Nice game! I almost quit at the beginning due to lack of interest (lost on after two games or so), but giving it a second try made me become hooked until I finished the game, with much joy.
I think it took me too long to understand the better tradeoff of 'PASS' on a round, which could have made me progress faster instead of underestimating it. I also feel that it took me a bit to fully better understand how to best use the (X+) powerup for higher chances of winning. It's surprising how much strategy there's in the end fur such simple mechanics.
At the same time, I got very close to losing on two occasions: Each time, it was the first game I did on a bigger payout mode, and dew a Vampire on the first or second card reveal in most of the rounds, which felt super unfair and beyond unlucky. I felt that if I had lost the game due to that, I'd have quit the game.
Overall the game is very well done, has a fun quick mechanic, and sets an immersive mood!
Simple but so hooking. In my opinion the most polished Pico-8 cart ever, finding a perfect balance of visuals, resolution, color palette, while simple, short rounds and addictive!
amazing game! love the art, music, style, and the gameplay is really clever. However, I am awful at it and can not win lol. Just spent 30 straight minutes getting DESTROYED. Barely scraped through into the second vampire and lost 5 rounds in a row lol. ugh. I'm gonna keep trying though. I have bad luck
The nice game design with this game is that how much you lose by flipping the vampire is scaled to the numbers of cards you flipped.
So if you only flipped one card and got a Vampire, you got unlucky and only lose a small amount, while if you almost flipped everything, you lose a big amount (which is more likely because you played bad/gambled).
You should try to Pass more often when you're not sure but you're still getting a positive income. And you shouldn‘t flip unecessary cards so the stake Bonus is higher (ex: if you know a card is 2+, you don't need to flip it, you already know it's very low, this way the Stake bonus is higher if you find the Vampire quickly).
I keep coming back to this over and over and never get past 30ml. But it's so addicting. I see that there is a third token that shows a 2x2 area, is that not implemented or is that just not available against the first vampire? Because I feel like that would help me so much instead of just guessing.
I liked the game a lot. Finished on 4th attempt. It was really fun to figure the game out, but in the end I thought it was a bit too easy. If you play it right, even if you get really unlucky, you never lose that much. And when you get a lucky placement, you win big. So the odds are quite stacked in the players favor, if they know how to play.
I love this game, but there's no way it's not rigged. I keep getting Vampire cards the first time I flip one, something's rigged against me and I can feel it.
Cool game But, as for me, so fast rise of cost for the pass is too cruel. X2 pass cost on the 2-win streak ruins the strategy and brings too much entropy
When you use the 2x2 square hint, it will always be as unhelpful as possible. In other words, when given the choice, it will always pick the square that eliminates the fewest cards. This means that if something like this happens:
you already know that the vampire's behind the top card, because if it were behind one of the other two, the 2x2 hint would have landed on the bottom, eliminating just 1 card instead of 2 and being less helpful to the player.
After I watched the developer notes and understood the mechanics, it took a few tries on the first and second but I won after that. Very challenging and I love the technics you have to pick up on, which I think you probably did to subtly help towards an understanding of the gambling manipulation on a deeper sense. There is a way to almost ensure a win besides a few chances if you play your cards strategically.
nice little game, with a tendency to cheat in the highest stakes level where you can expect the vampire to be in the row/column with 2x2 highlight bonus token, often intersecting the only other power comparison token. (usually 4 times out of 5)
to beat the game in a timely fashion:
- as soon as you can move up to higher stake (do not waste time on making more blood
- on level 2 and 3, simply clear the row with the 2x2 bonus token which either gives you the vamp location or you face a guess situation. don't guess, keep your blood to play the next level.
- on level 4 the vamp will be in the line of the 2x2 bonus token most of the time, here the strategy consist in not taking chances, as soon as you have to take a wild guess with 4 or less tiles remaining, pass.
- when you are over 4000ml, revert to a lower level, and resume previous strategy.
Still feels incredibly luck-based (is that bad? Is that good? Am I to blame?) but also I think I might know there's some mechanic to make it more likely that at certain stages bad card will likely spawn in middle or in row/column with the [ ] power. But I'm probably imagining it.
Maybe it'd balance it if passing would reveal remaining cards. But it might also ruin it....? Just thinking out loud.
I'm in love with this game! I've come back for the third time to play it, I do find it difficult but I just got to the final level for the first time so I must be improving!
If you released this on other platforms with some more levels, different bosses or a longer end-game I would get it!
