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A jam submission

HooplessView game page

Entry by sherlocklini for GoedWare Game Jam #13
Submitted by Sherlocklini — 26 minutes, 38 seconds before the deadline
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Hoopless's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Devlog#2n/an/a
Overall#33.0833.083
Theme#43.4723.472
Gameplay/Fun#53.0563.056
Innovation#103.0003.000
Audio/Sound Design#122.9442.944
Art Style/Visuals#142.9442.944

Ranked from 36 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Game Engine / Tools
Godot 4.4

How does your game fit the theme?
You are a ball trapped in a loop - literally. You need to (actually) break the loop by destroying it!

Devlog link
https://sherlocklini.itch.io/hoopless/devlog/902798/devlog-sumbmission-day

Self-made & used stuff

Graphics / Art (e.g. models or textures)
Assets (e.g. free or owned)

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Comments

Viewing comments 28 to 9 of 28 · Next page · Last page
Host(+1)

A fun circular puzzle game!

I really liked the concept of solving puzzles inside a circle you need to break out of—literally breaking the loop, so the theme is definitely checked!

The controls worked well, though having the "S" key between "A" and "D" felt a bit awkward at times, but usually, if you were using it, you were already in a safe spot. A nice amount of levels with fun ideas and new tro and small surprises throughout. They weren’t super difficult, and I would’ve loved to see a few tougher challenges—but I still had a good time. I could even imagine nested circles for a double escape!

Visually, it was simple but effective and nicely polished. The shapes worked well together, and the VFX added a nice extra layer of shine. The background track had a catchy beat that fit the game perfectly.

All in all, a fun puzzle game and a solid jam entry. Well done! 🧩✨

Developer(+1)

Wow, many thanks!! I really appreciate your feedback. Regarding key bindings I already noted that there can be some improvement (as well as the character control). I will try to focus on eliminating these issues in the future. I also thought about more challenging levels, but I also was aware that movement still needs some tuning, which is why I sticked to simple ones. I like the idea of including further cycles! I will consider to expand on that :)

Submitted(+1)

This is a fun game. You've thought of a lot of really creative ways to make breaking out of a loop a challenge and did a good job having each level teach the player a new mechanic. I would have had an easier time if the arrow keys were implemented as well, but was still fun to try and get to the one spot I could break through the loop :)

Developer(+1)

Many thanks for your feedback! I will definitely incorporate more key bindings in the future and also fine tune the player movement. :)

Submitted(+1)

This was a fun and challenging experience! The puzzles were really well designed, and you taught the mechanics to the player in a great way. However, the difficulty curve felt a bit off. some later levels were actually easier than the earlier ones.

I also prefer games to be in full screen mode, as the current size felt a bit small. As for the controls, it would be more comfortable if everything could be done with the keyboard since switching colors with the mouse felt a bit awkward.
Overall, a very polished and well-made game. Great job

Developer(+1)

Many thanks for the detailed feedback!

Yes, the level difficulty varies and for the screen size I will also have in mind for future games that the ratio should be applicable for standards... Also I will further focus on using 'more' key bindings :) Many thanks!

I just get black screen but I gave you all 3 stars

Submitted(+1)

It's a fairly simple challenge concept that doesn't require much thinking and doesn't allow for many more levels due to its simplicity. It's not a bad attempt and fits quite well with the theme. Good graphical and sound quality.

Developer

Thank you for the feedback!

Submitted(+1)

Super slick presentation and you did a good job easing the player into the game's concept. I like how literally you took the theme. There are a lot of potential puzzle mechanics to explore here. The main thing I would improve is the controls. I found the movement keys would often not respond after I jumped. And, for me at least, using the keyboard for everything then having to switch to the mouse just to change the flash type was awkward, though I understand you want to provide precision since it uses an action. Great game!

Developer

Many thanks! Yes, I agree regarding the control. They need improvement. For the future I know now, that using keyboard is often the better way. I will think about changing that :)

Submitted(+1)

Nice work with the literal breaking of the loop. I was surprised to find myself stuck on a few levels before understanding how to complete them. I felt so silly once I realized how to complete level 11. Very clean, art fit in well, sounds were properly balanced, Overall Good Work!

Developer

Many thanks for this feedback!

Submitted(+1)

Amazing retro puzzle game! had lots of fun with it, the puzzles had good pacing and I never felt it was overly difficult which kind of made me want a really hard level haha, the music and art both fitted really well. Great job !

Developer

Many thanks!

Submitted(+1)

Very well polished.

Puzzle for level 12 is either super convoluted or I got super unlucky, I found that clicking the little decorative particles did something and made a buzzer, never made progress on it despite trying multiple times.

