{"id":2036,"edition":11,"categories":1,"features":0,"size":11572,"name":"Exit the Castle","authors":[{"name":"Oliver Smith","url":"https://thort.net","login":"olvr","gh":2752443}],"description":"

13th Century Badger presents Exit the Castle.

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You are trapped in the Sheriff of Nottingham’s castle and must survive against his knights to make your way out.

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13 levels of top-down pixel art action.

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Complete each level to choose an upgrade and improve your odds.

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Controls

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WASD or arrow keys to move, mouse to aim and click to shoot

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Thanks to

\n\n","source":"olvr/exit-the-castle","stars":3,"comments":[{"at":347302927,"author":"Cliff Earl","login":"Antix-Development","gh":17822130,"text":"

Being swamped near the spawn-point was annoying. Very well polished and presented.. Love the 13th century Badger intro, complete with the sound-track!

\n","games":["When Your Neighbors Are Mongols"]},{"at":348697847,"re":347302927,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the positive and constructive feedback Cliff.

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Point taken about being swamped near the spawn point. I didn’t have time to add pathfinding, so the knights only move toward the player on a vector. I added them in the line of sight on each level to make it challenging, which it wasn’t otherwise. Unfortunately I didn’t realise the browser I used for play testing and tuning was throttled so in the final submission the game runs faster than intended which makes it challenging in a way I didn’t anticipate.

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Really happy to hear you enjoyed the intro, I had fun making it. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":347405421,"author":"Almar Suarez","login":"wololoa","gh":10622012,"twitter":"repunkgame","text":"

Instead of that intro, I’d rather have a more interesting ending :)

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What I liked the least was being surrounded by enemies on your spawn point - most of my deaths came from this. But besides that, if you are quick enough to kill them all the leveling system feels great and the sprites are cool. Nice game :)

\n","games":["Feast Night"]},{"at":348697919,"re":347405421,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for providing some thoughful feedback Almar. I created the intro before I was even sure I would make a game, so that is why more effort went there but I agree I should have been more creative with the ending.

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The game runs faster than I intended which makes the enemy spawn camping worse than it should be. They do that to give them a chance because they only attack on a vector but with the speed the game runs it does make that annoying.

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Glad you appreciated it anyway. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":347410254,"author":"Emre Guneyler","login":"eguneys","gh":3844764,"url":"https://eguneys.github.io/jsgames/","text":"

you give me extra health, but i don’t feel it you know.

\n","games":["belly flop","blue retro"]},{"at":348697956,"re":347410254,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the feedback Emre. Yes, extra health could be more and the bar should display it better. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":347527083,"author":"Misael Braga","login":"misabitencourt","gh":5315140,"text":"

This game is really good, i spent a bunch of time playing. I could easily pay for a game like this.

\n","games":["Death Sea XIII"]},{"at":348698054,"re":347527083,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the wonderful feedback Misael. It really made my day to know you enjoyed playing my game and valued it so much. I enjoyed making it too. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":347611394,"author":"Aleksey Litvinov","login":"mightyaleksey","gh":5006221,"url":"https://jsalterego.im/","text":"

Despite a simple idea, very addictive gameplay. Lovely art as well :)\nSome feedback: would be nice to have an option to shoot from keyboard, also was not feeling that extra health is valuable.

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Good job! I liked your game :)

\n","games":["Medieval Commerce"]},{"at":348698145,"re":347611394,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the considered feedback Aleksey. I was aiming to just keep players engaged but I will sure settle for addictive. An option to shoot using the keyboard is a good suggestion. The health perk probably isn’t enough for the balance of the game and it doesn’t help that the bar scales to the same width whatever your maximum heath is so it isn’t obvious visually that you have gained anything. That is something I would definitely want to fix another time.

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I am happy you liked it anyway. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"typ":2,"at":347621368,"author":"Richard Davey","login":"photonstorm","gh":164476,"url":"www.photonstorm.com","twitter":"photonstorm","text":"

Love the intro! This game is highly polished. The sprites are cute and well drawn, the sound effects fun, and it’s nice and juicy. Move your Robin Hood character around the level and use the mouse to fire your bow. Shoot all the guards, and the last one will drop a key for the exit.

