
Ludum Dare #55compo
The Ritual
== Description ==
The ritual is a deck building / push your luck game in which you try to summon an elder god.
Select a summoning ritual and chain random spells from your spell book into magical phrases. At the beginning of the game your pell book contains mostly corruption spells and a few useful ones. Between phrases you can purchase additional spells. Between rituals you can get even better spells. Also each succesful ritual gives you a mysterious creature that will help in the next rituals.
Have fun and watch your sanity!
== Important notes ==
* You need a workung Java 9 JRE or JDK to un the game
* You need to unpack the zip-file before starting the game
== Gameplay ==
The ritual is a deck building / push your luck game in which you try to summon an elder god.
Select a summoning ritual and chain random spells from your spell book into magical phrases. At the beginning of the game your pell book contains mostly corruption spells and a few useful ones. Between phrases you can purchase additional spells. Between rituals you can get even better spells. Also each succesful ritual gives you a mysterious creature that will help in the next rituals.
Have fun and watch your sanity!
== Important notes ==
* You need a workung Java 9 JRE or JDK to un the game
* You need to unpack the zip-file before starting the game
== Gameplay ==
Comments18


LocksmithArmy15 Apr 2024, 15:58
wild, great work. I really enjoyed it

rhewid15 Apr 2024, 20:54
Finished it to summon the 100/100 ritual. Interesting concept. At first I just went with drawing until corruption is capped and was hoping for gold to buy new cards. Nice entry. Rare to see Java games :D
LDJam user 27923316 Apr 2024, 01:16
Great game! It initially confused me but in a good way, like I was intrigued and wanted to figure it out. Kind of like the start of Cult Simulator (2018) where at first you're just exploring how cause and effect works, before you can plan out your strategy. It took me 3-4 tries but I was able to get last ritual done. I like the mood and eeriness too, very lovecraftian!
Noobman6416 Apr 2024, 01:16
Great game! It initially confused me but in a good way, like I was intrigued and wanted to figure it out. Kind of like the start of Cult Simulator (2018) where at first you're just exploring how cause and effect works, before you can plan out your strategy. It took me 3-4 tries but I was able to get last ritual done. I like the mood and eeriness too, very lovecraftian!

givit-game-studios16 Apr 2024, 09:12
This is a fun little game.

Icaka16 Apr 2024, 09:13
good game, i like it, tricky at the start but rly enjoyable, interesting graphics
DuduBertolDev16 Apr 2024, 13:39
i really love the graphics and the mood! Congratss for made it alone and in a short time!!

LDJam user 28062416 Apr 2024, 17:07
A very well-designed game for 48 hours. Great job

torte47816 Apr 2024, 17:07
A very well-designed game for 48 hours. Great job

ellaris16 Apr 2024, 17:25
Not exactly my kind of game. Was confusing at first, but then when I learned the rules it felt frustrating, because I knew what I had to do but couldn't do it. You don't have money you get money spells which clutter your spellbook and making all of this drains your sanity. Maybe a bit too much corruption in the start spellbook.

