Play game
A Familiar Escape's itch.io pageRate this game
In order to rate this submission you must be logged into itch.io and have submitted your own entry. Anyone with an account can leave a comment.
Did you credit all assets in-game (including your own) as required by the rules?
Yes
How did your team implement the focus (and optionally, the theme)?
You are racing against the clock to save your "witch". You've been locked in a dungeon, so you have to escape the dungeon un order to save your "witch."
Team Size
Solo (1)
Will you continue work on the game after the jam?
Undecided
Which diversifiers did you use, if any? (optional)
4 Color Palette
Animal Characters
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
First run: got to last room and just barely didn't make it until the timer ran out
Second run: 57s to spare!
I found that strategically losing life to save even more time was a very clever mechanic and if intentional, kudos to you! Didn't mind having to start from the beginning, which might be a turn-off for some people, but for me I think allowing me to use my knowledge to beat it faster felt quite rewarding. Good combination of assets and sounds, my only real complaint is that it's very easy to get caught on corners but that is just me being nitpicky. Good job, mate.
Thanks!
I was worried the game was too easy, because I kept ending with 57 seconds, but I figured easier is better, and it turns out that a lot of people die on their first run. Which feels right. Die on the first run, crush it on the second.
And yeah, the hit boxes need some tweaking, or having a check on corners to push nudge character in the right direction to avoid those little catches. Great feedback. Thanks!
Good luck with the jam.
Oh, and yes! The trick is to intentionally lose life to make up time.
Feeling like a level is easy and then seeing someone play it, only to come to the realization that it was easy because you made it yourself seems like an awfully easy trap to fall in haha. The same to you, man!
Great fun! Well designed little puzzles :)
I think losing a life and being sent all the way back to the beginning is pretty harsh - it becomes an exercise in watching the timer take you to game over.
Controls well and the whole thing is very cute!
Yeah, I think I didn't make the checkpoints obvious enough. If you hit the beds when you lose all 9 lives you restart at the last bed you touched. But when the timer runs out you do start again at the beginning.
Thanks for the feedback, and for playing!
definitely my favorite so far of this jam. nothing like some frantic top-down adventuring.
Nicely done! The game feels very well balanced, I made it to the last room on my first playthrough. I think that said last room should have had some of the time powerups though as it was very disappointing to die in that room, especially without any actual obstacles. I think having a separate live and timer system was a bit much, having damage also remove some time would have been more interesting. The limited palette and pixel art made for a really cute aesthetic, I think arrow keys should have been supported though. The movement felt a little bit slippery and the hitboxes a little big for a game more about precision, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. Very nicely done!
Thanks!
Yeah, I realized I didn't implement arrow keys as an option... which is my bad. I just forgot.
And I bounced around the idea of the lives and time being linked, but I liked the 9 lives cat idea and the idea that as you play you have to make the trade off between life/time. But it's a good critic for sure.
Thanks for the feedback.
Good luck with the jam!
D
i wish you didn't have to restart from the very beginning after you lose your lives! i also kept running out of time right before i got to the end. otherwise, really fun! loved the sounds and gfx
Oh, did you click the beds along the way? They act as check points if you lose your lives. If you run out of time, then you do start back at the beginning though.
Thanks for playing!
Good luck with the jam!
Nice addictive game. Love the mechanics, Great level designs. Great work.
Thanks man! Out of curiosity, did you make it to the end? How much time did you have left? I'm trying to figure out if I made it too easy or too hard.