it' sonson
Medals
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Author Comments
Important:
This game is in Flash format which is sadly not supported by browsers anymore. You need to install Newgrounds flash player software first in order to play this game. Get it here: https://www.newgrounds.com/flash/player/download
Magickal is a 2D side scrolling platformer where the player assumes the role of a witch called Yvonne who battles a horde of enemies along her journey to the hallowed glade. Earn points by shooting enemies and collecting items. Should Yvonne be surrounded by enemies, she can utilize a range of deadly spells to banish them all.
CONTROLS
Movement – WASD/Arrow Keys
Shoot – J/X
Spell – K/Z
Pause – P
Enjoy! Do not forget to vote, review and share this game to other retro game enthusiasts. Happy Pixel Day 2020!
Harlemblack responds:
I see you are man of culture.
hard but good
Pretty cool game! I like the progression of moving from level to level and the variation of enemies is very impressive. Graphics, music and sounds give off a really cool gameboy aesthetic. While I think the core gameplay is good, it is a bit frustrating at the moment. For example, sometimes food seems to recover mana and sometimes it doesn't (and if you need to eat multiple food before you get a mana point there's no way to track it)? Only being able to have one bullet on screen leads to inconsistent shooting mechanics where a miss is too devastating since you need to wait too long, while a hit allows you to shoot once again immediately. Some of the enemies can be a bit frustrating to deal with since they can be slightly above or below your line of fire, but I do like the variation and you can dodge them, so it still works in the end. Basically, the game is still good as it is, but I think it could use a small bit of tuning to reduce frustration: you could allow a more consistent shot pattern, or allow checkpoints, or increase the speed of the game/reduce the time spent per level so the player can learn and retry quicker, etc.
Harlemblack responds:
Hey thanks for the elaborate review. Yes I actually had faced the issues you mentioned during the development phase. On Mana mechanics, there is actually an invisible mana bar being full of 100%. Each spell uses 30% mana while each food taken replenishes 10% mana (except the moon sphere as it restores 100% mana). This explains the randomness of filling mana by picking up foods. On shot pattern/management, I actually tried to provide three bullets on screen at a time instead of one. This made killing enemies ridiculously easy. If you notice, most enemies depend on ramming themselves to hit the player, not projectiles. You could just stand in a corner and eliminate any enemy marching towards you. To compensate the one bullet system, spell mechanism was created. With proper positioning, timing and spell type, player could wipe most if not all enemies on screen with single spell. Lastly, on game speed, yeah I was lazy in this part. I once tried to vary the speed but it was a mess. The first three levels require 3 mins to complete while the last two about 5 mins each. the gameplay duration will be about 15 mins and I think it's too short to have any checkpoint. My current games still use the elements of classic arcade games such as no checkpoints, lifeup mechanism, etc. But I really appreciated your inputs and shall make them considerations in my future games. Thanks.
I have a feeling the difficulty level on this is too high I reached 50k and barely even unlocked 1 medal, it gets crazy hard when you have invincible enemies, homing enemies, kamikazee dogs running at you and your stuck on one track because the plants have shields.
Harlemblack responds:
hahaha feel the hardcore of my game!!!
Enjoying this game. It is so challenging. I am not sure about my spell casting abilities, either. I wish the spells were stronger. Maybe the abilities increase as the player's scores increase?
Would love to play longer, but I can't get out of the Pet Cemetery. Nice game, though. :)
2/3/20 Thank you for the tips Harlemblack! I have been practicing and have almost hit 25K. :)
2/12/20 Just broke 50K! Woohoo!
Harlemblack responds:
Did you know you can change spell types by picking up Magickup item? Yeah the spell mechanism is simple yet adequate enough for a small game like this. Well, in the Pet Cemetery, for a safe play, you should avoid shooting tombs if possible, since destroying tomb will summon nasty spirit. Dogs are fast and jumpy so the timing of shooting is the key, or you can just stay out of their lanes. Hope it helps. Thank you for the input and I wish u luck in next play.
Credits & Info
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Frontpaged January 23, 2020
