Unholy Echo

by dizzy
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.45
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.03
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.29
Theme★★★★★★★★★★3.79
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.86
Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.62
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.76
UNHOLY_ECHO_1.png
Unholy Echo is a short game about being stuck in a cursed loop, facing adversities by searching for answers and, ultimately, acceptance of fate.

Controls:

- Move: Arrows / WASD
- Attack (press or hold): Space / J
- Skip Dialogue: Z / K
- Speedup Text: X / L
- Interact: E

Technologies used:

- Development and Game Engine: GODOT.
- Design and Documentation: Notion.
- Arts: Aseprite and Adobe Photoshop.
- Soundtrack and Effects: Cakewalk by Bandlab and Adobe Audition.

Better on Windows and Linux clients.

Changelog:
- 0.3.1 - Fixed some typos
- 0.3 - Change tutorial and hint messages

screenshot
Tags: #ldjam47
Genres: adventure
Tools: Aseprite, Godot

Comments52

shan.hsgames
shan.hsgames5 Oct 2020, 20:22
Wow, i like this kind of deep stories! Also, gameplay was smooth, and graphics were cool. Overall, nice game!
Comari5 Oct 2020, 20:50
Great game, if I had more time to I would probably try to figure out how to get past the two swords. My only constructive thought would be to have some kind of a life pool so that the game mechanics were slightly more forgiving. Thanks for the submission!
EasyGoingDubber5 Oct 2020, 20:56
The graphics especialy characters are a really good looking apriciate
Baran
Baran5 Oct 2020, 21:01
Great game overall, but i could not figure out how to get pass that two giant swords. Also, the sound and graphics doe their job really well on setting the mood!
cireneikual2224645 Oct 2020, 21:11
Not quite sure what to do at the sword/crystal part, I kind of ran out of patience then to be honest. I like the graphics though, and the music fits. It also has a nice atmosphere.
BenSlaney5 Oct 2020, 21:23
As mentioned by others I too struggled to get past the two giant sword. Graphically it's really impressive however :)
KingDwarf5 Oct 2020, 21:36
It is really fun how you have to memorize the boss fight to come further into the game! Also this game has a good storyline!
Only point is that also I got stuck at the crystals and I would love it if you could sprint.
WatermelonAndMe
WatermelonAndMe5 Oct 2020, 22:41
Story is great. Gameplay also)) graphics is amazing
Jenny Bourke
Jenny Bourke6 Oct 2020, 02:26
Really cool game! Was a bit tough but I really enjoyed it!
StinkyKitty
StinkyKitty6 Oct 2020, 02:58
I really enjoyed playing your game! :smile_cat: The graphics were awesome, I was especially impressed by the character portraits and the cool lighting. The music was great too! Totally fit the "medieval" vibe of the game. Amazing job, keep it up!
SirRed6 Oct 2020, 03:02
I enjoyed the game. The visuals gave enough of a hint for what to do next. I wish it was longer or the boss tried to attack you at the end.
Skleembof
Skleembof6 Oct 2020, 03:51
Nice job with the graphics and sound. You did a good job making your game fit the theme and you made it look really cool
Cubiclaw6 Oct 2020, 06:53
Great visuals! The only recommendation I could think of is to keep the music playing continuously instead of restarting it on each death, or maybe I should just get good and stop dying all the time.
valisse216 Oct 2020, 12:50
Nice job, amazing atmosphere. I didn't get how to pass the crystals but I guess I just need to give it a try again.
Arthurds
Arthurds6 Oct 2020, 15:40
Oh man this one was a trip huh? I was so flipping tired when I played it, but it was fun to try to figure out what to do. I think I did try the hold space for a stronger attack before the crystal part and it didnt work, so I thought that wasnt the answer, but overall was a great time! Thanks for submitting it! -PomoTheDog
DanyVk
DanyVk6 Oct 2020, 19:48
Nice game guys
Marlop6 Oct 2020, 19:51
It was spectacular in every aspect, well done. Btw, which engine did you use? thx for the experience!!
guilhermesouza
guilhermesouza6 Oct 2020, 19:58
thanks for the feedback guys! We are really happy!!! @marlop the engine is Godot!! Ty for playing and for your feedback!
datadazer
datadazer6 Oct 2020, 20:12
Really neat boss battle. The first two hints made me feel really smart once I discovered their answers. I could not for the life of me figure out what is meant by "focus" at the Gem part. Overall neat idea, great sound, nice cohesive graphics, great game!
Dizzyauthor6 Oct 2020, 20:45
@datadazer thanks for the feedback :D, try to hold the attack button
Okean
Okean7 Oct 2020, 15:39
Good but too short
JoeDev
JoeDev7 Oct 2020, 19:44
Such a fun little boss battle experience! Once I got the hang of the attack I managed to get through, it was fun to figure out all the different hints / parts of the fight. Enjoyed the 'lore' and dialogue of it too :) Good job!
etrealjunior
etrealjunior7 Oct 2020, 20:36
The graphics are very beautiful, I pressed the j and attacked and this function was not described in the menu, I found the music a little short I don't know if that was the intention, congratulations
Wendel Scardua
Wendel Scardua7 Oct 2020, 21:33
The book giving indirect hints was a nice touch. Also, I really liked the art!

