Genre : Rogue-Like RPG

Features : Randomly generated maps, leveling

Project started on : March 1st
Project completed on : May 1st
Approximate time spent on project : 130 hours

Tarot Trials is a GameJam game where the core theme is the Tarot. My idea was a roguelike where you draw tarot cards to select your class and the map you're fighting in. You can also use spells and equip gear, but that all draws from the same card pool as well. As you went forward, you could unlock more cards and level-up the ones you already have. First runs might be tough and luck is a big part of Tarot Trials, but if you keep at it you'll finally get all the tarot cards, defeat the Tarot bosses and figure out the game.

I think that the game went quite well, but I was bloated in generating custom enemies for the 22 different dungeons of the game, with a minimum of two enemies per floor (a normal enemy and a boss) this would give me about 440 different enemies, which I shouldn't have done. Doing so took me large chunks of that 130 hours and I could've made a much simpler procedural enemy generation system and focus more on spell and gear balance.

Screenshots

About The Game

The player starts with only two tarot cards; The Hanged Man and The Tower. After completing certain levels, you get more cards. At certain card thresholds, the player unlocks the ability to cast spells, then enemy boosts, then gear, after another while special boosts for the next game run are unlocked and finally one-time stat boosts. To entirely complete the game, the player needs to collect all 22 tarot cards, defeat all 22 tarot bosses at the end of their respective dungeons, then use three pieces of gear that were useless before that and kill the tarot god to take its place.

The twenty-two cards and their effects are:

