Results
Ranked from 18 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous.
Bounce the Raccoon is a beautiful physics platformer game where you control a character hearkening back to the platform mascots of yore. Perhaps modeled somewhat after the structure of Kirby Superstar, a series of 6 minigames are presented for you to roll your way through while enjoying a selection of locales. This is a really strong game, especially from a solo dev, is an easy Top Pick, although its weakest elements seem to all culminate in the somewhat unsatisfying inability to have exacting control over the main character.
Liked
- Looks & sounds great, both the maps and characters.
- Ingame tutorials were very snazzy.
- I thought the multiple paths through the first level, the race, and spikes mode worked nicely.
Needs Work
- Quite difficult to control Bounce the way I'd like to.
- Theme use could be heavier
- Minigames are good, but most have at least one issue that impacts enjoyability.
This game, the main character especially, looks great. I'd love to see a post mortem of the art design. I appreciated having the mini games staying unlocked and having the menu for selecting them/showing high scores etc - all good choices (especially for a jam). I would like a pause menu with a restart/exit to main menu button available via the controller. I really wanted to restart the racing more easily, as any kind of mistake on a hot lap is pretty much a reset and it was like a 5 second process. But, you saved progress and scores, everything was easily accessible, and that's super important.
In terms of complaints, I never really felt I could really control Bounce (I used a gamepad). Speeding up and slowing down, especially in 'always bouncing', isn't easy. It can be tough to get speed back up once you've lost it and you can easily get a bad bounce that just robs it all away again - I had the most fun when moving fast, and designing levels to let you do this rather than to slow you down, provided it also gets a bit more controllable, would probably be a fantastic upgrade. I really wanted to feel more in command of Bounce and what was going on with him and I'm left feeling kinda eh. The main level is somehow both too short and too long. Perhaps it could be split into a tutorial level and add a short campaign? I liked the multiple routes, but, the level that's there is easily forgotten.
The minigames don't really succeed in picking up the slack - Climbing is very hard for me due to the controls, with instant death as a consequence of failure. Race is probably the most fun for me (my time is 28:11) but also frustrating due to it feeling more like luck than skill on my part. Always Bouncing is frankly sort of infuriating because if you don't know what's coming, you end up in the pit because you cannot stop/start fast enough. Finally, it just doesn't exude the theme. While it definitely does give the vibe of a sonic-like minigame fest, I feel like it could do more to sell that mascot game sequel idea, eg the X kongs, or X the hedgehogs - maybe just palette swapped raccoons. As a jam game, these issues may keep it from doing well in the prize categories, but as a stand alone title, this is is a solid effort and I think with a tweak here and a bit of polish there, this charming game could be the feather in your cap for quite some time.
Elevator pitch
A mascot platformer about a raccoon that can turn into a ball. Include its own spin-off games.
Describe how your game adheres to the theme
It's not directly the sequel to anything, but as you play, various spin-off games open up a-la Kirby Super Star, albeit on a much smaller scale.
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