Life of a skeleton by Pimeko
Play it on your browsere here => https://pimeko.itch.io/life-of-a-skeleton
*What does a skeleton do when the summoner doesn't summon him? *
Maybe he is arguing with his skeleton girlfriend about a certain Stacy that he seems to be texting.
But sometimes, WORK gets in the way of the discussion.
And you may have to BE SUMMONED by your necromancer WHILE having the WORST ARGUMENT of your life.
Can you save your relationship while doing your job?


EDIT (15/04/24 11h12 UTC+1): I've updated the description, added the web build url to use itch.io (somehow the ldjam website can't make it work) and simply fixed the ratios to work on any screen. No extra features!
| Web | https://pimeko.itch.io/life-of-a-skeleton |
| Github | https://github.com/Pimeko/LD55 |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/55/like-of-a-skeleton |
Ratings
| Overall | 78th | 3.837⭐ | 45🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 79th | 3.744⭐ | 45🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 50th | 3.977⭐ | 45🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 35th | 4.239⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 187th | 3.42⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 29th | 4.036⭐ | 44🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 8th | 4.443⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 36th | 4.012⭐ | 45🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 53🗳️ | 82🗨️ |
I did notice that if two of the same letters show up in a row, hitting the key once resolves both. At least, I think that was the case?
Given the nature of the game, I would have appreciated if you could speed up the text or skip through it, but I guess that gets in the way of the summoning timing, maybe?
Yes indeed to keep everything balanced, the dialogue timing was crucial.
Noted for the bug report, it will be beneficial for the players at least haha
Great idea for the theme, being from the point of view of the summoned monster is smart and it creates an interesting gameplay. Congrats!
@pres2300 thanks for the feedback! Indeed, I actually wanted the player to feel what it's like being trapped in this kind of conversation, just like in real life haha
Having to deal with both the summons and the arguing makes for a hectic but funny game.
The pressure of having to type the letters as quick as possible to get back to our girlfriend makes it so much harder!
The song is great! And I love how it ups the ante with a choir when you get summoned. Amazing job there too!
There are some bugs. A most annoying one is that the timer continues to count down even after I selected an answer, making it possible to lose due to "my silence" *as she is answering me*.
Not a big deal, but it makes the game unintentionally harder.
The music is great and I loved the flute backing it ! I'd love to see more games that doesn't take themselves seriously, it reminds me of the Bard Quest webcomic :) I loved exploring the branches, how does working out works out for a skeleton ?
Love the art, love the music ! I don't love Stacy though.
Very cool concept and easy to understand and play right away.
Music is a banger, definitely added a lot to the experience. Well done! :D
this could easily be a successful skit
I was confused though in the start whether I should wait and fight or if fight was something going to happen eventually in the conversation.
also this is really hard not to get her to dump you lol
Fun game, if there was a way to placate her I didn't find it. Love the witty responses
@jsmcag Haha thank you! The choir always amplifies everything. Sorry about the bug!
@rpgwanderer hahaha definitely r/relationships material! Thanks for the kind words :)
@rewquji thank you!
@afk-shark thanks, glad you like it <3
@dobrila thank you for the kind words! :)
@el-pepi yeah the whole "being disturbed by your NPC's task" definitely reminded me of your game as well! And yes, it is possible to win with the right combination :)
@frib haha thank you very much! Long live (die?) your skelebabies
@frogman thank you very much! Glad you appreciated the balancing, it was a great part of the design process :) There are actually ways to know some of the info the girl is asking you, if you've been through the right convos actually!
@torte478 oh you're right, I hadn't done the connection explicitly but there is indeed some Undertale expressing in there, involuntarily haha, thank you!
@wouterk12 haha in the afterdeath you mean
@velvetlobster hahaha glad you enjoyed the game, thanks! yeah she definitely wants to dump you from the start I guess
@fnelix thank you very much! there are some ways to know some answers if you follow the right convos :)
@imbajoe hahaha thank you and yeah too bad for her, she's the one missing out on something! And yes there is a happy ending to be found ;)
The only thing that confused me when I first started playing was when you get summoned right after you pick a bad dialogue option. It happened on my first 2 playthroughs. I got a game over screen moments after the summoning started and I didn't understand how the summoning mechanic worked. On my third playthrough the summoning happened after I picked an option that had another section of dialogue after it and realized the summoning interrupts the conversation to burn down the timer. I think maybe preventing the summoning the moment you pick a bad dialogue option would clear up that confusion.
Dialogue tree was a bit trial and error but the whole getting hauled away to fight a monster mid argument was hilarious.
Very unique take on the summoning theme! Loved the humour and how relateable it is haha!
What tops it all by far is the music! So intense and fitting the situation, it is really sooo good!! Also the variation that happens once you get summoned!
Really would love to see this fully fleshed out!
@goddzeproject @Rob6566 @denvil @Giulia thank you very much, glad you liked the game :D
@poboy haha she is definitely impossible, thank you!
@the4thcircle haha fair point, the relationship *might* be a bit toxic ... thank you!
@vivid-hallucination thank you! there are some ways to know what to answer for some, but it's definitely a feedback I've got and I agree :)
@vortexb thank you very much! Glad you noticed the dynamic audio, had fun with this one haha
@sodoj haha naggy she is, thanks for playing!
@@pascal-fitzner thanks, glad you liked the music!
@xhadie thank you so so much for the super kind words, your feedback is super appreciated! And congratulations on the newborn-skeletons haha
@nuanda79 thank you very much, glad you enjoyed the game and the music :) Thanks for the bug report, I hadn't noticed it while playtesting but it does happen sometimes!
What would add even more fun to the gameplay would be if there are different "endings". I guess you could come up with even more funny ideas. Congrats to your project!
Really nice job with your design! I like how you took advantage of the simplistic visuals and made them work for you. Your narrative had a lot of charm and never dragged, even when I was clicking back through the options. The mini-game was cute. Well done!