itch.io

First of all, thanks for being open and looking for ways to improve the system.

Second, this are my suggestions, I’ve been discussing these quite a lot in the GMTK Discord.

The host should pick a % of number of ratings, the games below that % should get a proportionally lower score based on that % but not affect those above it (Basically the system as it is now but without boosting people whose games are popular so that everyone is on even footing instead of being a popularity contest and giving the host the power to set that % because the median is not enough for larger Jams.)

There should be a way to browse games the top rated games without ranking them, so they cant be targeted easily Like showing the 10% most rated games but sorted in random order. (This makes good games float up without putting a target on people who are really popular.)

Don’t show others the ratings and comments your game has. (This makes bombing someone that has lots of ratings harder and it gets rid of the popularity bias that makes people be more critical towards those games.)

Only people who submitted a game can rate and only after leaving a comment. (This puts the focus on giving good feedback and fair ratings, getting rid of friends and family voters that boost games.)

Those are my thoughts, I'll add more if I can come up with other suggestions.

A game where you fight entrophy, i very much like it, you really get into playing the swarm and each decision has its cost.

The enemies are well thought out, the small turrets makes the clock tick so that stalling is not an option, the shield prevents rushing and the cannons are the bane of inattentive players. The nature of the game means that Lancheste's law is more prevalent than in any other, kill many enemies at the start and the run is a piece of cake, mess up the beggining and time will erase your fleet; a fix could be regeneration from both sides, gaining ships with time and turrets growing on unnocupied places, making the player adapt on the fly, avoid focusing one side and making the end-game challenging as well.

The controls could be faster, the slowness of the cursor means that sometimes you have to waste a lot of time just getting where you need to be and others getting your ships killed because you wont ever be able to get there. But speed aside the game is fair, you need to make calculated decisions of when and where to shoot, there is no way to brute force your way to a win.

Theme, is any RTS a good thematic entry for this jam? After all they always have a Only one commander, you have Only one boss to fight but it never feels like it, the focus is always on the swarm not the cursor, the focus is on the specific enemies, not on the boss as a whole. So it technicallly fits the theme but not in spirit.

Originality, this game is truly original, the mechanics, the controls and the fantasy it delivers is not only unique but excellent.

I loved this game, i dont think is the most fitting for the jam but nonetheless is a great entry. Please make a tutorial to get confortable at first, create more content (levels, enemies,etc) and launch this game, a mobile version would sell for sure.

First of all, delightful art assets, from sprites to music this game is a audiovisual treatand i cant stress it enough. Now that thats out of the way lets focus on what should be evaluated for this Jam.

The core gameloop is great, hoping from side to side killing enemies feels responsive and snappy while lining up your shots take skills; other stuff takes more than skill, dodging is heavily reliant on luck, the more enemies in the screen the lesser space to navigate and given that most of the time you have to jump because of a hazard is coming or not jump because an enemy is in the way you cant dodge, making for unfair difficulty, not hard dificulty, unfair. 

My fix, I would make the ninja jump towards the mouse, if you want to keep the hold mechanic make the ninja go faster the longer its been hold, that would keep game challenging whilst getting rid of the unfair parts.

That problem aside the game plays like a fiddle, no bugs or quirky behaviour, great feel design with subtle screenshake and flashes and lastly each enemy telegraph in a clear manner.

Theme, only one button and the game wouldnt be the same without it.

Originality, japanese themed walljumping platformer shooter, you bet.

I hope they make a mobile version of it because it would fit the platform well, an almost perfect game this jam deserving of praise.

Im still on the fence about controlling it with the mouse, the feedback is loud and clear and they are hated, in their current form they are too hard to use and the difficulty wall at the start of the game is immense. But in my opinion with some modifications and a proper learning curve (plan on doing levels) the controls could be fun and challenging. My issue with WASD controls is that it boils too much of its difficulty and in order to balance you have to throw more enemies at the player, i will test a lot with mouse __and__ with WASD and see if people think mouse is more bearable, but that will come after loads of testing. (Also WASD is done to death in top down shooters, i want to come up with alternatives)

the sides and corners were intentional, quickly into playtesting i realized that hiding in a corner made the game exploitable, you could sit in a corner, kill, grab gun and go back to hiding, i tried to push the player into the middle of the arena although i failed telegraphing that.

