itch.io

It was not a feature. It was a bug, and one that substantially interfered with the actual intended mechanics.

I think this is a bit of a recurring issue, pressing X on the cutscenes instantly skips the whole thing. The first terminal cutscene contains most of the dialogue explaining how the game works, but I've seen more than a handful of people skip it because X (on controller) is the advance text button, so they're on the same line. Totally reasonable to be confused, but I'm glad you figured it out!

I have complicated feelings about this game. I do like it, but there are a good handful of pretty core structural problems that leave me wishing it was... more. I'll start with my critiques:

- It got quite repetitive quite quickly.  I appreciate the idea of it being a score chaser, but there simply isn't enough variation in the 10 levels you've made to justify infinitely looping them. Also, calling them levels kept making me think there was a proper end that I just wasn't hitting. I finally gave up on Level 22 having not even gotten close to dying.

- The only enemy that posed any sort of threat was the other worms, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But if the idea is to lose/die eventually, either they needed to kill you faster, or the other enemies needed to be more aggressive/threatening. I literally never got hit by the beetles because if you just stay away from them a little bit they won't attack you. This is all okay at the start, but once levels start looping your lose condition needs to get easier to hit because otherwise you're just playing indefinitely.

- Objects start to decay a little too quickly. I appreciate that you don't have to eat every molecule of every object, but I just walked straight through them and they started their final decay almost instantly, giving me no reason to stick around. I know they give more score, but I stopped caring about that pretty quickly with everything else I mentioned. If they didn't start dissolving before they hit, say, 40% eaten or something, that would have made it slightly more interesting in my opinion.

- If it is a score-chaser, there should really be a final indication of your score on the game over screen or somewhere. Even if your score accumulated through levels instead of resetting to 0 after every level, that would have gone a long way to making the grind feel more worthwhile.

Now for the stuff I did like:

- The graphics were wonderful, and the animal carcasses especially were really satisfying to watch dissolve. The skeletons underneath was a nice touch as well.

- It fits the theme very well, not the wildest interpretation but often for jams those end up being some of the least common because no one wants to do the "obvious" thing!

- The audio was quite nice. The background music was soothing, and the sound effects really sold the whole experience.

I think with a little more time and polish this could be really exciting, I'm just a little underwhelmed by it in it's current state. I wish you the best of luck in the future :)

This was a real treat! The premise was excellent in terms of meeting the theme, the story was legitimately emotional, the gameplay was varied and interesting, it truly had everything. The quest log was a great touch, and the mini map was super cool too! Obviously the graphics are on the rough side as I'm sure you know but you fully committed to the style and it honestly kind of works given the absurdity of everything going on in the game. I legitimately have no real criticism, I'm still a little bit in shock haha.

The player/slime art is nice enough, and I see what you were going for, but this is unfortunately quite lacking in execution. I don't take much issue with the relatively simple gameplay, although the jump controls and attack hitboxes could have been tweaked slightly like others have said. But I think if you were leaning into atmosphere like it seems you were, more balanced art execution would have been appreciated. It's hard to feel immersed when you're on a plain blue background with floating green platforms in complete silence. I'm sure some of it is time-based, which will improve as you continue making games for jams, but this is not a bad start by any means. I would have also liked a little more guidance as to what the goal was because I was pretty lost at first. Even if you don't have time to put it in the game, more of a description on the game page would be helpful.

Fun enough for being a simple endless runner, though it is very basic. The atmosphere was good with the background, music, and enemy sprites, and while the theme connection isn't the strongest it felt good enough. I would have liked to see your score display on the death screen because it can be hard to pay attention to that while in the middle of a run. I also liked the enemy spawning patterns, it made it a bit more engaging to jump over things than the average endless runner. Definitely a solid entry, I think with another day this could have been something pretty interesting.

Yet another instance of wondering just how you do it. Truly, so impressive. I am going to be nitpicky though because I know you want that feedback and all of my issues are nitpicks anyway!

- I know controls are on your game page but to be honest I don't tend to read those and they would have been nice to have in-game regardless.

