometimes the reflections didnt work.

I liked the bullet hell patterns and difficulty.

Nice work on a simple concept!

Thank you so much to everyone who's left comments! It's so great to see people critically examine our game and many of you are making great points! What an awesome community. This is my first LD and this reception is making me look forward to doing more in the future!

I would have definitely loved to address some of these problems and make things a bit juicier. Like adding more interactive dynamism to the shield, including health pickups to augment the steep difficulty, and getting the shield arc to be a bit more straight and forgiving. But as-is I'm proud of where we got.

One of the best games since World of Warcraft.

Very difficult game, but fun! Thanks for making it

looks good!

Nice boss battle, I like the mechanic of reflect the balls to deal damage.

Good work for all members

Good difficulty progression with the number of bullets and frequency of unblockable lasers increasing with each level of shield you destroy on the boss. It's been mentioned already but I also agree that the shield reflection angle is difficult to control properly and can be frustrating as you need the bullet to hit almost perfectly in the middle. But also you did a really good job for a first LD!

I had some minor trouble with controls, but it was not a big deal. Cool idea and difficulty progression:)

Loved the "reflect to hit" mechanic, but I had a hard time predicting where they would go unless I caught them head-on, especially when the player character was moving.

Sometimes the red bullet streams made it impossible to not take damage.