Im glad you liked it, i really drop the ball on testing it and the difficulty is 11^2, but that will change.

Fun puzzle game, making the game about shooting and not only driving your clones into hazards means that one has to consider not only murdering your fellow selves but not gettign caught in the chaos; more than once the impulse of blowing someones head off came around to nip me in the butt.

I dont have much to criticize, the game is compelling but i think it lacks ambition, the main mechanic is great, the level design tight but in a paint by numbers way, everything found in the level has a straightforward purpose when the premise and comedic tone sold the game as something wacky. 

In my opinion some spectacle would elevate the game from good to great; a level where every asset is a mirror and the bullet ricochets a million times before reaching the target; one where everyone is separated by walls activated by buttons and you have to cycle through swithing them to murder them all; a more vertical level where the trick is moving through it by falling knowing that each time you descend you wont be able to go back up again. Themed levels in which a thing outside the norm happens is what makes the level and game more memorable.

Theme, kill everyone and be the only one standing, it does what it promises and delivers on the goods.

Originality, puzzle games revolving clones are common but they fall into the "walk your clone into hazards" so much that when a game like this twists it by making your clones handle a gun pointing at your face it makes for fresh gameplay, good the game distanced itself from conventions.

I think this game is a sandwitch with a pair of gourmet spongy warm bread with sesame seeds on top and its chooses a bit of ham and cheese as its fillings, its delicious and i would it all over again, but those dreamy buns make me think this dish could be so much more... hell i need to stop writting reviews when im hungry.

The simplistic artstyle and cover betrays how good this game is. The controls are floaty sure, they could use a notch up on gravity but the platforming is solid, the wall jump specially and the platform placing mixed with the slow mo.

The level design is king in this game, its simple but elegant in implementation; at all times you know what to do its just a matter of doing it and the mix and match of different well implemented elements of the level. The variety found in this game means that you go from situation from situation completely engaged and wondering whats coming next.

Theme, as mentioned it does the only one platform and its front and center in every situation.

Originality, the one platform thing has been done a lot but not in this way and for sure not this well implemented.

A good surprise and a cautionary tale about not judging a game by its cover.

Good mechanic, good level design and good execution of ideas, what can be said negatively about this game? Only tiny things that are obvious to the devs, there is a tutorial that comes after the mechanic is implemented and the portals not signaling where they go, but they already know that.

A thing that would benefit the game is a marker showing where the cube will fall before i release my key, many runs end because i go a spot over or under my target, i dont think the arrows are help enough, it should be clearer. 

The level design is excellent as previously discussed but some levels make use of a lot of moving enemies that makes the level more like chaos theory with the solution is just brute forcing your way with different tries instead of thinking about it, i think restricting it to 1 or 2 and complementing with a static enemy would make for more engaging levels (maybe even one that teleports between two places or one that turns on and off like a gate, just throwing that out there.)

Theme, you can only move in each direction once unless you get a hourglass, it fits and the entirety of the game is based on that.

Originality, not a crazy concept, there are plenty of puzzle and platform games where you can only move in one direction but havent seen being it done with all four.

Final thoughts, i went deep on what little nuggets i would change because i love this game, it might not be exciting or the most fun but is engaging and compelling, if they add more levels, keep building on it and create a mobile version i can see tons of people glued to the screen for just one more level. I know i would get lost in it while on the toilet and dont lie, you would too.

