Apprentice Binder

Web build doesn't work :( I don't think ldjam support godot web builds yet, but I've been able to get them to work on itch.io. The game was pretty fun, all the mechanics were easy to learn and apply in the puzzles! It would have been nice to see more of the map at one time, especially the later maps I kept having to restart because I didn't know where I was trying to get to. Overall nice job!

Not being able to see where you need to go next is quite annoying. The early levels I seemed to have a limited number of cards, but later ones you just get random ones? I wasn't sure. It felt like having just enough cards of just the right kind, in the right order, would make for a tighter puzzle element.

The concept is interesting, but more levels would be cool, and the levels are very repetitive, it was very short. The graphics are ok, but the rgb thing makes the thin letters hard to read. The sound is perfect.

Overall it's a good game, but more content would highly improve it.

I liked it, the music is really nice, not too short, could've been longer, but I'm a sucker for any music with good rythm and/or percussion instruments.
In terms of gameplay, it felt very stiffling to not know what summons you could get in a level, would've been nice to have a set amount of cards visible from the start, more than once I was stuck right at the end because I used 1 dragon too much or 1 tp too much.
Graphics wise it's decent, it feels like it's its own unique style and for a gamejam project it fits right in.
Nice job!

Ability to complete level by several ways with the same cards is highly appreciatabe! Super cool approach. Had a lot of fun!

Have a nice Jam!

I love this variability! Good work guys

Really nice game. I liked low-poly aesthetics and core mechanic. It'll be cool to see more cards.

The idea is cool. However I feel like not being able to see at least the next step in the level is not a very good design decision. Having to reset a level just because you chose the wrong wall or the wrong power up is a little bit frustrating.

Also a little bit random the RGB effect that pops from time to time. Anyways, with a little more development & polish it could make a good game!

Really fun game. I love the art and the levels despite being a little repetitive its a jam and its understandable! Good job guys!

I love the creppy noised textured art style it really elevates the mood in the whole game, the game play is fun and nice I like it.

I like the old school graphics aesthetic

This was really cool! I thought it looked simple but the more I played the more I got into it. I liked the quick restart on R allowing me to try a lot of things. the last level was really nicely done. Great work .

Very unique combinations of summoning spells that had me wanting to see more levels! I love the dragon wind summon the best when stacking them. Had a bit of trouble with the slime summons, but still fun to figure out how to get to the exit!

Really good concept, with some decent levels to show it off. Wish it could've been a bit longer. Also think the ufo may have been more suitable if it were a different summon that somehow interacted with the previous two.

I love the aesthetics; they complement the game's concept perfectly.

The idea of having a platformer with a deck of cards dictating your abilities is really cool, and while this version (logically) could only implement a few, it feels like something that can really be expanded upon to create more interesting combinations of cards such as the sticky slime and the wind dragon! Well done!

I really liked the music. Fitted the puzzle game very good. :) I also liked the design of the main character. The environment could use some graphical details. But I liked the overall style. Gongrats to your work!

Lovely puzzle platformer with very cool cards to use! I could solve a few of the puzzles using a different approach which is definitely appreciated. If you continue the project I would suggest a way to check what's above you because in the last level I couldn't see where to go. Definitely add more cards because it's an interesting idea. All the best!

I like the concept with the summoning cards. Had to reset a lot with the sticky ball, though :D

Interesting game! I would have played it for longer if there were more levels, good work!

Very nice soundtrack, and special thanks for the list of software used. I'm just starting to learn music, trying different tools, never heard of Bitwig Studio before.

Very fun puzzle game. I've enjoyed the fact that you have extra cards left at the end meaning that there are multiple ways to solve the puzzles :)

A very nice entry! The mechanics is so innovative and the music fit the game. Level design is amazing and there are many foss tools in credit!

What a cool puzzle game. THe atmopsphere is really good and I like the music. Well Done.

That's a cool idea. I would have liked a little more levels. but it's fun as is

Everything is a bit small on a 4k resolution. Good mechanics though!

really cool idea! a little short but still fun!

This is a nice little game! I like the concept of being able to summon anything anywhere within range - all of the mechanics worked like I felt they would and I didn't come across any glitches of any sort. Like the others said, not being able to see where you're going was a tad bit annoying, but I got lucky and guessed the correct way to go each time.

No complaints otherwise, this is really well done!

