Play game
Pulse Panic's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Soundtrack/SFX | #81 | 3.046 | 4.375 |
| Gameplay | #87 | 2.785 | 4.000 |
| Gameboy Soul | #137 | 2.611 | 3.750 |
| Overall | #139 | 2.408 | 3.458 |
| Quirkiness | #144 | 2.350 | 3.375 |
| Graphics | #155 | 2.089 | 3.000 |
| Secondary Theme Interpretation | #156 | 1.567 | 2.250 |
Ranked from 8 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game meet GBJam's theme?
I thought it would be fun to add an element of luck to a genre that doesn't usually use it. I ended up creating an arcade style rhythm game where your score multiplier (and the game's color palette) is randomized every time you hit ten notes in a row. To add some risk and reward you can lock in your current multiplier at any time, so you have to choose whether you should stick with what you have or roll the dice on something better. The color palette swaps are usually harmless but occasionally you might get locked into a really high score multiplier with a color palette that is really hard to play with. Enjoy! Let me know in the comments what you think of the music, and what your highest score is!
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
you nailed the feel on this - super tight gameplay. I thought Heating Up on medium was pretty challenging haha
I'm glad you liked it!
As a colorblind I really felt the unlucky theme on that one. x)
The concept is simple yet cool, it works, and it's hooking plus the songs are catchy.
It may go completely against the whole palette difficulty thing but in these cases I'd love to see different shapes for the different note types. It really was to me not difficult but unplayable at times due to my colorblindness, but it's a jam, schedule is tight and it's hard to think about everyone so no worries !
Great little game, congratz !
Oof, yeah sorry about that! Great feedback though. I'll think about adding a visual difference between the note varieties in my post-jam update, or maybe some kind a colorblind mode that would change the colors. Thanks for playing!
[ "Heating Up", medium difficulty ]
That was fun! The songs are killer, the concept is intriguing, and the mechanics are competently implemented.
The random colors definitely make for a trippy—sometimes abrasive—experience. I'm fine with computer games having caustic colors, but I think the algorithm could've used a little bit more bounding on how unfair the palette can be. At one point, it generated a palette that used two slightly-off shades of lime for the notes, which might be excessive.
It's a bit difficult to tell how far-off notes are arranged on the beat; some extra guiding lines (faded if need be) in each direction might be warranted.
All-in-all, good work!
Thanks for playing! It was my first game jam, mostly done to give me a reason to write music for something, so I'm really happy that people enjoyed the music. I agree with your comments, the colors are a bit much. For the after-gamejam version I plan on implementing specific color palettes for each multiplier as way to visually learn what multiplier you have without having to pay attention to the number.
Cool you did a rhythm game that work in the limits of a Gameboy. I usually suck at rhythm games so I am happy you added a difficulty select. Also the music was pretty catchy too.
Thanks for playing! I'm really happy you enjoyed the music.
Watch out, a gem in sight!
Personally, I loved it! It deserves to be further developed. Bravo!
Thanks for playing! I'll be posting a more bug-free version after the jam with some adjustments to how the colors work and maybe some additional tracks. I'm glad you liked it!
The game is very tight and polished, and the music is great, an important trait for a rhythm game. The sudden combo color shifts can feel a little unfair depending on when it happens, though I understand that between locking a combo and generally just keeping track of what's coming, you can respond to it if you're fast enough. But for me it just ended up being a little too much to keep track of, and didn't add much to my experience.
Moreso, while the line BG effect is fun, the random colors were very intense and often irritated my eyes; Sometimes this would inhibit my ability to keep up with the game. If the color changing persisted, but used slightly darker/less saturated alternate colors, I'd probably have an easier time handling it.
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the music. I definitely agree that the random color palettes can be a bit much - If I had a little more time I would have locked down a set of specific color pallets that were all at least semi-legible. I did want part of the "unlucky" theme to involve being stuck on a good multiplier with a rough tough pallet but the eye strain can be real.
Control options include controller support as well as arrow keys + ZX., and WASD +JK.
KNOWN BUGS:
**** IMPORTANT: *****
- The first song played after launching causes a lag spike that desyncs the audio and gameplay. Easy workaround is to get into a song, press start/enter and select quit, and start the song over again.
- Difficulty settings on the song "Heating Up" are broken. Hard and easy modes are both easy, Medium is Medium.