A game with a nice gameplay loop, parrying and retaliating is rewarding and puts your mind on focus. The ninjas, they are well telegraphed and require knowing their timingin order to defeat, the only fault here is that they can dash from outside of view and net you a hit. The arrows, oh the arrows, how much i hate them, they come out of nowhere at a lighting speed and the timing tends to synchronize with the attack of the other enemies which means you have to dodge instead of parrying and as such loose the tempo of it and now you have to deal with 2 ninjas and the fast arrow that is peaking around the corner, after the game spawns 3 arrows the game becomes impossible.

Theme, the one slash is coupled with the parry creating a nice cycle of parry-attack-parry-attack, not only is the theme implemented but its really solid.

Originality, similar to the one shot kind of game but the necesity to parry and relentlesness of the enemies puts the player into a more aggresive mindset.

Great game to spend some time with, go play another thing and then get hooked back again to play some more. (But seriously fix those arrows.)

Oh yeah, the difficulty is way harder than it should and i think the controls are percieved badly because there is no room to breath so i will surely get on fixing that. I find it strange that you had collision issues, havent heard of problems like that but i will playtest to see if it comes up.

A strange game, not polished but thats what the jam is about, weird ideas that in this case took the form of a game where you can only rotate a complete circle (2π). The controls are wonky and you can jump when you hit the ground to jump higher for some reason, but the rotation isimplemented fine.

You get only one complete rotation and you are done, and its core to the game.

Originality, very original, Jams are meant to celebrate the weird concepts creators come up with and this is weird from every angle and thats good. Keep working on it, its far from completed but the game is on a good track and with more iterations you can make a version of this game that is as original as solid.

Simple and cute with good ideas, the tail interacting with buttons is clever and the stairs are genius. The level design is well thought out (Most of the times, that ladder and two blocks level is more art than science) and carriest out the game by itself.

Theme, the only jump is implemented but diluted in a sea of other interesting mechanics.

Originality, the only jump has been done a lot even more in puzzle games so that has no originality, but what is unique is the rest of the mechanics mentioned earlier which scores some well deserved originality points.

The devs knows what they are doing, the animations are clean and the design is solid, each mechanic feels great and the controls are tight, the only nuisance might be the X traps that can spawn directly beneath you and the weird recovery time you get after getting hit, other than that its amazing. 

Theme, there is only one boss and that one changes and has more powers. But wait, isnt that just a boss rush game where you just dont have to go to the next room? You might ask. Yes. Yes it is.

Originality, the spin on the theme is original, but its a bit meaningless, its not different than a boss with several stages at the end of any other top down shooter.

Final thoughts: I may sound harsh at the end, but let me say this, its one of the best games in the jam, it plays well it handles excellent and its super fun. It would be a top game in any jam and thats the point, it doesnt speak to this one specifically.

The movement is fast and snappy, the controls are responsive and the goal is clear in every level. Most of the time you have to juggle items and its more about throwing stuff correctly than platforming or puzzle solving, not something im fond of to be honest and even though i didnt die i failed a lot of the times because the jump boots where key most of the time and loosing them means being stuck. I would try to re-do the level design in order to not rely so much on the boots and focus on puzzles or platforming.

Theme, you only have one item equipped at all times although throwing them over and over is the same as having them all but only more cumbersome, it stills fits the theme but in my opinion it hurts the game.

Originality, the one slot has been done quite a lot but the power ups are original and the level design is built around them.

Oh thats right, i skimmed by the fact that you move as one, ill update the rating now because the theme is there and i was just being dumb.

Good game with even better visuals, but thats not what im here for so lets talk mechanics. The use eof light and shadows is great, the level plays with the players paranoia of being unsure what is solid ground; many times this errs on the side of bad level design (like telling you to take a leap of faith and getting spikes) but most often there are marks or enemies to show you where to step. 

Onto enemies, i started loving them, showing their eyes in the dark is a good merge of visuals informing design, but as time passed i starting detesting them, the hitbox are really bad, many times i get killed if im not perfectly in the center of the enemy and in a long level it makes it unfair.

 Onto the level now, this has me split, long levels, no checkpoints and instadeath are usually a recipe for disaster and adding leaps of faith that get you killed to the mix it made me rage more than once, on the other side of the coin it makes good use of the mechanics and tricks the players expectations in good ways, knowing that youll have to go back with little to no light is fun.