I beat the game and let me tell ya, this is one of the best card games I have ever played. The tension, the thinking, the crushing despair, and the soaring jubilation. It might seem difficult for the first few go rounds, but stick with it. And I am certain I wouldn't have had such a blast if not for the superb atmosphere the graphics brings together, as well as the audio. That little jingle when it tells you just got the upper hand on the vampire is like music to my ears. Would recommend every day of the week and weekend.
I love the design of your page, I'm hooked on the game as well, I just wish I had more understanding of where the vampire might be lurking, so it doesn't feel like a stab in the dark, and that I understood the points system better
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I enjoy it but DAMN it's hard ...
Nice game! I almost quit at the beginning due to lack of interest (lost on after two games or so), but giving it a second try made me become hooked until I finished the game, with much joy.
I think it took me too long to understand the better tradeoff of 'PASS' on a round, which could have made me progress faster instead of underestimating it. I also feel that it took me a bit to fully better understand how to best use the (X+) powerup for higher chances of winning. It's surprising how much strategy there's in the end fur such simple mechanics.
At the same time, I got very close to losing on two occasions: Each time, it was the first game I did on a bigger payout mode, and dew a Vampire on the first or second card reveal in most of the rounds, which felt super unfair and beyond unlucky. I felt that if I had lost the game due to that, I'd have quit the game.
Overall the game is very well done, has a fun quick mechanic, and sets an immersive mood!
Thank you for the detailed feedback. I'm glad you gave it a second chance!
Hi I would like to ask how do you make those circles in the back ground cuz they look amazing
I just draw a bunch of CIRCFILLs, lowering the radius and alternating colors as I go.
any possibility on windows release?
Outstanding!
Simple but so hooking. In my opinion the most polished Pico-8 cart ever, finding a perfect balance of visuals, resolution, color palette, while simple, short rounds and addictive!
Any chances for the steam release?
amazing game! love the art, music, style, and the gameplay is really clever. However, I am awful at it and can not win lol. Just spent 30 straight minutes getting DESTROYED. Barely scraped through into the second vampire and lost 5 rounds in a row lol. ugh. I'm gonna keep trying though. I have bad luck
The nice game design with this game is that how much you lose by flipping the vampire is scaled to the numbers of cards you flipped.
So if you only flipped one card and got a Vampire, you got unlucky and only lose a small amount, while if you almost flipped everything, you lose a big amount (which is more likely because you played bad/gambled).
You should try to Pass more often when you're not sure but you're still getting a positive income. And you shouldn‘t flip unecessary cards so the stake Bonus is higher (ex: if you know a card is 2+, you don't need to flip it, you already know it's very low, this way the Stake bonus is higher if you find the Vampire quickly).
oh my god I never noticed the pass button hahaha wow. Ok well....that helps lol thanks!!!
but what are you even while in the casino? a pale drained zombielike person or just a skeleton?
also what canonically happens after i won?
Amazing and unique take on the card genre. Really outstanding the amount of work put into this little, tiny game. Loved every second of it!
Wow, thank you for including High Stakes on your list! Gotta check out the other games too!
I keep coming back to this over and over and never get past 30ml. But it's so addicting. I see that there is a third token that shows a 2x2 area, is that not implemented or is that just not available against the first vampire? Because I feel like that would help me so much instead of just guessing.
I think it's unlocked past the 2nd challenge
Cool game. Would be nice to be able to use the mouse, and perhaps a mobile port if a little lengthier
It would be cool to keep a cartridge of High Stakes as a collectable, or even a poster
Hmm. Maybe it the sequel...
dude how is it that addictive
I liked the game a lot. Finished on 4th attempt. It was really fun to figure the game out, but in the end I thought it was a bit too easy. If you play it right, even if you get really unlucky, you never lose that much. And when you get a lucky placement, you win big. So the odds are quite stacked in the players favor, if they know how to play.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear you had a good time!
I love this game, but there's no way it's not rigged. I keep getting Vampire cards the first time I flip one, something's rigged against me and I can feel it.
Never trust a vampire
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
OH MY GOD I JUST DID A DOUBLE OR NOTHING WITH THE SECOND DEMON GUY AND GOT 420
Yeeeeeee!!! 🔥🔥🔥
Excellent game. Are you planning to make a mobile version, with touch controls?
You can play the game on mobile already. Just load the website on a Smartphone.
Ahah I know, the most important part of my message was "with touch controls" :p
Well, you can touch the controls at the botton of the screen. ;)
I gotchu. I might do a full mobile port in the future. Just looking for a good framework to do it in.
uhm, at the top of the website thing where you put the url's, you can change the website to mobile version, that might work?
