Everlasting song- A new release

[Blue Frenzy]

Everlasting song is a 2d sidescroller game inspired in series like wonderboy, castlevania, metroid and others.

In this game you play as Frenzy, a little soldier whose sister, Ayala, has been kidnapped by an evil clown named baloo.

The game is made in mmf2, with a possible change to c if things doesnt go well. You have a lot of things to do, a big map to explore split in 9 zones with an adition of 9 dungeon plus extras. You can find and buy potions, magics, items and equipment like rings, weapons, armors and shoes.

The game has a total of 32 different weapons, from small daggers to big axes with magic powers, along 16 different armours, 10 shoes and 32 different rings. Most of those items have extra effects and magics. So you have a lot to do. This demo has 7 weapons, 3 armours, 4 rings and 3 shoes available.

Also, the final game will have a lot of sidequests. You will be able to go to the inn and search for quests, or simply going through the world searching for new habilities that allow you to continue through the huge map. There are a lot of places for exploring and you will be able to return later with your new powers to find new secrets.

This demo contains half of 2 sections of the map (village and forest) and a full dungeon (although some places are not accesible). It also contains 2 minibosses, 2 optional bosses and 1 boss in middle of your way to explore the full game, what gives a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes of gameplay at high speed.

The controls are simple:

Button Z to jump. Hold it for larger jump.

Button X to attack. Depending of the weapon, your recovery time is different.

Button C to use magic. There are 3 kind of magics, read carefully.

-Simple cast: Press C button and release to use one single magic. For example, heal magic will heal 1 heart.

-Multiple cast: Hold C button and release when the blue bar is full and the character starts to flash. It will use every one of your magics. You will release a magic slightly better than using single ones separated. For example, 3 heal magics will heal 4 hearts at once.

-Full cast: use a multiple cast when you have 5 or more magics (in this demo, magics are limited to 5). You will use them all but the effect is completelly different. For example, 5 heal magics will heal your full HP.

Buttons A and S to quick switch magic.

Button Enter to enter the main menu

In the main menu, press up and down to move through options and press button X to select the option. In each section press left or right to move through options. There is no need of accept to select. By moving left or right, you will change the equipped object or the selected magic.

In the inventory, press button Z to use the selected object.

The same works for shops and inns. Be sure to keep 50 coins for saving at the inn. That is not a big ammount of money but at the very begginning could make things a bit hard.

Now i will advert some things:

1-This game is HARD.

2-This is not the SAGE demo, this demo has a lot of fixes, new things everywhere, even a new boss.

3-It seems there are some errors that makes the app to crash in some computers. Please, if the app crashes in yours, contact me via AIM.

4- There are some things unfinished. Don't wonder how to get those shiny pearls, they are not even programmed.

5- I'll appreciate any constructive criticism about the level design or other important things. Also, I would like to know your oppinion on certain points in the game that you like, because that helps me to know what things are good.

Downloads

Full Screen Version

Windowed Version

Also, comment everything here. I will help you to cross the game until you reach the end:

[ssbfalcon]

Sweet, I loved this game...

I'll let you know how it is, and hopefully I can remember enough to compare the fixes etc to the SAGE demo...

[Rael0505]

Man I wish I had enough time to check this out. I'm totally stoked for it.

[Violet CLM]

Still absolutely loving this, and glad to see that the weapons system hasn't been changed or anything. Killing enemies by turning around and not even slashing is always perverse. I don't use the (non-healing) magic for anything but the occasional boss and getting special kill moneys, and I have never even considered using acid magic for anything, but I assume that will change with more specialized enemies later in the game? The purple neutron (neutrino?) dude, who has no picture in the Enemies info menu, seems a sign of this.

I liked the new Forest Guardian, though I'm concerned that too much cheap damage may be done by hitting her, waiting until she finishes her immobile invincibility, then hitting her again before she can even move away. I'd prefer to see the blocks triggered in some way other than the spike ball, though, as it's been getting a whole lot of use at that point and there must be some prettier way of triggering things than destroying them. As for the clues, maybe if they were something other than more of the little infocritters? Some sort of delicately carved signs or something? It's weird to see them suddenly go all cryptic, and they were absolutely everywhere already...