Theme, it does the one light at a time thing.

Originality, the one light at a time is done a lot, even more frequent in 2d platformers but being also switches is interesting and the innovation comes on the tight level design.

Creative, innovative platformer, the only double jump in light is neat but the green light takes the cake; mechanics wise the game is ingenious, level wise not so much, the scenes are too long with no checkpoints and with long transitions between deaths and even longer dialogues, check out games like Super Meat Boy that put you back in the game the second you die. Those blinking lights killed me most of the times, there is no feedback signaling when they will turn off and each jump is a gamble. Those little nuisanses aside the game is amazing and i recommend everyone to give it a try if you are into creative platformers.

Theme, in several forms, only one light, only one wall jump, only one double jump and only in the light.

Originality, the "only one light" concept has been thrown in several games but this iteration is unique in execution.

Oh dont worry, it was more of a joke! I hope to see more from you and having the difficulty turned up to 11 is something im also to blame and a common problem in Jams. Keep at it!

I have several negative things to say about the game, the balance is non-existant, there is no direction and the controls are rage inducing. On the positive, the game is unique, with better controls and balance it has potential. I see it as an attempt to do an ambicious game with not enough time. Keep going at it, there is something good that can be found inside this game but its not being shown here.

Theme, sorry, i dont really see it.

Originality, what i mentionend earlier, there is a nugget of gold hidden inside the game, its truly original and it can become a great game, as Mark would say this has potench and its unique. Dont be discouraged and pursue this concept with a better aproach.

The box moving games have been done since games started being a thing, but being able to move a box only once changes the mindset you have to have when confronting the puzzles. Blocks moving also in one direction are a nice adittion that gives diversity although the level designer should be careful because sometimes they give away the solution quickly.

Theme, only one movement per box, some boxes move only in one direction, fitting.

Originality, it doesnt stray much from the genre but the twist on the mechanics brings life to it and a breath of fresh air.

A bit simplistic, gets repetitive fast, the shielding face is well implemented but i dont find a difference between smashing the space bar or choosing a spot when attacking, the time frame is really narrow. Wouldnt say keep working on it because i dont see much potential in the game, but i see potential in the dev, so i say keep on working on games.

Theme, it fits, you only have one shared hp bar and boxers play one turn at a time.

Originality, this is where it shines, implementing the theme in the UI is very creative and it shows that the dev was really thinking.

Fun concept, getting your buddies together and sacrificing them for your benefit as compelling as disturbing. Its a shame the game was so short, because the mechanics where there.

Theme, pretty weak, only one sprite is only aesthetic and you can do that with almost any game. It scores points for having multiple characters controlled by only one control.

Originality, it has some originality in concept its a bullet proof vest collectathon.

Fun game, a bit bland at the start but tutorials tend to be so, when targets start moving and scenes get complex the game shines. Im not a fan of being able to see the whole trajectory a bullet will take in this kind of games but this one requires timing as well so its needed and welcomed. For a Jam game it has a good size of levels and mechanics, i wonder how far you could push this concept and would like to see more of this.

Theme, only one target, only one shot, it sticks to the theme.

Originality, the weakest part of the game, there are many games about only one shot and one target, the concept of ricochet is good but not super original, if you change the assets around this is a pool trick shot game.

So much fun to be had with this game, its strangely well polished with smooth animations and mechanics. Each power has its use although the single shot is way better, the waves spawn in a fair order (Except those cannons, they just kept comming) and mixed with the different units you have a game loop that makes you pay attention and prioritize targets every second, a nice gem of a game to be found in this jam. (Although i hate the king, that guy i couldnt for the love of god murder)

Theme, you got one tower and that defines the whole game, a tower defense with only a hero to defend tends to be common but there is no such shenannigans in this game, you truly are an immobile tower.

Originality, tower defense with only one tower has been already done, but its the best one at it.

