Oh wow, this is a crazy amount of mechanics to fit together in one 7 day game jam. I love a lot of this; the atmosphere, the sense of exploration, the game juice, the mixed gravity, the Zelda jumping, but…I wish there was more focus on what to do at one time.
I think the combat and the lantern acting as a timer on your ability to explore was a bit overkill next to the puzzles and platforming, like it changed the tone a bit and made me feel like there was no time to figure things out. Maybe it’d be different if there were some levels leading up to let me explore just a handful of mechanics at a time.
But yeah, I’d really love to see this turned into something stripped down with more focus on what the player does at one time. The exploration element seems key, which makes me happy (as I’ve made a game with a similar goal/atmosphere in mind) but I think this could be the beginning of something reaaally cool :3
Thanks a lot for your honest feedback, it's very much appreciated! (I also had a very brief look at your Winter Weather Game, it looks very good. Let's just say I feel honored by your comparison.)
You're right, I crammed way too many mechanics into that game and in the end I didn't explain any of them properly. Teaching mechanics to players is something I still struggle with. Also thanks for pointing out the dissonance between some of the mechanics and the overall atmosphere. This is something I would never have noticed by myself.
I greatly underestimated the effort that goes into making 3D levels. I think I'll treat this as a learning experience and stick to 2D games for now, but thank you for your suggestions!
This was a fun little romp. Very comfy, and I had a lot of fun jumping around and throwing snowballs. I actually bust out laughing once I got to the snow planet and started spiraling around into space.
The crush against the jam deadline is real! Well done on doing what you did in seven days!
Thank you very much, I'm glad you had fun! Yeah, the planets are a bit broken... XD (Also sorry for the late reply, I didn't expect any more views/comments on this game.)
Over all, I really enjoy this game. The mood is, to me, very cozy and quite fitting for this time of year and the terrain is varied enough to be quite enjoyable to explore.
That said, some of the mechanics either confused me, felt off to me, or I never quite figured out.
Initially, I was walking towards a star and, as I approached, the light from my torch made a wall visible as I approached. Honestly, the way it presented itself, I thought the game was glitching out (as in, it was failing to properly render the wall in the first place). Eventually, I decided on the opinion that the effect was intentional… but it felt out of place. No clear warning that that was to be expected. Not a huge deal, if that was, in fact, the intent, but I’d be surprised if I’m the only person who initially thinks it’s a bug.
On one hand, I like the idea of only being able to jump when walking off a cliff… on the other, the effect constantly felt off to me. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps a feeling of not quite having control? The issue, for me, was even more pronounced while standing on the moons(??). I did love the Mario Galaxy-like effect of walking on those moons, but jumping on them was very awkward.
Finally, I was never quite able to get my head around the lantern. In the description it was said I could use it for melting enemies, but the first time I tried I got no indication it was even working. Later, as I played, I tried again, and I defeated the enemy with the lantern, but I’m not sure if I did it wrong the first time, or I just didn’t do enough damage or anything. Maybe some feedback from the game when an enemy is hit by the lantern?
Over all, though, a very charming game the shows a lot of work put into it in the time aloted!
I played this game on a stream of mine. If you are interested in my time with the game, here’s a link to the stream :)
Thank you very much! Not only for playing my game, but also for giving such detailed and honest feedback. Watching your stream was very helpful in highlighting a bunch of issues with the game. I'm relatively new to making games (especially 3D) and I definitely bit off more than I could chew.
The invisible wall was intentional but now that I think about it, it doesn't provide much value. Same goes for the moons. The lantern actually kills the enemies in one hit, the problem might be that judging the reach of the swing is too difficult. As for the jumping, I can't decide if it was a good idea or not. I get your point about not feeling in control. The campfires act as checkpoints, so you don't have to walk across the entire level every time you die.
The general problem is probably the lack of feedback and the amount of unexplained mechanics. Put that on top of an unusual control scheme, and the game becomes hard to understand. I really should have put more time into making the game accessible instead of building that level...
So, thanks again for playing, I will try your game as soon as I have time.
