Hydra - One Button Game
Hydra (by Jordan Resin) is a game where you, as one of its namesake's remaining heads, must conquer the other and prevail as the one true head of the beast. There's just one problem...you share a body. Concentrate and time your actions decisively, because if you don't, you might just find yourself on the receiving end of a fiery blast!
In this game, the menu cursor moves across the UI for you, so you have to be sure to select the appropriate actions and avoid anything that could damage you.
Press the 'Z' key to select the highlighted Action.
Press Return to restart after the game is finished.
Sword - Attack
Shield - Take 1/2 Damage from the Enemy's next Strike
Fire - Extra Powerful, but you can only use it Three Times
Skull - May Activate an Enemy Attack
There were a few development hiccups with this one - my attempts to implement screen shake, certain audio effects, and a handful of other possible combat tactics didn't quite pan out, so I pared it down to its current form. I'm aware there are some input problems as well, and I haven't yet found the cause. The images are a little sketchy, but c'mon, I think there's something a little charming about them as they are (for the scope of this game, at least). Given more time, I would have colored and cleaned them up. Also, I am aware that hydras famously regenerate their heads, that's gonna be the twist in the sequel.
Thanks for Playing!
Comments
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Jordo! You've done it again, haven't you! I LOVE the aesthetic and concept of this game, totally sick. I did have a tiny bit of trouble knowing which head I was at first, and also It was hard to keep track of how much damage I'd done to the enemy. both of those could be fixed with like, me vs them hp bars/hearts on each side, corresponding to our heads. I also think maybe overhauling the action UI on the top would be good, like making it a bar with different symbols on it, with lengths that accurately reflect how long the cursor/selector stays there. While we're at it, I think a cool feature to implement if this ever gets polished up (or possibly in the supposed sequel you mentioned) if the order and/or length of the different actions was random each time. Maybe that makes it less fun, I do tend to veer towards the random, but I think it'd be worth a shot!
All great points! I did consider overhauling and expanding the UI and randomizing the order (I even thought about having icons swap during play, but that seemed too mean for what is essentially a first stage), and only settled on the current version to keep it doable within the time constraints and my skill level. We're definitely on the same page, I'd love to try implementing those features in future iterations. Thanks for the feedback!
Hey Jordan! Can I first point out that I adore the concept, and the art style you used for the dragons!
Bit of feedback would be that I was a bit confused as to which dragon I'm playing initially, but assuming the answer would be "both". And the random cycling of the actions could be a tad smoother so I could have an easier time pressing the button to select an action.
But the roulette feel is great, and the reactions are very cute!
Good work!
I was hoping the staging of the heads in the composition would be enough to communicate which of them you're playing as, but you're right, it could use a lot more clarification. I'll see if I can smooth over the cursor transition from icon to icon and the input detection in a future version (I'm glad you pointed out the input problem because I was wondering whether it was exclusive to my computer. I'll try to get it patched up). Thanks for playing!