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I played this game several times and felt I could have gotten further had my mouse finger not been hurting so much! You have to press it for every arrow, and the guards take a lot of arrows. Even so, dispatching them is great fun, and I love how, between levels, you can choose to get extra health, improve the accuracy of your shot, or even get twin shots.

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Being swarmed immediately at the start of the later levels is easily the thing that causes most deaths. A little affordance here would have gone a long way, along with autofire for oldies like me :). Otherwise, it is a really great little game.

\n"},{"at":348698218,"re":347621368,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the detailed feedback Richard. So pleased you liked the intro, I enjoyed making it. I could have done with your description for the game you summed it up well. It runs faster than I intended unfortunately and that has affected the gameplay. Autofire would be a nice idea, Robotron style. I wanted to include increased fire rate as another perk which might also have helped but didn’t manage it.

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Glad you enjoyed it despite the challenge. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":347832576,"author":"Mark Vasilkov","login":"mvasilkov","gh":140257,"url":"https://mvasilkov.animuchan.net","twitter":"mvasilkov","text":"

The sprites are great! Thanks for mentioning the artist, I’m in love with her work.

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The intro is brilliant, and the core gameplay loop is solid. I feel like the level design could use more variety, and maybe a different enemy type could’ve been nice (since the guard always run towards you, the accuracy perk gets almost no use — if one of the enemies was e.g. mage, who always runs away from you and shoots projectiles from a distance, you’d want to invest in accuracy or chase them into corners or something).

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All in all it’s a lovely game! I want this on mobile, with like 1000 levels, so I can pew pew during a commute.

\n","games":["Super Castle Game"]},{"at":348698357,"re":347832576,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the thoughful feedback Mark. I like the character sprites too. I wasn’t satisfied with what I had done for them and these are exactly what I was after and they fit in well with everything else I had done. Credit where it is due.

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It’s great to know you liked the intro. It is what I did first and it motivated me to create a game to go with it. A different enemy type with projectiles would be a good idea to mix things up.

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Getting the game to work well on mobile sounds like an interesting challenge. I hope I will be up to trying that.

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It is really validating that you had fun with it. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":347938973,"author":"Johan Åhlgren","login":"skanejohan","gh":4025939,"url":"www.johanahlgren.se","text":"

Very difficult game and at times the controls were a bit unforgiving (having to move back and forth a while just to enter a corridor). Very polished though, with a lovely retro feel. Well done!

\n","games":["Turrets and Trebuchets"]},{"at":348698464,"re":347938973,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback Johan. I’m sorry you found it difficult. I was quite upset to realise the version I had submitted was running too fast which disrupts the gameplay balance I had worked on. I think the problem you had with the corridor is because of the perspective style I chose. I didn’t make the edge of the top walls clear enough for the style of game.

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I am pleased you appreciated the effort to make a polished product and got the retro feel that I was after. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348014086,"author":"John Edvard","login":"johnedvard","gh":656024,"url":"https://reitgames.com","twitter":"ReitGames","text":"

I enjoyed playing this game. The controls were good, the graphics, animations and sound effects are superb. The theme is also well interpreted.\nI like how the arrows have a little randomness to the aim. It makes the game more enjoyable and slightly more challenging, which is good. It would be cool to receive 1 bonus perk after each death, making the game more replayable.

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I’m not sure what eagle eye means, is it better aim?

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The only thing I’m missing is some music

\n","games":["Samurai Sam"]},{"at":348698587,"re":348014086,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the positive feedback John. The bonus perk for replays is a good idea, definitely a consideration for the future.

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Eagle eye is indeed better aim, it reduces the randomness a bit more each time you select it. I should have just called it ‘aim’ or ‘accuracy’.

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I would really like to have done some music. I spent too much time on the intro and started the whole thing too late but would prioritise it more another time.

