Thornscatter by KeithSwanger

Play In Browser: https://keithswanger.itch.io/thornscatter
Overview
You are a rosehip on a journey to sow your seeds.
Equipped with a thorn, you must slash your way through a jagged world of your own creation.

Collect water droplets scattered across a desolate world so your seeds may one day sprout.

Though be wary, your thorn may be your end.

Controls
WASD or Arrow Keys to Move
Left Click or Z to Attack
R to Restart (when dead)
Tab to Toggle Minimap
Escape to Pause
Play
Play In Browser: https://keithswanger.itch.io/thornscatter
| Play In Browser | https://keithswanger.itch.io/thornscatter |
| Download For Windows | https://keithswanger.itch.io/thornscatter |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/thornscatter |
Ratings
| Overall | 397th | 3.683⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 583th | 3.385⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 162th | 3.853⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 313th | 3.931⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 344th | 3.952⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 387th | 3.48⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 854th | 2.324⭐ | 19🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 127th | 4.038⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 43🗳️ | 35🗨️ |
Interesting take on Snake, not a lot of games try to build on Snake nowadays.
Would be nice if the direction you clicked in decided the attack direction when the player is using a mouse but it overall doesn't seem like a game where snappy, accurate controls are essential to the intended experience.
Cute character also! Dead Scene so coool
I think the game could be a little more forgiving about getting hit. At least being to know exactly where the hitboxes are would be nice.
Really nicely put together!
I loved the dying scene btw

One small nitpick : I think it would be good to have a texture, even subtle, on the ground. Before thorns appear, you have zero visual indication of how fast you move.
Sound could be a bit less repetitive but add to the melancholy. Nice work!
Had a great time playing on stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1609528446?t=2h57m49s
But if I finished game on one level of difficulty and I want to change it, I should wait a lot of time.
Great job!
Either way, I did thoroughly enjoy it, and I'm glad I stuck through to the end. It felt like a game that was more about strategizing where you were going to be every ten seconds rather than simply slashing through a maze. Great job!
The mechanics are fun, even if i'm not fan of the fact that you create thorn while attacking. The problem is that you attack to clear the path in front of you, but by attackin you also block the same path that you wanted to clear. Maybe I missed something here ^^
However I had a lot of fun playing good job !
Nice entry!
The poetic intro along with the melancholic guitar sets the tone perfectly. Color palette is well chosen and compliments the graphical style.
Thorns are drawn and animated very beautifully, so it's really pleasant to see them just sprout.

You can even make rudimentary "drawings" with them!
---
Some constructive critisism:
- Gameplay-wise the main-mechanic could use a bit adjusting. I see a lot of potential and room for experimentation there!
- The guitar-ambience is nice, but a bit short loop. I kept imagining solos and harmonies that could go along with the chords!
- A few feedback sound-effects would enhance the experience
---
Great job, and keep on jamming!
This could've just been an abstract mechanic but you gave it a nice theme with the rosehip, the goal and sort of a poem at the beginning of it. I guess it would've been nice to be able to skip when selecting the next difficulty level but having R within one is probably enough, especially considering most people don't spend a lot of time on LD games anyway 😅 Said rosehip is also quite cute, even with the stern eyes.
Again music is great, wish there were sound effects too. Gameplay is good and a nice interpretation of the theme. I like that there's still a little caveat to cutting thorns by creating new smaller ones. Nice job!
I really liked the mood the gameplay, art and music set: I felt a mix of tension, loneliness and calm. The game pushes you to go fast but to weigh every slash you make. It creates a lot of interesting short term decision making.
If I had one suggestion, it would be to replace the mini map by some sort of indicator that is closer to the center of the screen (as an arrow pointing in the direction of the water / the center), so that you don't have to juggle between what you are looking at.
Really great job on this, and thanks for the game 🌹