Thank you! Yeah I definitely feel like balance could be better, whether that be rooms or different mechanics and enemies. When I come back to this idea I want to smooth out those inconsistencies and also make the difficulty curve more consistent, and introduce it slowly (which is hard to do with randomized rooms hahaha)
That's a good idea! I'd like to expand the game and make more levels, building them was really fun, and being able to analyze the situation and make a plan would be really good for gameflow, and would allow more interesting setups!
I'm glad you liked getting to experience all the different combinations and going through it multiple times! In retrospect, the spikes were absolutely mishandled and are far too punishing. Especially because the rest of the game is fairly forgiving and lighthearted. I thought about it a little early on but as the jam progressed I just accepted the way they were, and should have thought it over again when I was wrapping everything up.
Thank you for taking the time to play through it! I actually put in buttons to mute the SFX and music, as I got a similar comment on another jam entry a while back. They are the speaker and music icons on the main menu, but it seems I should have drawn more attention to them! Also having a pause menu in game where those are available would be good, and optimally more options than just on and off.
I was torn on how to handle the spikes, and ended up going with them as an instakill in the same way the pits in a Mario game are. Your suggestion of having them do damage and reset the player to the start of the room is something I did not consider, and a solution I really like. I have plans for turning this into a full game, and I would definitely make them work like that.
As for the enemies, it's an unfortunate quirk of the very rudimentary way I implemented the enemies. With more time, I know exactly what I need to do to fix it, and I'd add more dynamic options and nuance to the enemies as a whole, especially the bosses. There was a lot I wanted to add, and I was okay with kind of dumb enemies so I could dedicate the energy elsewhere, but in a full version their behavior wouldn't hold up. I think that would address the crouch partially as well, more enemy behaviors that challenge different mechanics. And also more dynamic map elements that don't allow you to just sit still hahaha. The big lesson I got from this jam was that enemies take a lot of work to get right, and it's ambitious to put them in a jam game.
I'm very glad you enjoyed the game and liked the designs of everything! I'm happy with how things turned out given the time and my limited skill with sprite and animations. There's a lot I can improve on, but this felt like a breakthrough point for me in that regard! When I end up expanding on this, I plan to add more of the stuff that worked! More enemies, more pickups, and other things that interact with those and enhance the experience. I appreciate the critiques, they are very insightful and I plan to consider all of them when making a follow up to this game, as well as other future projects. You'll definitely be seeing more from me!
I played it again and that really does smooth out the feel a lot! Having it only push you when you're in the air is a really nice way to balance it with its usability for putting out the fires!
I really love the vibe of this game, I'm glad someone else went the action movie hero route! It reminds me of a lot of the games and movies that inspired my entry, though your art and game feel is way better than mine. The amount of energy put into polish is immediately evident, from the screen shake to the explosion effects and hit flashes. It's a little easy to just sit in a corner and keep firing without ever taking damage, some more options for player actions and some more obstacles to deal with could probably improve that element. But what is there feels very smooth and is very enjoyable, and the feedback from the game is very satisfying. I think you could take the core player mechanics and style, and turn it into a really fun full-length game.
I like the concept of this game a lot. The balance of dealing damage and being in a position where you're defenseless and have to hunt down the arrow (which I wasn't able to pickup at one point, unfortunately) is really engaging and creates the right amount of tension for a battle with a big enemy. I think there are a few things that could use some tweaks, mainly movement and controls. You can survive infinitely by constantly moving in one direction, which isn't completely bad, but I think it could be a little more engaging. While it's probably outside the scope of a jam, adding attacks that either come out faster or track slightly, plus some sort of dodge option for the player (which you could limit via stamina, cooldown, etc.) could make a future version of this feel even better! I also think having the controls for aim and fire on the mouse is unnecessary, as the aiming is static. It could be accomplished even more comfortably on the keyboard, and would avoid having to reach across the keyboard with the left hand to operate the arrow keys while the right hand is on the mouse. All that in mind, it's a really cool entry! The art style and music is super charming, and the sense of scale is captured very well. I'd love to play a more fleshed out version of this boss fight in a full game using this style!
This is a fantastic entry. The core concept is really cool, the style is charming, and it's really fun to play. Something that really impressed me was the natural way the mechanics are introduced. Having the first phase setup the way it is allows the player to practice and get comfortable before moving onto the more challenging game play. Adding green orbs on the third wave was also perfectly time and adds more complexity to the gameplay loop in a very satisfying way. I like that the game provides options, you can slash the small orbs or simply dodge them, which I chose to do more often than not as trying to break them often led to me getting hit. I think the hit boxes are a little off in some areas, I miss some orbs I think I should hit, and get hit by things that I think should miss, but it's only by a minor degree. With a little tweaking the whole thing would feel incredibly smooth. The theme and limitation are wrapped into it all very well, and I think you could do a lot with this!
I really like the concept of the game, and I think the two item limitation is conceptualized and met pretty well. I can absolutely see what you're going for with the game, skill based is a ton of fun, but I think this one could use some tweaks. The basic movement is a little slippery and too hard to control at times, which makes the enhanced mobility options tougher to use. I think it would need a bit of fiddling to get right, but I know it would turn into a really awesome system if given the proper care. As mentioned by others, more instructions would be helpful. I could just have failed to achieve it, but it seems that clearing that first tall wall requires a lot of momentum built up, so putting the instructions right at the wall requires you to go up to it, interpret the sign, go back a bit, and then attempt the jump. I think putting it earlier, possibly at the beginning of the stretch leading up to it, would communicate what to do a bit more clearly, and if a player misses it and has to come back still, it's on them for running past it. That's just one minute nitpick though. Overall, I think if you like the core concept and want to dive into this style of movement even more, you should. I think any game going for this type of movement would feel pretty similar after just three days, so give it the time it needs and you'll have something awesome!
