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JOHN MUST DIE's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Fun | #11 | 4.171 | 4.171 |
| Presentation (graphics, audio) | #16 | 4.537 | 4.537 |
| Theme | #98 | 3.756 | 3.756 |
| Originality | #151 | 3.463 | 3.463 |
Ranked from 41 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game represent Mode?
Player and enemies use four elemental modes, each with a special ability and a rock-paper-scissors style counter.
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Comments
Very impressive visuals! I can appreciate just how much work it must have been to implement all of the traversal styles that you've included. The shooting controls feel good, but I agree with what others have said that the visual style does detract a bit from the clarity. I found picking up the modes to be a bit clunky, since I most often just found myself backpedaling while shooting at the enemies that were actively chasing me. I like the frantic pacing, but in my opinion it should be slowed down a bit, at least for the introduction.
Its obvious you guys know how to make a shooter that's for sure! The controls feel pretty tight, especially the aim which was nice. The level of polish here is very high, especially for a game jam.
Unfortunately I just can't see anything. The things that stand out most on the screen are the visual effects, and at times, that's all you can see. It just makes it hard to play, which is kind of a shame because I can tell you guys are super talented and made what is otherwise a really solid game here.
super fun! oozes style and everything feels really good. a little hard to see and work with the elements, especially with how hectic the last level was. found myself running around collecting elements until I found something that worked
Fun visuals and controls feel good. My only real complaint is couldn't tell what element enemies were so was mostly just shooting with whatever the last thing I happened to run into was.
Wow! I had been following your progress on the Discord and was excited to see how the game would turn out and it does not disappoint. I like how fast paced it is, the movement feels smooth and under control. Really really cool!
Bro this was dope af
Super impressive on a technical level - looks, feels, and plays very polished. Combat feels quite fluid and responsive. Visually nails the super frenetic, high energy concept. Big kudos!
It looks cool but plays poor. big props to the artist and animator.
Any specifics so we can improve?
Based on my friends who actually played a lot of movement shooters, the game forces you to wall-slide non-stop and doesn't give you a lot of time to assess the situation, so the component of picking elements is less strategic and more "spraying the crowds with whatever you last picked up until someone dies". The elements of the enemies themselves are hard to see and register in constant motion. And, from what I saw, the last level dragged on forever either because of waves or sheer starting amount of enemies.
Very well said. Additionally I found that in the constant movement the enemies would blend into the background.
Thanks
This game was fun! I liked the art!
This game was fun! I liked the art!
My adhd friends said this is too much.
incredible, I am sad I suck
When I first saw clips of this game I was like "what the fuckkk" because I couldn't believe how good it looked. And it indeed looked this good, crazy. The gameplay was incredibly fun and engaging and the movement felt super smooth. My only complaint was that the enemies would blend in with the background a bit too much, and even when they had different elements, because of the high level of action and movement it was a bit hard to see them and aim at them. Overall super awesome game though
Really nice looking game and felt pretty good!
Sometimes it was maybe a bit too flashy so it's hard to understand what's going on.
Incredible art direction and presentation, A really impressive high octane shooter ! Solid game
Super fun! The music would be my only criticism it's a bit repetitive , but the game is super fun, I love the fast paced combat and the movement is super smooth. Ultra well done!
As a cat person the wolf (and human) murdering gameplay felt silky smooth, with animation work so expressive and impressive that it almost distracted me from the overwhelming spectacle unfolding in front of my very eyes. Every small detail from the smudge filled screen illuminated by the enviroment to the violent metal pipe sound effect on each reload gives the game so much character and personality that it makes me feel insecure about mine. I did experience a softlock in one of the first rooms which let me fully take in the stunning visuals reminiscent of having your tequilla soda spiked with psychedelics at a german nightclub. The music complements this of course, with an appropriately intense beat narrating your every move.
The gunplay is snappy and responsive. Enemy behaviours feel fair and predictable, while also complementing each other nicely to create fun and interesting scenarios. The central elemantal mode mechanic adds an element of strategy and replayability to the game, although I often found it easier to stick to one and hold down the left mouse button until something explodes.
Nevertheless, I do have some, albeit, minor criticisms. Through its bombastic appearence JOHN MUST DIE sacrifices readability and clarity, I often wasn't sure what I was shooting or if I was hitting it. The HUD could also be a bit more readable overall. Death being sudden and unexpected could be seen as a nod to real life but I found it frustrating more than anything.
These are of course just minor setbacks to another amazing game. If you keep honing your skills at this rate I am certain that you can put a man on jupiter by February.
you underestimate my power, Prox. A man on Jupiter by February? Ha. Don’t make me laugh. Why on earth would my wifi be so horrible? Exactly.
This was insane.
The movement and gunplay is amazing. The music is great and the enemies are all interesting and fun to fight.
However I am not the biggest fan of the element switching mechanic. It is fine when the game throws waves at you that are limited to 1 or 2 elements but as soon as there are multiple enemies with different elements and shields on top of that it becomes incredibly annoying.
I could never remember what element beats what and the effects made it sometimes very difficult to see what enemies are in the room and what elements they had. The only way I was able to make it through the final battle was by constantly pausing and looking at the info graphic on what beats what.
I know it's only 4 elements to remember but in the heat of the action I found it very hard.
But even tho I didn't enjoy the main gimmick, I found the rest of the game to be amazing.
The arenas were really well designed, it was well paced and the sound design and music were on point.
I like that you can store two elements in your weapons so you can plan around waves to take them out more efficiently.
Overall this is a fantastic entry. Great job.
What are you guys doing making this for a game jam? The quality in every aspect is so high, art/audio/vfx/game feel/level design/combat design. I really enjoyed this game for as far as I got, especially the UX design of the movement abilities. With how well put together this game is, I can really only nitpick for feedback.
Besides that, amazing experience. Hopping around and using all the abilities is super fun, and I'd love to see this as a full release, maybe with the elemental system as a smaller part.
This game was phenomenal! 5's all around. This was the first jam game I finished to completion happily. At first I thought that the mode gimmick was going to be more annoying than fun, but it forces map traversal more frantically than a typical movement shooter. Reminds me of the greats in this genre, and I'm a huge fan of these games. The art was fantastic. It was a lot at times but somehow, still incredibly readable. Very impressive. I hope to see this grow into something more.
Also, I only died once B)