The additions to the two giant globos were very cool... I was ready to beat up the boxing globo with no trouble given, and then it caught on fire at me, and the crazy transformation song was amusing. Looking good there. I was initially disconcerted by the increased visibility post-darkening, but it grew on me. Hopefully that big red circle is just visible for debug and won't actually follow the player around?

A list of actual concerns:

• The purple 50 coin on the way to the forest guardian is RIGHT next to a frame change, and it takes only about a minute to get 999 coins at that point in a way much easier than showering special attacks on the firebugs. This path is way too accessible and profitable on its bottom frame, and some of it looks a little clumsy too.
  
• Again, I have no use for acid magic.
  
• The purple guy is mostly immune to physical attacks, which is a nice touch, but then doesn't do anything. I can run under him and not even have to engage in battle. Could he spin around in a dangerous circle?
  
• The leather shoes are really expensive for something that makes the game feel that much freer. Could they be bumped down a few hundred?
  
• Much like acid magic, excited as I was to get the spirit dagger... I hope there's some use for it I'm not seeing, or something later, but right now I see no reason to use it. By the time I'm there I've got basically every weapon I can buy, and a 6 damage thing, no matter how cute, isn't too useful in combat.
  
• The paths back to the village from the forest, or back out of the dungeon, are really slow. Clearly it takes a while to get across all that real x-distance, but couldn't some new gameplay mechanic - diagonal springs or something - be inserted to ease the boredom?
  
• The surprise inn-in-the-wall in the forest is really cute, and much prettier than the random giant buildings later in the game, particularly right before the spider boss. Perhaps the save ability could be separated from the rest of the inn, to better allow for its being stuck in random parts of the map without looking huge and awkward?
  

Finally, the brown background just above the awkward spike ball ladder area is really creepy. Keep it keep it keep it. Love this game.

[Eminence]

Hey, how do I get those pearls? Seriously, I think I'm doing everything right. Hah, just messing with you man. I remember this, I'll check it out.

[Blue Frenzy]

Hell, Violet, you played everything XD. Do you like the looking of the swamp?

About your concerns:

-It is supossed that you won't return back in the stair zone, but not implemented yet. Actually, it is a nice way of finding enough money for the demo testing

-Acid magic does a big ammount of damage if you can land it. Most of bosses has resistance but it is for example, a big punching globo killer. Later, it will have a good use when having toons of enemies in a row.

-The purple guy has been added in the last 5 minutes, so it has no more purpose than showing it to public, unless you are slow enough, then it will block your pass and you will have to spend your time on it.

-Leather shoes should be even more expensive, since it is a big power up in the game

-The spirit dagger usefulness is that it is a very fast and large range weapon. With this, you can practically keep attacking and every enemy, no matter how good his defense is, will fall soon. Did you try the dagger with the purple guy? It will be defeated in 2 rounds since energy wave hits a few times.

-The paths back to the village are intended to be a conection to the upper section in later parts of the game, the eason it is empty it's because that conection has not been done.

-At first, every inn and shop was going to be "in the wall". But after i added the name, i had to replace the wall to make the sprite fit.

Now, thanks for your comments. I hope everybody plays this like Violet. I'm glad you made a nice review of your play ^^.

BTW, I am searching for spriters who likes to draw monsters for the game. If you are free, feel free to contact me

[Rael0505]

I showed this to my sister and she loved it. She kept commenting on how cute Frenzy's feet are when he walks.

I started playing it myself but haven't gotten very far yet, but I'll make a post after I've given it a good playthrough.

[Blue Frenzy]

Got some news. I am working now in a c version of the game. The game is running fine and I already have the whole core engine working. Now I have to make every skill, enemy and levels made, but with the custom level editor i made, it is gonna be fast.

[LarkSS]

Wow, I don't know if that's a new replacement tile set or just a place I haven't been to yet, but it looks amazing.

Hope the transition to C goes smoothly.

[Asuma]

You've really come far Blue. Like seriously, that's awesome. It seems like like a lot of us are moving away from MMF2 and moving more towards script/programming based game creation. A level editor is an automatic A+ for me. Level editors are the main reason I want to get into game creation. Anyway, best of luck to you Blue.