Love the visuals and the summoning puzzle loop was cool! Took a few tries to get the 2nd last level but got there eventually. I don't know if that cards go into your hand in a random order but I had a few cases where the cards it gave me simply weren't enough to make it up a wall. Wish there were a few more levels to enjoy, great job!

Really cool and thoughtful level design, and the tune added to the ambience :^)

Thanks for submitting your game to the stream! If you wanted to watch it again in the future heres the vod of the stream (with a chapter for your game)


And I'm the host for the ludum dare score chasers tournament this Ludum Dare. Wanted to ask if youre fine if I put some gameplay of the game in an intermission video. Last year for reference:

This was cool! Coming up with the right combination of cards while in the middle of solving a level was an interesting mental challenge (especially 9 hours into a stream...) great job, team!

Alright, I'm going to catch up with answering comments now.

@adam-gallina
> Web build doesn’t work :( I don’t think ldjam support godot web builds yet, but I’ve been able to get them to work on itch.io.

I removed the web build here. I tried uploading the web build to itch.io, but the audio sounds corrupted. I see many games made with Godot have the same problem. So no web version on itch.io for now either, not until Godot implements a fix or I find out how to configure a fix, if it is even possible. If you know a solution, please do tell.

Thank you for your feedback, I'll address the other things you mentioned in a group comment, since many other players had the shared the same experience.

Regarding map predictability

@adam-gallina
> It would have been nice to see more of the map at one time, especially the later maps I kept having to restart because I didn’t know where I was trying to get to.

@nathmate
> Not being able to see where you need to go next is quite annoying.

@rabid
> I feel like not being able to see at least the next step in the level is not a very good design decision. Having to reset a level just because you chose the wrong wall or the wrong power up is a little bit frustrating.

@dimi-kaye
> I would suggest a way to check what’s above you because in the last level I couldn’t see where to go

@spex130
> not being able to see where you’re going was a tad bit annoying

If all of you are refering to the last level, then not being able to predict part of the map that was intentional. I thought it would add an interesting touch and even made sure to be somewhat generous with the deck dealt in that level. But it seems that it turned out to be a frustrating experience for some. Thank you for your feedback.

@designernap
> the last level was really nicely done

You're the only outlier that has specifically mentioned liking the last level. That's interesting. Thank you for your feedback.

Regarding the card system

@nathmate
> The early levels I seemed to have a limited number of cards, but later ones you just get random ones? I wasn’t sure. It felt like having just enough cards of just the right kind, in the right order, would make for a tighter puzzle element.

@untick
> In terms of gameplay, it felt very stiffling to not know what summons you could get in a level, would’ve been nice to have a set amount of cards visible from the start, more than once I was stuck right at the end because I used 1 dragon too much or 1 tp too much.

@jamieok
> I don’t know if that cards go into your hand in a random order but I had a few cases where the cards it gave me simply weren’t enough to make it up a wall.

Each level has a predetermined deck from which cards are always handed out in the same order. It is not random, but I felt like it was too. My guess is that this effect is due to the limitations of short-term human memory and the fact that you can pull cards from the hand from random positions. That's what makes it feel random.

As for running out of cards in a level and having to reset, I agree that it is not the best solution. I think the better solution would be to implement some kind of system to get new cards so that running out of cards is never a possibility but you have to grind for them.

Anyways, we'll probably rework the card system if we continue developing the game. Thanks for the feedback.

Regarding the chromatic aberration

@mibi88
> The graphics are ok, but the rgb thing makes the thin letters hard to read.

@rabid
> Also a little bit random the RGB effect that pops from time to time.

This is something my partner implemented alongside the vignette effect as part of the graphic style of the game. We toned it down before the final build but left a bit in. The pulse of chromatic aberration every 9 seconds is tolerable but the default does make the text hard to read and makes things a bit dizzy. We'll probably look at some other shading technique to achieve a similar look. Thank you for the feedback.

Regarding the music

@mibi88
> The sound is perfect.

@untick
> the music is really nice, not too short, could’ve been longer, but I’m a sucker for any music with good rythm and/or percussion instruments

@lllarso
> I really liked the music. Fitted the puzzle game very good. :)

@sid37
> Very nice soundtrack

@givit-game-studios
> I like the music.

