Play game
Scrap Boy - GMTK Jam Version's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Presentation | #17 | 4.580 | 4.580 |
| Fun | #196 | 3.840 | 3.840 |
| Overall | #410 | 3.704 | 3.704 |
| Originality | #2397 | 2.951 | 2.951 |
Ranked from 81 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
You can't control when to swap powers. It swaps after some time or when hurt. There is a bug making the game harder than it should be. Please read the description in the game page :)
Did your team create the art for this game during the 48 hour time slot?
Yes
We created all art during the game jam
Did your team create the audio for this game during the 48 hour time slot?
Yes
We created all audio during the game jam
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
First off, this game has some fantastic pixel art. The effects like the jetpack stand out in particular. I do have some issues with how the art can interfere with gameplay. Platforming in a tight area can be quite annoying (admittedly this may be more of a pico 8 issue) but it's even more of an issue with the 3d look the grounds got going. I could point out where the robot would land if asked, but in moment to moment gameplay it can make platforming feel quite awkward.
Furthermore some things don't convey what they do very well. Like the enemies are all vague things. One's a bolt that I ran into at first because it doesn't look like an enemy. The green flying thing looks more like a collectable than an enemy. The lightbulbs look like something I'm meant to shoot but are just environment.
Onto gameplay
I think having the bar deplete from the start is quite confusing since it just sits at empty and seemingly has no consequence, that left me confused.
As for the whole main mechanic of switching, I think it's the game's biggest issue. For starters I rarely notice when I've changed. This is made worse by the fact that I couldn't tell what exactly was depleting it.
But just as a whole I don't think it adds anything, it's more of a nuisance than anything. Each lasts sound short there's no point really getting used to it, shooting just becomes more cumbersome. In something like Megaman, the different powerups mean there's some tactics to which one you use at which point. " In games with multiple power ups, often the player sticks to one power, either because it's their favorite, or because you just forget about it." I don't think the solution to this was to remove all strategy. I'm left feeling like the game would be better without it, it's just a gimmick. I'm still just going to run through and shoot everything so it doesn't add anything to the experience. "the player is incentive to use all powers and mobility options." No, no they're not. There is no intensive, they're forced. That's not the same thing.
It's a shame too because the level design and weapon design meant that if I were to switch between weapons freely, there would be a good amount of tactics to it. Plus most of the weapons are quite fun to use, although a bit similar in usefulness. I understand that wanting to incentivise players to use different weapons, but surely the whole reason for that is so they get the experience of assessing the situation and figuring out what works best, that's irrelevant when its randomized.
Couple of nitpicks.
The chargeshot not shooting all the distance when the reg shot does felt off.
The laser was confusing. Like "do you have a recharge or do you have to get close to an enemy?" kind of thing.
Spikes hitting you from the side is so annoying. This could be an art or gameplay fix, either convey they have side spikeiness or have them just not.
Overall, most things are done well but the core mechanic is the game's biggest flaw. I can think of some subtler solutions to getting players to try different weapons, but to flip the problem on it's head and ask "how would you get this mechanic to work better" is a lot tougher question. I've seen it work in more arena shooter style games and I think it works better there because you don't control the pacing, you can't just sit back at weapon switch. So perhaps if this were more of a run n gun like contra where the pressure's always on and the change was more clearly broadcast then it might work better, since in both the focus is on adaptability. This more Megaman like design suits....well Megaman, a game based more around decision making (which there is a lack of now).
Lastly, I know this is quite a critical review, so I just wanna add it is impressive given the time constraints, and given more time I'm sure some of these issues would be ironed out.
Thanks for the feedback
I'm not a developer, but just because I've given almost no feedback - a agree with almost all harsh stuff written here. But to me those would be the issues in a full blown game, in a jam game its just overblown execution. Like I said the game feels very complex, there are too many weapons, stuff, going on for no real purpose. I think game would be enough with just 3 powers switching on character hit, and this weapon bar, with power ups like recharging this bar. This way You could focus on making better level design for it.
@Brandon JS Lea and @hatmajster
I agree with a most of the feedback given. It's just a matter of running out of time to keep polishing things. So I'll not adress each bit of criticism. I assume that most of the minor things you mentioned are more like things you think we should improve post-jam, and not things that should have been done during jam, because polishing things to that level is virtually impossible in 48h.
About the core mechanic: most of the concerns branch out from the game being too short. If the player had more time to get used to things, like having 1 new power per level, spread in 5 of 6 levels, it would be a lot easier to get comfortable with each power-up. Again, we just ran out of time for that.
