Monstre Charmant Post-Mortem

Hey there! Let's chat about the journey of creating Monstre Charmant.

Concept and Planning

So, Monstre Charmant started with a simple idea: a card game where players wielded the power of necromancy. Inspired by games like Slay the Spire, I wanted to create something unique with mechanics that allowed players to summon creatures and explore procedurally generated maps.

The theme of necromancy was meant to give the game a dark vibe, but as I started creating art, it ended up being a bit lighter than I initially envisioned. However, it's all part of the learning process, and I'm looking forward to diving into darker themes in future projects.

One of the unique elements I wanted to include from the start was a card game mechanic where players could summon creatures to aid them in battles. I thought it would add an interesting dynamic to the gameplay.

Development Process

Managing the timeline was a bit of a challenge, but I'm happy to say that I stuck to it for the most part. However, some tasks took longer than expected, which meant I had to cut out a few planned features due to time constraints.

Pixel art was probably the biggest challenge for me. I'm not much of an artist, so creating my own assets required a lot of learning and experimentation. But hey, that's all part of the fun, right?

I used Godot for development, which was pretty straightforward overall. However, I did run into a bug that corrupted files when moving the project to different devices, which meant I had to redo some scenes. Annoying, but not the end of the world.

Gameplay and Mechanics

The core mechanics revolved around playing cards to perform attacks and summon creatures. I also implemented map generation similar to Slay the Spire, which added a nice element of exploration to the game.

Balancing the game was an ongoing process. I initially submitted the game with poor balance but made adjustments based on playtesting feedback during the ranking period.

Creating all the art myself was a daunting task, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I did use some free assets for particles, music, and sound effects to save time.

Testing and Feedback

I mainly tested the game myself, but I did get some valuable feedback from my wife, who provided input on the art. It's amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can spot!

Completion and Release

The launch process went smoothly, with no surprises or issues. However, due to time constraints, I had to leave out a few planned features like event rooms, treasure rooms, a shop, and story elements.

The game was well-received, achieving 13th place out of 101 games. Not too shabby!

Reflection

Overall, I learned a lot from this project. I gained significant proficiency in Godot and feel more confident in my abilities as a game developer. While I won't continue this project, I'm excited to see where my newfound skills take me in future projects.