The Fain Maiden by bwalter

[raw]
made by bwalter for Ludum Dare 50 (JAM)

The Fain Maiden: Journeys of a Weary Vessel Athwart the Crypts of Yeowel for Spite and Vengeance

Screenshot (1015).png

The lich has cursed you to die. You cannot break the curse, but you can delay it. So why not use the extra time to take him with you?

Screenshot (1017).png

Screenshot (1020).png

Ratings

Overall 725th 3.5⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Fun 736th 3.342⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1075th 2.868⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Theme 840th 3.526⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 535th 3.842⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Audio 133th 4⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1069th 2.156⭐ 18🧑‍⚖️
Mood 66th 4.263⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Given 31🗳️ 3🗨️

Feedback

HGJake
04. Apr 2022 · 17:59 UTC
Really enjoyed the mood and use of the theme however, the game started to make me physically strain to play (about when I got to the keys area) Probably due to a mixture of not being able to mentally map my area with the intense fog and the small window size.
Yngvarr
06. Apr 2022 · 19:05 UTC
Man, the atmosphere is top notch! I really loved being lost in this labyrinth. Enjoyed the combat mechanic, the enemies seemed to predict my movements from time to time. :D Also I got completely lost, could use the map or more visual clues for where to go (I saw some blue light near sanctuaries, but they existed on both directions).

If you wanna watch me struggling through the first two or three sections, here's my playthrough:
https://youtu.be/I06Ghitr7mU
🎤 bwalter
07. Apr 2022 · 01:08 UTC
@yngvarr thanks for the video!
ModdingMachine
09. Apr 2022 · 20:42 UTC
The darkness made it really hard to keep track of where I had been, however, the sound design and mood were top notch! Maybe like a candle feature, or something that showes you where you have been. Overall I really enjoyed! Well Done!
Foursay
09. Apr 2022 · 20:48 UTC
I have to say the mood is killing. I really enjoy the mood, soundtrack and visual style there = It just feels great. I like the combat decision that I need to make for lower/upper atttck, though I oftern get lost in this map but I am having fun. Nice Job!
Cover Club Media
09. Apr 2022 · 20:50 UTC
I love the look of this, a bit dark but it seriously a cool idea to build on. You do feel very lost in this dungeon and provided a eerie feeling that I don't get from spooky games normally. I think it's nolstagia of my earlier days playing pixely games!

I wonder what it would look like if you doubled the pixel count? It did seem a bit zoomed. Not a complaint at all, just wondering. Perhaps something you can entertain if you keep going.

I really like the idea of the pixely design and flatness of objects it's so unique. I hope you all keep going. Best of luck!

Edit: as for the zoomed in suggestion, it was just some enemies as they got too close. Some sort of LOD option could fix that very quickly! Character looks fine!
Chocolat-Endive
09. Apr 2022 · 21:01 UTC
The mood in this one is great! The crouch mechanic is really original and works pretty well!
The game seems big, I've discovered quite a few different zone, but I've started to feel pretty lost quite soon. Is there a boss somewhere? I would like to try to defeat it. I wandered for something like 20 minutes without being able to find anything.

There are two things that could improve the game, in my opinion:
- A different tileset and lighting for each zone. It would help for the immersion. And it would help the player to create a mental map of the place.
- Some changes in the gameplay. It could be super cool to find different weapons, of have some of spell. I don't know, anything that would help the gameplay to be less repetitive.

I enjoyed the sound of your game *a lot*. The music is great (what tools did you use?), fits the mood of the game, and it works really well with the sound fx.

Good job with this thing, it's a very nice jam game!
🎤 bwalter
09. Apr 2022 · 21:10 UTC
@chocolat-endive Thanks! @bibiki made all the sound, so I'm not positive. I think he used Reaper for the music?
Allax
13. Apr 2022 · 07:49 UTC
The atmosphere puts pressure on the head and it's wonderful!
spadekHemoglobiny
15. Apr 2022 · 09:31 UTC
The atmosphere as everyone before me has mentioned is lovely and it's very impressive you managed to finish the game during the jam, congrats! I don't think I quite understood the fighting mechanics of the game, sometimes the enemies would be crouched and I would hit them while standing to no effect, making their silhouettes a bit easier to read would help because now mostly they look just like blobs of pixels. Also game closes on pressing escape and that caught me in a bit of a surprise lol. Other than that really fun, I enjoyed how you turned 2d pixel art into 3d graphics
m.dam
20. Apr 2022 · 17:25 UTC
The game has a nice atmosphere but the kinesthetics and responsiveness really need to be improved. I gave up after a while because there is no way to orient yourself in this completely dark maze. There are no incentives to keep you going.
zimny11
20. Apr 2022 · 21:18 UTC
Really cool and atmospheric game! Love the art style. Great job!