The reason we added the switching mechanic is because it's the theme of the jam. In most (if not all) of the games I played in the jam, the "out of control" aspect of the game made it harder, because once you don't have control over something you can only interact with it indirectly. It's contradictory to the medium itself (video games), since what diferentiates it from say, movies, is the fact you control things on screen. Our approach to the theme then, was to remove control over something (switching powers) and give something in return (powerful abilities with no cost).
Being able to choose the power isn't necessarily better though. Most card games use randomness to put the player in unexpected situations, so you can't have the same strategy every time. In a game like Megaman, once you figure out the best strategy, you are very likely to keep using it every time. While in a game like Kirby, you will sometimes lose your power when you don't expect it and you have to change your strategy on the fly. That's what we're going for here. Now, if Kirby had 6 completely different power-ups (with changes to both movement and attack) in the first level, and not much space to get used to them, you'd run into the same problems we did.
With all that said, switching power when getting hit was something I added close to the deadline to make the switch happen more frequently since the game was fairly short at that point, and the switching mechanic would trigger far too little over the course of the level otherwise. It was supposed to only drain the bar with time and when shooting, until the bar is depleted, and then it switches. We will find a way to make the mechanic more interesting, fair and rewarding.
"So perhaps if this were more of a run n gun like contra where the pressure's always on and the change was more clearly broadcast then it might work better, since in both the focus is on adaptability." Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Not as straightforward as Contra though, but not as complex as it ended up being.
Wooow I love the vibe from this. Good job on creating it on 48 hours, art and sound are amaazing
Thank you very much!
A bit complex, but nice take on theme. The hole will have continuation?
I don't know what feedback I can give, its a bit complex but overall very good. Platformer alone is very solid. And graphics just wow, cool water;)
Hi, level designer here! Saying its a bit complex its a good enough feedback!
Yes, we are already working on more levels! And yeah, I think we had too much content for such a small game :P On the full release, with more levels, you will have more time to get used to each one!
Hope it didnt ruin the experience for you, and that you had some fun! :)
This game is so polished and feels so good. I had fun playing it. Well done :)
Thanks! :)
The levels are designed with the precision of puzzle action in mind.
I felt like I wanted a place to test the various skills I've acquired because of this.
The beautiful graphics and cool skills would be a waste if they weren't shown.
Thank you! Yeah, it definetely needs more levels to give the player more opportunity to use the power ups :)
Whoa this game is gorgeous! AND fun! I love that attack-dash the most but all the powerups are unique and fun. Tying movement and weapons together was a great idea. Awesome!
Thank you very much!
Nice art and sounds effect. I like the attacks, but had a bit of difficulty with the movement options
Dang, really nice job! The great art and sound design made me forget I was playing a game jam game. The unique power ups you included in this game gave it such a unique feel. The boomerang was flippin sweet, although I would have like to have seen the magnetic power a little juicier. By which I mean I would have like to have completely shot the captured enemy across the entire room with massive explosions haha
It seems the rest of the comments have pretty much summed up my feelings. So I'll just say thanks, I really enjoyed your game!
Thank you! The boomerang is my favorite weapon to use, I kept retouching it until it felt just right. I'll see what I can do about the magnet post-jam, I agree it feels less juicy than the other weapons. Thanks for the feedback! :)
This game's visual and audio style work really nicely, so this was definitely a great use of Pico-8. The gameplay is neat and nicely polished as well (besides the bug, but I ain't judging that too hard). I will say from reading the description that I don't think I got a power swap at any point, but that could just be me not paying attention. However, this is still a well-polished game, I liked it! Nice work!
Hi! Level designer/musician here! Just here to say that if you didnt had any power swap in the game, you sure are a pro player lol! Once you get the 2nd power up, it changes the ability every time you get hit! xD
Anyways, thanks for trying our game :) I played yours too, love engaging story driven games like it!
I have never tried pico8 extensively myself, but this like super impressive. You have essentially made a full game with deep gameplay in a span of 2 day O . O
Thank you! Pico-8 is really great, give it a try if you can!
Hey, I'm just curious if this game was inspired by Celeste's PiCO game because the controls (arrow keys + c + v) were so intuitive for me just because I played Celeste before. If it was intentional, then that's smart, if not, then it's still smart ;)
I'm so impressed since the game, the art and music were done in 48 hours only... Everything looks so polished. I also liked the enemy that was shooting me from the top downwards, it was unexpected for a platformer, actually, and made the game much more interesting with all these things.
Enjoyable game, and visually appealing, great job!
