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there are definitely some things that need to be better communicated throughout the game. The movement being different on each side makes a bit more sense with the upgrades, as the ship goes against the spin of the vortex. But…I don’t give any visual or audio feedback to help the player get a feel for that, so that’s entirely in my head alone. 

Its all a mess, really, and several things go left on the cutting room floor as the project fell apart several times while I pasted it together with spit and dollar store tape. 

Regardless. Thank you so much for giving it a chance, and for your feedback. 

It is in dire need of some UI elements to direct the play a bit more. It’s pretty shallow as is too. I’m still pretty new to GMS, and I did learn quite a bit through the process of making this. A lot of things fell off of the concept trying to get it to this point. 

Regardless, thank you for giving my crappy little riff on Tempest a chance. It’s messy but I got it to an upload. I have to believe that counts for something.

honestly, you’re absolutely right.  A lot of things fell apart during the making of this thing, but I uploaded what I got functioning by the end of the jam. Thanks for playing regardless, as well as the kindness regarding the concept. 

As for the Voidheart section, I need to signal that this is the escape section, as finishing that part means avoiding lasers until the distance counter exceeds the starting point. But that’s not clear to the player at all. 

Either way. Thank you so much for giving it a chance. 

Easily my favorite game so far. Stellar feel on the controls (though my mediocre skill level wanted a lengthier dodge), and the variety of uses for the swords is fantastic. Love this one. 

Damn cool concept, but I couldn't finish it. It's got a sharp difficulty curve. I made it to the second boss. Fantastic execution, though the music eventually got repetitive. Because I died enough times that it repeated a lot. Which says more of my ability than it does about the music itself. 

Interesting concept for certain. I wasn't able to get past the second phase though. Similar to the other comments, it wasn't allowing me to shoot, even after setting up the attack sequence. I'll also note that the game is indeed very easy, but maybe it gets harder after the spot where I started having issues. Played in Chrome, if it matters to future debugging. 

Interesting concept for certain. I wasn't able to get past the second phase though. Similar to the other comments, it wasn't allowing me to shoot, even after setting up the attack sequence. I'll also note that the game is indeed very easy, but maybe it gets harder after the spot where I started having issues. Played in Chrome, if it matters to future debugging. 

This is a genuinely gorgeous game. I think the hit boxes could be a bit more generous, especially given the amount of hits you can take. Tying weapon damage to experience as a form of ammunition felt a little strange but I got used to it. Definitely one I'll be following! 

Lovely art in this one. Fairly simple and controls fairly well. I had a little trouble getting my fingers around the box dropping mechanic at first, but that's my sleep-deprived brain talking more than anything. 

I didn't take that comment about the game being hard seriously enough at first. Regardless, this is a stellar game given that this is your first outing with GB Studio. Great ship sprites and bullets. The ship zips around extremely fast, which was a blessing and a curse for my limited shmup abilities. I did make it to level three...but I didn't get through it...

I was wondering the same thing. Just joined though! 

Fantastic game! I just won after three failed attempts. 

The title length is more evocative of post rock than emo, and the tone of the music is there to match. I kind of zoned out and played up into a score in the 250s before I realized that I'd been sitting here that whole time just lost in the sparkly snow and quiet of it all. Very nice.

The most terrifying aspect of this game is pressing up to jump! 

I kid, I kid...this is a very cool and brutally difficult little game. Stellar visuals, moody score, incredible narrative setup. 

Way too short for how promising it is. Unnerving, brilliantly drawn. Fantastic work.

Glorious soundtrack and script! I got a little hung up doing the boost platforming, but it got used to it after a bit of trying. I'd love to play a finished version of this! 

Strange, wonderful, and fairly challenging to boot. Great concept and execution with very tight controls. Impressive! 

Amazing for the intro alone, but the game is fantastic too. Great music, incredible aesthetics, challenging gameplay. I did get stuck on a space in the boss room, but otherwise, fantastic. 

Second game in row that I've played with incredible use of narrow visual fields! Alright, so first off, I think your music is going to be great with a little more time on it. I like drone music already, so that might just be me. Regardless, it sets the mood nicely. The gameplay loop of searching through an environment while blasting weird off screen hands and floaty things (don't have a good descriptor for those, they died before I got a good look at em) is quick to pick up after a bit of trial and error (for me, as I did lose a couple of hearts on level one when I was getting grabbed), but I did tend to find irritation with the little objects strewn throughout the room. I get the purpose is to put up obstacles between the key and exit while being pursued, but I kept trying to push my way through them because I'm stubborn. Regardless, a promising game. Bravo. 

Very cool. Palpable tension from the moody score and the fantastic fog of war effects. Can't wait to see where else this goes when I have more time for it...because I got mauled trying to find the lab. Twice. 

