The Runestone Trials [Game Jam]
As a merchant for the Artisans Guild, Declan had always dreamed of doing more. Hearing the explorers of the guild tell tales of adventure that he'd only dreamed of. Declan seeks to move up the ranks of the guild, proving to the other members and himself that he is capable. The first test... The Runestone Trials.
Dash to gather Runestones on each map to unlock the exit, while dodging enemies, gathering loot and of course eating food to heal all wounds. Help rescue others and spend the coins & loot gathered to Heal, Hire Mercenaries, and buy PERKS & UPGRADES.
- Upgrades:
-Armor (Copper, Iron, Gold) each showing on character when unlocked - Mercs for Hire:
-Exterminators: Remove Rat enemies on all floors.
-Crystalmancer: Places Power Crystals on all remaining floors.
- Crystalmancers can also Charge Orbs to heal 2 HP each when you use a
Multiplier Orb. - Perks Available:
- First Aid: Bandages heal +25 HP to start each floor
- Torn Map: More Gold & Loot drops on each floor
- Vitality Charm: Increases Health +25 - Power-Ups:
- Multiplier Orbs: Creates many orbs on the map, collect them to maximize your score
- Power Crystal: Become invincible for 15 seconds when picked up.
- Boost Nodes: Dash forward extremely fast when hitting a node on the map. - Items:
- Firewood: Used at campfire to cook a meal (+40 HP)
- Retrieval Rod: Used at the hole in the CAMP wall to find treasure inside. - Survivors:
- Survivors are found on some maps, bring them with you to the exit for rewards including Gold, Health & Bonus Points to your Score.
- Survivors have their own health bar, but they are weak (25 HP) and enemies will hit them first when travelling with you. If a survivor dies you will not receive a reward at the end of the stage.
Inspirations for this project: Games I have been playing heavily during development of Runestone Trials.
- Dragonsweeper: I loved the idea of taking an old hit like minesweeper and making it a dungeon crawler. I wanted to do this with Pac-Man making it a dungeon crawler RPG.
- Pac-Man: Obvious inspiration in core gameplay. In seeking to make a short game, an arcade style game seemed like a good option. I wanted to make an arcade game and Pac-Man is the king of arcades.
- Gauntlet: As my project began to take shape I embraced the Gauntlet vibes that the game was taking on. (eating food to heal remains as a nod)
- Vampire Survivors: Hordes of enemies and seeking health becoming core gameplay loops led to me playing a bit of Vampire Survivors in the mix as well.
- Slimestride Chronicles: A fact only known to myself as Slimestride Chronicles has yet to be released, but Declan Dashborne the main character of this game, the Artisans Guild mentioned, the monsters used in the cave, even the town of Falcons Crown are all featured in Slimestride Chronicles my future release. Making this a spin-off to an unreleased game! Entering a Game Jam has inspired me to do several of these spin-offs giving more life to the characters in the town of Falcons Crown. Next Game Jam I will do another of the "Falcons Crown Fables" (working title).
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this is super cool. great work!
Tips for new players:
1. Food is a finite resource and heals for 40 HP, maximize your health by picking them up only when needed. Dont eat food when you have 90 HP for example.
2. Chests have a chance to heal, among other outcomes, but take a chance at healing at a chest before using the food.
3. Do not engage every enemy you see immediately. You will need to run from them spread them out while keeping an eye on your health, making sure to heal when needed.
4. Pace yourself, on later levels collecting runestones too quickly may overwhelm you with enemies before you can reach a health pickup or chest.
5. Purchase Perks and Hire Mercs, no need to save the gold.
6. Pick up as much gold as you can find early, affording a perk at the first Camp can be a game changer.
7. When you pick up a survivor, they will take enemy damage when taking them to the exit. It may be wise to take out some enemies before interacting with them, as the survivors only have 25 HP.
8. Keep survivors alive, you will be rewarded if you save all 4.
v.0.2.5 - Bug fixes
- a test npc on the camp before the secret level, now removed.
- removed the fade when transferring on map on level 13
- fixed the Restore Health option, which was setting your health to 100, even if you had the Vitality Charm which adds 25 to your health cap. You now heal for 125 when paying for a full restore.
- Playtested the game from start to finish in the current version and can confirm it is indeed beatable.
v0.2.4 - Added more dialogue, including icons and colors included in the dialogue and options.
- Added a secret level. Unlock by beating the game and rescuing all 4 survivors. Those who complete this challenge are rewarded with a huge level containing 60 Runestones, some maze elements and a new enemy type
v0.2.3 - Charged Orbs added. Hire the Crystalmancer to now also upgrade Multiplier Orbs for 250 Gold, which will heal for 2 HP each orb you pick up when you find a Multiplier Orb.
- New Survivors added, they are no longer always the same NPC
- Bug Fix that showed player score twice on some maps.
- Level balancing
Hi! I enjoyed playing Runestone Trials. The rats are tough!
Thank you! and for the feedback. The rats are a nuisance, but you can hire an exterminator which removes them, also upgrading armor makes them do less damage (upgrading to gold armor they do no damage)
v0.1.9 - Just a quick update fixing a bug I noticed, where the multiplier orbs and timer did not always disappear if you transferred to a new map while the timer was still active. This is now fixed.
- Added more Speed Nodes to on the floor 2 map.
v0.1.8 - Added Dialogue, going along the Game Jams theme of Beyond Expectations, where the character is overcoming their perceived worth to the Guild they are in as they run through the trials.
- Added a proper Cover Art for the game.
- Balanced the first few levels more, including tweaks to how the powerups look.
The final week before Game Jam submissions close will be spent balancing the game out and improving level design and storyline.
v0.1.7 - Multiplier Orbs on each map which spawn dozens of new orbs for a short amount of time. Collect as many as possible on each floor to max your score.
- Changed SFX for attacks on enemies
- Worked on the animation for the Power Crystal effects
- Improved the players score image with a border around it and the image now pops a bit whenever points are added to the score.
- Balanced the first couple of levels. After making several new game power ups and items it was getting far too easy in the early stages.
v0.1.6 - Power Crystals give you invincibility for 15 seconds. A sample one is added to the first map. Also can be found in Chests or by Hiring the Crystalmancer for 300 Gold to place guaranteed crystals on the next 2 floors.
- Added a Speed Node on Floor 2, which when hit makes you dash forward very fast. Working on ways to incorporate these into levels.
- Dust effect when running added.
v0.1.5 - Added the players Score to the Game Over screen. I am looking into ways of implementing an online leaderboard tied to those scores. Until then feel free to post a screen shot of your best scores in the comment here.
- Tweaks to the placement of enemies and items on the early maps.
v0.1.4 - A new objective added. Escorting Survivors. When you encounter a survivor they will follow you to the exit, but their HP is low and enemies will attack their health bar first so avoid enemies when escorting. Might be best to clear enemies out before starting the escort if possible. If you bring a survivor with you to the exit, you will receive 50 Gold and 250 Points added to your score. If they die you get nothing, but in the next update expect points removed from the score.
v 0.1.3 - Added new item [Retrieval Rod] used at the hole in the wall on CAMP levels to unlock an item stash of firewood and gold.
- Faces added on dialogue.
- Fixed issue where blacksmith was quoting 100 gold more than the actual cost of Armor Upgrades.
- Keyboard Controls cover what to press to interact with NPCs and events like the hole in the wall (Press Space, Z, or Enter). Also for Full Screen and Display Strech Keys (F4/F3).
v 0.1.2 - Updated 2 new levels added to the start. I feel the original level 1 was too long and a few shorter stages were needed to increase player engagement.