[Blue Frenzy]

Thanks everybody. Still working on this but im going slow because i have toons of work. I hope to have some time to finish the engine this summer vacation. Larks, this place does exist in the demo

Azu, i will probably release a c compilation to make level designs when i have the whole engine done. Maybe i could adapt it so everybody could program on c.

Anyone wants to help? I need some help with blending options and object management. Also beta testers are needed.

[Violet CLM]

I will beta test (and proofread) if you like.

[Blue Frenzy]

for sure, when i get something playable, i will contact with you unless you have some nice ideas for implementation.

I am worried with the magics. Most of them are so...useless, except in some bosses or hidden drop searchs. I would like to remake all this. Any idea?

[LarkSS]

Just think of classic elemental gimmicks like vines blocking your path that you need to burn or water that you can freeze to walk across, etc.

[Cyber Rat]

And make enemies that are weaker or more resistant to certain magic attacks. For example, make fire dragons immune to fire, but vulnerable to ice.

[Blue Frenzy]

all those features already exist =P. I was talking more of the casting.

I increased the maximun number of magics from 5 to 9, so you can have 4 more magics if you make a full casting, so you can use some magics here and there instead of saving them all for the bosses.

But i think that is not enough.

[Violet CLM]

The basic problem is definitely how few magic points you can carry, I think... primarily, this needs to be remedied by there being more magic pickups scattered around the world (in the forest area you've got the lightning and ice pickups right next to scene changes, but that sort of situation is rare, and in the dungeon in particular there's only so much incentive to use something that won't be replenished quickly). One way to do this might be simply to lower the price on magic in the store, but that could be iffy if money grows more plentiful. Alternatively, perhaps there could be items that give you magic or other things but that don't regenerate when you come back to the screen, like the old platformer trope of destructible boxes. Either they could have some predetermined/at-the-time-randomly-determined magic inside of them, or they could be some crazy mystical artifact that you destroy using magic and then repays you with even more of that same magic? That could even be an enemy, I suppose.

I do however think that a carrying limit is important. Since there's already a mechanism (through special drops) to determine by what means an enemy was killed, magical or otherwise, perhaps doing a lot of work with a particular brand of non-healing magic, e.g. killing several different enemies with fire, could result in you becoming more "experienced" in that type of magic, and gaining more carrying capacity for that type? Possibly more abilities, I dunno. I haven't had a problem with the money system (other than the occasional spot to make lots and lots of money really quickly), but one possible alternative to your proposed "eventually there will be a purchasable money bag" system would be for enemies to just drop tiny money bags that can hold 10 or 20 coins each, say, which just gradually increase your money carrying capacity from an initially low number.

One possibility for overhauling the magic system would be to make it a lot more Megaman-like, although this might be straying too far from the original vision. Leave the big spells, but make individual magic pickups be actually increments of say 10, and let the magic you've selected be tied into your standard physical attacks, which slowly (I.E. not 10 at a time) deplete your stores. Each magic could give your general attacks some sort of a bonus, but also limit their usefulness when facing an enemy with some sort of resistance, as is clearly common. Just a few initial concepts:

• Fire: extends the attack length a bit by having some fire (perhaps with an ever-so-faint dragon head) come out from the tip of the blade, which would be particularly awesome in the overhead-swinging weapons.
  
• Ice: freezes the enemy you're fighting really briefly (less time than the regular spell), allowing you to keep hitting them if you're quick.
  
• Heal: I'm not sure about this one, but maybe you gain a bit of health corresponding to how much damage you do? This might require some rescaling of the various health spectra.
  
• Acid, Lightning: no ideas yet.
  

Other than that (all I've got so far), simply having more obstacles within the environment that require the use of magic is a must. Bringing artificial men to life by lightning, acid-eroding the base of a huge pillar which slowly sinks toward the ground as you jump back and forth from it to crevices in the wall, toppling ice structures through fire, halting crushing devices with ice, and, I dunno, healing yourself at practical moments? Something. I do like the idea of healing magic draining life from the surrounding environment.

[Blue Frenzy]

That's kind of helpful. I already thought on increasing the limit of magics, but I have to be sure of it. Just imagine how it would be if you were able to heal yourself 10 times, or if you were able to throw 50 fireballs to a boss. It could completely break the gameplay.

I have to be aware of this. I will use of course, magic interactuations in the level, but mostly to discover new areas or to get some short path.