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It is really rewarding how much you appreciated the game. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348020366,"author":"Roman Miniv","login":"RomanMiniv","gh":50551993,"text":"

It would be nice to be able to skip the splash screen. Also, I think it would be good if there were also archers among the opponents, then it would be more difficult to play in the last rounds, otherwise it becomes a bit boring when you have three arrows flying in all directions now :D. It would seem to expand the paths between the walls a little - otherwise I often got stuck because of the belly :D.

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Maybe it would be even more fun if you could shoot arrows that could bounce off the wall once :).

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Although the topic does not really resonate with the competition topic, overall a good game, passed and moved on, thanks and congratulations!

\n","games":["Crusaders and their Journeys"]},{"at":348698779,"re":348020366,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions Roman. I’m sorry you want to skip the splash screen but agree it should have been an option. Opponents firing projectiles is a good idea to add some variety. I agree more work could be done to make the corridors easier to navigate too.

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I was working on a ricochet option for the arrows but it was complicated by the fact that unlike a ball, for example, they need to be rotated appropriately too and that was enough to make me abandon it because of time. Definitely something that would be nice to add though.

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The topic is pretty well anchored in 13th century English folklore but maybe I didn’t make enough of that.

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I am pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348055279,"author":"Ryan Tyler","login":"tyler6699","gh":50468,"url":"https://carelesslabs.co.uk","text":"

Graphics are really nice, sounds also. All works well but the HP is not enough and no matter how hard I try I get hammered and getting to level 6 is so hard.

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Some levels you start in a position where you cannot avoid damage.

\n","games":["Fort Knight"]},{"at":348698886,"re":348055279,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the considered feedback Ryan. Good to know you liked the graphics and sound. I agree the HP is not enough as the game plays. The submitted version runs faster than I intended so the difficulty level doesn’t work in quite the way I wanted. Sadly I couldn’t start working on this competition entry sooner and so ran out of time for thorough testing. Those are the breaks I guess but I’m glad you got far enough to appreciate it. If you can get past level six then more significant upgrades should make it easier from there. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348132012,"author":"Marcin Walczak","login":"wiserim","gh":18725798,"twitter":"wiserim_","text":"

Well made and quite enjoyable game.\nLove the graphics (good choice of the artist).\nGameplay wise is polished and fun, although can be a little but challenging.

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Controls are smooth, but spamming arrows with mouse can put a strain your finger.

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Getting killed on spawn can be a little bit annoying. You could move on some levels enemies a little bit further from player’s spawn point to give more time to react.

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13th century badger… Is that that a “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” reference?

\n","games":["Petty kingdoms"]},{"at":348699002,"re":348132012,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for your thoughts and feedback Marcin. Good to know you liked the graphics, most of them are my own but I needed help with the characters so credit where it is due for that.

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I agree the game is a bit challenging, it runs faster than I intended and that affects the gameplay.

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I hadn’t thought of Men in Tights but it is a similar humour to Mel Brooks for sure. I think I remember Monty Python having a “20th Century Frog” intro which was probably the influence.

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Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348137639,"author":"Jasper Renow-Clarke","login":"picosonic","gh":26137750,"twitter":"femtosonic","text":"

Love the game.

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Graphics are nice and work well with the theme. Sound effects are good.

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The enemies are pretty hard to defeat especially when they come in large groups. So the power ups offered between levels are essential.

\n","games":["Princess of Corinium"]},{"at":348699062,"re":348137639,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the positive feedback Jasper. I am really happy to know you enjoyed my game. It runs a bit faster than intended so it is quite challenging but the power ups do help and make it possible to complete if you can be quick enough.

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Glad you appreciated it. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348163796,"author":"Isaac Benitez","login":"isacben","gh":37629156,"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/isacben/","text":"

Congrats! The graphics are pretty cool!\nThe game is a bit too difficult, but fun. I would probably make the enemies a bit slower. Or give more space to the rooms.