- The lack of any "normal" platforms made Level 2 quite frustrating for a bit, especially with being locked into your Level 1 decisions. Had I known those placements were going to be permanent, I probably would have planned differently. 

- The controls were quite slippery, which I know other people have commented on as well. I actually didn't have a huge issue with that in Level 1, given the more generous nature of that level, but once you're trying to perfectly time jumps to sneak between all the constantly moving parts it becomes a bit more of a fight against the controls than I would have preferred. 

- The funeral scene was very well done, but the level itself felt quite bland visually. The art is well executed, but just not very exciting? I'm not sure there's a good solution to that without making it too visually cluttered, but I feel like there's probably something.

Now for the good stuff:

- The writing was top-notch, even for you. So funny the whole way through, and the opening disclaimer really sold the energy right from the get-go.

- Your audio design is amazing as always, the different character voices were still very distinct despite being all you. Music was excellent and really fit the mood.

- The cutscene animation, despite its simplicity, really worked for the style you were going for and added a ton to the humor.

- A full level editor is impressive enough for this time frame, but the code system is really a step above, and adds a ton of replayability which is always a nice thing for jam games which tend to be shorter. The final speedrun timer is also a nice touch in that regard.

All in all, really great work. I always look forward to what you make and I'm never disappointed :)

Level Code: Ld!!!!!!nfcehdwdxd!!vdydvkykAcshpghftcDbDcDd!!!!GkEkqcrcscFd

This is a fun take on the typical wave shooter, and encapsulates the theme very well. I think the core conceit is very strong, as I've come to expect from you, and you've executed on it very well.

I do have a handful of things I would tweak, though:

- The level feels quite small from the start, even before platforms start disappearing. I imagine the intent was to keep rounds shorter/tighter, but it makes the whole thing feel quite claustrophobic at times, especially when paired with the slippery player controls. Neither of those things individually are necessarily bad, but the combination of the two definitely led to some frustration.

- The visual clarity between the intact tiles and broken ones was a little difficult to parse, especially in the heat of an intense round. There were a lot of times I would be artificially restricting what tiles I moved on because the lowest levels of decay can be very difficult to distinguish from the goop. Either a different (brighter) tile color or a different way of  having the tiles break would have cleared it up.

- The enemy spawning locations could make it really tricky to actually reclaim ground at times. Oftentimes I would already be trapped on one edge/corner and all of the enemies would spawn clustered around that area which doesn't help in the long term. Maybe some amount of weight on the random spawns would improve things? They could probably also spawn slightly closer to the edge of the screen in general, the arrows showing up so far before they could be interacted with struck me as odd.

That looks like kind of a lot of negative, but it really is just nitpicking, I loved a lot about it too!

- It's a very satisfying gameplay loop, and an excellent use of the theme.  It's very compelling to go back and try for another high score.

- I do quite like the absurdist framing of the plot, and I appreciate that you have that opening cutscene to give some clarity, crude as it may be. It definitely has a certain amount of charm.

- The different spray patterns were a great way to add some subtle strategy to a largely quite simple game, and they force you to really think about your best option to kill any given enemy.

- Tracking your highscore between rounds is a nice touch!

I can truly see so many more ideas that could effortlessly slot into this existing formula, which I think is how you know an arcade game has succeeded. You make a lot of similar games for jams, but it's because you know what you're doing and it works! I'll never stop telling you to refine your graphics though X)

Thanks for playing! Definitely agree on the map variation, the tradeoff was absolutely between gameplay and atmosphere and I leaned more towards atmosphere, though obviously I would have loved to do both given the time. An escape level definitely would be interesting too! The double jump is actually a "bug" that I found pretty early on as a consequence of the relatively generous coyote time, hence why it's not mentioned in the controls and is "mapped" to the same button as hover. I left it in because it can really speed up some of the later levels but I didn't want it to be a core mechanic either. The white particles that aren't a part of the dropoff location are actually just the spawn locations of the core items, though I definitely see how that could be confusing. Another thing I went back and forth on and eventually decided to leave as-is. I'm glad you enjoyed it overall :)