Thank you very much! The game was not really inspired by Celeste, but I can see the similarities. Thanks for the feedback!
The backgrounds are awesome! Great job making this in 48hours! I really like the shiny water background. Lots of cool skills that swap with time. Still, congrats on submitting a cool action platform game to the jam! Please check out mine if you haven't :D
Thank you! I already played and reviewed you game :)
This looks amazing, the art is just top notch and I loved the metroidvania aspect of the game, extremely well made, great job!
Thanks for playing and for the kind words :)
Looks f'ing amazing! I'm also surprised by the level design, as it has branching paths. The swap between powerups is interesting, but the UI should make it more obvious when it happens; it also would be better if it happened more frequently, to spice things up. The reset bug definitely hurts the experience, but stuff like this happens in game jams, no big deal. You still managed to deliver a great experience. Fantastic job!
Thanks! Yeah, I ran out of time for the visual feedback on the power swap. Will imprve that post-jam :)
Thanks for the feedback!
Extremely well done and beautiful! I don't know what PICO-8 is but good job using it! I really enjoyed my expierence with this game. I like the concept (it was similar to mine with constantly changing powers, but yours done much better) and everything felt very polished. Graphics and soundtrack were very well done.
Unfortatnely the main bug was annoying, since you mentioned we had to restart the game if we die, and I believe that puts us all the way back to the beginning (unless I missed a save function?) After the second death I wasn't too interested in repeating the first 5 minutes again with basic powers.
The one thing gameplay wise I didn't love is how whenever you get hurt your ability automatically changed. It seems like some areas, especially where you get the ability, are made for just one or two abilities. But if I got hurt it would then change to something no where near as useful.
Otherwise though amazing game and followsthe theme very well! Defintiely could be a full indie game!
Hey, level designer here! Thank you for your comment!
Actually all rooms were designed in a way that you can go through with any power! Some of the aren't as obvious, but you can do it. Every ability got an platforming aspect, so the gameplay keeps changing. Of course, as a dev I'm way more used to them, so its easier for me (as it is to any dev, playing his own game).
We are making a longer game for the post jam, so it has more time for you to get used to the weapons. So you wont be getting the hardest weapon (magnet) in the hardest rooms (spiked ones) lol! Hope it didnt ruin the experience for you, my job here was really rushed.
Also, if you like one weapon more than others, you can skip the other power ups, and finish the game with one weapon (any of them)! That way the weapon change mechanic wont bother you. We also thought it would be easier if the game paused when you get hit, so you can plan your next moves with the next weapon. Just an ideia. :)
Thank you for your in depht comment, it will surely help us to make a better full release!
Hey thanks for taking the time to reply! I think overall the level design was great especially given the timeframe so very good job! Don't worry, it wasn't the movement changing aspect that annoyed me that much, I think it was just compounded because the risk of death meant starting all over with the bug. Getting something that isn't as optimal when you only have one heart left felt a little scary then. That's a good point you mention about only taking one ability, that's neat that in theory you could just completely do the game with whatever you like best!
And yes I will say the magnet was probably the toughest for me and lead me to getting hurt a few times trying to figure it out lol. But again, suburb game you guys made! I look forward to the longer version!
Hey! We uploaded a bug free version today, if you want to try it. :) Also, if you have just one heart, picking up another ability will give you another heart. Sometimes its worth it. Also, every ability works as a checkpoint now.
Still working on a bigger world for the game. If you liked it, stay tuned, we will probably upload a new version next week! :D
Sweet game! I love PICO-8 games, and this one was great. Fantastic graphics and level design. Nice job!
Thank you very much!
Great job with the art, felt nice to play! Good job!
Thanks!
The pixel art is awesome, good work! I liked the idea too, it fells like a metroidvania in a way, and I like it. Some enemies I wasn't able to figure out how to avoid it's shots, but I'm certainly that with a little more polish after the jam this game can become a real good full game! I hope to see more of it in the future!
Hey! Level designer here! Yeah, I have to agree, the difficulty ramps a little fast in our game lol. Unfortunately, I made the music for the game first, and ended up making the level design in the last few hours. I tested all rooms, but played the game as a whole only after the developing time ended. Obviously, its way easier playing one room at a time lol.
Anyways, hope you had some fun with it! We are already working on a full release, an this and other flaws are getting fixed. Thanks for your feedback, it helps a lot!
This game is very well made. The mechanics are really good, and I loved the art style too. Well done!
This game looks and sounds very very good :) I loved it !
It's amazing what you have done in 48 hours with Pico-8 !