Swordcery

So let me start off by saying that I actually really enjoy the design behind this game. I only have about 6 hours at the time of writing this review so this will be kind of a first impressions take and here's to hoping the devs will consider some of the constructive criticism. The graphics are well done, nothing crazy but enjoyable for a cartoonish silly style sword game. Kind've reminds me of LoZ: Windwaker meets Genshin Impact. I love the whacky sword designs and the creative items that you can pick up along the way. This game is by no means bad and this is not a negative review, more so I hope people see this and understand this game is actually good with potential to be phenomenal as it's currently still a diamond in the rust with excavation still happening. So here's my initial list of impressions so far that I'd personally like to see implemented/changed: QoL Improvements: 1. Add a full screen window mode. I'm surprised this isn't an option as a default setting but...please? When I tab out to another window to do something else mid-run on the pause screen I don't want the audio playing. 2. Do not auto equip picked up blades, keep the one already equipped. I know it's a great idea for people first starting out and it's good concept for them to try out the weapons they pick up. But once you know them and you know what you want and you have a weapon/build going it. becomes. tedious. to. have. to. manually. swap. back. to. your. primary. weapon. every. single. time. in. every. single. run. whenever. you. pick. up. any. new. weapon. ever. throughout. every. run. Maybe make this a setting option so new players can still have the auto-equip when new and then have another option to just add picked up weapons to the inventory for experienced players? 3. Make it so you can teleport to rooms/areas while in Sheath instead of having to walk/run/dash to them and back? The skill tree room for example. 4. Enemies all show on mini map. With how many enemies can be in a given room it's hard to tell where everyone is for the entire room, especially for time trials. The arrow icon when there's one enemy left is good but expand on this. Just let us see where all the enemy dangers are when we enter a room. We shouldn't be taking stupid damage from ranged enemies that we don't even know are there across the map firing projectiles. 5. Make dashes go through obstacles so you don't get stuck in environments to be stun locked by enemies and also for easier map traversal. Again, another usual inclusion to games like this. Most games of this nature allow you to fade or clip through staircases to get to the exit of a room rather than having to walk. all. the. way. around. Same with wood blocks, also goes for enemies. Being that there is only ONE dodge (at least at the start *cough*) that takes FOREVER to recharge this one is a given that we should be able use the dodge to fade through obstacles and enemies. 6. Make it so when a run is failed you go to a results screen rather than showing the meta progression with enemies still trying to hit you in the background with all the sound effects. I...don't know why this isn't the default thing? Like...this one just has to be an oversight right? Right devs? Tell me it's so, and the plan is to add one at some point? It's quite annoying seeing and more importantly having to hear and listen to enemies still doing their thing in the background as if you're still alive while your run results are being tallied especially if you die late in the run. 7. Make it so dropped potions not used on the map can be sold. Again...must be an oversight. Unused potions because you're doing well in a run should still provide some value. Make it so if you don't need or don't want to use dropped potions they can be sold for 50 coins. At least 25, just something of some value. Combat Changes/Improvements: 1. Animation cancelling. This needs to be the highest priority of every combat change mechanic in the entire game. The last input you put in as a player needs to take precedent over anything else you've done prior. If you hit charge attack button to interrupt a yellow enemy but you know it's going to come too late and you hit dodge, your dodge should activate IMMEDIATELY canceling the heavy attack. Same with any other type of input. 1. All heavy attacks need to be faster, both the default non-charge up ones and the charge up ones. Enemies glowing yellow that can only be hit by charged attacks or swordcery are...quick. You have to be charging or at the very least tap your heavy attack button BEFORE the enemies even show the yellow outline to interrupt them otherwise you get hit. I've found many times that even just tapping my charge attack button the moment I see a yellow outline/icon it comes out WAYYYYY too late and I still get hit from the enemy and take stupid damage because the animation for the heavy attack takes too long. 2. Parry System. I cannot stress this enough. Most games in modern day especially ones designed like this have some type of parry system. "Oh, but there's a weapon that has the parry ability! Use that if you want to parry, that's why it's there!" you say. Yes, except remember this game is one that heavily relies on RNG so it may not show up and also that particular weapon will ONLY parry physical melee attacks. This does nothing to help you throughout a lot of the game with all the magical components that come at you especially in later areas. The amount of times I've tried to hit my block button thinking it also acts as a parry if timed perfectly (aptly known as a perfect parry or perfect block) is ludicrous. Create a new button for parrying capabilities on ALL weapons or better yet, make it so make blocks work as perfect blocks that don't consume a shield charge. 3. Perfect dodge, much like the last one, well-timed dodges should be rewarded. Initially I wasn't sure how this could be implemented without being game breaking due to balancing issues but upon thinking about it more I have a potential viable option? Giving a dash charge back for a perfect dodge would be a little too strong I think. Slow time ability would also be too strong and not really in pace with the game. So...let's meet halfway...a perfect dodge should increase the recharge rate of the dodge by 30%, This would also stack with something else further down the review. 4. Give an on-screen indicator of heavy attack charge up time. Give us a visual over the player to see how charged the charge attack actually is. Is it 27%? Am I charged at 62%? Helppppppp. Skill Tree Additions/Changes: 1. Add a skill to the skill tree that allows you to carry 1 or 2 potion flask with you. Most games allow this to some extent. 2 might be a bit much but we should at least be able to have 1 passive potion that we can hold onto throughout a run and pop at our own discretion. 2. Add a skill to the skill tree that increases dodge recovery rate. This NEEDS to be added. The skill tree has a lot of good things on it, this is not there. Add it. Add it yesterday. Add one node that increases the recovery speed by 20%, add a second further node that makes it faster by 40% The dodge recovery rate is MASSIVELY slow to cooldown. Either the base recovery rate needs to be tweaked to be more feasible especially late runs or we need a skill tree addition of this as recommended. This would stack with the aforementioned perfect dodge feature if both of these got added. Misc.: 1. This might be just a me issue but I noticed the first time I made it to region 3 I had a massive amount of frame drops, especially when using musical rapier and the stone golems would be attacking with their pools.

