Even Heroes Die (Demo)

Played the demo?

Take the survey!  At this very early stage, I want every player to feel like a part of the game's progression.  It's the first demo, so there will be plenty of bugs and snafus. Any feedback you can give will go a long way toward making this game the best it can be!

Introduction

Even Heroes Die is an action platforming roguelite with elements from the Metroidvania and Zelda genres.   Your hero has been cursed with a mortal illness, and you must scour the ever-changing kingdom for a cure.

Wait a second, roguelite Metroidvania?  Sounds contradictory? It is- and it's pretty hard to get right. But as someone who loves both genres equally, I'm aiming to do them justice. 

Even Heroes Die is one of the few roguelites I've seen that incorporate movement/ability-based progression that resets & changes on every run.   Some games, like Dead Cells, have this as part of the meta progression, meaning that the upgrades you find are persistent, finite, and spread across many runs. 

In Even Heroes Die, with each run you'll lose all of your movement abilities and upgrades, and you'll discover a brand new set. In one run you might find a wall-climb ability, and in the next you might find a jetpack.

Features:

• Procedurally generated levels that reset every time you die
• Discover new powerups to explore hidden areas and find goodies!
• Every six minutes, death will come for you- literally!  One touch and you're as good as dead. 
• Stave off death with the many "vials" you'll find scattered across the kingdom.  Sound sketchy?  It is.  Watch out for side effects!
• Will you risk death or weaken yourself with side effects?  Pick your poison. 
• Supports keyboard and Xbox controllers, with remappable controls

Demo scope:

This is the first demo I've released for the game, and as such, its scope is very limited.  

There are two areas to explore, laid out in a linear fashion.  The final game will have three or four "branches" that you can tackle in any order you wish,  with each branch having an "overworld" and a "dungeon" area.

Levels are created by stitching together predefined templates.  Many more of these will need to be created (especially unique ones for different areas), so you may notice some repetition in level layouts.

The game contains 3 enemies and 6 different powers/upgrades to find.  The final game will need many more.

The game needs a bit more "soul."  Things like NPCs, sound effects, music, and more of those classic "tough roguelite choices" all need to be added.

This first, limited demo is mostly to test out the concept and get some feedback on the game's feel.  What works, and what doesn't?  Does the character feel good to control?  Is the concept fundamentally flawed?

Your feedback is much appreciated.  You can leave a comment here, file a bug report in the game, and if possible, please take the quick survey!  I'd be happy to include you in the game's credits.