I see it as a "proto-metroidvania". It's level-based, yes, but the levels are laid-out in a maze-like fashion. Not much of an rpg edge, I admit, except for the power-up companion you can choose. There's a free version to try.
Thanks a lot! So, is the game any good? Do you like it? I'll definitely give it a shot once my iPad 2 arrives. Anymore gem recommendations like that?
Kepa, Can I request that you add a no helmet display option if at all possible. I am not sure if helmets give any stats yet as I'm still on the first map but if I could turn them off while still being any to benefit from any potential stats that would be appreciated.
Hats are purely cosmetic, and if you don't want a hat there is the option (pretty sure its the first square).
Yeah I knew the third forest level was a bit too long compared to other levels, but I didn't consider how out of place it would be considering how well the orc enemies work together. I don't really want to shorten the level at this point, I'm considering just adding an assload of spells to the level...
Um, just a quick question, when you die and it gives you the options to go to the map, restart the level or revive, how many revives do you get and how often do you get mmore throughout the game (if at all)?
I believe it's 3 per sublevel. If you go back to the map, you'll have 3 again for the next level you play. Let's say you play 2-1 and then you revive once. When you get to 2-2, I believe you start again with 3 lives (someone correct me if I'm mistaken).
How does the save system work? Does it auto-save, can you manually save at any time, does it just automatically save between levels, etc.?
Auto-saves. Jam the home screen button at any time, get a phone call, whatever. Yeah we should probably fiddle with the continue screen so it's a little less confusing. Will add that to the list.
Game Impressions So, I bought this as soon as I could last night, and have played up to the slime levels. I've loved the Hook Games, and while I am not a very big fan of 90s action-RPGs, I figured I would give Rocketcat the benefit of the doubt on this one. As of now, I have mixed feelings about the game. Combat is really cool - even though I am not very far, I am impressed by how much versatility is offered just by dashing and sword-dashing. Dashing through an opponent's magic to hit them up-close is really satisfying, and using your sword dash on groups or single large enemies offers some decisions to be made at a quick pace. There have been some pretty cool 'arenas' where shooting enemies and melee enemies are interestingly placed. Unfortunately, while the combat can be cool at times, it is usually just mashing on a trickle of enemies. I would prefer to have bigger, 'staged' fights separated by some walking rather than a boar here and there. Also, while the combat buttons and spells work very well, I am not entirely sold on the control schemes. Any chance we could get a fixed analog stick? Finding secret areas is usually more irritating than anything else. Too often, secret area hunting means dragging your face along every wall in the level until you find the 'fake' ones. Sometimes, there are hints such as lamp-light or dirt which are effective, but the wall-drag, one of my least favorite video game mechanics ever, is usually the only real way to find secrets. Already, I have come to the end of a few levels, realized I missed one or two baddies, and backtracked along every flippin' wall to see what I missed. Maybe some people like this for nostalgia's sake, but I cannot stand it. Although I don't need pages and pages of stats, it would be nice if the game elaborated a bit more on what items do what and what your current stats are, as well as what they mean. While I appreciate the simplified intentions, the stats are hidden from the player a bit too well. Boss fights are just awesome. These have, so far, easily been the best parts of the game. Spell-heavy, short and sweet, and needing some strategy, every one has been exciting so far, and looking forward to the next ones is keeping me in the game. I would love a timed boss-attack mode with leaderboards. Maybe if we are good for Christmas, Kepa? Lastly, I'm a touch disappointed with the writing in the game. I wasn't sure if they would have a somewhat serious story, or if it would be short and witty banter while hinting at some deeper lore (I would love to find out more about Super QuickHook's mountain). So far, it seems like neither is the case. The characters have been a bit forgettable so far, and every conversation just seems to end with the main character rolling her eyes. I hope this picks up a bit. I am enjoying the game so far, but I do find it to be a bit of a struggle at points, particularly some of the longer levels. I am really looking forward to when the difficulty ramps up, which I think will provide some excellent combat situations. Here, I would give it 4/5. Of course, I already gave it a 5 on the app store after playing a single level, which this game totally deserves when compared to what's out there. Thanks for keeping up with the games, guys!
I'll keep it short and sweet. The game is great. Perfectly captures the spirit of SNES while succeding brilliantly in its own terms. As someone who was never a big fan of the "hook" games, I am very happy that the devs decided to try this new direction. Now back to the game!
The game is amazing so far; I really enjoy the unique magic combat system. :3 Only minor problem I've been having is with Game Center achievements. I usually play the game with wifi off to save battery, and later I turn on wifi while playing to sync my achievements. However, none of my achivements are being synced to my GC account I don't blame you guys though, I've noticed that game center doesn't work for a lot of my apps. Open feint achievements work fine for me. Besides that, excellent work on the game!
I just came up with idea.. Why don't you make this barrels useful in other way beside achievements... Crush X barrels (or other objects) to buy some magic powers in some kind of store for spells that you'll make in future update
Is there a way to see how much of a level you have cleared to get the 3 stars? There is one level I swear I have combed every inch, killed every monster and even found hidden rooms but still can only get 2 stars for it. Oh and I never got that pop up that Kepa was saying explained the star system - where did I miss that?
I will do this in the sequel, but as an elaborate joke where you have to crush 10000 barrels for a really ugly looking hat. Fixed analog stick? Like Minigore? We have the non-fixed stick option in settings, and a D-pad in there too... Remember the complaint about trickles of enemies and get back to me once you're done with the game. Then you can tell me if that perception changed or not. A boss rush might happen, though I need to test it and see if it works very well in practice. We're definitely doing a couple of monster-arena modes, though. Yeah I thought we maybe should have made the secrets more obvious, probably smaller in number (so they'd be more special), etc. Still, they didn't turn out as bad as I thought given the constraints of the screen. Yeah, we didn't add any sort of stat signifier until pretty late in development. So they're really only shown on the level-up screen, and even then it doesn't track equipment stats. Although, the equipment descriptions do a pretty honest job of saying what they do. The only thing missing is exact percentages. It's funny, the descriptions used to be a lot more specific (down to %'s), but I was convinced to make them more vague.
Not a big fan of the icon; it even kinda turned off a friend of mine from buying it, but he downloaded it anyway. I'd prefer it if it was a picture of the actual Mage Gauntlet, but that's just me. Otherwise, I'm loving this game, and the visuals and music make it an instant classic!