Comments
Oh wow, this is a crazy amount of mechanics to fit together in one 7 day game jam. I love a lot of this; the atmosphere, the sense of exploration, the game juice, the mixed gravity, the Zelda jumping, but…I wish there was more focus on what to do at one time.
I think the combat and the lantern acting as a timer on your ability to explore was a bit overkill next to the puzzles and platforming, like it changed the tone a bit and made me feel like there was no time to figure things out. Maybe it’d be different if there were some levels leading up to let me explore just a handful of mechanics at a time.
But yeah, I’d really love to see this turned into something stripped down with more focus on what the player does at one time. The exploration element seems key, which makes me happy (as I’ve made a game with a similar goal/atmosphere in mind) but I think this could be the beginning of something reaaally cool :3
Thanks a lot for your honest feedback, it's very much appreciated! (I also had a very brief look at your Winter Weather Game, it looks very good. Let's just say I feel honored by your comparison.)
You're right, I crammed way too many mechanics into that game and in the end I didn't explain any of them properly. Teaching mechanics to players is something I still struggle with. Also thanks for pointing out the dissonance between some of the mechanics and the overall atmosphere. This is something I would never have noticed by myself.
I greatly underestimated the effort that goes into making 3D levels. I think I'll treat this as a learning experience and stick to 2D games for now, but thank you for your suggestions!
This was a fun little romp. Very comfy, and I had a lot of fun jumping around and throwing snowballs. I actually bust out laughing once I got to the snow planet and started spiraling around into space.
The crush against the jam deadline is real! Well done on doing what you did in seven days!
Thank you very much, I'm glad you had fun! Yeah, the planets are a bit broken... XD (Also sorry for the late reply, I didn't expect any more views/comments on this game.)
Over all, I really enjoy this game. The mood is, to me, very cozy and quite fitting for this time of year and the terrain is varied enough to be quite enjoyable to explore.
That said, some of the mechanics either confused me, felt off to me, or I never quite figured out.
Initially, I was walking towards a star and, as I approached, the light from my torch made a wall visible as I approached. Honestly, the way it presented itself, I thought the game was glitching out (as in, it was failing to properly render the wall in the first place). Eventually, I decided on the opinion that the effect was intentional… but it felt out of place. No clear warning that that was to be expected. Not a huge deal, if that was, in fact, the intent, but I’d be surprised if I’m the only person who initially thinks it’s a bug.
On one hand, I like the idea of only being able to jump when walking off a cliff… on the other, the effect constantly felt off to me. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps a feeling of not quite having control? The issue, for me, was even more pronounced while standing on the moons(??). I did love the Mario Galaxy-like effect of walking on those moons, but jumping on them was very awkward.
Finally, I was never quite able to get my head around the lantern. In the description it was said I could use it for melting enemies, but the first time I tried I got no indication it was even working. Later, as I played, I tried again, and I defeated the enemy with the lantern, but I’m not sure if I did it wrong the first time, or I just didn’t do enough damage or anything. Maybe some feedback from the game when an enemy is hit by the lantern?
Over all, though, a very charming game the shows a lot of work put into it in the time aloted!
I played this game on a stream of mine. If you are interested in my time with the game, here’s a link to the stream :)
Thank you very much! Not only for playing my game, but also for giving such detailed and honest feedback. Watching your stream was very helpful in highlighting a bunch of issues with the game. I'm relatively new to making games (especially 3D) and I definitely bit off more than I could chew.
The invisible wall was intentional but now that I think about it, it doesn't provide much value. Same goes for the moons. The lantern actually kills the enemies in one hit, the problem might be that judging the reach of the swing is too difficult. As for the jumping, I can't decide if it was a good idea or not. I get your point about not feeling in control. The campfires act as checkpoints, so you don't have to walk across the entire level every time you die.
The general problem is probably the lack of feedback and the amount of unexplained mechanics. Put that on top of an unusual control scheme, and the game becomes hard to understand. I really should have put more time into making the game accessible instead of building that level...
So, thanks again for playing, I will try your game as soon as I have time.