Excellent rogue-like. I got to level 18 on my first try with a Paladin. I got killed by a bunch of ghouls and a zombie.

I know this is a normal feature in rogue-likes, but i don't understand why you can't just tell the player what potions and items do? I think this is a very bad design choice and adds nothing to the game.

I will definetly play this again, it feels polished and the controls are simple. Good job.

I agree with your points Hedenius

Re: Hedenius and Alastair

It's a tradition of realism. If you were given a series of bottles with drugs in them, but you didn't know what the names of those drugs meant (or worse -- they weren't labeled) how would you know what to use them for? One bottle could be aspirin, another penicillin, and another could be LSD -- how would you know the difference if you weren't told?

Thus, RLs like to keep potions and similar items unlabeled until identified in some way. It's not bad design, it's just making you work for the benefits of your potions.

Assuming Mr. Hero is descending into the dungeon of Glob it isn't unreasonable to think he might know a little about Globian civilisation. If he didn't you'd think he'd do some research (especially if he's a wizard or something). If this is a magical world with potions in common use they might be recognizable the same way you can recognize what acetaminophen does even with it's arcane name. Yes unlabelled pills could be Tylenol or ecstasy, but who leaves unlabelled drugs lying around?

Game!=reality. A game feature should have a game-related benefit. Is there anything which makes the gameplay any better thanks to this feature?

Great game, nonetheless! Love the sub-genre (Sword of Fargoal style)

Re: Qwack
I can't say about this particular game, but in many Rougelikes, the dungeon you enter isn't a place people come back from frequently, so it tends to be poorly documented -- hence the lack of maps, checkpoints or help inside. And if fantasy civilization is anything like medieval civilization, then the chances are good that only Apothecaries would be able to identify medicines, as it was their trade and kept mostly secret. I wouldn't expect a normal person to be able to find information on these things.

Combined with the fact that the adventurers that these games feature tend to start as novices (who can be slain by newts and bats at first) it's unlikely they've had the time to learn these things. That's my suspicion anyhow -- there's lots of way to explain away a lack of research, even the 'What if he's a wizard?' one. (I wouldn't expect an electrical engineer to know medicines either, and I doubt that all wizards and potion makers share much overlapping knowledge.) As for where it comes from; that's a greater mystery. I'd guess dead adventurers, typically.

Re: Gil
By that logic, monsters should hug you and give you all sorts of benefits. Games are filled with challenges and obstacles -- they are not all happy feel good fests (thank goodness). Just because you're used to every item you pick up being a bonus, doesn't mean that they should always be that way. (See: Poison Mushrooms in Super Mario Bros. 2 (J))

Since most roguelikes are, in fact, out to get you, it makes sense that even the powerups can be dangerous. They are games about exploration, and encourage players to approach new situations cautiously -- it's a common theme throughout the genre.

In fact, in Nethack, virtually every potion and scroll has some exceptionally good use, even some that will hurt or maim the player if used normally. This has led to a large amount of emergent gameplay, encouraging players to experiment and find unusual uses for their items.

How do you use ranged weapons?!

Gregg, I believe you've got me wrong. I did not ask everything to be positive at all. The question is: can it serve a good player differently than a poor player? If there's no indication which potion is bad then I don't see how that is possible. This means that a player who played perfectly well might die just because of poor luck. This is both unfair and frustrating. I believe that in Super Mario all the bonuses are predesigned and not random. So a player with good memory skills can make the most of it.

A player who plays perfectly well isn't going to die because he drank an unidentified potion. Good players use the tricks and spells that can identify potions before use, or at least narrow the possibilities down. A good Nethack player who drinks an unidentified potion either has the means to fix whatever the potion breaks, or is in a last stand situation where he will die anyway. The randomness of the potions adds to the replayability--a PC who identifies healing potions early gains a reliable source of quick HP in a crisis, or early poison might lead a PC to carry poisoned throwing darts.

Uh, pheno, there's no identify scrolls in trapdoor below.

Well, in the 25+ times i've played the game i've not seen one :D

And it also seems the items don't show their properties even once you've put them on 0.o

Not even the slightest, i mean a "this amulet seems to be getting warmer" warning could be a sign that it's sucking your life-force away or something, but there's really nothing.

This was really something inspiring! It reminds me very much of my favorite roguelike game ADOM, with music and sound effects!
The fact that you used these sound effects is definately something rewarding.
The music is awesome! It brings a good atmosphere to the game, and gives me the feeling of actually being somewhere in a dungeon!

I have some suggestions:

Because the player is at the center of the screen, I think this gets annoying to watch. It's more tiring for my
eyes to see the whole level moving around than if just the player would move around.

I also think that walls get dark too soon. If you're in an alleyway sometimes the walls are completely black while they are only 2 squares away from me. This is open to speculation, though.

There are much fewer hurtful items than most roguelikes. I've found no cursed weapons/armor that I can remember, but the potions are one thing that can harm you. A used potion is identified throughout the rest of the game, so a good idea would be to use them
a)when perfectly healthy and able to withstand any negative effects, or
b)when about to die in the hope that it may save you. The only problem I've had is with food, it seems insanely overabundant at first, but a dozen or so levels in disappears. Also, if anyone else was wondering, to fire spells/ranged, click the item, then where you want to fire it.