The best one I've played so far! Clean design, liked the mechanic, a lot of fun. I only made it to level 6, the game is really hard but fair. I wonder, how many levels did you make? :)
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Elfin's itch.io pageResults
Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
Design | #52 | 4.255 | 4.255 |
Ranked from 102 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
Third level is brutally hard - could use a few more levels for a better difficulty curve, and maybe more zoomed out camera, but this is on point for the jam for me. Removes a fundamental mechanic from the genre it's in (Direct movement) and builds around that in a way that creates a really enjoyable game premise while not feeling like anything I've seen before. Love it.
This game is really well made. I had an issue on the third level where I kept flinging myself into a spot that i couldn't get out of but apart from that it was a top notch game
Awesome concept and good execution. The art and the music are pretty great. The controls are simple and work fairly well. You've also done some pretty cool stuff with the level design.
I did have a handful of issues. On level 3, it's possible to shoot yourself into a corner and be totally stuck. I don't know if there was a reset button, but I wasn't aware of it and had to reset and replay from the start. For a game like this that has no movement mechanic other than static objects in the map, you really need either a level reset button or to be extra diligent in placement of everything.
As far as the difficulty, which I know has been mentioned a lot, I think there are some ways to mitigate it a bit that don't necessarily need a lot of extra levels inbetween to build up skills. I only got to level 4 because I suck. I felt the main thing that hindered me from doing well on that level was the extremely restrictive FOV. The first thing that struck me (literally) about the level was that there were spikes that I had no way of knowing existed and no way to slow down in time once I saw them.
I died to those spikes a lot even once I knew they were there, and I think the biggest reason was because I couldn't see them to judge the distance against my momentum. Eventually after a bunch of deaths, I had the right momentum down, but that feels a little like artificial difficulty. I had the same issues coming down the other side, not because I didn't understand the mechanics or how to use them, but just because I couldn't see things to judge distances.
Your game already has the ability to be challenging on the strength of its mechanics (as I'm sure the later levels I didn't get to show), so I don't really think it needs artificial difficulty in the form of restricting the information available to the player. It already needs a careful application of speed and good reflexes just on its core design. I think a suitably wide FOV or even a stationary camera showing the entire level would benefit it greatly.
Sorry for the novel. I really enjoyed the game, and the camera started hindering that enjoyment after a point so I wrote a lot of words.
Hey, thanks for the great and thorough suggestions! Definitely agreed on the reset button - I planned to build that out for the jam, but I ended up running out of time. In hindsight, I should've started by implementing the bare-bones reset functionality for the jam (no animations, etc), just tied to a keyboard hotkey or something. Will keep in mind for future jams. :)
Also agreed on the camera issues - I think I'll be increasing FOV and decreasing the follow lag. Regarding the section in level 4 where you have to drop down, there is actually a way to "tether" down (by holding left-mouse down and tapping right-mouse) in a more controlled fashion, instead of just falling and hoping to be able to push off the anchor fast enough. To some extent, I made that part of the level in order to teach that skill, but I agree that it wasn't very intuitive or natural, and that a better camera would've allowed flexibility in how players approach the level.
Thanks again for the kind words and great feedback - I really appreciate it.
One of the best game's I've played so far! Unique and fun movement! Also it's really challenging!
This is the best game I've played so far, and I can easily see Mark playing this. A solid concept, and a really polished looking game!
Seriously one of the best games in this jam, maybe even the best. I would really like to see this expanded. It's amazing what you accomplished in just 48h.
Very cool game. The difficulty curve was brutal but I would say it didn't feel really bad. I felt I was learning as the game went on. I got stuck on the level after those 3 grey balls, but even though it was impossible for me it still felt like I might be able to get it at some point (you know? it's hard to explain).
But yeah would definitely be nice to have a swinging action (like neither push or pull, just hold). It would make the game easier to play.
Amazing! A great mechanic and great levels that teach you/build around it. One of my favorites so far
Blisteringly difficult, with a great pixel-art style, fitting sound effects and a soundtrack I'll be jamming to for the next couple of weeks for sure! I definitely had to channel my inner Spiderman 2 for this entry. My main suggestion for an improvement would button that just allows you swing on the rope (perhaps when you press both mouse buttons?). Would save from having to spam the left mouse button.
Thanks for playing and the feedback! Part of my intent with the controls was to require extra finesse, since in addition to the push/pull force, you also have gravity working against (so, it ends up being more challenging). There is a bit of an "advanced technique" (if you can call it that), where you can hold the left mouse button down (thus pulling), and tap on the right mouse button to counteract it. The current levels don't really teach that technique well, though. But yeah, it may overall be a bit too difficult, so I'll definitely think about your feedback - thank you!
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