Damn, this is hard. I haven't been able to beat it yet due to my brain about melting but I've gotten to level 12 and will continue to chip away at it in the future. It's super clean and well-done overall, and the rules are logical despite being presented in an unorthodox way. Even the fact that I want to go back and finish it is a testament to how well put-together the whole package is. It legitimately just feels complete, I don't know what else to say about it. The graphics are passable, nothing outstanding but there's also not a lot of space to work with in a game such as this. The sound design is my absolute favorite part though. Every audio cue meshes so well with the music and just sucks you into this desert puzzle box. Really great job as always :)

Definitely a fun and interesting idea, although coming from you that's to be expected. Despite the lack of music the sound design still meshes quite well and nothing is too grating. Graphically a bit plain, but serviceable enough, it at the very least looks intentional. The core loop has the potential to be really quite enjoyable, but the big thing that ruins it for me is the controls. It is so incredibly difficult to pick up a specific item and throw it at the other when everything is bouncing all over the place. Maybe that's the point, but I played for a fair amount of time and got maybe 5 or 6 matches total because I just kept missing or picking up the wrong thing and hitting something else when I tried to drop it. There's some potential here if it had some more time in the oven, but in its current state I unfortunately find it pretty much unplayable.

A decent amount of fun, for the simplicity of it. I know the art wasn't made by you but it did fit the game very well, and everything felt super cohesive. It's definitely on the simple side, but what you do have is fairly engaging and enjoyable! My one main critique is just the fact that the goblins can be a little tough to hit sometimes since the timing is fairly tight. A slightly lower speed on them might have benefited the game, but it was still quite nice for 48 hours :) 

Neat little game, though there isn't a whole lot to it. It's pretty, and you slap some gears around, and that's really the extent of the game. I was never hurting for money, and the puzzles were relatively easy, but other than that it was pretty fun for the time it lasted. It might be interesting to up the difficulty and make it more about how long you can last, though if I were to play for an extended period of time there would need to be a bit more substance. Overall though, nice job. You both continue to push out amazing games!

This was an interesting idea with a very lackluster execution. While I enjoyed the concept of both the game and the story, when I tried to actually play it, I legitimately gave up because I couldn't be bothered to continue playing. It's just rather frustrating trying to correctly guess which dialogue option is the right one without knowing ahead of time, since often times they all seemed rather reasonable. Also, the audio was deathly loud and got really grating after a while, much too aggressive for this type of game. Overall, a neat idea, but I definitely think it could have been much better.

So, a few things. Obviously, this game isn't finished, so there isn't a whole lot of feedback I can give. The biggest thing for me, however, was the extreme lag that I experienced while playing. I had super low frame rate, and my computer is pretty decent. Maybe it's some sort of issue with the high resolution? I'm not sure. But it definitely has the makings of a decent game going off of your plans, and I'd be interested to see where (if anywhere) this project goes after the jam is over.

Not really, though the gameplay from Binding of Isaac definitely helped shape a few things such as 4-directional shooting and seperate shop rooms.

The game page is now updated to better explain what you need to do. Hopefully it helps!

Sorry about that, the game page is now updated to explain what you need to do.

If it might help you, I have updated the game page to make it more clear, since many people were struggling to understand what to do.

The polish on this game is out-of-this-world (no pun intended), with the graphics and audio and attention to detail all being off the charts. I really enjoyed how you had 2 interpretations of the theme in one game, my first 5 star went to that category. However, the gameplay was ok at best, and just rather confusing. Maybe I didn't understand something, since everyone else is praising your gameplay, but I wasn't sure what to do. Yes, I could combine cats, and I did a few times. But not because I knew how, but rather because I was just randomly rotating the planet. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a bit harsh, but it's because I really like the idea of this game and would like to be able to enjoy it more by knowing what to do.

