Alchemy Squid
Made for the PirateSoftware Game Jam 15.
Alchemy Squid is a short, colorful platformer with elements of metroidvania level design and souls-inspired combat. Explore a vibrant world and discover new potions which will light the way forward!
This was a solo project. All assets and music are my own creations!
P.S. Can you beat the dev speedrun time of 2:14?
CONTROLS:
WASD to move - Space to Jump
Q/E to cycle potions or 1-4 for hotkeys
Click and drag to craft, click to use currently selected potion
Enter to pause/return to menu
Download
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Development log
- Movement Fixes41 days ago
Comments
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This was amazing. The music and visuals were great, especially the lighting. The controls felt good to me. While I did die a lot, at no point did I blame the controls. From a technical perspective, I felt like it was VERY polished and well tested. As you saw, I got a little stuck a couple of times there, but that's just part of exploring/adventure games like this.
The final boss was exactly as difficult as I wanted it to be. Yeah, it was hard, but it wasn't impossible. I had to learn its attack patterns and when I did defeat it, it was awesome.
YOU ROCK!
really fun to play but coudnt kill the boss cuz im nob :D
She krabby on my paddy till I spongebob xx
amazingly beautiful xx
I really like this one, love the background, I like a somber take on a squid's journey, the music doesn't really fit, and I like it that way. I like the day night mechanic, I just wish what it was for was more clear. Also, clicking to use potions is tough, it should have been a key, I really liked this though, love the OWW sound too haha, great work
Beautiful game! Loved the ongoing sunset, and got curious to know the inspiration for making the character a walking skid... The movements were more on the faster side, but since the side scroll map was big, It felt nice. Lovely soundtrack!
Congratulations on participating in the Jam!
If you have time, check out our submission to this jam! We would love to know your impressions: https://mechtomato.itch.io/azar
Thanks so much for playing, and for the nice feedback! The character was inspired by the "Bold and Brash" painting Squidward made in a Spongebob episode, haha!
I'll be sure to check out your entry as soon as I have a chance!
Cool game, bit too sliperry movements, the boss was a nice surprise !
Also I think the sound you make when you throw something is funny, but on the long term it is too much, hearing Hrm every time you thow a rock at the pumpkin king is kinda too much. Maybe make it so there a chance of making a the Hm sound else it makes a more quiet noise ?
Really appreciate the feedback! Yeah, I noticed the rock sound effect got a little repetitive after a while, so if I do further updates to this project I'll probably record more voice lines and randomize them! And I think with a bit more time, I could re-work the movement to feel a lot tighter. Thanks for playing!
great music and art
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it.
Really fun I like the cool boss
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Fun game :) didn't even come close to the dev time haha.
I agree with what other people have said about the movement, I think it needs to be snappier.
The art is really cool, I love the style. and the piano music is lovely! I'm not sure it fits the gameplay however.
I'd say all the individual pieces (the art, the music, the potions etc.) are all very well done, but feel a bit disjointed when put together.
But all in all great job! I enjoyed it
Thank you for the feedback! I've actually been obsessively iterating on the movement and trying to get it in a better place before judging begins, haha. I think I got used to the slidey, momentum-based movement while I was testing and didn't realize how off-putting it might be for new players. But of course, with the level design already finished, it's hard to make universal tweaks that work perfectly for all sections.
I'm glad you like the art and music, even if the elements may not be completely fitting for one another.
Thanks so much for playing! :)
I like this game: the atmosphere, the art, music.. but the movement is weird. It's ok getting used to not being able to move while jumping, but that paired with the character being constantly on ice is hard to get used to.
Also you can't imagine how long I tried getting the fire recipe without the lifting potion thinking I can squeeze a little bit move inertia to make the jump
I appreciated the feedback! Since several people have mentioned the movement feeling slippery, I've actually updated the game with drastically increased friction, and better acceleration. Hopefully that will feel better!
Pretty nice game! The only downside to me is that the squid movement is a bit weird, it slide a bit far off than expected. Except that, every looks great especially the background music and the artwork. Looking forward to new bosses or potions if youre planning to update the game.
Thanks! Yeah, a few people have commented on the movement - in retrospect, it's easy to get used to your own movement script when testing/developing a game and unknowingly compensate for things that might feel off to a new player. Definitely something I'm taking notes on for future games! Really glad you enjoyed the music and art! Appreciate the feedback. :)
Beautiful music
Thanks, I'm glad you like it! :)
I really enjoyed the experience. It reminded me of old Nintendo games like "Adventure Island" and "Super Mario". The day-night cycle is awesome and looks great (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
Thanks so much! :) I'm really glad to hear that it reminded you of those nostalgic, and enjoyed the visuals!
Nice. I agree the movement is a bit akward with the way acceleration takes so long, and also the time before you respawn is pretty long as well. Other than that, its pretty cool
Thanks for playing, definitely appreciate the feedback! :)
Really cool game ! The biggest issue I had was the horribly long acceleration/deceleration time (Was that intentional ?). Other than that, great job !
Thanks! Yeah, I wanted to give at least some sense of momentum to the movement rather than instant acceleration, but it's helpful to know that this feels too slow for some players - appreciate the feedback!