Not gonna lie, it’s a bit irritating that everyone is comparing it to Balatro when it’s a lot more like what came before it: very, very good solo card games, like Regicide, Scoundrel, etc. I’m willing to bet the designer is at least aware of that design space, if not downright adept at it.
Impeccable, right up my alley, the kind of card game that justifies its digital form by adding enough depth, variety and digital bookkeeping. LIKE BALATR-
Loved it. Though I wish there was a higher resolution version for the Steam release. I would've been ready to buy in that case. The text and some icons can get difficult to read. The perk icons have too little space to even be discerned imo. Despite the depth this version has, the pico-8 format still gives the game a prototype vibe. I might be alone in this opinion though so idk
Gameplay-wise, I got stuck on the 3rd floor with a single enemy and no attack points left. All that was left was to reset
Game has surprising amount of depth and atmosphere. Great work
Ok so, first off, I think the concept is very good, and the art and music really help with getting into the flow.
Just a couple of critiques from a design perspective:
- Firstly, the attack and block mechanics: There's little to no incentive to not use attack and block cards right away besides some specific scenarios where you have to wait for a slightly better hand combinations. This creates very little interesting situations (dynamics). A suggestion I have is making it so after combat, attack and block are reset to 0, so the player has to choose whether they want to "waste" that extra resources to ensure they won't be taking damage, or if they want to risk it and slowly deteriorate their health to not lose resources in the long run. This would also make health and block two resources which are situationally one better than the other, instead of having block as a straight up better version of health. These two conondrums combined would help players develop their own heuristics, seeing the game as a form of personal expression and getting more emotionally attached in the process.
- Secondly, the hand combinations: There's a clear inspiration from balatro, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it clashes with the Solitaire aesthetic you were going for and makes this compact experience more complicated than it needs to be.
Then I think a couple of tweaks could be made to ensure a generated "floor" is always winnable, and less columns to force the player into tighter spots. But that's more of a matter of balance rather than design so it's up to preference, and can be sorted out later into the pipeline.
Your game is amazing! At first, I thought I wouldn’t have that much fun, but it was really enjoyable to plan my next move to avoid losing (not that it helped haha). Congratulations on the pixel art and the music—it reminded me of Donkey Kong Country and Nidhogg. The card game is very creative, congrats on the project!
The attached manual is a bit… I don’t know, in my opinion, it broke the immersion a little. I was able to understand the game just by playing, without reading the manual, but I think it would be good to have an in-game tutorial or at least for the manual to be inside the game rather than on a separate website.
Other than that, the gameplay, design, and soundtrack are all excellent! The progression system is great, but I didn’t see much purpose in the in-game currency I earned. I think it should have a more meaningful role to make that element feel more rewarding.
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neato
This gotta be the best game I've ever come across so far on itch. What makes it really stick out like crazy is the replayability. Massive kudos. <3
crazy fun
I just started learning about pico8 and this game really surprised me how a tiny engine can do a good game like this 10 out of 10!!
beautiful and very fun game!
Not gonna lie, it’s a bit irritating that everyone is comparing it to Balatro when it’s a lot more like what came before it: very, very good solo card games, like Regicide, Scoundrel, etc. I’m willing to bet the designer is at least aware of that design space, if not downright adept at it.
Impeccable, right up my alley, the kind of card game that justifies its digital form by adding enough depth, variety and digital bookkeeping. LIKE BALATR-
Loved it. Though I wish there was a higher resolution version for the Steam release. I would've been ready to buy in that case. The text and some icons can get difficult to read. The perk icons have too little space to even be discerned imo. Despite the depth this version has, the pico-8 format still gives the game a prototype vibe. I might be alone in this opinion though so idk
Gameplay-wise, I got stuck on the 3rd floor with a single enemy and no attack points left. All that was left was to reset
Game has surprising amount of depth and atmosphere. Great work
The mechanics are simple but the puzzles really make you think. The atmosphere and design add a cool touch, and the challenge ramps up nicely.
Ok so, first off, I think the concept is very good, and the art and music really help with getting into the flow.
Just a couple of critiques from a design perspective:
- Firstly, the attack and block mechanics: There's little to no incentive to not use attack and block cards right away besides some specific scenarios where you have to wait for a slightly better hand combinations. This creates very little interesting situations (dynamics). A suggestion I have is making it so after combat, attack and block are reset to 0, so the player has to choose whether they want to "waste" that extra resources to ensure they won't be taking damage, or if they want to risk it and slowly deteriorate their health to not lose resources in the long run. This would also make health and block two resources which are situationally one better than the other, instead of having block as a straight up better version of health. These two conondrums combined would help players develop their own heuristics, seeing the game as a form of personal expression and getting more emotionally attached in the process.
- Secondly, the hand combinations: There's a clear inspiration from balatro, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it clashes with the Solitaire aesthetic you were going for and makes this compact experience more complicated than it needs to be.
Then I think a couple of tweaks could be made to ensure a generated "floor" is always winnable, and less columns to force the player into tighter spots. But that's more of a matter of balance rather than design so it's up to preference, and can be sorted out later into the pipeline.
So close…
Anyways, I love this game. In an hour and I’m already addicted…
Mayhaps android version?
Mayhaps! Steam version takes priority for noe, but mobile ports are not out of the question down the road.
i can't figure out what the evil eye description means. what does "when the eye sees you" mean???
When the card is face up and not covered by any other card. This happens when it's the front card of a column, or when it's in a battle.
Oh, this is great
Huh... well... this happened
IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON LEVEL 3
I love! So cute, the art and style is so good! Five stars! 🌠
Awesome, super eye catching as well!
Since the release of Balatro, I really like these rpgs that involve cards
Your game is amazing! At first, I thought I wouldn’t have that much fun, but it was really enjoyable to plan my next move to avoid losing (not that it helped haha). Congratulations on the pixel art and the music—it reminded me of Donkey Kong Country and Nidhogg. The card game is very creative, congrats on the project!
The attached manual is a bit… I don’t know, in my opinion, it broke the immersion a little. I was able to understand the game just by playing, without reading the manual, but I think it would be good to have an in-game tutorial or at least for the manual to be inside the game rather than on a separate website.
Other than that, the gameplay, design, and soundtrack are all excellent! The progression system is great, but I didn’t see much purpose in the in-game currency I earned. I think it should have a more meaningful role to make that element feel more rewarding.