@emiliabea
> the tune added to the ambience :^)

@coke
> the music fit the game

Thank you all. I have spent the last year studying music theory, so this made it worth it and makes me feel accomplished.

Regarding the game essence

@promzona
> Ability to complete level by several ways with the same cards is highly appreciatabe! Super cool approach. Had a lot of fun!

@fenix131113
> I love this variability!

@zevsehg
> I liked [...] core mechanic.

@rabid
> The idea is cool.

@designernap
> I thought it looked simple but the more I played the more I got into it. I liked the quick restart on R allowing me to try a lot of things.

@cievers
> The idea of having a platformer with a deck of cards dictating your abilities is really cool

@dimi-kaye
> Lovely puzzle platformer with very cool cards to use! I could solve a few of the puzzles using a different approach which is definitely appreciated.

@brendak1561
> I like the concept with the summoning cards.

@zablas
> I’ve enjoyed the fact that you have extra cards left at the end meaning that there are multiple ways to solve the puzzles :)

@coke
> The mechanics is so innovative

@sargonius
> Good mechanics

@spex130
> I like the concept of being able to summon anything anywhere within range - all of the mechanics worked like I felt they would and I didn’t come across any glitches of any sort.

Thank you for your feedback.

Regarding the graphical style

@zevsehg
> I liked low-poly aesthetics

@naplz98
> I love the art

@klemen
> I love the creppy noised textured art style it really elevates the mood in the whole game

@danonino
> I like the old school graphics aesthetic

@alezjl
> I love the aesthetics; they complement the game’s concept perfectly.

@lllarso
> I also liked the design of the main character. [...] I liked the overall style.

@jamieok
> Love the visuals

Thank you for your feedback.

@lllarso
> The environment could use some graphical details

As a fun fact, there were a rock model and grass texture planned to be used as map detail, which weren't added to the level maps in the end due to time constraints.

Regarding the card effects

@brendak1561
> Had to reset a lot with the sticky ball

@brogan-ward
> Had a bit of trouble with the slime summons

I think we had to explain that it sticks to the wall in the back of the level or in midair. Also the player movement inside the Sticky Slime are wacky, so we would have to rework that. Thank you for your feedback.

@cievers
> it feels like something that can really be expanded upon to create more interesting combinations of cards such as the sticky slime and the wind dragon!

@brogan-ward
> I love the dragon wind summon the best when stacking them.

It seems that what players liked the most is combining card effects. Sticky Slime + Wind Dragon places a Wind Dragon higher or farther without it falling, while combining Wind Dragons stacks the lift force, giving more momentum. Thank you for your feedback.

@cameron-dunlap
> Also think the ufo may have been more suitable if it were a different summon that somehow interacted with the previous two.

Yeah, it's a shame that it is the only one that doesn't combine with the other two. Thank you for your feedback.

@sargonius
> Everything is a bit small on a 4k resolution.

I'm assuming you refer to UI scaling on large displays. That's something very important we didn't really think about. Thank you for your feedback.

Regarding the content

@dimi-kaye
> Definitely add more cards

@brogan-ward
> [...] wanting to see more levels!

@alessandro2024
> I would have played it for longer if there were more levels

@anifan-gelati
> I would have liked a little more levels.

@cshep99
> a little short

@jamieok
> Wish there were a few more levels to enjoy

We'll see if we continue with this project. Thanks!

@ategon
> Wanted to ask if youre fine if I put some gameplay of the game in an intermission video.

Go ahead. My partner's fine with it as well.

@sid37
> I’m just starting to learn music, trying different tools, never heard of Bitwig Studio before.

https://github.com/sgossner/VSCO-2-CE

Also check out this instrument library, Bitwig doesn't come with good orchestral instruments, sadly.

You can also check out the sources that I used for learning music theory in the video descriptions of my music videos on my YouTube channel, if you're interested. They also contain the explanation of the music theory behind each piece.

Neat little puzzle game, the controls were clear, and I was very quickly able to get in and play. There was sometimes a bit of physics jank, I feel that rotation should have been locked so that the wind dragon always pointed up, and perhaps the slime shouldn’t have been solid for the player. Anywho, neat little game! :heart:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2129902300

You saw me playing live :)

It had tutorial, it wasn't too long, it was kinda polished gameplay-wise.

I had fun time :)

The bug with the dragon falling of screen was funny :)

Thank you for stopping by!