Reviews for Pumpking

[JorisRollfox]

The sound is stellar, and the art as well. I especially like the dynamics & use of colors, though the black outline on the key & lock can look a little harsh. The 3D aspect & empty void as background also take some getting used to.

The gameplay is quite interesting, and even though it never challenges you to explore the full potential of its turn-based nature (see Rust Bucket by Nitrome for inspiration) it keeps up the pacing & ends quickly to prevent it from getting dull (which is something that Rust Bucket fails). I would've liked to see it end on a higher note though, like a boss fight.

Anyways, I'm curious to what inspired you to make this. Just some random idea that you had to get out of your head & turn into a game?

nyunesu responds:

Hey, thanks for your feedback (:

I had a ton of inspiration from everywhere I'll try to break it down for you.

First thought while starting the prototype stage was to avoid making a platformer, I made three in a row, so I had to make something else because I was feeling "stuck" in a genre.

I started to try exploring more a previous game I made (based on Sokoban - you can try it here: https://nyunesu.itch.io/generator), I never came to add moving NPCs to this game, so I thought of giving this a try.

At first, the objects were just crates that you could destroy instead of pushing. Then I drew some Halloween characters with the palette Matt used for his game PUMP (you should play it, very good game) and I started to get in the mood by the art.

I tried a bunch of random mechanics such as pushing enemies several cells forward, but I thought I was seeking too much in the prototype stage, so I decided to remove this mechanic and focus on the enemies instead of my character. But I got nice info from the experimentation: counting cells to manage your move was interesting.

I created some basic enemy behavior that would move differently each turn, e. g. 1 turn rest, 1 turn move. Then 2 turn move, 1 turn to rest and started to see how those dynamics affected the game. I played redungeon before (from nitrome as well) and since it inspired me a lot so I went to play it again. I tried to use the same mechanic they had of moving stuff in real-time in a turn-based game, didn't work well but it inspired me for other aspects of the game.

That is basically my process, experiment with the things you already have, changing values, see the results and try to get the most out of it. Then add new stuff that affects the previous mechanics, look for other interesting mechanics and repeat the tunning stage.

I tried to explain in the best way I could, hope that helps (:

[GeoKureli]

Nicely done, but it's hard to vote higher when a game like Rust Bucket exists. This is basically all the tedious parts of Rust Bucket, with less polish. looking forward to your next game, but not a fan of this one, sorry :(

nyunesu responds:

Haha, don't worry! Nitrome stuff is amazing, I feel you (:

Thank you for playing it and for the honest review!

[GtYuhan]

A very fun concept. If only the game was longer with more world building, character development and multiple quests, levels and equipment.

nyunesu responds:

Heyo, thanks for playing! I appreciate your feedback, and it would be great! Unfortunately I wasn't look into that kind of experience when I developed it (:

[NNON]

Pleasant,

[justdio09]

cool game but the rating is wrong