13th Labor
The theme for Ludum Dare 33 was "You Are The Monster".
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Play the role of the Lernaean Hydra, last seen during the 2nd of Hercules' 12 Labors. Hercules defeated the Hydra with the help of his nephew Iolaus, who, as Herc sliced off the beast's many heads, cauterized each neck so they couldn't split and regrow. The Hydra's final head was immortal, so Hercules rolled a giant boulder onto the writhing serpent, trapping it for all eternity...
...until the remains of that chthonic creature wriggled out from 'neath that great rock 'twixt Lerna and Elaius.
Hercules, still in the service of King Eurystheus, is tasked once more with the monster's permanent removal. Even though Herc was never given credit for slaying the Hydra (since he failed to do so on his own), King Eurystheus has told the demigod that duty calls, dubbing his new quest "the 13th Labor", and telling Herc to go ahead and bring along his nephew again.
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Unfortunately for Hercules, this last labor is an impossible one; Iolaus, despite his willingness to fight alongside his superhuman uncle, is useless in this battle, his bravery no match for the swift approaching Jam Deadline. Walking and wielding his brand are the only things this incomplete character can do.
As a result of this missing mechanic, the Hydras' wounds are in no danger of cauterization; the beast can easily rack up heads by playing offensively, with no thought towards tactics or timing.
If cauterizing *had* made it into the game, the player would need to balance offense and defense, presenting only one or two heads at a time to be chopped, then backing off and protecting the wounds from Iolaus' brand while replacement heads are spawning.
Other features for a post-jam (if one gets made) include knocking-out Herc once you have enough heads to contend with his stamina regen, and stealing the lollipop from the little Grecian spectator.
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LEFT/RIGHT to move body.
Z/X/C to move heads (with Left/Up/Down to attack)
NOTE: a new key (A/S/D/Q/W/E/...etc) will be assigned to each head you gain (max 27)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music is "Sardana" by Kevin MacLeod
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Thanks for playing!
