itch.io

Loved:

• Gameplay was very good at teaching the player mechanics of the puzzles.
• Simple graphics help simplify the experience.
• Smooth controls.

Consider:

• Adding some more audio (e.g. background music) to round out the experience.
• The main menu screen graphics did not seem to fit the rest of the style of the game graphics. I would involve the robot and teddy in the menu.

Loved:

• The atmosphere. The art and music really bring this game together.
• The baby as the enemy. In most games in the jam, it seems like the baby (if there is one) is the victim. This game flips that on its head, which really adds to the spooky atmosphere. I really hate the baby scream, but in a good way!
• The use of the bear in the beginning to initiate the game action. It gives the player time to get used to the controls and surroundings of the game.

Consider:

• Spawning mechanic of the baby. There was one playthrough that I saw the baby on the right side of the room, and it killed me on the left side as if it had spawned on that side when the lights went out. This took away some of the fun, which was trying to remember where the baby was before turning the lights off.
• Game over screen bug. I was able to move 3-5 seconds with the final ending screen (which was staggered to the upper left of my screen when in full-screen mode). It stopped me after colliding with the right side of the screen, but I probably should not be able to interact with it that way.
• I was confused by the scoring mechanic. Should I have at least scored once if I died immediately after collecting one bear?

Loved:

• Style of the game. It is much different than the rest of the entries, and in a good way.
• Bidding mechanic. Very cool (coming from the economic geek in me, but still true).
• Story/tutorial screens. This is probably the best tutorial/walkthrough of how to play in the whole jam.

Consider:

• The theme was a little lost with the mechanics of the game, but the tutorial tied it in. Not a show-stopper, just something to consider.
• The AI seems easy to outsmart. I did a few quick bids in the top part of the room and wandered to the left afterward. When I realized that the AI would follow me after a while, I stayed in the bottom of the room to keep the bidders from bidding on my yellow bids. Is this behavior intended? If so, play into this, but play on the fact that certain bidders to certain things. If done right, this mechanic would add a lot of strategy to the game (it made me feel smart to outsmart them).
• Put a guide to what bids beat what in the gameplay screen. It is a little hard to remember what bids beat what at times, and I had to start the game again by refreshing my browser to ensure that I knew what bids beat what.
• Is there a way to go from the results screen to the beginning screen.

Although this game has not been rated much yet, I think this is one of the most unique and interesting games in the jam. Maybe more levels and features in the future?

Loved:

• Using the toys as a way to deter the ninja.
• Sound effects to emphasize the use of each toy.
• Smooth controls

Consider:

• The thief is only loosely related to the theme, as it relates to Home Alone. Maybe have the thief steal some of the toys as a way to play into the theme?
• It took me a few tries to get close to the gameplay of calling for help or thwarting the thief due to lack of in-game tutorial or guide to controls or gameplay. Maybe include GUI elements next time to hint to these things?

I agree. I was hoping to make it look more like an old Game & Watch game (e.g. Manhole). Any ideas on how to accomplish this?

"That wasn't our goal, we wanted to create a mood of a child playing and being himself."

That makes more sense. Maybe you could add child's laughter based on certain actions? Not sure how to go about this, but you stating this after the fact makes more sense on what atmosphere you were aiming for.

Loved:

• The use of the theme was very good for this game.
• The graphics (especially the gnome) were very satisfying. Felt like Claymation to me.
• The mix of the sound, timer, and hide mechanics were very well balanced.
• Exploration of the room was very fun and engaging!

Consider:

• Objects were a little sensitive in the physics engine. Sometimes I had trouble jumping on blocks because they would tip over at the slightest touch of my foot when climbing.
• At times, it was not clear when I would be discovered. There was a moment or two where I could still see myself, but the mother would not find me. Specifically, I would see myself under the chair next to the door, but the mother would not see me. On the other hand, being on top of that same chair resulted in me being seen.

Overall, great game. Good job!

Loved:

• The concept of a teddy bear getting some cotton from a sewing factory. Very clever!
• Beginning movie was great in establishing the story.
• Level design fit theme set out in the cinematic.

Consider:

• Beginning movie was a little fast and almost did not read the dialogue. Slow this down.
• Controls were a little sensitive for a small screen in the browser. Maybe tune this in the future?
• It confused me that the guard had no collider but the flashlight beam did. I liked the flashlight mechanic, but maybe make the guard smaller to emphasize the light.

