You already know your game is full of GMI energy. I have only one objective complaint, the key bindings are not localised. It will not always be "keys on bottom left of keyboard" – on non-english layouts the keys start being all over the place. I think all input libraries have some abstraction to fix this easily, e.g. in SDL it’s KeyCode vs. ScanCode.
Subjectively I am not excited for the mix of puzzling+execution, I mean the execution is really not hard, but it sucks having to redo a level from beginning, when I had the right plan, just because I didn’t line up the tongue handling correctly. There were a few situations where fairy hitboxes behaved unexpectedly. But maybe all this is more fun with the proper key layout.
You already know your game is full of GMI energy. I have only one objective complaint, the key bindings are not localised. It will not always be "keys on bottom left of keyboard" – on non-english layouts the keys start being all over the place. I think all input libraries have some abstraction to fix this easily, e.g. in SDL it’s KeyCode vs. ScanCode.
This is something that the engine I'm using has and I have been thinking about implementing. It would require adding a lot of assets for the tutorial UI, which I'm on the fence about. I will study a bit what other games do.
Subjectively I am not excited for the mix of puzzling+execution, I mean the execution is really not hard, but it sucks having to redo a level from beginning, when I had the right plan, just because I didn’t line up the tongue handling correctly. There were a few situations where fairy hitboxes behaved unexpectedly. But maybe all this is more fun with the proper key layout.
The game has an action axis to it, so will require some timing execution, though I have been chipping away at the action difficulty part for a while now. Normally the way that the game set ups tongue shots make it easier to aim them, though there is a learning curve. There is an "aim assist" checkbox that I recently added to the options menu to help with that.
About the video, sadly something went wrong with the transmision and twitch shows a frozen screen. I can hear you playing on the background, so it must be something visual about it. I still apreciate you taking your time to stream the game.
This is something that the engine I'm using has and I have been thinking about implementing. It would require adding a lot of assets for the tutorial UI, which I'm on the fence about.
Easiest solution might be offering (alternative?) keybinds that are consistent everywhere, like the the numbers 1-4. Would also enable left hand on arrows and right hand on numpad (southpaws might like?)
though I have been chipping away at the action difficulty part for a while now
Yeah, I noticed it was really easy in how telegraphed the tongue shots are etc. Made it even sillier to fail, in a way. As in: You only fail if you completely fumble the execution. But I played the easy levels at the start, so…
Unfortunate that the recording is broken, don’t know what went wrong there.
As per usual, I had a good time playing! The test levels did a good job of teaching how to manipulate the blue toad. The only thing is that occasionally I had issues executing what I wanted, since it involves juking the blue toad. Though it helped once I realized I could hug him to keep him still while I think. I didn't try the autoaim feature, but I managed fine without it.
I had another tester mentioning something similar about the blue toad, not wanting to stay nearby. All toads used to have a bite attack that made them more dangerous up close, but now with the long attack preparation times the player should be safe-ish at melee range. I need to communicate the safety better.
Made a quick update to version 0.23b. Changes are:
- Small adjustment to test level "Big enough" - Major changes to test level "Fugitive" - Removed timed solution from the "Innitiative" level - Made aim assist keep the target when it is on
The characters and world look good, the puzzles gradually increase in diffuculty with the first ones introducing the mechanics and the last ones become challenging enough to be interesting.
This feels and plays almost like a finished game, good job.
I come here bearing what is hopefully insightful comments about the new levels after risking life and limb in the quest against the dastardly frogs.
I'm just rambling like an idiot. I beat all the levels, it took me about 1 hour and over half of that was spent staring at level 7: Fugitive, but more on that later.
A moving frog opens up a lot of possibilities and I think the first few levels establish what you can do with them reasonably well. Looking back, the most obvious utility for them should be holding down buttons but the most intuitive mechanic for me personally was the fact that you can use frogs to block other frogs which comes in handy later in level 8: Rude. By the way, the animation for when the blue frog gets tongued is hilarious.