\n","games":["Wanted"]},{"at":348699118,"re":348163796,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for providing some feedback Isaac. The game does run a bit faster than I intended which has unbalanced the difficulty. Good to hear you found it fun anyway. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348202041,"author":"Magnus Lindh","login":"MagnusLindh","gh":26601704,"text":"

I like the Robin Hood theme. It is unfortunately almost impossible to play with a touch pad. I guess it could be a good mobile game with some more variation in the enemy types. Overall a solid entry.

\n","games":["Gothic Tower"]},{"at":348702619,"re":348202041,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the feedback Magnus. Glad to hear you got the theme and appreciated it. I don’t have a trackpad and can only imagine how difficult that would be. Another time I would want to prioritise making it playable on more devices and mobile would very much be an ambition too. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348275044,"author":"Homer Dilpleu","login":"HomerDilpleu","gh":66157330,"text":"

I like the intro music :) The game is very well done and it is really fun to play. The pixel art is also awesome., this is a nice game

\n","games":["Cathedral builder"]},{"at":348702665,"re":348275044,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks or the feedback Homer. Great to hear you liked the intro. I enjoyed putting that together. It is really motivating how much you appreciated the game. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348373373,"author":"Christoph Schansky","login":"DerBenniBanni","gh":5499976,"text":"

Pretty difficult at the beginning, but after i got the triple-shot, and legendary damage the gameplay turns into reverse-bullet-hell. poor NPCs :-)

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Very nice graphics, and gameplay. Tried it multilpe times, only beat it once. Still, very entertaining!

\n","games":["WitchCup1276"]},{"at":348702870,"re":348373373,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the feedback Christoph. The game is more difficult than I intended really but I hoped the last levels would be a fun blast anyway. Congrats on beating it. I’m really pleased to hear you found it entertaining. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"typ":2,"at":348690187,"author":"Noël Meudec","login":"Noel-FB","gh":71314518,"url":"https://facebook.com/instantgames","text":"

What I liked:

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What I liked less:

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Overall, it is a really good game. I had a fun time finishing it. The last levels are not really the hardest one as the enemies have a hard time with walls.

\n"},{"at":348702957,"re":348690187,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the feedback Noël. Good job on finishing it and great to hear it was fun. The enemies just attack on a vector. I would have liked to add pathfinding which would have made it more interesting but great that you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for playing.

\n"},{"at":348882299,"author":"Benjamin Boyd Austin","login":"bbaustin","gh":18755168,"text":"

Very nice! I played through it several times. Think I made it to Level 11

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Graphics are great!\nIntro made me laugh out loud!\nUpgrades were a nice touch!

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I was getting caught on the walls a bit; not a bug I don’t think, just that it’s hard to see the color difference between the “wall” (darkish purple) and the “south-facing wall” (darkerish purple). Maybe the contrast could have been increased a bit?

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But overall really fun game. I’m going to try again later and see if I can beat it!

\n","games":["Parry"]},{"at":348888504,"re":348882299,"author":"Oliver Smith","login":"olvr","gh":2752443,"url":"https://thort.net","text":"

Thanks for the feedback Benjamin. Really pleased to hear you enjoyed the intro, I had fun making it. I agree the graphics for the walls make it hard to see where the collision point is. Some more contrast would help. I need to work on how improve that for this style of game.

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Glad you had fun with it enough to come back for more to try to beat it. It is definitely possible if you can be fast enough and with the right strategy. Thanks for playing.

\n"}],"results":{"theme":{"rank":44,"min":1.08,"score":3.54,"max":4.38},"innovation":{"rank":72,"min":1.12,"score":2.83,"max":4.43},"gameplay":{"rank":25,"min":1.24,"score":3.42,"max":4.34},"graphics":{"rank":15,"min":1.21,"score":4.17,"max":4.73},"audio":{"rank":43,"min":1,"score":3.04,"max":4.32},"controls":{"rank":29,"min":1.29,"score":3.29,"max":4.23},"primary":{"rank":22,"min":7.57,"score":20.29,"max":24.7},"label":"Overall"}}