itch.io

Had to test this game by myself, but I think I kinda understood the gist of it.

The idea of having a single weapon (and a single controller) for two players is neat and original. I really enjoy the controls of the crabs, always facing the weapon, that's fitting,  pretty unique and yet easy to understand.

The possibility of knocking off the knife is interesting, but unfortunately, from what I tested, it also means that the weaponless player can become invincible just by spamming the trigger. That kinda breaks the whole game! Maybe you could add a bit of timing control to it (like if you hit the button when you're about to be stabbed you send the knife flying, but otherwise you don't)?

Also, overall I feel like the game lacks a bit of juice. Maybe add some visual effects or change the music when one player picks the knife? You could probably make that knifey crab a bit more murderous than it is to add some fun!

Anyway, that's a pretty interesting game, some more polishing could make really good!

A pretty original game. The core idea is pretty unique and appealing but I feel like the execution could use more work. 

First, you really want to give the player the controls before starting. Maybe I'm stupid, but it took me several minutes before I understood that I had to move that battery. Just adding a line in your game description would do the trick.

Second, the game is way too slow. I understand that you can't go too fast with such design, but as it is, it's kinda boring, especially for a racing game. Maybe make the tracks larger so we can accelerate longer? Maybe don't make off-roading so punishing? Maybe use some visual tricks to simulate speed? You probably could look at some old Micro Machine games to get some ideas.

And third, the collisions are way too sensitive. And with tracks so narrow, you are doomed to collide with the IA car, especially while you turn. It seems like a detail, but it's really frustrating to lose just because the other car pushed you offroad.

So it's a good start, it has some potential; polish it a bit and it could become a really interesting game!

Not the most original idea in this jam but definitely a solid execution. Pretty good level design, full of variety and it makes good use of the character's moveset. Cute graphics and animations too.

Great job!

Thank you!

Yeah, seems like the game over is the main problem people have with the game. But I really didn't want the player to "bruteforce" the puzzles and think their move thoroughly before making it.

Thanks for the feedback ! 

I wanted the player to take their time before jumping, but I realize that a hard game over everytime might be too frustrating. If I get back on the game, I'll try to rework on that.

As for the springs, making them easy to anticipate was definitely a challenge, and frankly I've been searching for a better solution until the jam ended but couldn't figure anything out.

Thanks!

Yeah a lives system and level select screen were two things I considered (and even started implementing) but I utlimately didn't because I wanted the player to think their move thoroughly before making it (which is also why I tried to make each piece as readable as possible). But I do realize it's frustrating this way. 

Though I'm glad you had fun!

A good puzzle game. 

The core idea of having a single shot is simple but works perfectly and it fits the jam theme to a T. Would have been good to add a bit more difficulty (like dying if you touch a fire, or even a time limit for each puzzle) and as mentionned by others, there's a bug when multiple fires stacks.

But beyond those little details that's a really fun game!

You really don't want your player to catch a break, do you?

Seriously, that's a good arcade concept but you might want to give us a few seconds of calm at the start to get a grip on the controls. 

Speaking of those, I feel like there's a bit too many possiblities for such a fast-paced game; maybe you should choose either melee or shoot and stick to it (or give the player the choice at the beggining?), cause I don't feel like it's possilbe to do both at the same time when running for your life. Or maybe I just suck at it, not impossible.

But there's definitely juice and a good feel in your game, so great job!

A simple but good game.

The only thing I could say is that the boomerang's direction when bouncing seems a bit too random. It might have been a bit better to have it always go in the same direction when it hits, to facilitate the combos and make the game more lisible.

But that's just a detail. Great job!

How to turn FF7 into a puzzle-game... Brilliant.

Seriously, I really like the core idea, kinda refreshing to find a RPG-esque game in this jam. And although the execution definitely could use more polishing, it does work.

But I feel like your design is a bit too limited. First, from what I understand, there's only one course of actions that works in each level; that's a bit frustrating, if you wanna keep that philosophy, you might want to readjust your difficulty curve to make it smoother. 

Second, there's not that many options, so at some point the player will just bruteforce their way. Would have been great to have a pre-battle menu screen to choose your party members, your equipment, your inventory... etc. It would also have added a slice of management, which generally works great with puzzle games.

Anyway, a good idea and a lot of potential, good job! 

Pretty impressive for a jam game made in less than 2 days. I've seen games on steam being less polished...

Design-wise it's a solid concept, although not the most original one (reminded me a lot of lovers in a dangerous spacetime) but the execution definetly makes it unique. Kudos on the writing btw!

Also, a multiplayer mode (split-screen?) would greatly improve the experience.  That and a bit more polishing and you probably would have a sellable game.

Anyway, great job guys!

A good design and a really original idea for a completely unique game. The only thing that came close to this in my mind would be the 1st phase from Spore, was that intentionnal?

Anyway a good game but the main problem is that it clearly lacks pacing and goals. That makes it perfect for small sessions but I don't see myself playing for more than a few minutes. Would be great if we could save our progression and get back to it later on.  And smart phone would definitely be the right platform for it!

A video would be a huge help since I can't seem to reproduce a similar bug (I redid some playtests and my longest run without touching anything was around 30 seconds).

Note to those interested in the Android version:

The Android version was completed after the deadline and so is not available for download on itch.io (the .zip here only contains the Windows version). As such, you're free to skip it for the jam ratings but if you wish to play it anyway, you'll find a link to it on the game page.

My target playtime was around 30 seconds so you're not that far off. I might consider adding an easy mode with a bigger screen space though. Thanks for your feedback !

Weird, that never happened in my playtests... Dunno if it's a bug or you're just extremely lucky but I'll look it up. Did that happen only once or on multiple occasions?

True but trajectories are hardly the core difficulty of the game, as every rock has the exact same when they appear (the only thing changing is their position). Besides, giving the player a bigger space would make the game a bit easier but also more boring; it is meant to be fast-paced and having you run straightforward for several full minutes would slow the pace down and make the game feels less fun.

Thanks!

Changing gravity direction was actually my first idea but it didn't feel as good, not to mention that this mechanic was already the same in VVVVVV and I wanted something a bit more original.

This may be true for the first 15~20 seconds but then you're pretty much forced to change it. This way the game seems less frustrating when you start.