Visually striking, for certain. I read into the other comments to see that this is more of a concept piece at this stage, so I'll limit my responses to that. The basic gameplay loop of snatching up souls does feel pretty good, the ticking clock of a dwindling health bar urging me to keep eating up all of the little people at my feet. I would love to see what context is eventually added. The eye in the sky is great, reminds me of Dark Souls 3. Best of luck with the updated version, and I'll keep an eye out for it! 

Thanks for playing! I checked out your stream where you played the game, and I can confirm that the compass isn't broken, my game is just a little hard to parse. I've taken notes from your stream and will be working on a revised version to come out later in the month, if not November. I'm glad that you enjoyed what is already present though. If you're interested, I've added a link to a spoiler heavy play through to the game page. I'll be deleting it after the jam, but if that sounds intriguing, it's there to be viewed! 

Thank you so very much! The general consensus is that the UI needs work, so I'm making plans for revision. Thrilled that you enjoyed what's here. 

Thank you so very much. The general consensus seems to be that the UI needs a bit of work and that the game needs to be easier to read. Notes are being made, plans for the next version written. Thrilled that you enjoyed what is here now.

Thanks for the incredible praise. 

Thank you so much! It's going on my Pocket right now! 

I haven't lost this much at this particular style of card game since I first played Final Fantasy VIII. 

Any chance I can get an Analogue Pocket download so I can obsessively play this on an upcoming road trip? Also, this rules. 

Nice and crunchy little arcade shooter. This is the second game that I've played that reminded me of playing the Game and Watch collections on Gameboy, specifically in how movement is to fixed locations. The voice sample on the title screen gave me old school Resi vibes too. Very cool.

Hooked me from the first level. Stellar level design, nice and varied, challenging in all the ways I expect from a gameboy game except for the fact that I had infinite tries. Great music and visual design. Fantastic little game that could easily have been sold on the shelves in '91 with another two levels. 

About to go click to follow your account for when more of this gets made. I have fawned over the visuals in this game on the discord a few times already, so I'll move onto the game itself - it's promising. Extremely promising. Obviously there isn't a lot to judge here as this is a concept demo made over the span of days, but it suggests a great deal of depth. Controls feel great, the animations on the cat are wonderful - especially as a ghost. I can't wait to see the whole thing! 

Thrilled to see that someone sees some of the DNA behind this idea. Also, I laughed so hard that my wife thought something was wrong with me when I read the last line of your comment. Thanks for playing! 

The highest kind of praise. Thank you! 

Genuinely upset that it ended so soon. Nice escalation in difficulty too. 

The purest arcade style gold. It's everything that makes me dump quarters into a House of the Dead machine shrunk down to a single screen of fun. Posting my score because I'm not sure if it's a high one, but it was several minutes of cathartic glee. 

Being bad and rating this one before I've finished it simply because I love it and am going to have to make time to finish it proper. This is hitting just right since I've recently been playing old bump combat RPGs including the first and third Hydlide. Extremely cool game. 
(Yes, I know I should have played Ys instead, but I haven't gotten copies of those yet.)

Thanks for the input as well as the compliments! I've updated the game page with a couple of extra details to make this clearer in the short term, and I'll work out a fix when I update the game after the jam. Additionally, I've tossed a couple of light tips into the game page for anyone else who plays. Definitely needed to know where I'm not meeting the player enough! 

Oy God, that creature in the living room...evokes the Francisco Goya painting Saturn Devouring His Son. Unfinished or not, this is a fun little concept. I do think that maybe the music sounds a little too hi-fi for GameBoy, or maybe I've just listened to too much of my own bleeps-and-bloops over the last week to know any better. Regardless, keep at it!

I cackled with glee so many times. The gritty death metal sound effects of picking up fuel canisters or repair wrenches, the sheer ridiculousness of the giant pumpkin soaring into view. Fantastic, visually and conceptually. Driving this hunk of a Studebaker (complete with it's tank like body that should have crumbled to dust as many times as I hit the fences in the middle of the map) feels suitably weighty, and the inclusion of tank controls for the car is just right. Very cool game, I'd love to play more of it. 

Fun concept. It reminds me more of a Game and Watch game, which I first experienced through Game Boy collections, so it fits fine enough. This is clearly more in concept stage, but it's got a fun loop to it. I do think that the controls take some getting used to, but through the lens of a Game and Watch type game, that's also okay. Those had odd controls that took a bit of getting used to as well. Still, a fine bit of old school arcade fun that ramps up nicely as it progresses.

I topped out with a score of 72.

Amusing, surprisingly intense. Fantastic music and a tight gameplay loop. I love it.