The core mechanic has great potential, its versatile and fun to use. The game is pretty buggy, more direct control over the yo-yo would make this so much better and some tighter collisions are needed urgently. The level design is not too bad, once you get the hand on the controls they flow pretty well without being too easy.

Theme, you only have a Yo-yo, im on the fence about this, on one side it fits the theme, on the other is like saying "we only have one mechanic" and call it a day theme wise.

Originality in spades, the game shows untammed creativity, if the devs hone their skills more they could get pretty far making games and i hope to see more from them.

This game is cute jumping on slimes feels great, the mechanic of stopping and changing your abilities on the fly is also great so the core gameplay is good.  Where i want to strangle the dev is on the level design, too many of the sections require perfect timing and if you mess up once is back to start. Try making jumps and hitboxes more forgiving and make the time between failure and a new run as quick as posible so that we can try again.

Theme, it fits you can only use your abilities once and you can sometimes refill your use of abilities with coins.

Originality, 2D platformer with only jumping once or dashing once is pretty cliche, it scores points on freezing time and making it more about the puzzle but its as far as it goes.

Good concept, get very tricky very fast, the hologram gets a bit capricious at times bit the mechanic is fresh. The barrier for entry is quite high, its really confusing and requires a lot of assumptions, if your game  is complex a tutorial is a must.

Theme, there is only one box and you have to find a way to take it to multiple places, fits pretty well and the game is built around it.

Originality, using clones of yourselves in a puzzle game tends to be a gimmick but this game took it and did a whole game about it so that gives it extra points.

Good game, there are loads of ways that a level can be finished which makes a bit too easy, would love to see more complex and tricky scenarios but i understand the restrictions of time. I dont think there is much to say, the kill your clones concept has been done a lot but in this puzzle the twist is good although predictable, the game is not crazy but it is solid.

Theme, it does the kill your clones thing and it fits but what it brings to the table is your blue teleporting companion cube, that makes it way easier but also opens up the field for crazy level design.

Originality, not much to say here that wasnt said in theme, it fits the theme but is not keen on innovation. Not a cliche either.

What a unique concept, at first sight i thought it was just a platformer with a single sprite but i was delightfully wrong. The mechanic of adding and substracting parts and them interacting with your total mass for different jump heights is filled with possibilities and requiring a specific shape for the end makes level design managable. 

My only grope with this game would be aesthetics, get some cool style and oh god please throw that chromatic aberration shader to the river and have a viking funeral for it.

Theme,  the only one sprite is cliche and detrimental but being "one with the world" is what really sells the adherence to the theme.

Originality, in spades, a great original concept in a sea of 2D platformers, a breath of fresh air.

Papa Bear to Command, the task is over.

Command to Papa Bear, you're done, come home like a champ.

Delightful game, my tweaks would be to make the player run faster, a bigger mouse cursor (interacting with objects in your blue radius would be even better with only pressing instead of pointing) and a smother camera, but this is a good representation of Hitman in 2D, expanding on content with more possibilities and some red herrings would be nice but thats beyond the scope of a Jam.

Adherence to the theme, i think this is the weakest link of the game, the only one bullet thing doesnt come up until the end of the run and the gameplay is not really centered around the Only one topic.

Originality, its not totally an original concept but its execution in a Jam  is.

The only consistent thing about Unity physics is that you can be sure they will be shagged lol, thank you for your sacrifice noble soul! We salute you!

Small but cute game, the animations are clean and charming, those alone keep you engaged for a while. As per mechanics there is not much to it, you charge your shot aim and fire then circle your way back to getting it. Once you play a bit it gets really easy: circle around ignoring fire, line up your shot, throw spear and repeat.

Adherence to the theme, it sure does, it sticks to only one spear and that baby is your only companion.

Originality, not a rare concept i was hoping for a twist that never came but had fun with it nonetheless.