I just won !! this game its so good, so so good i loved it
Woo! Congratulations!
Cool game
But, as for me, so fast rise of cost for the pass is too cruel. X2 pass cost on the 2-win streak ruins the strategy and brings too much entropy
Just one thing to say.
Wow
This is such a good, challenging and exciting game.
Why not make a card game out of it? I would buy it
Keep going cause this game is so enjoyable
pro player .GG
The real ending
Having an option to do a devils deal or something at 66 would honestly be really awesome
Nice
Little tip, dunno if anyone's mentioned this:
When you use the 2x2 square hint, it will always be as unhelpful as possible. In other words, when given the choice, it will always pick the square that eliminates the fewest cards. This means that if something like this happens:
you already know that the vampire's behind the top card, because if it were behind one of the other two, the 2x2 hint would have landed on the bottom, eliminating just 1 card instead of 2 and being less helpful to the player.
Oh that is very clever
After I watched the developer notes and understood the mechanics, it took a few tries on the first and second but I won after that. Very challenging and I love the technics you have to pick up on, which I think you probably did to subtly help towards an understanding of the gambling manipulation on a deeper sense. There is a way to almost ensure a win besides a few chances if you play your cards strategically.
This is good to know. I keep getting vampires on the first or second pick and it feels like there's no strategy, winning is just dumb luck.
I don't think the last guy is worth it, I got him and on the first game and I lost all my blood and had to restart.
i played the second to last guy a bit more to gather more blood before the last guy and its the only time i won
maybe I just got unlucky
Great game but It's pretty har
uhm, im a noob, how do i know if a card is the vampire card,
im just flipping cards and hoping i dont get the vampire card
thanks
i just won first try after watching this lmao
I'm back again! Jeez I can't get enough. Pls release on mobile so I can play more often x
nice little game, with a tendency to cheat in the highest stakes level where you can expect the vampire to be in the row/column with 2x2 highlight bonus token, often intersecting the only other power comparison token. (usually 4 times out of 5)
to beat the game in a timely fashion:
- as soon as you can move up to higher stake (do not waste time on making more blood
- on level 2 and 3, simply clear the row with the 2x2 bonus token which either gives you the vamp location or you face a guess situation. don't guess, keep your blood to play the next level.
- on level 4 the vamp will be in the line of the 2x2 bonus token most of the time, here the strategy consist in not taking chances, as soon as you have to take a wild guess with 4 or less tiles remaining, pass.
- when you are over 4000ml, revert to a lower level, and resume previous strategy.
With how the world is going right now it doesn't even surprise me that a vampire takes all your blood.......oh yeah and please make moooooooore.
Cool page update.
Still feels incredibly luck-based (is that bad? Is that good? Am I to blame?) but also I think I might know there's some mechanic to make it more likely that at certain stages bad card will likely spawn in middle or in row/column with the [ ] power. But I'm probably imagining it.
Maybe it'd balance it if passing would reveal remaining cards. But it might also ruin it....? Just thinking out loud.
I'm in love with this game! I've come back for the third time to play it, I do find it difficult but I just got to the final level for the first time so I must be improving!
If you released this on other platforms with some more levels, different bosses or a longer end-game I would get it!
Made an account just to say that I'm addicted to this game; the mix of skill + luck is satisfying, as is the color palette!
One of the best card games that I played. I loved the game design, art, music and the theme. Congrats for the creativity
Have 1153 blood spend 1000 to buy into 100x bets
I have 153 blood
I play a 100x bet and lose the first 2 rounds and end up
500 in the negative and I start getting some nerves
win a round and stake the vampire the next
pass the last and win 1300 blood this game is the best
Great game. You should make a mobile version!
10/10 Game. A card game that masterfully combines skill and strategy.
I beat the game and let me tell ya, this is one of the best card games I have ever played. The tension, the thinking, the crushing despair, and the soaring jubilation. It might seem difficult for the first few go rounds, but stick with it. And I am certain I wouldn't have had such a blast if not for the superb atmosphere the graphics brings together, as well as the audio. That little jingle when it tells you just got the upper hand on the vampire is like music to my ears. Would recommend every day of the week and weekend.
I love the design of your page, I'm hooked on the game as well, I just wish I had more understanding of where the vampire might be lurking, so it doesn't feel like a stab in the dark, and that I understood the points system better
Super awesome game! The high stakes made the last level feel like something strait out of Kaiji. Nice work man!
Zawa Zawa~
Awesome :)