Welcome to The Deal, my entry for the Summer Flowjam 2024, hosted by Flowlab.

"Ah, my dear, desperate mortal, welcome to my realm! You came to me with such fervor, such passion, all to save your precious love from the clutches of death. How could I resist such a heartfelt plea? So here we are, bound by a deal that teeters on the edge of peril and salvation. To see your beloved again, you must navigate the treacherous paths of my domain, collecting those elusive soul coins. Each coin you gather opens a gateway, a step closer to freedom... or perhaps just deeper into my little game.

Do you feel the weight of your task? Every corner of this realm is riddled with dangers and delights, shadows that whisper secrets, and creatures that crave the light of your soul. Your journey will not be simple; I wouldn't have it any other way. You'll need cunning, bravery, and perhaps a touch of madness to outwit the traps I've set. Each coin you find, each challenge you overcome, draws you closer to your goal – but remember, I am always watching, always waiting to see if you will falter.

And what a sight it will be if you succeed, my determined little mortal. To reunite with your love, to see their eyes filled with the life you so dearly fought for... or to fall, and join the countless souls who failed before you. So, step into the shadows, embrace the uncertainty, and let's see how far your resolve truly goes. After all, a deal is a deal, and I always keep my promises."

I didn't get the full amount done that I wanted, but considering that the first time I used Flowlab was the day the jam started, I think it came out pretty polished. It was initially supposed to be more of an NES Zelda style game, but as I learned Flowlab and refined my workflow, I scrapped the inital project the day before the due date, and rebuilt the project, so all my functions we the bare minimum to call it a game, and still have it working as smoothly as possible. I also made the decision to keep the final graphics, simple and 1-bit, to focus mostly on smooth game flow.

Some things I managed to achieve:

- Full Game Loop

- Story/Intructions Subpage

- Basic Character movement with collisions with walls, obsticles, collectables and teleports.

- Multidirection projectile traps.

- Screen fade transitions between levels.

- Music/SFX

Music Credits:

Dark Forest Theme by cynicmusic

https://opengameart.org/content/dark-forest-theme

Dubious Dungeon by Bogart VGM

https://opengameart.org/content/dubious-dungeon