itch.io

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Antonio

• Took a bit to figure out tapping on the monsters is how to attack them
• Would be interested in knowing other features and ideas
• Would be ideal if there was a way to consistently strategize around damaging multiple enemies
  • Example - since the elemental attack used is lightning, when the player clicks on an enemy, the game raycasts from the position the player touched to the top of the screen, and damages all enemies within a certain distance from that ray - see picture below

Finn

• I couldn’t figure out how to attack things. Curious to see how the mechanics work, it looks intriguing. 

Duncan

• Interesting concept although the gameplay is unclear and the movements jerky. It’s unclear how to score points or destroy the enemies. 
• Clear instructions or intuitive controls can help the player learn how to play the game. Pacing the difficulty can also help the player get a hang of the game before encountering so many enemies.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Antonio

• Fun premise! 
• Amazing job for a solo dev in just two days!
• Tracing a shape is often not the fastest/most efficient way to fill in one, especially when they’re moving - see picture below

• Recorded better results when using the mouse or stylus to scribble in small circles around the letters rather than trace them
  • If you want players to draw the letters specifically, could consider implementing a check that blocks activated in a certain order
• Letters in general are hard to trace as moving targets, and makes the shape inherently unintuitive. For variance, consider stationary targets that vary in shape, size, and positioning on the screen.  The circles and crossed out circles are a good start
• At some point the chickens seem like they spawn in faster than the letters spawn.  This could be resolved by spawning in more than one letter at a time - this doesn't change core gameplay but rewards faster players while not punishing slower ones.

Finn

• I couldn’t figure out how to play it, but the wand mechanic idea seems interesting!

Duncan

• Simplistic idea although makes gameplay boring. The game could use some balance regarding how quickly the chickens move vs how fast the player can destroy them. It seems to me when you change the color of the blocks far from the player you do not get any powerups to destroy the chickens which could lead to confusion and frustration from players.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Antonio

• Shows promise, was immediately intrigued by the premise
• Wish there was more to play!
• I'm a fan of the art style!
• Wish I could interact with the objects in the playspace
• Background should be darker and desaturated a bit to help the foreground stand out a bit more

Finn

• Really loved how atmospheric it is. Great art and audio style

Duncan

• The game is slightly enjoyable although it feels too easy. The character is able to move back and forth too much in mid-air allowing for easy recovery. The background graphics could be clear in guiding the player on where to move and where not to move. Some obstacles/powerups are unclear as to how they affect the character.
• With some tweaking on the controls and clear objectives, obstacles/powerups, and better background graphics the game has the potential to be fun.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Antonio

• Fun premise
• The most fun from these type of puzzle games tends to be from figuring out creative solutions, so designing more puzzle-like levels may keep players engaged for longer
• Potions with different powers are a great idea - definitely a mechanic that can be pushed further and become core to the gameplay
  •  Figuring out when and in what situation it's best to use a particular potion
  • Zombies weak to particular potions, or immune to others (if you want to be a little mean)
  • Potions can be combined or used one after another for bonus effects
    • Example - flammable potion could hit a zombie and leave liquid on the ground, and throwing a fire potion on top of it could cause the entire area to go up in flames
• Clicking the X icon at the level start screen softlocks game at loading screen

Finn

• Really fun simple mechanic. Art worked well to build atmosphere but simple enough to not overtake the gameplay.

Duncan

• The concept is not very original similar to Angry Birds which is fine, but the execution could have been better. For instance, the control could be clearer regarding how to aim and the player does not feel any urgency or threat since the playable character is stationary and not affected by the zombies. I do not understand the life bar above the zombies because a single hit kills the zombie. The visuals are okay, I like the background and also how the zombies collapse when hit. 
• The game has potential if pushed further, e.g., the introduction of moving platforms and perhaps the zombies could also throw poisonous projectiles at the player to introduce some level of threat. Also, it is probably better to allow the player to aim by dragging a finger anywhere on the screen not only close to the playable character.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Antonio

