Tower of Death is a single-player, action-adventure game where you take on the role of a mage, mysteriously transmigrated into a treacherous, otherworldly tower. Trapped within this perilous maze, you must fight through relentless enemies, solve labyrinthine puzzles, and ascend through each floor to earn your freedom. With a compelling mix of fast-paced combat and exploration, the game challenges players to strategize and survive.

Gameplay Overview:
- Players start as a mage armed with basic spells and must navigate through maze-like levels while facing waves of enemies.
- The primary challenge in each level involves deciphering maze layouts and defeating enemies to unlock the path to the next stage.
- Health management is critical, with a limited recovery options available between floors.

Controls:
Arrow Key Up: Moves the character upwards/north direction
Arrow Key Down: Moves the character downwards/south direction.
Arrow Key Left: Moves the character left/west direction.
Arrow Key Right: Moves the character right/east direction.
Aim with your Mouse and press Mouse Left Click to cast the attack spell.

Post Mortem:
Throughout the development of Tower of Death, several aspects of the project went remarkably well. The maze-like level design integrated seamlessly with the game mechanics, striking an engaging balance between exploration and combat. The atmosphere of the tower, with its eerie visuals and carefully curated sound effects, effectively captured the mysterious tone we envisioned. We take particular pride in achieving our vision for the game within such a short time frame. Despite scaling back on some aspects of our original concept, the final product still delivers an adventurous, dungeon-escape experience that stays true to its essence.
We encountered a number of challenges during development. One of the biggest obstacles was finding the right balance for the game’s difficulty. Early versions were either too easy or too harsh, requiring multiple adjustments to get it right.  Many team members were new to game development and had limited coding experience, yet they still managed to contribute to the final game. Time management became an issue as we worked to prioritize features within the tight schedule. Additionally, bugs related to player collision and enemy behaviors slowed progress and required significant debugging efforts. The consistent support and dedication from all team members, who were eager to go the extra mile and learn the ins and outs of GML, played a crucial role in overcoming the debugging challenges and ultimately creating a smooth prototype of the game.
Several changes were made during development to streamline the experience. For instance, the maze designs were simplified to be more intuitive while still offering a sense of challenge. Enemy behaviors were enhanced rather than introducing new types, creating more dynamic combat scenarios without overstretching our resources. Some features, such as relic shops, were ultimately cut due to time constraints, ensuring the remaining elements were well-executed.
Through this project, we learned invaluable lessons about the importance of early and frequent playtesting, which helped us identify issues and improve player experience. We also gained a better understanding of scope management, recognizing that starting with a smaller, achievable scope is more practical than aiming for an overly ambitious design. The experience underscored the importance of clear communication and task division within a team, as these were critical for progress under tight deadlines. Finally, we discovered the value of iterative design, as refining and revisiting ideas based on feedback often led to a better final product.