This is a great entry! I'm really glad someone went down the sandwich route with the Hero theme, and it reflects in the gameplay super well! The input can be a little tricky given the limited area to drop ingredients from, but that might just be my unfamiliarity with this type of game and it's unique type of difficulty. All in all it's a really cool little game, and I see a lot of potential in it were you to expand it!
This is really cool concept! I had the same idea of picking up two items and using those, but I think you executed on the idea better than I did. The enemies are a bit difficult at first, if they push you into a wall or corner, there's not much you can do. However, once I got the hang of it, it was really fun! Dual wielding swords was super cool, and the boomerang felt amazing. It's very satisfying to use. I would love to see a full version of something like this, I'd be a full time boomerang main.
Fun concept and cool little bite sized experience! Only issue I have is that I think the ending sequence is a bit confusing. It shows you the options and what you get for them, but they are inverted. The key for destroying a location is accompanied by the text for saving it, so I made the wrong choice the first time. I think I see what the intention was, having the description match the location on the map, but for a first time experience I was confused at the outcome. However, with a little more clarity I think that would be a really cool moment in a game!
I like the concept, however I find the hose can be a little finnicky. It doesn't seem super obvious what is being extinguished and by how much, but also it launching you can interfere with putting out the flames. Having both is really cool, with more time I think they would fit better as separate actions. All that in mind, I think there's solid bones for a game here, and a little work could turn this into something really fun.
This is really cool! I like the idea a lot and think it could be expanded into a full game really easy! Like someone else said, making out the hazards can be a little difficult. That said, the art style is amazing! The look is super cohesive and captures the vibe of a rainy day really well. Also love taking the idea of a mundane suburban hero and making it fun and thrilling!
Thank you! that was actually something I really liked about the idea, giving the player some control of the rng. I knew if it was pure randomness there wouldn't really bea game, and the system ended up working itself out from there! It's fun trying to strategize with the given options.
Thank you! yeah, I completely get that. I actually learned today you can move those dice in the tutorial, I forgot to disable the scripts! whoops! But I think with more time, this game would benefit more form a step-by-step tutorial that walks you through a turn.
Really interesting submission! the style is super charming and enjoyable, and each minigame is quick and fun! The pacing of it all feels nice, I really enjoy it!
This is a really nice experience! I really appreciate how well the game takes a simple aesthetic and capitalizes on it. Everything has a unique shape and the color pallet is used incredibly well! It's very creative, and the gameplay is as well! The timer adds for a nice limitation that provides challenge to it all. Navigating the box to try and reroll and catch the dice is a nice way to add more involvement to a turn based combat system!
This is really interesting! The use of dice is really fun, and the overall style and flow of combat is fun and engaging! Definitely something I could see myself enjoying for a long time!
Thank you! That idea came to me early and I was very excited to explore it! I like providing the player with some amount of control, and I think it makes for a fun twist on the traditional format!
Quite an interesting idea! 2D platformers are a classic, so the controls are intuitive. The dice abilities are interesting and are a concept that I think could be amazing when fleshed out. As you mentioned in other comments, a way to change them besides just hitting reroll might add more depth. Maybe there's things on the map that reroll? I'm not sure, but I think this is quite a cool concept! And I enjoy the style of it all.
Thank you! Yeah, I spent a lot of time trying to think of how to explain the mechanics in a concise way, and came to the best result I could, but think it's still a little lacking. It's hard to explain without going into a lot of detail. A tutorial level that runs you through the choices in real time would probably be the optimal solution, honestly.
I love the presentation of the game! The assets have a great visual style, and the music and sound fit perfectly! The concept for the gameplay is interesting and really fun, though I can't quite keep up sometimes.
Very fun gameplay and incredible presentation! The art is very stylish, the game feels smooth and polished, and the core mechanics are creative and fun to interact with!
This is a great submission! Not only does it fit the theme perfectly, but it takes the simple mechanic of rolling dice and builds a very fun gameplay loop around it. Definitely scratches the same kind of itch that idle games do, but with more thinking! The visuals are very stylish, and everything feels great to control as well
Really enjoyed this game! At first I wasn't sure exactly what to do, but when I cleared my first tiles I realized it has elements of both sudoku and tetris and it all clicked from there! The dice are worked into the game exceptionally well, and it is incredibly polished! The combination of features feels natural and makes for a nice gameplay loop!
Very glad you enjoyed! The dragon is definitely one of the stronger creatures! And can't go wrong with the MIDI rock, definitely a fun vibe. And makes it easier when I only have to record guitars and can program the rest!
Fantastic presentation! The art is incredibly stylish, and the overall polish and game feel is through the roof. The gameplay loop was a little confusing at first, but the visualizations for each action you can take helps immensely and really bring the whole experience together.
The polish and game feel here is incredible. The core mechanic of the game is incredibly simple, and manages to be engaging due to the quality of all of the sound, animation, etc. Everything is so smooth and intricate, and it makes a basic gameplay loop incredibly fun to interact with. If I could give a sixth star for presentation, I would.
I loved this entry! Probably my favorite one. The visual style is amazing, the mechanics are simple but dynamic enough to be engaging, and everything is polished and flows smoothly.
A great project! While a little confusing at first, it feels incredible once you figure it out. The style is incredible, and contributes to an awesome game feel! Reminds me of the minigames in some of the earlier FNAF games!