The Fool (The Lake)
1. Doomsayer: Deals magic damage to both the player and the enemy at the start of each fight
2. Sacrifice: The player loses HP but all enemies on the next few floors lose that much in maximum HP
3. Enemy attacks now deal magic damage to the player and themselves
4. Bloody Gear: Increases damage based on the player's speed but the player now loses HP after each fight
5. On the next run, all enemies and the player lose a few stat points at the beginning of every fight.
The Magician (The Void)
1. Spellmancer: Increases it's magic attack and defense whenever it uses a spell
2. Spell Blast: Deals high magic damage to the next enemy fought, ignoring defense and effects
3. Increases enemy magic defense
4. Magic Gear: Improves weapon damage based on magic attack
5. On the next run, the player has choices when it draws spell cards
The High Priestess (The Temple)
1. Curativist: Recovers health at the beginning of each battle
2. Heal: Restores HP
3. Enemies now regenerate HP after a few turns
4. Regenerative Gear: Recovers your HP while you walk around
5. On the next run, you recover HP between dungeon floors
The Empress (The Airship)
1. Distractress: Whenever you damage an enemy, you have a chance to lower one of their stats
2. Stat Dance: Increases all of your stats for a few fights
3. Enemies have a chance to increase one of their stat every turn
4. Growing Gear: Your gear might improve their stats between floors
5. On the next run, you and enemies have higher stats
The Emperor (The Palace)
1. Troubadour: Increases your stat growth percentages after a fight
2. Disorienting Song: Reduces the stat of your enemies for the next few fights
3. Enemies have a chance to lower one of your stat every turn
4. Preventive Gear: Enemy effects have less chance to occur
5. On the next run, you'll find more chests
The Hierophant (The Library)
1. Mana Master: Whenever you cast a spell, you gain a mana charge, mana charges add damage to your next attack
2. Magic Missile: Deals magic damage a few times to the next enemy you fight
3. Increases enemy magic attack
4. Mystic Gear: Improves spell effects based on your normal attack
5. On the next run the dungeon will be smaller
The Lovers (The House)
1. Zoologist: Whenever you defeat an enemy, you have a chance for another identical enemy to be defeated
2. Charm: Increases your damage based on the enemy's strength
3. Enemy stats are improved based on the number of enemies nearby
4. Diverse Gear: Improves your stat growth based on the number of enemy types you've killed
5. On the next run, some of your cards will be in the same order as they were on the last run
The Chariot (The Desert)
1. Weapon Wielder: You have a chance to loot special dual and triple weapons
2. Haste: Increases your speed each turn for a while
3. Increases enemy speed
4. Quick Gear: Gives you a chance to dodge attacks based on your speed
5. On the next run, the player has a choice when drawing gear cards
Strength (The Arena)
1. Ragezerker: Whenever you get hit, you have a chance to increase your attack temporarily
2. Berserk: Increases your damage but removes your defense for a few fights
3. Increases enemy attack
4. Inaccurate Gear: Adds a damage variance to your attacks
5. On the next run, the player has a choice when drawing stat cards
The Hermit (The Cavern)
1. Pugilist: Increases your attack if you don't have gear equipped, increases your defense if you haven't used spells
2. Counter: Gives you a chance to counter attacks for a few fights
3. Enemy stats are improved based on the number of gear pieces you have equipped
4. Thorny Gear: Deals damage to physical attackers
5. On the next run, there are less enemies
Wheel of Fortune (The Laboratory)
1. Potion Addict: Potions no longer heal you but increase your stats permanently
2. Item Toss: Destroys one of your equipped pieces of gear to increase your damage on the next fight
3. Increases enemy critical
4. Critical Gear: Increases the damage dealt by your critical strikes
5. On the next run you'll see the location of the boss and enemy HP for a few floors
Justice (The Ship)
1. Justicar: Whenever an enemy uses a special ability you have a chance to recover health
2. Equilibrium: Increases your lowest stat
3. Enemy stats are improved based on the number of spells cast this floor
4. Tough Gear: Increases odds of your defense blocking enemy hits
5. On the next run the player has a choice when drawing enemy boost cards
The Hanged Man (The Prison)
1. Convict: Whenever you defeat an enemy you have a chance to create a chest
2. Blood Theft: Restores your health when you defeat enemies
3. Enemies deal damage to you when they die
4. Experienced Gear: Increases odds of your cards gaining experience
5. On the next run enemies and chests respawn every few steps
Death (The Graveyard)
1. Blood Librarian: Replaces potions with traps, whenever you draw a card you gain health and increase your maximum health
2. Auto-Life: Revives you if you die
3. Enemies have a chance to stay alive at one health when killed
4. Deathly Gear: Does nothing, allows you to deal damage to the last boss after you've fought him once
5. On the next run there are less cards in your chest
Temperance (Heaven)
1. Tinkersmith: Improves the gear you find
2. Summon: Summons a creature to fight for you
3. Bosses can summon a few enemy minions
4. Holy Gear: Does nothing, allows you to survive attacks from the last boss once you've fought him once.
5. On the next run there are more enemies
The Devil (Hell)
1. Statictician: You have a chance to generate static by moving around, static improves the effect of your next spell
2. Armageddon: You lose health but this has a chance to kill all enemies on the current floor
3. Whenever stats chance during battles, both fighters take damage
4. Hellish Gear: Does nothing, allows you to resist the last boss's special ability once you've fought him once.
5. On the next run, passive abilities trigger more often
The Tower (The Dungeon)
1. Armor Guard: You take half damage from a few attacks during each fight
2. Barrier: Absorbs a set number of damage
3. Increases enemy defense
4. Defensive Gear: Might reduce damage taken
5. On the next run, the dungeon is larger
The Star (Planets)
1. Chronomage: Increases battle speed
2. Eagle Eyes: Zooms out the view, allowing you to see more of the map
3. Enemies have a chance to strike first
4. Mysterious Gear: Improved stats but hides the value of your stats
5. On the next run, the next few cards you draw are returned to your chest
The Moon (The Moon)
1. Astral Knight: All your attacks done before the enemy deal bonus damage
2. Map Attack: Deals a bit of damage to a few enemies on the current floor
3. Enemies have a chance to attack again after attacking
4. Splash Gear: Deals damage to an enemy if you fight them immediately after fighting another enemy
5. On the next run, a few cards from your chest are duplicated
The Sun (The Volcano)
1. Summonvoker: Half of your spells become the Summon spell, your summons have improved stats
2. Sunray: Adds magic damage to a few of your attacks
3. Enemies have a chance to remove a spell effect after battle
4. Galactic Gear: Improved stats based on your active spell effects, is destroyed if you have no spell effects remaining
5. On the next run the player has choices when drawing class cards
Judgement (The Crypt)
1. Imitator: You have a chance to copy enemy stat changes during battles
2. Nullification: Removes the passive ability of the next few enemies you fight
3. Enemy stats are improved based on the number of enemies killed this floor
4. Adaptive Gear: Switches your attack and defense around depending on your remaining health
5. On the next run a card is multiplied a few times
The World (The Forest)
1. Wanderer: Your stat growth are based on your map exploration rate
2. Time Stop: Immediately freezes time for a few turns during your next few fights
3. Enemies have a chance to split in two when killed
4. Exclusive Gear: Highly improved stats, but it will be the only piece of gear you can have equipped
5. On the next run the player sees the next few cards that are next to be drawn

Updates

New in version 1.1

Changed "Map" to "Floor" with only the current floor displayed. People were confused about what 5-16 meant (It meant they were at the 5th floor of the 16th card dungeon), now it'll only show "5"
Fixed three enemy images that didn't show properly
Added a real fog outside of the map boundaries, now it's a bit easier to know where you can navigate
Added keyboard movement, you can now move with left/right/up/down