FarawayDrip3016 Apr 2024, 17:28
From what I've played it seems interesting, but to tell the truth I didn't really understand a lot of what was happening. The basics, sure, I'm adding to a dice that will have random spells every button press, and I'm trying to use that to earn mana and blood to summon a creature, which I can use to create more mana and blood, and I can add more spells buy buying them between rounds. What I'm not quite sure about is anything else. Is it good when corruption is full? Should I end the spell before I go over the spell limit? If I do, I'm not sure what happens, and when do I fail the ritual?
I'm sure it's all a very well-thought-out game, but I feel like it's just a mess because I haven't been told or shown what anything does. I think that's my only complaint, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it if I just knew what I was doing.
I'm sure it's all a very well-thought-out game, but I feel like it's just a mess because I haven't been told or shown what anything does. I think that's my only complaint, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it if I just knew what I was doing.
Kirass16 Apr 2024, 23:04
I really liked this game! You guys are great!
LDJam user 016 Apr 2024, 23:05
Balancing strategy, intrigue, and a touch of mystique, you've crafted a game that challenges and rewards in equal measure. Fantastic job on creating something that stands out and captures the essence of discovery and mastery!
16 Apr 2024, 23:05
Balancing strategy, intrigue, and a touch of mystique, you've crafted a game that challenges and rewards in equal measure. Fantastic job on creating something that stands out and captures the essence of discovery and mastery!
manicthenobody17 Apr 2024, 02:18
Very fun concept and good execution of a lot of moving parts for the time limit. The sound effects were a bit harsh to my ears. I'm a sucker for a good deck builder and this has all the makings of something quite interesting.
LDJam user 12232528 Apr 2024, 14:16
My very first round was a failure, as I immediately tried to summon the sleeper and didn't watch your explanation gif beforehand, but I learned enough to win (accidentally) in the second game :D (and a few more times as of now, because of the fish-man and vampire granting 100 mana/blood immediately bug)
I like that you can discern the different spells by sound after a short time (or at least know if something is corruption or not ^^)
I also got the feeling that this game was planned if "Push your luck" had been chosen as the theme instead ^^
If there was more time, I believe the biggest gain would have been by adding just a few extra screens explaining when something happens, like when you hit the 7th corruption, instead of just entering the shopping section
And then maybe leaning a bit more into the "push your luck" aspect, like giving extra benefits for good spells while you are at 6 corruption, if you choose to draw more spells instead of ending the phrase
I mean, which performer of dark arts could resist to "maybe" gain even more power when their sanity is at risk already? :D
I like that you can discern the different spells by sound after a short time (or at least know if something is corruption or not ^^)
I also got the feeling that this game was planned if "Push your luck" had been chosen as the theme instead ^^
If there was more time, I believe the biggest gain would have been by adding just a few extra screens explaining when something happens, like when you hit the 7th corruption, instead of just entering the shopping section
And then maybe leaning a bit more into the "push your luck" aspect, like giving extra benefits for good spells while you are at 6 corruption, if you choose to draw more spells instead of ending the phrase
I mean, which performer of dark arts could resist to "maybe" gain even more power when their sanity is at risk already? :D
Nwoknu28 Apr 2024, 14:16
My very first round was a failure, as I immediately tried to summon the sleeper and didn't watch your explanation gif beforehand, but I learned enough to win (accidentally) in the second game :D (and a few more times as of now, because of the fish-man and vampire granting 100 mana/blood immediately bug)
I like that you can discern the different spells by sound after a short time (or at least know if something is corruption or not ^^)
I also got the feeling that this game was planned if "Push your luck" had been chosen as the theme instead ^^
If there was more time, I believe the biggest gain would have been by adding just a few extra screens explaining when something happens, like when you hit the 7th corruption, instead of just entering the shopping section
And then maybe leaning a bit more into the "push your luck" aspect, like giving extra benefits for good spells while you are at 6 corruption, if you choose to draw more spells instead of ending the phrase
I mean, which performer of dark arts could resist to "maybe" gain even more power when their sanity is at risk already? :D
I like that you can discern the different spells by sound after a short time (or at least know if something is corruption or not ^^)
I also got the feeling that this game was planned if "Push your luck" had been chosen as the theme instead ^^
If there was more time, I believe the biggest gain would have been by adding just a few extra screens explaining when something happens, like when you hit the 7th corruption, instead of just entering the shopping section
And then maybe leaning a bit more into the "push your luck" aspect, like giving extra benefits for good spells while you are at 6 corruption, if you choose to draw more spells instead of ending the phrase
I mean, which performer of dark arts could resist to "maybe" gain even more power when their sanity is at risk already? :D



I had a couple moments where I was on my very last spell in the phrase or I was sitting at 6 corruption where I was like "I just need 1 more mana!" or something, then ended up getting it haha, that felt really good
Overall, really well done