Fun little time killer, it takes what its most fun from games like Golf with friends (Infuriatingly messing with your perfectly line shot) and transfers it to the best single player experience of that concept. Would try to polish and add more level, some mobile controls and you could make some real money with this one, seems like the perfect game for that platform.

Theme, there is only one hole and the game is built around it so it checks the mark.

No a wild idea, its basically a golf game which records your every move (For sure not easy to code) and makes you hate yourself for taking so long to get the ball in the right place, overall scores originality points for the twist buts is not fully original.

As i said i want more of this in a mobile platform, as for fixing please make it more consistant (Although Unity tends to fuck up its physics) and change some of the layout (I have some strongly worded opinions for the one that has no floor and a diagonal platform)

11111111111111111111

Ok, 1s aside, the game is quite compelling, super simple mechanic but engaging. The game really clicked for me once i thought of it as a rythm game, then i started fucking acing it with scores of 10-11 words, i didnt realized the game was over but i just kept replaying the last stage.

Sticks to the theme very nicely, and the mechanic is built from the ground up around it.

Super original, a crazy concept and nonetheless one that works smoothly.

Off the bat the art is delightful, good sprites and some lovely animations, that said the mechacis are original but full of "moon logic" you have to play the game knowing what the game wants you to do so it takes many deaths to get anywhere, i stopped playing after i was doing the forest and my screen froze at a screen unable to move or perform any input.

Theme wise, it fits, there are little times where the "only one" line gets dropped but not a major mechanic.

Originality, definitely but in a way that hurts the game a bit, but better to aim for the skies. The game showcasts the dev passion and creativity, hope he iron outs the design of the game and i will be playing other games from it in the future.

The definition of a zen game, lay back wait and be precise, enjoy the lovely music as you wait for those pig to align and swoosh, bacon served. Not a game for vegetarians but surely a game for me.

Mechanics wise other things to do would be nice but i think most of the time budget was spent on the nice models and tought to achive perfect slicing of the animals which is nothing to scoff to, the hard work shows.

Theme, one slice is all you get and perfection costs, it works to its detriment sometimes resetting the whole game before you can now the pattern of the animals so it gets easier the more you play.

Originality, very original there is not a game even close to this concept and delivers on what it promises for sure.

My god this game is tough, but let me tell you, this game hurts you because it loves you. The art is simple but gets the job done, the weapons are not much balanced and they sometimes glitch but now that  those flaws are said this game is one of the best of the Jam.

Some may be caught in flashy graphics or crazy concepts but this game will rock your world, the controls are tight, movement is fair and split second decisions are king, you wont find a game that tests your skills like this one (truly testing them, not with artificial difficulty)

Theme is fitting, you can have only one weapon equipped, mine being the bow 70% of the time.

Originality, not a crazy wild content but truly original on execution and tone.

What a hilarious game, the dialogue was spot on, it cleverly closes branching dialogues when it needs but leaves enough opennes to feel like Nancy, i found a bug when talking with the coworker and the game just stood there still. I'll be like Nancy and tell it like it is, the game was funny and deserves to be played if you are into comedy, when a dev has fun making a game it shows and this looks like they had a blast.

On theme is spot on, you only have the ability to say no but that opens up a lot of possibilites in-game.

Originality, a fun visual novel with good comedy and dialogues is not something you usually see at a Jam.

(Spoilers) In the end, i chose Nancy to be a rebel by telling it like it is and confronting authorities with a fork and knife, totally mental.

Mesmerizing game, this game shows the potential of having a team working together, the art is breath taking, the code working like a swiss clock and the game design solid. My biggest gripe might be that there isnt much left to do, the atmosphere carries the tension for the first bit but once you realize there is no real danger you just run around trying stuff. 

The story was good although not being a native english speaker hurts the game with some weird phrasing. What i would wish for is more game mechanics, but not every game is heavy on that and it might be not the game for me after all.

On theme it sticks to Only one lightbulb and delivers on that fine.

On originality i've seen many spooky Unity games because of the easy light manipulation, that said this one has by far the best atmosphere hands down would love to see more from this dev.