PS: I must confess I tried attacking the mirror at the end to try avoiding my fate :sweat_smile:
Dizzyauthor7 Oct 2020, 21:44
@etrealjunior there are some alternative commands that we prefer not to add in the tutorial, because it would make it too long
@wendel-scardua maybe we should have done an alternate ending by attacking the mirror, it would be really cool! And we loved that you liked our indirect hints :D

@joedev Thanks for the feedback, we are really happy that you liked our hint system and the boss battle ;D

Thanks all for the feedbacks :)
blobo
blobo8 Oct 2020, 04:44
Woah this was impressive! I like the attacks the boss had, there was a lot of variety. Just a heads up, the book had a typo or two in it, don't forget to proofread next time. I've had my fair share of typos in the past, it happens. The music was catchy too. Great work all around.
maxflav8 Oct 2020, 18:23
This was a fun little puzzle to figure out! It fits the theme really well.
Eugenik
Eugenik9 Oct 2020, 00:15
5/5 in all categories from me.Awesome !
Dizzyauthor9 Oct 2020, 00:53
@blobo oh, im sorry, we ll fix the typo errors haha. Im happy that you like our game :)
@maxflav thanks!
@eugenik We are really happy to read your comment! We really put as much efforts that we could in this game. Thank you so much!
Artyom Volkov
Artyom Volkov9 Oct 2020, 13:18
A pretty interesting puzzle bossfight with Dark Souls vibes. However, I think, the crystal phase is a little bit hard for a jam.
krammetje
krammetje9 Oct 2020, 13:37
It's a fun game. Took me way to long to figure out the hints. :sweat_smile:

I would suggest making the dialogues at the start of the rooms a one-time event. It really started to annoy me having to wait for it every time I died.
c1tr00z
c1tr00z9 Oct 2020, 13:42
Cool game! Graphics and audio is quite good. Quite similar concept to my game =) I like your hints system
Kirby
Kirby9 Oct 2020, 14:50
Rly cool game, congratulations
Erlioniel
Erlioniel9 Oct 2020, 16:16
It's really interesting boss fight (was even thinking to ask for possibility to recreate it in scope of one of mine prototypes). But really short one. Would like to see the whole dungeon with the final boss and some story about it.
eptwalabha
eptwalabha9 Oct 2020, 19:59
Very nice game, I wish there was more to it… Very nice take on the theme.
smiley405
smiley4059 Oct 2020, 20:24
good music and really nice game graphics
manusaiz
manusaiz9 Oct 2020, 20:40
Nice package!
I loved the mood and overall aesthetic, although it was a bit clueless at the start, but the reflexions of the PC saved the day.

Nice job!!
Craig Cordeiro
Craig Cordeiro10 Oct 2020, 15:06
My only complaint is that there wasn't more!
It's an interesting concept and I really liked the idea of the whole game taking place, essentially, in a single room like that. It would have been great if you could add more traps/puzzles in there.
Ismael Rodriguez
Ismael Rodriguez10 Oct 2020, 15:29
I couldn't figure out the spikes, and the re-spawns are so slow it's hard to keep trying. I'm bad sorry.

Tried to hide in the corner. died.
Tried to sword them, died.
Tried to sword the fence/bad guy. died.