• Overall great game jam entry - with such short dev time it's always smart to focus on one or two core mechanics and invite the player to explore them in interesting ways
• What is your target audience when designing this game? For skill based platformers like this, there are usually a few distinct groups of people.  Ideally this game, with enough time can target all three.
  • Casual players who will generally like the genre, who'll likely churn out partway through unless there are incentives to keep them going
  • Completionists who'll like to finish all puzzles or collect all objects
  • Hardcore audience who'll look to optimize puzzle solutions through a combination of speed and advanced techniques
• Clocking the buttons disabled kbm controls]
• Consider having one element of the background that does not parallax - that way for tricky puzzles skilled players can use part of the background as a reference point for harder jumps and techniques (ex. Puzzle 29)
• Great job gradually introducing players to mechanics and techniques
• Double jumping was introduced too late!
• Monsters were introduced too late!
• Monsters artistically feel a bit out of place compared to rest of art, a creature made with simple shapes that's colored different would suffice
• Puzzle 13 - on the part where the player slides down and has to drop onto the moving platform, small important change would be to pan the camera or lower the hang point so the player can see where the platform is and can drop accordingly.  For a greater test of skill, the camera can stay where it is but there can be some other visual indicator on that part of the screen to allow them to time their drop correctly.
• Puzzle 28 - hit a space where I respawned back at Puzzle 1
• Puzzle 30 - checkpoint does not work, player respawns at P29
• Puzzle 31
  • Zipline object does not render,
  • The puzzle seems to be to ride the zipline and jump to dodge the flies - is this the intent? Currently the best way to beat this puzzle is to memorize when to jump in order to dodge flies preemptively
  • Checkpoint does not work, player respawns at P4
• Puzzle 32
  • Checkpoint does not work, player respawns at P5
  • Same note as P31 - The puzzle seems to be to ride the zipline and jump to dodge the flies - is this the intent? Currently the best way to beat this puzzle is to memorize when to jump in order to dodge flies preemptively
• To end the experience, a simple fade out with text that takes players back to the main menu would be very satisfying - Players who stick with your game through all 32 levels would appreciate a “You Did It!” toast

Finn

• Loved the parallax background art, controls felt good

Duncan

• Fun and challenging gameplay. I like the stick figure character and the element of hidden danger which requires the player to try a few times before overcoming an obstacle. The controls are clear and responsive although the crouch and jump do not work on the keyboard which would improve player experience and overall gameplay. 
• Overall, this could be a fun platformer with some tweaking and introducing some interesting dynamic obstacles.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Antonio

• Hand drawn art looks good
• Clever and funny writing
• Gunyah's shop-shaking effect looks good on people and text boxes, but maybe not the Shop UI
• UI navigable by keyboard would be great, would allow the player to play the game completely with a keyboard or with the mouse without having to swap in between
• Is luck stat not working? Or increasing?
• Percentage-based buffs don't have any tangible effect on the player when their base stat is 0.  This makes sense mathematically, but may want to consider giving players a base number in all stats, or restricting percentage buffs until after the player has points in the stat
• Don't be afraid to challenge players with different enemy configurations, you can gate optional, rewarding chests behind harder areas to allow players to choose their difficulty

Finn

• Amazingly atmospheric. Love the meta-game loop and choosing where to spend your souls. Was tricky deciding who to give the souls to.

Duncan

• I wish the game was purely a text-based adventure with the story driving the actual gameplay. There are few text-based adventure games out there and I thought it was refreshing. I was perplexed when it switched to a platformer and also the platformer was underwhelming.
• I encourage the developer to push with the text-based adventure game approach and craft engaging story and dialogue options that have some interesting twists. I am sure many will enjoy it.

We would like to thank everyone who took their time and effort to create and submit their games for this game jam. 

Now that the deadline has passed, our judges will take time to play and review all the games as per the criteria mentioned. The results will then be announced on all our platforms including this one on Friday 11th November 2023. 

Have a wonderful week and thanks once again! 

Hello game creators!

We have just three hours left until the deadline submission for all games. 

We still have very few games submitted so far on our itch.io page. So we would like to remind everyone to submit their games if you haven't yet. The page will automatically close once the deadline is met. 

The deadline is 11 a.m WAT today. 

Remember, all games MUST be submitted on this page. 

 IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE SUBMITTING YOUR GAME, HEAD OVER TO THE FRONT PAGE WHERE WE HAVE GUIDES THAT CAN HELP YOU DO THAT. 

 We can't wait to see your games.

Happy jamming!!

Hello, everyone. Hope you're well. Our game jam has officially started. 