The least intuitive mechanic comes into play in level 4: Big Enough, where I admit I was attempting to murder a frog in cold blood by dropping it into the stratosphere. Instead, I learned that toggleable platforms can't be toggled off if a frog is standing on them. Perhaps the idea was that the player would want to kill the frog after losing to many fairies to them which I hope is the case because otherwise it makes me look like a psycho, but I found it generally non intuitive. Platforms that you can toggle on and off are already an abstract concept to begin with so it's weird to pile on even more game logic on top of them in my opinion.
As I mentioned before, the next big roadblock was level 7: Fugitive. What I did was the following:
1. Throw blue fairy north on top of red button.
2. Walk over north with strong fairy. Place strong fairy on red button.
3. Poke blue frog.
4. Lure blue frog on top of the red blocks with blue fairy.
5. While the blocks are held down because of the frog, walk the strong fairy to the right of the blue frog and stand on top of the blue button.
6. Lure blue frog further south (beyond the red blocks) with blue fairy.
7. Take arrow to the left and complete the level.
I'm not sure if I beat the level as intended because I never touched the platform to the right and it doesn't seem clear at a glance that you should be able to walk past the frog in the center. I guess a frog is around 2 tiles wide and the strong fairy is around 1 tile wide, but still. I don't think I've ever seen red herrings being used so I that's why I'm sharing my solution.
Every other level is pretty straightforward. I can only speak for myself but level 8: Rude could be earlier because, as I hinted at before, feels unusually easy, but that's only my opinion.
Thanks for playing again and the detailed feedback!
Looking back, the most obvious utility for them should be holding down buttons but the most intuitive mechanic for me personally was the fact that you can use frogs to block other frogs
Yeah the testing had me realize thats the case. Strange thing because tongue blocking is something I added less than a month ago, the toad was designed for pressing buttons. I will embrace the intuitiveness of tongue blocking, seems like the better option.
The least intuitive mechanic comes into play in level 4: Big Enough, where I admit I was attempting to murder a frog in cold blood by dropping it into the stratosphere. Instead, I learned that toggleable platforms can't be toggled off if a frog is standing on them.
Toads have the thickest plot armor. Nothing can hurt them. I prefer it this way, though it make things like the platform behave in unexpected ways. I don't see any other solution, so it will be a quirk of the system.
level 7: Fugitive
Congrats! You found an unintended solution! I thought of the possibility of solving the puzzle like that, but I believed it was impossible. Thanks for proving me wrong. I updated the level (v023b) to make it more straightforward.
frog is around 2 tiles wide and the strong fairy is around 1 tile wide
The toads are 3 tiles long, the fairies are less than 1. I realized through testing that the size of toads is not very intuitive, which means I will have to make levels to better teach the concept.
I can only speak for myself but level 8: Rude could be earlier because, as I hinted at before, feels unusually easy, but that's only my opinion.
I will do it, looks better than what I was going for.
Hands down the most iconic game in the entire jam. The small details make the game: the way the characters react to each other's presence, the ingenious ways you are prompted to sacrifice some of the fairies and how carefree they look when it happens; it all never failed to bring a smile to my face. This is pretty much iyashikei in game form -- something I wasn't aware I needed until now. Even though there's conflict, the antagonists are just as lovely as the cast of heroines. Needless to say, I can't wait to meet the rest of them.
Playthrough: 1+ hour, Fields/Coast 100% ("Coast: Rise and Shine" had me joggin' the noggin), up to Test-3 (tried to drop the toad on Test-4; couldn't; figured it was time to take a break)
I didn't knew about the iyashikei term, I know someone who agrees with that. My intention is to have both protagonists and antagonists be likable in their own way.
If you plan to finish the demo later, I updated it to v23b which has a couple fixes.
The polish in this game just keeps getting better and better. I love just starting levels and watching the animations and countless easter eggs by poking the fairies and such. I think you might have said at one point you intend to carry on with these characters after this game. A 100% asset flip would be completely reasonable.
I could really use a checkpoint/savestate/rewind/undo system of some sort rather than fully restarting every single time. There's definitely an issue with how slow the game feels in general, despite that being helpful for the animation shenanigans.