probably a skill issue tbh, but this game is just way over tuned on the first boss's difficulty

This is the exact game I've been looking for! Great middle ground between mindless Hack n' Slash and Souls-like combat.

Awesome game so far! Really great rogue-lite elements that feel unique and fresh. Also quite well-executed, from the animations to the soundtrack to the environments... I highly recommend this one, totally worth the cost!

Good art style, simple controls but more complex combinations of swords & how you customise them, perma upgrade system in place aswel so the game has some legs to it, doesn't seem like the devs have super long term plans for it beyond the eventual 1.0 release but i hope when they get there that changes, its a Unique spin on the genre and everyone loves cool & different sword/weapon designs and with this the team really has the freedom to flex in this regard, seems like there are some reli cool and interesting designed swords/combos thus far and the community will constantly be thirsty for more, don't waste the potential you have here However right now the game isn't optimised for portables its pretty poor regardless, framerate is not stable gameplay is jittery on the Ally/Steam Deck, and im not sitting at my pc in this heat so i guess I'll have to wait, i see the potential so im giving it a thumbs up, however optimisation is very important to me so if you slack on that I'll definitely be editing this review

The game is quite fun with an intuitive control-set and tutorial to explain it. Both keyboard/mouse and controller compatible, game plays smoothly at 60+fps. Like most roguelikes, there's a bit of a learning curve with memorizing enemy patterns, but once you get the hang of what does what, it plays lovely. There is plenty of room for diversity of weaponry to be added in the future by the devs; let's hope they do. Overall, I'm quite enjoying it.

I would leave a mixed review because this game has potential to compete with many indie games, but in it's current state it's more of a no than a yes. The gameplay is great, but it's story isn't. (also i really wanted to play this game years ago, but guess what, i had to wait 8 years, it feels like i'm no more inside the target audience for this game. The ship has sailed, sigh). BUT, this game needs polish, not in it's gameplay but overall in how the game is presented, and also in it's purpose and story (gameplay is generally good) -Once you start the game you get locked in a tutorial, no explanations no story no lore. The tutorial forces you to play the tutorial the way it wants to be played: an enemy is going to attack you, tutorial pauses the entire game and un-pauses it when you press the attack button. This thing is really annoying, playing a game means experimenting and figuring out the controls by yourself, at the very least put an icon at the bottom of the screen to tell what's the new button i should try next, and then let me do my things, instead of forcing me to play how you want. A tutorial where you also get to know what's going on in this world would be way more better. (take inspiration from enter the gungeon's tutorial for example) -So, after skipping the tutorial (and apparently skipping core lore elements/cutscenes as well? i don't get if i skipped them by accident or if there were none to begin with), you also get locked into town, but the game won't let you explore. Instead, it forces you to start a run. Again, another example of not letting me play the game how i want to. Same thing goes for when you lose a run, the game forces you to upgrade your skills (the skill tree is a mess, unintuitive, messy and overwhelming with too many things on it. Sub menus would be way more better, a shortcut button that you have to hold down for 2 seconds to turn gems into skill points would also be better) Then again, i played this for what, six minutes? Yet, i feel like i've seen all that there's to it, it's a roguelike, just like the others (enter the gungeon, hades, tboi, wizards of legend (worst one of this list), deadcells.) All of these games i've listed have something unique in them that makes you want to play them (except wizard of legends lol), even if they're all the same "repetitve" genre. Again, i waited 8 years to play this, but even by looking at the new trailer i felt like something was off and i should leave this to a younger audience. I was afraid that the devs didn't put as much care as they did with the gameplay on the story aspect, and i feel like I was right. So there you have it. You guys can add all the swords and relics and the little nitpick gameplay gimnicks you want, but if there's no story/ immersion/ purpose elements, then you will end up like wizard of legend, a roguelike with no meaning. You rack up damage numbers, get trinkets and stuff, but for what purpose? What does our hero have to overcome? How does our hero relate to other inhabitants of this world? Do they have feelings? Hell, I even despise souls games for this very reason, it's as if souls games have no story but they use random flavor text to gaslight you into thinking there actually is one, and somehow it does the trick: dark souls has an universe and this game doesn't. I say this because somehow you need the bare minimum to make the player immerse into your world, even a short but meaningful intro, but "a giant sword falling from the sky and the model of the main character standing still on a bridge doing absolutely nothing" won't do.

You can tell this game was made with huge amount of heart. I've followed the developer updates on their newsletter and discord for quite some time now. It has really been quite a journey getting here!