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Joke the Jaker's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Originality | #4 | 3.603 | 3.750 |
| Fun | #4 | 3.363 | 3.500 |
| Gameplay | #5 | 3.443 | 3.583 |
| Audio | #6 | 2.802 | 2.917 |
| Ingredients | #7 | 2.962 | 3.083 |
| Graphics | #7 | 2.642 | 2.750 |
| Overall | #7 | 3.136 | 3.264 |
Ranked from 12 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.
- Quite a fun playable game with a premise of court jester trying to escape after his joke went too far. There are things I like - idea, use of some ingredients (joker, liminal spaces), cards and casual gamer friendliness. But then there are some problems - graphics has really awful color choices, cards are invisible and really badly presented, tutorial exists, but requires me playing card long before telling me about the cards (at least I was not able to escape without playing a card to rotate a tile in that long corridor). Also I'd like to zoom out the map or have some level overview and have known the way out. The game is clearly in a need of rework, but its idea is very fun and could be evolved into something very interesting.
- Hark! And the prize for the funniest game doth go to... Joke the Jaker! A most wondrous creation! 'Tis a delight that this game goeth beyond the mere turning of tiles, for it doth introduce additional feats of merriment, such as leaping betwixt tiles, shattering walls, and befuddling foes with cunning stuns! While the outward adornments of the game (the "UI" as 'tis known in these modern times) could be made more splendid, the music and sound effects, most wondrous and lively, do make ample amends. Verily, I taketh great pleasure from the manner in which all the ingredients have been brought together, for the game is a source of much merriment! I extend my sincerest gratitude for your participation, for 'twas a true joy to visit with thine team during the gamejam!
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Comments
This is one of those games that could be quite good… and it is somewhat good, it has good mechanics, good systems, and it is fun. But also, when I see this game for the first time, there are some UX and visual problems, such as cards not well presented, tutorial not well tested, too lazy and simple graphics and strange mixture of colors so the game feels like something from 90’s shareware collection CD ROM. The game visuals is definitely in a dire need of complete rework.
I don’t get the point of the deck building mechanics, as I don’t get what all those cards can do and whether should I keep my cards or whether should I replace them; i think this part of game should be presented more friendly, with lesser cards in initial deck and lesser options to enhance the deck, and with explanations.
There could be more palace and corridor styles, there should be some minimap or at least guide arrow. Perhaps there should be a handful of smaller handcrafted levels serving as true puzzles.
A rather atypical game combining deckbuilding and turn-based strategy.
The game has oddly colored but fitting visuals, but it breaks the different pixel meter a bit.
The main mechanics of the game (surprisingly) fit together perfectly and you get into them right away. It's just a shame that the visuals of the cards are still not finished. Plus a few tidbits about the cards would help - get inspired by Encore :)
The game IS hard, but except for a (very) limited oversight, it's fair. Trying to play it to the end is even fun, which is not a usually rupe for gamejam game. Constantly searching for the ends of the levels is a little annoying - here you just need to play with the probabilities a little, or by making the levels not just rectangles. But the game, for example, managed to make me try to find all the items and find out what items and cards can do.
I would slightly limit the complete randomness so that the games are more unique and interesting - a limited set of models, skips ala joker card, one unique enemy, etc. you have a lot of options. I would also slightly modify them as the player progresses in the levels - remove them, then add another tileset in the underground, etc. (and who knows, maybe at the end there will be a dungeon, a village, a forest, ...).
Of course, the game has a lot of minuses and unfinished business, but it is playable, fun and I WILL DEFINITELY FINISH IT ONCE!
apart from the obvious shortcomings:
- visual of the cards (except for the joker, etc., where it's great) can be better
- the back icon is small. I overlooked it several times
- an item that reduces energy has ruined my whole game several times... wouldn't it be possible to know what the item does before I take it?
- the scene size is unbalanced, the cards are in the way below, so sometimes just a small movement is enough and a horde of enemies will appear that can no longer be avoided (especially if they move faster).
- I would either enlarge the scene twice - then the view of the scene is about exactly as much as the joker can go, OR I would add UNDO to be able to go back. especially in a turn based game it would make sense.
- the game is nice, but mostly I just keep going round and round looking for stairs... it needs at least a map or at least something to break the total randomness
- the pixel size changes strangely, it's distracting and actually bad (e.g. the mask vs. pie icon)
- procedurally generated levels are fine, but sometimes you want to break it up with something - for example, that the goal of the level is always in the middle, or that you go from right to left... or just some clue for endpoint location
- I couldn't tell from the icons of the characters how much action point they have - it would be nice to see it (e.g. with a bar, dots, ...)
- the text in the scene is great, BUT it has one problem. It can be played elsewhere. When you're putting text in the scene, make sure the player has to walk through it.
- in general, a lot of things in the game are prepared, but not communicated enough.
+ The fact that the starting level can be completed trivially if you know the mechanics IS GREAT.
+ archievments!
+ idea and deck building
+ text in scene, font, overell colors
+ other cards: more cards modifying the opponent's movement - SMOKE (random), OIL (can't turn), glue (slow down), portals, magic mirrors, etc.
Thank you for the excellent review! It brings me joy to know this project is something worth investing development into. If you find any other shortcomings, feel free to add them. We will definitely focus on making this game into something better.
A game with an original idea, a fun story and easy-to-understand controls. I appreciate the procedurally generated maps – I think they really fit the genre and add to the replayability of the game. Gameplay-wise, there are a few annoying game-breaking bugs. I often got into a state where the game wouldn’t let me interact with both the player movement and the cards, same goes for the menu buttons – perhaps a problem with html version of the game. The visual side of the game is nicely done – I like the graphics style, there is no problem with visual clutter and the sprites are well separated from the background even without using many outlines. One piece of advice I would give is to try to keep the pixel scale uniform (meaning 1 pixel is the same size for each graphics element). Sticking to one resolution for your art will make the visual style of the game feel more consistent and polished.
Thank you! Thanks for sharing the bugs, and the feedback, and everything. We hope to upload an improved version once the voting is over :)