I don't find the aim assist helps much with anything, though it doesn't hurt either. Maybe get it to highlight whichever fairy is going to be eaten?
this is cheating
The way these blue frogs occupy space in general is not very well represented. Another instance is when you're supposed to solve a puzzle by using them to block a leaping fairy, which they don't look large enough to be able to, standing at the same height as fairies that don't.
I have plans for something with that, I look forward to making a game without having to worry about drawing a lot.
I could really use a checkpoint/savestate/rewind/undo system of some sort rather than fully restarting every single time.
Sadly it is too late for this. The best I can do is keep levels short to avoid constant restarting.
There's definitely an issue with how slow the game feels in general, despite that being helpful for the animation shenanigans.
It is tricky. For players just starting, the slow speed helps them not get overwhelmed by attacks, but as the player progresses it can become sluggish, I know hearding toads can contribute to that a lot. It is tricky and I'm not really sure if there is an easy answer, but Im always experimenting to alleviate it.
I don't find the aim assist helps much with anything, though it doesn't hurt either. Maybe get it to highlight whichever fairy is going to be eaten?
I can make it show the regular crosshair too. Thanks for trying it out.
this is cheating
Toads are above cheap tricks like that.
The way these blue frogs occupy space in general is not very well represented. Another instance is when you're supposed to solve a puzzle by using them to block a leaping fairy, which they don't look large enough to be able to, standing at the same height as fairies that don't.
Toad occupy a lot of space. Also they have infinite height. I will look for ways to make it clearer.
Really cute game. The graphics are fantastic. I like how proud of herself the fairy lady looks after finishing the level, it really adds personality to the character. I poked one for far too long and got eaten. Initially I thought it only happened as some sort of Easter egg, but I was wrong, really cool either way. Really nice how you can block its tongue. The fact that there’s a choice between the xth and xth-2 level is a nice touch. I really liked how you can sacrifice the buffed fairy in order to win, really thought out game. Also seggs with fairy lady :DD
You should know the drill, but if it is the first time: there is a whole new world with NEW PUZZLES, but hidden. To unlock that world you have to LOSE the first level. "Try again" must appear on the screen when you lose. Once that happens you will hear the victory music. Go to the map and the new world will be unlocked.
If you want a tip in how to do that: keep poking the gray toad (lots of pokes).
I'm looking for feedback on the new levels. The toad there is something that changes the rules of the game quite a bit.
Comments
Played a bit. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2081843266
You already know your game is full of GMI energy. I have only one objective complaint, the key bindings are not localised. It will not always be "keys on bottom left of keyboard" – on non-english layouts the keys start being all over the place. I think all input libraries have some abstraction to fix this easily, e.g. in SDL it’s KeyCode vs. ScanCode.
Subjectively I am not excited for the mix of puzzling+execution, I mean the execution is really not hard, but it sucks having to redo a level from beginning, when I had the right plan, just because I didn’t line up the tongue handling correctly. There were a few situations where fairy hitboxes behaved unexpectedly. But maybe all this is more fun with the proper key layout.
Cheers, and good luck!
Thanks for playing!
This is something that the engine I'm using has and I have been thinking about implementing. It would require adding a lot of assets for the tutorial UI, which I'm on the fence about. I will study a bit what other games do.
The game has an action axis to it, so will require some timing execution, though I have been chipping away at the action difficulty part for a while now. Normally the way that the game set ups tongue shots make it easier to aim them, though there is a learning curve. There is an "aim assist" checkbox that I recently added to the options menu to help with that.
About the video, sadly something went wrong with the transmision and twitch shows a frozen screen. I can hear you playing on the background, so it must be something visual about it. I still apreciate you taking your time to stream the game.
Easiest solution might be offering (alternative?) keybinds that are consistent everywhere, like the the numbers 1-4. Would also enable left hand on arrows and right hand on numpad (southpaws might like?)
Yeah, I noticed it was really easy in how telegraphed the tongue shots are etc. Made it even sillier to fail, in a way. As in: You only fail if you completely fumble the execution. But I played the easy levels at the start, so…
Unfortunate that the recording is broken, don’t know what went wrong there.
As per usual, I had a good time playing! The test levels did a good job of teaching how to manipulate the blue toad. The only thing is that occasionally I had issues executing what I wanted, since it involves juking the blue toad. Though it helped once I realized I could hug him to keep him still while I think. I didn't try the autoaim feature, but I managed fine without it.