We hope you have already begun on the process of making your games. Just as a reminder, we would love for everyone to go through all the rules and recommendations thoroughly as well as the theme that are on the front page. If you have any queries, feel free to type them here on the Community section or on the Discord server whose link is provided to you via email. 

Happy jamming!!

Hello. The theme is afrofuturism: Create games that explore futuristic African settings, incorporating elements of technology, culture, and creativity.

Hello. The theme is afrofuturism: Create games that explore futuristic African settings, incorporating elements of technology, culture, and creativity.

Hello. The theme is afrofuturism: Create games that explore futuristic African settings, incorporating elements of technology, culture, and creativity.

We will be revealing that today 

To ensure a smooth and streamlined experience, we kindly request you to fill in the essential details through our online form linked below. This will let us know who you are and if you would prefer to work in a team or as an individual. 

By providing us with this information, you'll help us in planning a fantastic event tailored just for you. 

Game Jam Registration Form: https://forms.gle/Qq6PucMWfrSxYgs88

Our registration deadline is on Monday, 17th July. So don't delay! Fill in the form at your earliest convenience to secure your spot in this epic adventure.

Thank you, 

Maliyo Games. 

Have you joined the game jam?

There should be a button that says submit your project

Hi everyone,

How's your day going ?

I wanted to inform everyone that our meeting today has been shifted to noon tomorrow. You will find the link on your calendar.

Please for tomorrow's meeting, everyone will be expected to do a three minutes presentation on their game (Don't worry it doesn't have to be a big presentation).

Basically you just tell us briefly your experience on making the game and motivation.

Also the voting poll on the itch.io game page will be closing by 11am tomorrow.

So all projects submitters should endeavor to vote for the best game.

The winner of the game jam will also be revealed tomorrow during the call.

Thanks,

Looking forward to our call tomorrow.

yeah,i will download them from there

Hi everyone,

How are you doing today?

Big thanks to everyone who submitted a game for the game jam.

Currently only one developer attached a gameplay video to their game submission like we asked for.

As such we want to kindly request that everyone who submit a game to submit a recording of their gameplay today.

You can post it on YouTube and send the viewing link or send it to my email address or post it on the game jam itch.io page.

Thanks,

Looking forward to your gameplay videos.

It's less than 5 hours till the end of the game jam.

Please endeavor to submit your game and gameplay video within the next 3 hours.

Remember the submission should be on itch.io in the link below

https://itch.io/jam/annual-global-game-jam-2022

Thanks,

Looking forward to your awesome games.

Hi everyone,

How's your weekend going?

How ready is your game currently ?

We have decided to extend the deadline to Monday by 11pm to allow all teams to add more polish and finishing touches to their games.

Thanks,

Looking forward to your awesome games.

Hi ,

How's your weekend going ?

I just wanted to check in and remind everyone that we have less than 2 days left in the game jam.

The submission page on itch.io will close by tomorrow 11pm so please remember to submit your game before then.

Also remember to click the join button as well.

https://itch.io/jam/annual-global-game-jam-2022

Remember to add a video of your gameplay to your game build when submitting on itch.io

Thanks,

Looking forward to your exciting games

Hi everyone,

How is your game development going?

Please fill out this short google form for us

https://forms.gle/VRGcyk932jUhfHcx7

The purpose of the form is to know how many games are being made for the game jam as well as helping us prepare for promotion of the game.

Also remember to click the join game jam button on itch.io here for our analysis

https://itch.io/jam/annual-global-game-jam-2022

Thanks,

Looking forward to your exciting and awesome games.

Hi everyone,

How's your game jam project coming along?

I just wanted to check up on you since it's the third day of the game jam.

Please remember that the theme of the game jam is ONE FINGER which means your game should be played with one finger.

Also remember that the game jam will be ending on Sunday night so endeavor to time yourself accordingly to submit your game before the deadline.

Remember you can also enter the GameUp Africa community to ask questions and find answers at

https://community.gameupafrica.com/t/get-ready-for-our-annual-game-jam/184

Registration is free.

Thanks,

Looking forward to your exciting and awesome games.

Here is a template for requesting a team member:
Hi my name is Alex, I live in Nigeria (GMT +2)
I am a 3d artist looking for a team

My discord tag is TF5GHYM, my email is AwesomeAlex@yahoo.com