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A jam submission

Won't Look BackView game page

Top-down Zelda-like game but you can only go forward (You play a hero who's so blunt he won't look back)
Submitted by Serponge (@sersponge) — 41 seconds before the deadline
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Won't Look Back's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Design#434.3134.313

Ranked from 67 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Viewing comments 20 to 1 of 31 · Previous page · First page
Submitted(+2)

Really great play on the theme that is executed very well. The art is great, the music is great, and I love his little stabby animation. I think this is pretty close to being a perfect entry.

I do have a handful of small complaints, though. The collision with the boxes feels like it could be a little more generous so you don't get hung up on things nearly as much. I think you should probably move the gravestones up further, because it feels a little bit like a betrayal of the theme to have to go into the level to read them and then restart to finish the level because you've gone too far in.

Finally, I think you should have more health. Dying in one hit is a little frustrating when it means you have to redo the whole level. Also if you had a health system, that would mean that you could place health pick-ups throughout the levels in an interesting way that allows for a puzzle-y risk/reward system.

Overall excellent entry and I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the highlight video at the end.

Developer(+1)

Thanks a lot! Art is by Thomartin and music by Csx42, and fun fact: the little stabby animation actually used to be a slow stab but on accident I made the animation super fast and somehow we liked the look of it so we kept it!

Collisions have been improved in the latest build! And for the grave at first I thought I liked how you had to restart so it would introduce the restart option to players even if they never got to restart before, but actually you're totally right! We now wanna add something like hearts that you lose each restart, so now it would be important to really think ahead instead of rushing into it like a madman and constantly restarting!

On health, well, we're adding health, but I don't think I'll make it so you don't restart the rooms though, it would ruin quite a few puzzles if you could just go through the blobs and also if they hit you then they would give you knockback I guess? But I feel like that would ruin the entire feel of the game that you DONT go back (even tho you could argue restart already does it ha), so yeah, I'm not too sure how to do that. But I'll def be adding health pick-ups like you say for the system I just explained earlier! That would be cool! I'll also add some money system so maybe at some room you'll have to think, do I get the money or the heart, knowing if you lose all your hearts you'll lose all your money (you wouldn't go back to a checkpoint, I really wanna make it so you never go back!), and once you reach a merchant you would have to think hard if you skip him or buy certain items, since you would never be able to go back to him ever again!

But yeah, thanks a lot!

Submitted

Sounds like you're thinking about a ton of interesting stuff. Good luck!

Submitted(+2)

It was awesome ! Like, really neat ! Only the end was ... well, anti climatics ! (I checked your comment to be sure it was the end, 'cause of the name of the room !) But I really love all the idea and how they were brought (especially the sword and the 3 blob ! I love the momentum of this moment !) . And also the silly detail, like the first map with a key who have a shape of ... a key. Like I said : I really love these idea

Developer

Thanks a lot! And yeah we reached the end of the time sooner than expected so we had to end it like that kinda... But well I tried to add a little story to explain why and how!

I'm glad you were able to notice all those details :)

If we ever continue this game I hope you'll be able to play it and that you'll be satisfied with all the other details we'll put in!

Submitted(+2)

I loved every second of this. The mechanic and the story/message work so well together, and the art and music made the presentation really great. My one (extremely minor) complaint (that I'm reeeeallllyyyy reaching for) is that the sword timing took some getting used to. Once I got it though, it was super satisfying killing stuff :p

Seriously though, awesome work. There's a lot of good stuff in this jam but your game does an excellent job of  introducing a mechanic, and allowing it to mature. It definitely left me wanting more, so please make a full game and let me buy it!

Developer

Thaaanks!! I'll definitely add some visual indication for the sword cooldown :)

I really love level design so usually I'll always have lots of levels using the same mechanics and then I'll be able to choose a few to make the mechanics evolve like you say!

Submitted
Deleted 281 days ago
Developer

I definitely wanna add more levels!

And yeah those 41 seconds were pretty stressful ngl, especially since the site went down at the moment so I had to wait for 5 min before knowing if I did it in time or not ha

Submitted(+1)

Great game I liked how you need to think ahead before moving forward. Just like in life! Think first before doing anything that you cant undo! :)

Developer

Life metaphors are always cool to put in games :) 

Thanks! 

Submitted(+1)

About time someone used this old concept! 5/5

Developer(+1)

Thanks! 

This was really interesting. Some of the puzzles cause me to have to think twice when I went running off for a key and then got stuck. It looks great and the sound works really well. The whole team on this did a great job, it's a really good game that's fun to play and easy to understand

Developer

Thanks, I'm glad it was easy for you to understand! 

Submitted(+1)

Straight up fantastic work. Polished, neat mechanic that's explored thoroughly. Great job.

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much!

Submitted

No problem! I'd also find your opinion on my game a bit interesting, since we both went the pixel-art route with the art.

Developer(+1)

Sadly I'm not the one who made the art but I'll give it a look, and I'll share it to my art creator as well!