Looking forward to next time.
Thanks for playing again!
I had another tester mentioning something similar about the blue toad, not wanting to stay nearby. All toads used to have a bite attack that made them more dangerous up close, but now with the long attack preparation times the player should be safe-ish at melee range. I need to communicate the safety better.
im gonna keep poking the toads
Sounds like a good plan. Thanks for playing!
Just finished watching the playthrough, thanks for the video!
Thanks to everyone who tested the game!
Made a quick update to version 0.23b. Changes are:
- Small adjustment to test level "Big enough"
- Major changes to test level "Fugitive"
- Removed timed solution from the "Innitiative" level
- Made aim assist keep the target when it is on
The characters and world look good, the puzzles gradually increase in diffuculty with the first ones introducing the mechanics and the last ones become challenging enough to be interesting.
This feels and plays almost like a finished game, good job.
Thanks for playing! It feels like a complete game, but I need to finish other characters and puzzles first before release.
10/10 animations and characters, couldn't stop smiling, blue fairy is such a smug piece of shit. The puzzles are great too.
Thanks for playing!
I come here bearing what is hopefully insightful comments about the new levels after risking life and limb in the quest against the dastardly frogs.
I'm just rambling like an idiot. I beat all the levels, it took me about 1 hour and over half of that was spent staring at level 7: Fugitive, but more on that later.
A moving frog opens up a lot of possibilities and I think the first few levels establish what you can do with them reasonably well. Looking back, the most obvious utility for them should be holding down buttons but the most intuitive mechanic for me personally was the fact that you can use frogs to block other frogs which comes in handy later in level 8: Rude. By the way, the animation for when the blue frog gets tongued is hilarious.
The least intuitive mechanic comes into play in level 4: Big Enough, where I admit I was attempting to murder a frog in cold blood by dropping it into the stratosphere. Instead, I learned that toggleable platforms can't be toggled off if a frog is standing on them. Perhaps the idea was that the player would want to kill the frog after losing to many fairies to them which I hope is the case because otherwise it makes me look like a psycho, but I found it generally non intuitive. Platforms that you can toggle on and off are already an abstract concept to begin with so it's weird to pile on even more game logic on top of them in my opinion.
As I mentioned before, the next big roadblock was level 7: Fugitive. What I did was the following:
1. Throw blue fairy north on top of red button.
2. Walk over north with strong fairy. Place strong fairy on red button.
3. Poke blue frog.
4. Lure blue frog on top of the red blocks with blue fairy.
5. While the blocks are held down because of the frog, walk the strong fairy to the right of the blue frog and stand on top of the blue button.
6. Lure blue frog further south (beyond the red blocks) with blue fairy.
7. Take arrow to the left and complete the level.
I'm not sure if I beat the level as intended because I never touched the platform to the right and it doesn't seem clear at a glance that you should be able to walk past the frog in the center. I guess a frog is around 2 tiles wide and the strong fairy is around 1 tile wide, but still. I don't think I've ever seen red herrings being used so I that's why I'm sharing my solution.
Every other level is pretty straightforward. I can only speak for myself but level 8: Rude could be earlier because, as I hinted at before, feels unusually easy, but that's only my opinion.
Great work as always.
Thanks for playing again and the detailed feedback!
Yeah the testing had me realize thats the case. Strange thing because tongue blocking is something I added less than a month ago, the toad was designed for pressing buttons. I will embrace the intuitiveness of tongue blocking, seems like the better option.
Toads have the thickest plot armor. Nothing can hurt them. I prefer it this way, though it make things like the platform behave in unexpected ways. I don't see any other solution, so it will be a quirk of the system.
Congrats! You found an unintended solution! I thought of the possibility of solving the puzzle like that, but I believed it was impossible. Thanks for proving me wrong. I updated the level (v023b) to make it more straightforward.
The toads are 3 tiles long, the fairies are less than 1. I realized through testing that the size of toads is not very intuitive, which means I will have to make levels to better teach the concept.
I will do it, looks better than what I was going for.
