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Dreamer's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Design | #42 | 2.608 | 3.400 |
| Visuals | #47 | 2.761 | 3.600 |
| Fun | #55 | 1.994 | 2.600 |
| Overall | #57 | 2.148 | 2.800 |
| Overall | #58 | 2.086 | 2.720 |
| Audio | #70 | 0.920 | 1.200 |
Ranked from 5 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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(like others noted, i can't get the webbrowser version to work. The download version worked fine)
The graphics were okay, but i really loved the particle system.
The axe throwing was a real pain. Not because it was difficult to aim(i haven't even tried yet to get it right) but because you're limited to just one axe(later two) and that's it. If you throw your axe, it lands behind an enemy, you are forced to get hit to get your weapon back. That's really not good. I gave up trying to beat the bosses(if that is what they were) even with unlimited continues. But hey, it looked good :)
I think there may be a bug in the tutorial part. When i had to go jump over the big wall, it told me to press right key. Thus i threw the axe over and over again until i realized i had to press the left key to super-jump(and aim with the mouse, there was also no indication that this is how it works)
As other noted, sounds were lacking, but i understand if time was running out. I had similar problems :/
One tip, keep a collection of free-to-use sounds handy in case you ever need some. Those with a license that don't require you to credit the creators. That way you can easily put in some sounds without a care in the world in any project.
doesn't load for me
game doesn't load for me.
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This game has fantastic visuals, one of the best in this jam. Unfortunately, the rest of the game fell short. The game had an interesting concept, but proved to be much too difficult to adapt to. Throwing the axe where you wanted was near impossible. There is no audio at all. Audio should not be neglected, even a few sound effects can go a long way. Overall, the visuals are outstanding, but the game is not very fun.
Thanks! I agree, the gameplay is definitely lacking. There's a lot of challenge to both keeping track visually with the upside down world and the axe throwing. Originally I planned to have normal close range attacks as well, similar to Hollow Knight combat, but I ran out of time implementing and bug fixing. If I were to do it again, I'd put more into the primary world that you can visually see (even if they aren't perfectly clear, but at least more clearly hinted at) and make the reflected world more something you have to take a pause to look at (like moving your cursor to the top of the screen, or hitting the up arrow / w key).
As for the axe throwing, oof, yeah. Even building it and playing a ton, I couldn't figure out how to make it feel as good as I felt the rest of the game's controls were. Maybe if the axe were more linear in its path it would be easier to judge, or maybe if I helped auto-aim it. Ultimately I gave the axe normal gravity and figured "it's allowed to be difficult, since the primary form of attacking will be close-range," but it ended up being the only way to clear out enemies, and that's a serious issue. Maybe if I reduced the gravity of the axe to make it fly more straight, or if I put no gravity on it for the first X seconds of travel then enabled gravity, it would be easier to properly aim. I did originally have a full projectile path hinted when was working on it, but it was visually way too much clutter and also, uhh... couldn't aim down lol. Math is hard when trying to calculate the future, and my formula didn't work for negative angles.
Yeah, I made the choice to sleep on Friday instead of implement audio. It's not a choice I'm happy with either, but in terms of my personal goals I wanted to make this game as visually appealing as possible. Too often I build something that works but looks like garbage, so the past couple of game jams I've more-or-less built visual tech demos more than anything. The camera system I wrote during the jam to do what I did is something I can take out of this project, refine a little, and move into my shared library, for instance. I agree the game overall is more frustrating than it is fun, mainly due to the axe tossing mechanic feeling like it's fighting with you rather than working with you.
Thanks for playing my game entry though! I'm glad I at least managed to check the one box I was really going for ^^; Time for me to re-focus on fun over fidelity in the next jam.
You pretty much summed up all my thoughts about your game perfectly. Working on improving your art skills is good, but in my opinion gameplay and fun is more important. I'd much rather play an ugly game with really fun gameplay than a beautiful game with terrible gameplay.
As for the axe throwing, I don't think any of the player's moveset should be "allowed to be difficult". The player should feel like their moveset is working for them, not against them. There can be mechanics and special moves that are difficult to pull off, like in Celeste, but they should always be optional. If it's too hard to use, players will just not use it, which is exactly what I tried to do before I realized I had to kill all the enemies to win. If it's not necessary to use, then it's ok for players to skip the frustration if it's too much for them.
As I said in my first comment, audio is vital for player feedback, atmosphere, and making your game feel more alive. You should never skip it. I know you mostly made this to practice visuals, but I'm looking from the perspective of a real game.
Yeah, I think certain moves can be challenging to do/use, so long as not all moves are difficult. Throwing an axe mid-dash to alter your trajectory and squeeze through a tight space should be tough. Just hitting the first enemy you come across shouldn't be. Like I said, I planned for axe throwing to be secondary in general as an element of combat, but then I didn't implement the regular axe attack (I treated the axe tossing as movement, which I worked on and tweaked first, so while hitting an enemy with the axe isn't great, movement with the axe throw is highly consistent in the air).
I'll definitely be adding music and SFX to the prototype (as well as improving the axe throwing) after the jam ends, but for now it'd be bad faith to add it in ^^; I had plans but didn't budget my time appropriately for it.