Judge feedback

Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.

• First impressions: excellent use of audio and destruction. The additional maritime flavour of the background music + alien soundscape is a great touch. The usage of theme - avoiding destroying the city while also defending the city - was a great interpretation. Gameplay: the UI was confusing here. I was unsure what was city health, what was character health, etc. Clearer signs-and-feedback and icons on the UI would help. In general, it was difficult to understand what the win/lose state was. The character controlled well, and the 'floatiness' of the jumps worked to your favour. There were a few times where I had to destroy a building in order to get to the other side, which actually worked (made me weight pros & cons). Pandering to the judges by including the Ubisoft office... Great job :D
• Loved it! The music is rad, the controls are simple, and the premise is hilarious. I adore the little Ubisoft office in the starting area. The biggest thing that stands out as something I would like to see different is that the player character responsiveness is a little clunky. At times I felt like I wasn't getting the precision I would have wanted, especially after jumping. I think the high jump and slow fall time are fine, but they should be coupled with more responsive left/right control when in mid-air so we can respond to new enemies or attacks from the ship.
• Art direction is at times inconsistent (the bluenose is very high def vs the ufo being very pixilated despite being the largest object in the scene). Love the layered gameplay: managing the heath of the city vs destroying the enemy - like the opposite of a marvel movie. The only major issue that held it back was cumbersome controls - I found it hard to move around the world, and annoyance at my weapon - I found it really hard to hit the enemy. Otherwise, great showing!
• Halifax finally gets it's own Commander Keen! Love the theme and the sense of humor, and the music really sets the tone. VFX and subtle physics all really make a fun toy of the experience. Controls are a little floaty, difficulty is mercifully forgiving, and the loop wants a little more to do, but great work you made something fun to watch and fun to play!
• Great use of the theme. It is very clear how your great power takes a lot of responsibility :D I think you need to improve the UI because it is very small, which makes it hard to understand exactly the gauges represent. I also think that the game can be a bit more intuitive with the relationship between your character's heath and the building's health into "balancing them out" because it seems to me that no matter what both gauges will diminish, which is inescapable. There should be a way to recover their health's somehow by choosing one action over the other. The music is addictive and gets stuck in your head easily, so great job on that! I loved the art for the aliens and the particle effects too! Great job on your game overall! I hope you enjoyed you game jam experience!