Thanks man! It was nice to get some live feedback, though it was a bit frustrating seeing you run away from the bugs. If you would like, I can let you know once the post-jam version goes up that adds more sound and fixes a bunch of the stuff people have been having problems with.

I will definitely do so, but obviously your ratings will stay based on the original version.

While this a very interesting concept, I can't seem to find anything other than the original note to interact with, and so my journey was cut short. The plain white graphics really added to the eccentric feel of the abandoned house, and the music was fittingly spooky. Sadly however, I didn't see the theme at all, maybe I didn't get far enough in? Either way, if you know how to advance further into the game I would be more than happy to give it another try and change my rating, because I really enjoy what I got.

The idea was certainly there. However, the execution could've been done much better in my opinion. The player sometimes blocks your aim, and the controls are very out of the way where no normal player would know to look. Alongside that, I couldn't get past what I assume is only the first level since I didn't know what I was doing. Yes, I can warp space, but in what seems like very select situations and even then I wasn't sure how it helped me at all. Graphics and audio are very good, I just wish the execution could match the great idea you have.

The art and audio of this game is absolutely incredible, I'll give you guys that. But unfortunately, I think that's where the quality ends.  Gameplay was very, very simple, and honestly just kind of boring. I walked back and forth, roared occasionally, but that was really about it. The theme connection seemed forced to me personally, maybe others don't feel the same way. It really sucks that the gameplay is so painfully average, because I believe this has the start of a really great game. I just wish that there was more to it than what there is.

I'm glad you liked it! I definitely can see where your problem comes from, I suppose I got so used to it by the end of the jam. I'm not quite sure how to make them much more different, if you have any ideas I would be open to them.

I appreciate the feedback! I do have controls on my actual game page, if you wouldn't mind trying after knowing how to play. I'm also working on a new version with controls built in to solve your issue.

Thanks! I'm working on a new version that's even better, and makes it more of a complete game. 

I'm glad you enjoyed it, I definitely did think about having some way to deposit your resources but unfortunately I didn't have time to implement that alongside the necessary features.

Thanks for taking the time to play my game! I did think about adding some size randomization, and I might do so in the update I'm working on.

A nice little game, graphics and audio were very well done. As for the gameplay however, it was a bit boring if I'm being honest. It didn't feel like there was much to do, and it took me a while to figure out what to do. It has the starts of a very good game, i just think it'll take some work to get there.

A fun little game, and an interesting concept. With the lack of levels, there wasn't a whole lot to play, but the concepts you have could easily be expanded upon. I wish there was more you could do with the assimilation mechanic, maybe extra abilities for the spacemen you couldn't access in your alien form such as the guns that I can see them holding. Audio restarting after every level/death was a little annoying, but that's not really major. All in all a very solid game, especially for your first project in a new engine. Keep up the good work!

Very tricky little game. Graphics were just as good as I've come to expect from you, and audio was good as well. There was a bit of delay between when the song ended and when the next loop started, and the sound effects were a little harsh, but nothing too major. The gameplay itself was pretty challenging, it definitely required careful planning, impressive for a game made so quickly. Good job, keep it up!

A very fun game with a good amount of challenge. It never felt unfair, and the graphics and audio both were very well done. I wasn't sure when the game ended, maybe having some of the story integrated into the game would be beneficial. Overall though, a very fun game. Keep it up!

Fun game! A little unforgiving with having to restart every time you die alongside no health refills that I could see, so I unfortunately couldn't get very far. The graphics were very well done, and the attention to detail was impressive. I wish the enemies were a little easier to take out so that I could get further, and the player physics were a little aggressive, but otherwise a very solid entry. Good job guys!

Neat little game. The gameplay is a little repetitive, and feels the same at 0 points and 2000 points. Graphics look very nice, I'm a fan of that style, though sometimes it's hard to tell what the full size of the planets are. I would make the game a little more forgiving, maybe making it so that you only die if you leave the top or bottom of the screen. It was a bit frustrating to be on course for a planet that maybe wasn't directly next to me, but still die for it. Overall though, very good level of polish for such a short time frame.