The dialog skip being K and L is weird for me, I feel like any button should work.
Good presentation. I like the music shifts, and the animations.
essarrgee10 Oct 2020, 18:52
I love the concept! Using respawning as the "loop" is a really cool idea! Though, would that mean when the boss died he would also respawn back as a knight in the past? Anyway, the gameplay is pretty fun when you figure everything out, but not very forgiving. It was a little weird that I couldn't destroy the wall until after the fire attack. It made me think I needed a bomb item or something that came later. Also, the crystals could probably give a little feedback, like a sound effect, if a player just attacks it with a normal attack, just to show that they can't break it normally.

Amazing work though! The sprites were really good, especially the portraits of the characters! I enjoyed the music as well. Good job with the game!
exofrenon11 Oct 2020, 11:02
Nice idea, decent graphics and sound.
Trexxak
Trexxak13 Oct 2020, 17:23
aah, the whole game really reminded me of raid progression :'D

Very interesting puzzle/ action game! Love how you used the obvious tried, tested and proven loop mechanic of Respawning instead of trying to reinvent the ~~wheel~~loop!
ping7814 Oct 2020, 02:56
Cool game! Nice job with the graphics and sound. You did a good job making your game fit the theme.
Enjoyed playing this game.
frecklebars
frecklebars14 Oct 2020, 22:30
graphics, annimations and effects are on point, i loved em
MSiddeek
MSiddeek15 Oct 2020, 09:27
Really polished animation and audio-wise. One thing I would have loved is if the replay loop was shorter. It felt very punishing at times. Love the world though and want to know more of the lore. Cool game! Congrats!
KaafiRookie
KaafiRookie20 Oct 2020, 13:33
Hey guys, Good job, you guys made a great game in jam period!

Here's my feedback. :v:

GAME DESIGN

The game design was very impressive, right from the start I knew What to do, very cleaver story telling! I like how the dialogue system has a fast forward button, but I wish that after the first time, the dialogue came in every loop, and kinda made it annoying, we could skip and fast forward, but i would like to avoid cut-scenes, so an option for player to decide if they want extended cut-scenes or not, the speed runners will love this, and your game is perfect for speed-running! Perfect implementation of cycles, Every thing had a pattern and neatly executed! The final one was a bit tough for many, but I guess the beauty of the controls will help here, we can "charge" / "focus" while moving and the beautiful sound cue will tell the player we are ready, (I think you could try with an outer glow instead of inner orb like glow, like Goku charge up). Added to this is that we can move while attacking, I guess we could destroy all of the crystals in a go, but It took me to charges!

I love how this takes us right into the action, and mages to tell a story of what might have happened that led to this moment, and the book helps us by very cleverly revealing the upcoming events.

FUN

This game was extremely fun! It felt like a folktale, and I love it! The movements were perfect and didn't spoil the fun of the game at all!

INNOVATION

The level design, movements, the book and the whole premise was very well planned and executed! The attack was well used and I love the progression of difficulty! The loops were acting as re-spawns and since we knew all the clues from the get-go the loops just felt stretched out.

THEME

I was able to complete all 3 tasks so I got to see the ending and then the theme made sense. So perhaps on my previous comment on the usage of loops, I would love to see the internal loops used in story telling too! ( Honestly guys, would love to see such a game from you guys)

So many people will not know how the theme is really incorporated, as the crystal level was a bit hard for people to figure out, so maybe in controls specify that you can move + charge and move + attack.

GRAPHICS

The artwork was amazing, love the little visual cues, the whole artwork was well organized and neatly presented!

MOOD

Like I said, this game gave me folktale vibes, and honestly good job on that!

AUDIO

I love how the game has a certain degree of adaptive music! It was more of horizontal changes, would have love to see some vertical changes in the music!

Congratulations to the entire team and all the best for your future projects!
vinmegamitensei20 Oct 2020, 18:46
@kaafirookie On behalf of our team, I would like to say a huge thanks to this review and for your time. We appreciate the considerations and as a producer and designer, it fills my heart with joy to see that someone really enjoyed this game. It was my first time as a game designer, and our first time as a complete team. Everyone put their hearts into this, and as we appreciate the constructive feedback, it's also very rewarding to see someone having a good time with this little creation of ours. So, again, thanks a lot for your feedback, your time and your considerations - I agree with everything you said about the loop and respawning and surely will absorb this knowledge to deliver something even better (hopefully) next time! Thanks you!

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