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A jam submission

Echo CommandView game page

An audio-based, reaction-testing shoot-em-up
Submitted by Pancake — 1 day, 4 hours before the deadline
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Echo Command's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Music & Sound#83.7503.750
Gameplay / Fun Factor#123.5833.583
Overall#153.4673.467
Likelihood to make money#153.1673.167
Potential for Post-Production#173.8333.833
Art / Aesthetic#263.0003.000

Ranked from 12 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Did you submit to all previous sprint jams?

Yes

Was this made by a team or a solo jammer?

Solo

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Comments

Submitted

I think the tutorial should flat out say that the game is audio based and there are no visuals other than the score and some star trek hyperdrive particle effects.  Then, it should also mention that the positioning is sort of like Galaga, where the ship is always facing the same direction, and movement strafes the ship to the left or right.  I originally thought movement also rotates the ship, but that is not the case. It took me a while to figure those things out or I had to ask or read the comments, so more description in the tutorial would be helpful.

It feels weird having to hold space to charge your laser, I'd say it should shoot right away when you press space and maybe has a cooldown instead.

Lowering the volume of your own ship's laser and especially movement would help.  I had a little trouble hearing enemy ships over my own ship.  

I got about 2000 points after I got the hang of the game.  It seemed fair whenever I got hit.  I'd usually get hit when I heard the enemy and I moved in front of them trying to shoot, but I got shot instead. So there is some incentive to go back and try again to do better.

I don't know! I just didn't find the gameplay all that fun.  That's cool that you're going for a game that is accessible to vision impaired players, but I think it needs more.  Or maybe I did not get far enough to see the ramp up in difficulty.  My favorite game to play without looking at it is probably the old Pokémon RPG games, when you're just walking around in the grass looking for rare Pokémon,  grinding up levels, or hatching eggs.  So maybe adding a level up system or a way to unlock more ships or enhance your lasers could make it more fun.

Submitted

I think the concept is interesting as in you use your hearing only and no visuals. I think the firing noise when I move around is kind of confusing. As I always hear a shooting noise whenever I move left or right. Does it just mean there are always enemies shooting at me right before I moved?

Submitted

The tutorial is a great addition to the game. I did understand the game this time, and got a score of 4200 on my second attempt. All the game information and feedback is in the form of audio, and I found I was actually doing better when I simply closed my eyes and focused on the sounds. I had some trouble understanding how the dodging worked. I mostly felt enemies to the left and right were easier to deal with. Is dodging actually required for these? What I felt was they miss anyway, since they either fire to the left or right of my ship, and then I line up and fire at them. Those straight on caused more trouble. Also got into trouble when there were multiple or overlapping bullets. Good job creating a pure audio game which is widely accessible!

Submitted

I had a really hard time understanding the game even after the tutorial, thinking the enemies we're coming from my left or right, and not from the front. After discussing it with a friend and understanding the actual positioning (Space Invaders alike), I really got the hang of the game. Got to 5000+ score. Very interesting, inclusive and well executed concept! The sound effects are amazing, and hearing the shot going right by my side was thrilling. I would love to see how far this concept could be expanded to make a commercial game! Great job!

Submitted

This tutorial was amazing! It really helped me understand a very conceptually heavy game. Very cool concept though and I hope you keep fletching it out!

Submitted

The idea that this game is designed to allow those with lack of sight to play is amazing.  Such a cool idea and well executed.

>What was the most frustrating moment or aspect?

When I reached 1500 points, I encountered an enemy(s?) that I couldn't seem to nail down no matter how hard I tried.

>What was your favorite moment or aspect?

There's alot of interruptions in the tutorial, but it's still quite effective in setting a baseline. It gave me more than enough confidence to feel like I understood what was happening until I hit 1500 points.

>Was there anything you wanted to do, but couldn't?

I constantly found myself wanting to be able to visualize the size of the arena, but I never got a handle on when I was at the borders.

>If you could change, add, or remove any 1 thing, what would it be?

A sound for when the player is at the left or right limit.
Submitted

Nice! This time I could follow the tutorial and really understand what was happening during game, you did a good job there. I'm not breaking some highscore but at least I now know where the enemies are coming. The concept is still interesting and have lots of potential. Great work and kudos for your game!

Submitted

Amazing! I felt so good once I got the hang of it!

Starting the game from the menu, I had absolutely no idea how to play it, but after refreshing the page and going through the tutorial, it was very clear.

One suggestion I could give would be to make a mini-tutorial on the game start(?)

Congratulations on such an interesting entry :)

Submitted

Really interesting concept. I think it's super rad, but I'm also horrible at this type of thing. Still, I enjoyed playing it, even if my score caps at around 500.