Hands down the most iconic game in the entire jam. The small details make the game: the way the characters react to each other's presence, the ingenious ways you are prompted to sacrifice some of the fairies and how carefree they look when it happens; it all never failed to bring a smile to my face. This is pretty much iyashikei in game form -- something I wasn't aware I needed until now. Even though there's conflict, the antagonists are just as lovely as the cast of heroines. Needless to say, I can't wait to meet the rest of them.
Playthrough: 1+ hour, Fields/Coast 100% ("Coast: Rise and Shine" had me joggin' the noggin), up to Test-3 (tried to drop the toad on Test-4; couldn't; figured it was time to take a break)
Thanks for playing!
I didn't knew about the iyashikei term, I know someone who agrees with that. My intention is to have both protagonists and antagonists be likable in their own way.
If you plan to finish the demo later, I updated it to v23b which has a couple fixes.
impeccable.
the characters, the cutscenes, the animations, the puzzles, the charm, the humour, even the music is nice and doesn't get tiresome.
Thanks for playing!
Great load screens, nice animations. I look forward to seeing the full release.
Thanks for playing! I'm happy that you like the loading screens, it is something I have really enjoyed making.
The polish in this game just keeps getting better and better. I love just starting levels and watching the animations and countless easter eggs by poking the fairies and such. I think you might have said at one point you intend to carry on with these characters after this game. A 100% asset flip would be completely reasonable.
I could really use a checkpoint/savestate/rewind/undo system of some sort rather than fully restarting every single time. There's definitely an issue with how slow the game feels in general, despite that being helpful for the animation shenanigans.
I don't find the aim assist helps much with anything, though it doesn't hurt either. Maybe get it to highlight whichever fairy is going to be eaten?
this is cheating
The way these blue frogs occupy space in general is not very well represented. Another instance is when you're supposed to solve a puzzle by using them to block a leaping fairy, which they don't look large enough to be able to, standing at the same height as fairies that don't.
Thanks for playing and the detailed feedback!
I have plans for something with that, I look forward to making a game without having to worry about drawing a lot.
Sadly it is too late for this. The best I can do is keep levels short to avoid constant restarting.
It is tricky. For players just starting, the slow speed helps them not get overwhelmed by attacks, but as the player progresses it can become sluggish, I know hearding toads can contribute to that a lot. It is tricky and I'm not really sure if there is an easy answer, but Im always experimenting to alleviate it.
I can make it show the regular crosshair too. Thanks for trying it out.
Toads are above cheap tricks like that.
Toad occupy a lot of space. Also they have infinite height. I will look for ways to make it clearer.
Looks and plays great. Would gladly buy at a 50% discount during a Steam sale.
Thanks for playing! I don't have any discount sale planned for now, I will let you know when I do one for sure.
It is a exciting puzzle game with a unique concept and mechanics and the graphics and style is nice I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for playing!
CCute and soulful game. Keep it up!
Thanks for playing and the kind words!
Finally played it and enjoyed the puzzles and how stuff was used, besides the cute aesthetic.
Kinda like how the level end flag finishes faster if you did a good job in the level.
Thanks for playing!
The flag finishing faster is something I worked on for this release, happy to see it is working as intended.
Really cute game. The graphics are fantastic. I like how proud of herself the fairy lady looks after finishing the level, it really adds personality to the character. I poked one for far too long and got eaten. Initially I thought it only happened as some sort of Easter egg, but I was wrong, really cool either way. Really nice how you can block its tongue. The fact that there’s a choice between the xth and xth-2 level is a nice touch. I really liked how you can sacrifice the buffed fairy in order to win, really thought out game. Also seggs with fairy lady :DD
Thanks for playing! The sleeping toad attacking is an easter egg!
You should know the drill, but if it is the first time: there is a whole new world with NEW PUZZLES, but hidden. To unlock that world you have to LOSE the first level. "Try again" must appear on the screen when you lose. Once that happens you will hear the victory music. Go to the map and the new world will be unlocked.
If you want a tip in how to do that: keep poking the gray toad (lots of pokes).
I'm looking for feedback on the new levels. The toad there is something that changes the rules of the game quite a bit.