10mg: HANDMADEDEATHLABYRINTH issue 0

I purchased the full 10 Minute Game Collection and am going to play them in the order they appear in my library. That means this is #4 of 10. Know in advance what you are getting. As the collection title suggests, a ten minute game is not a triple A title. It is a short game-jam-esque proof of concept / working prototype / execution of an idea. At least that's what I'm going to infer from first impressions. So far the quality of these little 10 minute games has been superb. Let me say this from the outset; this game is a mini masterpiece. We play a dreamer, charged with beating four evil wizards so that he might awaken from his slumber and ultimately save the denizens of the dream world. When our hero dies, he is brought back to the starting dream where a dungeon master character answers some of his questions and buffs his health. Explore, die, explore, die repeat. It's a distilled rogue like. Graphics are tiny but evocative. The world is foreboding and gloomy in a style that calls to mind Dark Souls, Zelda, Shadow of the Colossus and just about everything in between. Quite remarkable for a 160x144 resolution display. Characters have a surprising amount of personality for such small sprites. Dungeons are spooky, courtyards are mysterious; golems are solemn and undead creatures are freakish. There are a number of nice background music tracks that add bucket loads of atmosphere. I purchased the soundtrack on Bandcamp as I really did dig the tunes. The ticking clock beat of MARCH adds a sense of immediacy and drive. CHIME is haunting and melancholic, but definitely creates a spirit of adventure. When it comes to WIZARDRY, there is a playful vibe which belies the difficulty in facing down the magical adversaries. Finally we have SLIME which has an unsettling hum of evil deep within the quirky discordant main track. Gameplay is simple but subversive. That is not to say the game is easy, rather the opposite, but I mean it is simple to understand what is expected of the player. This is a single stick shooter if such a thing exists. It can be difficult to get used to aiming and moving with the same keys or control stick, but once you get used to the system, more complexities reveal themselves. Deflecting projectiles and angling attacks off walls soon become second nature. Aside from the combat, there are also some puzzle elements to overcome. Immovable creatures which must be moved. Undefeatable foes which must be defeated. Each tiny bit of progress feels monumental. It is easy to forget while playing, that this is a TEN MINUTE GAME. In fact, I played for an hour and was beguiled the whole time. It's a real microcosm of a game. It is minuscule and yet expands so far beyond it's own boundaries as to become huge. There is so much potential in this game, and I am excited to see what the developers dream up for Issue 1. I would very much like to see a whole volume of stories appear over time. In the comic book world, an issue zero of a given title is usually a precursor to the main narrative. It contains background on characters or events that will become central to the ongoing plot. Sometimes it is a promotional comic designed to garner greater interest in the ongoing series, and very often it becomes a much sought after collectable. I'm going to bag and board HANDMADEDEATHLABYRINTH Issue 0 for now, but will likely return to it before I play Issue 1. I wish the creative team all the best for the future.

Seems pretty run-of-the-mill at first, but contains an original atmosphere, an engaging storyline, and a number of secrets that reveal themselves over the course of the play session.

The controls for this are god awful. Just completely terrible. Clunky and entirely unintuitive. Why can you only aim via moving towards the direction you want to throw? There is only one good fight in the game. But the tactic is just circle enemy while trying to shoot a weakspot. The story is basically a paragraph dragged out to be longer. The "ending" is cliche and overall just kinda bad. A minor bug thing I managed to get stuck in a wall near the start once. Fairly certain it wasn't intended. The Dev did one livestream explaining the mechanics on steam but didn't archive it so you can't even watch it. This came as part of a 10mg game bundle. 3rd one so far and only 1 of them has been enjoyable. The game seems like something you would see on newgrounds not on steam. Just not worth paying for. Save your money for a good game. Once I have played all the 10mg bundle il edit this.

It took me more than 10 minutes to finish this game (44 min. total) but do you know what? It is perfectly fine! I like this game!

nobody should spent 3 dollars to play a barebones demo. only how the combat is handled was a highlight, i know the point of this game and thereby the title was the fact that everything was handmade, but if this game had actual procedural levels and maybe more movement features, this would be an addictive, great game. of course if you change everything else because it is all a handicap to an otherwise great idea. i just like that you have to spin around to attack an enemy youre running away from. too quirky for me

its a neat little dungeon crawler id wait for a sale though

This game is beautiful & weird. Nothing is simple, you don't obviously have to do this or that. Very much a wonderful game to EXPLORE

The controls can be a little frustrating, but since the game is meant to be completed in around 10-20 minutes, it's never too difficult (and the death mechanic helps a lot). It looks really great, sounds really great, and despite the sometimes-iffy attack controls, plays really great, too. I definitely want more of it. My biggest complaint is this, though; there's only one ending, and I didn't really get that at first, even though the game tries to convey this. You'll know what I mean when you get there.

This game captures some Dark Souls vibes, but without it being as difficult or a huge time investment.

A neat late game twist that reverberates with the realities of heroism. Recommended.

This is the first one I gave up on. I'm too stupid to play this.

Excellent and intriguing. Worth playing through to the end.

Look MA, I'm a slime!

Oh yeah, this is supposed to be ten minutes long

Slimes can't dream

Excellent.