Submitted

Thanks! Tell your art creator he did a good job! :

I'm this guy! Thank you very much :)

Developer

Hey so, current version has a few minor glitches and I went back to fix those for a better experience, however I cant update the link itch provides until the jam end, so I'll put it there:

installer exe https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/484764749536428033/486362049723760650/Won...

instant exe https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/234682525329391616/486323505655316486/Won...

Here's the list of the fixes so you now the state of the game post fix even if you play this version:

Lists of fixes: Fixed Collision issues - fixed minor visual glitch (missing texture in one level) - fixed audio issue (last level song being way too loud compared to the rest) - and that's it!

Submitted

N O I C E

Submitted (1 edit)

"Submited with 40 seconds before the dead line"

Developer

Hell yeah that was the most stressful submission I ever did

(+1)

That was amazing!! I have been trying to make a game for a year all I have made is a ball that moves with the arrows I can't believe you made this in 48 hours!! I hope you win <3

Developer

That's still cool!! I remember I made a game about a ball that moves like that and it took me way more than 48 hours, I'm lucky to have been helped by some friends for the art and music, without them (thomartin and devon) it wouldn't have been possible! Regardless, thank you so much for your comment, means a lot <3

Submitted(+1)

Amazing job! I love how you made not being able to do such a basic task into something that turns levels into puzzles and enemies into obstacles. Also that last level was tougher that I thought it would be. Nice job and very good polishing. Liked the art and soundtrack too!

Developer

Thanks a lot! And yeah at first I didn't think it would turn into such a puzzle game but well, I just went with the flow while level designing and realized this was totally what I should go for! The last level is pretty tough to figure out indeed, although there's actually two solutions to it, one that requires precise timing (avoiding the two blobs by going from down to the top of the corridor while passing them, the timing here is really close), or a safer one but that requires some thinking (luring the top blob into the vertical corridor to be able to kill it and then peacefully taking the key without triggering the other blob). Art by Thom and Soundtrack by Csx42 :)

Submitted

Ah, I just kept doing that first option till I got the timing right. I should have tried to think of other ways.

Submitted

It definitely was worth it! Great sound and artdesign!

Developer

Thanks! Sound by Devon/csx42 and Art by Thomartin!

Submitted(+1)

This game is so polished I can't believe you only made it in 48 hours.

Developer

Well I wasn't alone actually! Thomartin, a friend of mine, made the art, and Devon made the SFX! But yes, we did it in 48 hours :D

(40s before it was over aaaaa it was stressfull)

Submitted

Good stuff! Good music and liked how well you used the simple mechanic! Lots of levels too for such a short time!

Developer

Thanks! I really love making levels :)

Music by csx42 if you're interested!

(1 edit) (+1)

This is really fun! Hopefully you can make this into a full game,  I really enjoyed the music and the gameplay was really fun. But some suggestions are to if you were to make this into a longer game it would be cool to have some challenges in the actual levels like complete this level without taking damage or in this certain amount of time, but I had no issues with playing the game. Im not entirely sure with what im going with that idea but hope this helped comment helped and excited to see your future work!\


EDIT: What would've been a nice touch was instead of naming the level "The Grave Warning" it should've been "A Grave Warning" just a cool touch :P

Developer(+1)

Music is by csx42 if you're interested! I see what you mean by challenges, kind of like the comet in mario galaxy, and while I think it would be a cool addition, it would kinda break the feel of always going forward, if this were to become a full game, you would never be able to backtrack, because, well, you can't go back! However I could add a hard mode for after you complete the game normally which makes you replay everything with new challenges, actually this may be what you meant, but yeah, I'll see if we continue this, that could be fun!

I feel like The Grave Warning fits more there personally because I kind of wanted to personify the grave, but well, that sounds weird in the end thats true^^

Submitted(+2)

DUDE! This game! The polish! The art the transitions! You use the mechanics really well and the level's name are a great touch! Another one of my favorites!

Developer(+1)

Thaaanks! I'm glad you noticed the level names, Since I'm not comfortable with having a full blown story, I try to add subtle back story through titles!

Submitted

It did make for a great story! Good job

Developer

Here's the controls, sorry I couldn't put them somewhere else:

Arrow keys - Move around

R - Restart

Space - You'll know when you get the item

Submitted(+2)

This was really nice. I liked it.

Developer

Thanks!

Submitted(+1)

Really fun! Though I don't entirely trust that what I saw is the ending... :D

Developer(+1)

Im pretty sure you got to the ending! I know it's a bit anticlimatic, sorry, but I tried to give it a twist nonetheless! Basically the story goes: you're a hero thats thinks he can get through everything by just rushing forward,

and he never wanna look back, hes too good for that! But well, he won't get far if he keeps thinking this way, and well, in the end he gets stuck in a room and he's just stuck. I kind of wanted to explain that through the graves, but it's probably way too abstract this way haha

Also the fact that the room was supposed to be named "The Grave" instead of "The Grave Clue", the current name makes it feel like there's something to do, which kinda ruins the whole purpose on it's own

Submitted

I didn't really pay attention to the name of the Rooms until the last one, but that's a really neat detail! Also I'd say the ending works, but I didn't know as a fact that it's over and I wanted to keep playing ;D

Viewing comments 20 to 1 of 31 · Previous page · First page