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A jam submission

AnimalgamationsView game page

​Pioneer a zoo specializing in the genetic experimentation of hybridized (KILLER) animals.
Submitted by KentonLS — 3 hours, 11 minutes before the deadline
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Animalgamations's itch.io page

Names and Email Addresses of Team Members
Kenton Leslie-Smith
kentonlesliesmith@gmail.com

Categories Your Team is Eligible for
Student, 72-Hour

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

Liked the style but was unable to play the game, the entire game was stretched out so far that I was unable to see any UI buttons to start the game. Maybe scale the canvas to match the height of the given resolution, which should fix such issues (that's if you're working in unity of course).

Developer(+1)

I Will do a UI canvas scale check - thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm doing the best I can with my current knowledge of Unity 2D, but even so, I'll leave no stone unturned!

Submitted(+1)

I had the same issues on previous games that I've made, and not to worry! It's by now standard to have a 16:9 aspect ratio screen, and not anything above so it may just be a small issue for those with wider screens. The majority will still enjoy playing your game as it's intended to be played as ;D, otherwise well done, I managed to play it on my laptop and I really enjoyed it!

Submitted(+1)

I really love the game's name! The animal art is great and I hope you'll add some animation when you have time.

I didn't understand the "money system" because you buy an animal but it doesn't deduct and you can buy as much of an animal as you want once you hit that animal's price. Then I realised it's not price, it's points, so I would recommend making this system clearer in a future version of the game. Maybe don't call it a "shop", indicate that the number is a level or a threshold, and, in keeping with the theme, call the points something like "mutation capacity" or "research threshold" or similar.

It seems that you can win just by waiting for the points to hit 1500 so I would suggest the win state rather being creating a certain number of fuses, or a certain number of difficult fuses, or something. It would also be cool if the win screen only shows you creations you have made so the surprise of the others remains. (Same with the itch game page - don't give too much away in the screenshots once the jam is over.)

I'm in two minds about the aggression/shooting mechanic because it does add some action and it's smooth but at the same time the larger theme lends itself to collecting and experimentation, so then the aggression gets in the way because you just want to mix and match and wander around having a look at your creations (likely even more so if they are animated later).

This is the starting point of something that could be really interesting and I think the trick is figuring out what the best bits are and building on that but being careful with the balance so you keep it interesting. The shooting is the only action mechanic so if you took that out you'd need something to replace it. (I'd also recommend looking at two mobile games that feature collecting as the primary goal - Disco Zoo and Tap! Dig! My Museum! - and then figuring out what works and what doesn't and how you might be able to apply some of those principles (not the mechanics). (I find Tap! Dig! My Museum!'s digging mechanic to be a bit tedious, whereas I think Disco Zoo is a near perfect game, but I enjoy playing both and haul them out every once in a while. Also note that Disco Zoo was partly built as a game for parents to play with their young kids so that's why the collection mechanic is very basic.)

Developer(+1)

Thank you! This is great quality feedback - I'll give the points/milestone system a much-needed rework and shine-up.
Regarding victory, I was considering whether to add having at least 1  of each Red animal type alongside the 1500 points (the Warcurana and Tyrantaphant).  The total fusion goal/counter is a great suggestion!
The shooting mechanic will take some tough work to reconfigure - an alternative approach could be to grant the player immunity upon making new fusions, and once their collection is complete, to make the finished fusion set passive altogether. 
And thank you for mentioning Disco Zoo - this game is a hidden gem! Gave me a 2014 nostalgia rush! I'll be playing through it again, this time with the eye of a programmer instead of a player.

Submitted(+1)

That is actually a good idea to set the set to passive at the end so people can wander around - that then provides another goal to aim for/motivation to keep playing (as long as people know that will be offered to them once they meet the requirements).

Developer

Thank you everyone for your feedback and positivity! 
Am super eager to improve the game and increase its scope - each comment helps tremendously!

Submitted(+1)

Hahaha. The creatures are great. I liked trying to see what I could make. 

Submitted(+1)

Such a cool little game. The pixel art creatures are very well done and  animal combinations and their names are super creative! 

Adding some animation to your sprites would definitely add considerably to the experience. Perhaps also considering how you earn currency to buy new animals a bit more. It currently feels too easy.

Still a very well put together game. Well done!

Submitted(+1)

I had a fun time with this, I kept dying since I wanted to walk next to my creations, and sometimes they would be aggressive, love the designs!

Submitted(+1)

Lovely Idea! I loved all the different combinations of animals