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I tested some rounds, but unfortunately, the game is made way harder for me a I have an AZERTY-layout keyboard while the keys were programmed statically as being QWERTY… ._. This happens in a lot of games (not all, though!), but either speed is not of the essence, of the arrow keys are also enabled; this game is one of the rare cases where I really run into trouble.

Still, I can get a sense of how things roll; I think it can work as a funny way to let off steam, when you are in the mood for some undue trigger-pressing. ;) On the other hand, I am more sceptical as to how long such complete randomisation can work out. If you take The Binding of Isaac, for example, even though a lot of the game is random, you still get a notion of levels and progression in the game.
Of course, the big difference is that What’s Next? is a short game jam game, so it all depends on how you decide to extend it. But the principle ‘everything is random’ sounds difficult to adapt to a longer game.

I like the pixel art visuals, smooth animation, and upbeat music combined, they give a dynamic impression, which matches the gameplay style. :) Maybe some  background could have given it even more life, although I guess the colour choice would have been complicated to have everything visible. Twist(?): you could have made a procedurally generated random background!

As for how the game relates to the theme… well, one common interpretation was to think ‘randomness’, which a lot of people did, and they seem to often have added a random element inside a more classic larger picture; you took the idea to the extreme and just put everything random. XD So, I would say you took a common approach, but to an uncommon degree. That’s where you have some originality.

My conclusion: I would describe the game in its current state as a funny experimental minigame. I often wonder about the future of games, and in this case, I tend to see it as inextensible under the same premiss.

It is good that you tried the ‘all-random’ option, this is a fine way to see what this results in concretely. :)

Man, thank you for this deep insight! 😁 I see that have concerns about this game's future so... I might tell you more.... 😈

I'm actually working on a Video Game Generator. That was called "emerging", you can see it here and I though that the theme of this Jam might but the right time to actually experiment more on the idea... After this, I think that "What's Next?" should replace "emergin" and build on top of that. Here are the things I want to add in the future

  • Background: During I didn't have enough time to work on that because it would have taken away from the core gameplay and the game would be less fun. I do have a code in emergin to generate that but "copy-pasting" my full working background generator would have felt like cheating...
  • Levels: I wasn't able to do this in this version but I wanted to actually have a legit level generator instead of a squared arena. With random objectives also, more than just "kill all the enemies on screen". This could have given birth to wacky scenarios like "You're a cow fighting demons and buildings in a volcano and you need to collect all X coins for it to end". That was my idea... but 2 days wasn't enough to do it all the way.
  • Powerups: I want to add more variety
  • Attacks: I want to make more attacks and also create a new "flavor" of attack... "movement abilities". Like, by pressing the "Space Bar", the player can Jump (avoiding all bullets on the ground) or Dash or even Teleport. That would be fun as well!
  • Game Saving: Having everything random is cool and all, but it would be great if you could replay a "run" you liked... with the same player, same enemies, etc... And it would be useful for my next point....
  • Game SHARING: If you generated a "game" that you really liked, it would be cool if you could export it and share it with your friend. I haven't made a Highscore system yet because it doesn't make sense in a fully random game but if you're all playing the same generated game.... you can actually compete to see who performs the best!
  • Custom Game: Randomness and all is cool but again, it would be great if you could say "I don't like power-downs" or "I want to play as the Bird" and be more specific about you're playing next. Have more control over what's going to come out. Combined with the "sharing" feature, this could be really interesting!

I think I've covered the main points... I just wanted to let you know that, "this isn't even my final form" 🤣🤣🤣
You're looking at the future right? Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. 👏