Loved:

• Loved the idea of using typing to avoid guards. This concept is very cool!
• Polished feel for a game jam game.

Consider:

• CAPS must be on for letters to register. I figured this out during gameplay, but you may want to consider either lowercasing all inputs or telling the player this before the main game loop starts.
• It is difficult for me to balance paying attention to typing and avoiding the guard. I understood the concept, but the combined mechanic of typing and avoidance may need to be balanced through player testing.
• You may be able to balance actions later if you used words instead of random string of text. For instance, words like "cat" could be simple avoidance actions while "severance" could be for more complicated actions or levels.

Loved:

• Employees finding you resulted in time loss instead of game loss. I think this forgiving mechanic allowed me to give it more of a shot during the jam compared to other games that would result in an immediate loss.
• Theme use was very clean and understandable.
• Explanation of rules at start was very helpful. Well done!

Consider:

• Character floating after control input. I felt like I was out of control, and this would result in the employees finding me more than I deserved.
• Sound effects seemed louder than the background music more than I would have liked. Maybe balance these out in future release?
• Unsure about how I feel with the toys floating around me. On the one hand, I think this is clever since it makes you more likely to be found. On the other hand, this seemed to make the character float worse and contributed to me feeling more like I was out of control. Something to consider, but not a show-stopper.

Loved:

• Theme use was very clever. I have not seen a pet store game in the jam yet, and I loved it!
• Pixel art graphics were very well done. Animations as well.
• Music really got me into the game.

Consider:

• Performance was the biggest problem I had. Game took a little to load, and after about 20~ seconds of playing, the lag was pretty bad. This may be due to running it on my potato of a computer, but something to look into.
• Controls were confusing at first. The indicator you had was useful, but I did not make the connection that clicking moved you forward as quickly as I would have liked.
• Consider explaining how scoring works. I thought I got a pretty high score, but I don't know how I scored 1125 or what I did not achieve that score.

Loved:

• Gameplay was engaging and fun! 
• The clever use of a child's playmat for the use of the special object.
• The darts being left behind was my favorite detail of play.

Consider:

• Multiple thieves would spawn, but only one thief indicator showed up. This was my biggest hang-up, since I did not figure this out until playing for 2-3 minutes.
• Make the world appear more like the child's playmat. The only reason I made this connection right away was the description of the game. Make things look more plastic or felt to emphasize the use of the playmat (like in Kirby's Epic Yarn).
• Music did not fit the feel of cops and robbers. Although good, I did not feel pressured by the music like I would want. Make it more exciting!

Loved this game! The only thing that was confusing for me was the lasers. Otherwise, great entry!

Loved:

• Music provided a lot of creepy atmosphere
• Pixel graphics and detailed animations
• Story and strong adherence to theme

Consider the following:

• Adding more options and endings. I know this is a game jam version, but definitely want more endings.
• Be careful not to break the mood. I felt certain options broke the illusion by acknowledging the player or the game within the story. When this happened during my playthrough, it soured my experience.

Game is very well put together. My only criticism is that the special item is only tied by story only, not mechanically in the game. Otherwise, I think this is almost good enough to have as a phone game. Very well done!

Loved the following:

• Pixel art was fun to look at during the game.
• Back story pulled me in instantly to playing your game.
• Loved the doggo art
• Controls were simple to understand once I found out what they were.

Consider the following:

• Getting through doorways was difficult. I would keep colliding with the wall when trying to enter them.
• The game page or the game does not have the controls listed. Please list them for the player.
• Game seems incomplete, since some key gameplay elements are missing to complete the experience.
• I would love to consider chest count in the upper corner. Without that, I eventually did not collect chests and just sought to find the one enemy instead.

Loved the concept! The only change I might suggest is that the monkey clanging symbol power might need balanced. I had trouble getting away from them.

Great game! Good luck in the jam judging!

I loved:

• The throwing of hands. My favorite feature for sure.
• The concept of an Alamo-style game against parents that are thieves. Makes you feel like it is the Kids Next Door.
• The movement was very intuitive.
• Love that the snowman moves with you.

I would improve the following:

• The mouse aiming was not too intuitive for me. Maybe add a target to the cursor?
• The parents surprised me when running around. Maybe a warning from which direction they are heading?

I definitely agree. I saw this with more playtesting but did not have time to double back and change that. Thanks for your feedback!