Trying to see the light coloured electricity against the light coloured tiles was a little challenging, I would like to see it tint the tile its colour. I noticed you used yellow, cyan, and magenta as the colours, which are much brighter than red, green, and blue on a screen.

I liked the theme interpretation a lot, fits perfectly.

Puzzles were pretty clever, though quite easy.

Developer(+1)

Many thanks for your feedback! Yes, level 12 is a hidden Level. SPOILER ahead:

You need to find the correct shape in the background of each level. You will know what to search for if you have a look at the level menu (looking at the circles surrounding the different numbers). The circles differ for the levels. If you completed a level, you can also closely look at the 'O' of COMPLETE when a level is completed, this is the shape you will need to click in the next level :D

Submitted(+1)

I went and did it, and, after collecting all 11 parts, successfully completed level 21!

Developer(+1)

Haha, you found the easter egg I did not attend to have in the game (Level'21' Labeling) :D Really good :)

Submitted(+1)

wow good idea for a good puzzle game :D

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Great game, the levels are very well designed and challenging. The art looks nice however there is a small problem, the colours of the sparks on the floor are hard to differentiate but that might just be me. Overall great job on this i like it!

Developer

Many thanks for your feedback! Good point regarding the sparks, I did not check how good they can be distinguished on smaller screens. I will have this in mind for future game design :)

Submitted(+1)

Dang! What a great game. :3

I found the progression in difficulty very natural, and very much appreciated the instruction. I also liked the Action Points system, and that you would have to sometimes get hurt to progress!

I really loved the visuals. They were clear, and fun. The movement you gave them brought it to life.

I like how quick and easy it is to restart, since I am pretty bad at video games. And that you implemented a level select screen.

Music is a fun choice that had me bouncing along. The sound effects were poppy and felt good.

Definitely fit the brief!

Developer(+1)

Many thanks for your feedback!

Submitted(+2)

The visual style of this game caught my attention right from the start. Even though it’s relatively "simple," the combination of colors, effects, sounds, and music all came together perfectly, great job on that! It gave me a strong sense of nostalgia for retro games, which I really appreciate.

I found your interpretation of the theme particularly interesting. The fact that we break the loop in a literal way (since here, the loop is something physical) was really clever. Usually, this concept is explored in a more abstract manner.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any issues while playing (in terms of bugs), but I have to admit that I felt a little lost when it came to the character’s movement. This is probably more on me than on the game itself, as I sometimes got confused due to the way gravity works in 360°.

The game's progression was great, you did well by introducing each mechanic before moving on to more complex challenges. It gave just the right amount of time to grasp everything and understand how things work.

However, I feel like this slightly affected the game’s difficulty curve, as some later levels ended up being easier than the previous ones (at least in my opinion). That said, it’s nothing that detracts from the experience, just an observation from my playthrough. A solid example of this would be the “final” level (11), which, despite having a somewhat tricky logic to solve (in a good way), felt noticeably simpler compared to earlier sections.

Level 12, from what I read, is an easter egg, right? Could you give me a subtle hint on how to access it? I’d love to see it in action.

Congratulations on the project! Wishing you the best of luck in the jam!

Developer(+1)

Many thanks for your detailed feedback! You are right regarding level difficulty. I thought it would be nice to 'mix' the levels instead of increasing difficulty all the time. This way sometimes player tend to think "too much" instead of going for the simple approach, do you know what I mean? :D

And yes, Level 12 is an easter egg! 

So SPOILERS ahead:

You need to find the correct circular shape for each level, click it within the level and complete the level as well. The vorrect circle is shown in the level selection screen or the 'O' of 'COMPLETE' when using the "next-level-menu-approach" :)

Submitted(+1)

That is really clever puzzle game. Innovative and fits well to the theme. I completed all levels except the hidden level. Well done.

Submitted(+1)

Very nice made, fits the theme very well and i think is overall a cool idea.

Submitted(+1)

the game is very interesting and fun, above all it is well made, beautiful work

Submitted(+1)

The puzzle design was excellent. Really good! I wish there were more levels. It ended when it was getting really good, I know there is a secret level but i could not unlock it, I'm sure it has something to do with little clickable circles that appear, but I didn't get it. Very well made game!

Developer (1 edit) (+2)

Haha, yes, you are totally right :)

Little SPOILER ahead, so ignore the following if you want to find it out by yourself:

For each level a specific circle needs to be clicked in the background. You may wonder what circle? Have a look at the level selection menu. Within each 'box' there is a specific shape shown. This is the one you are searching for.

If you don't want to get to level selection all the time, you will also see what shaoe you are looking for when focusing on the 'O' within the word 'COMPLETE' after you completed a level.

Just have in mind: You not only need to click the correct circular shape AND finish the level :)

Submitted(+1)

Thank you! I just beat the last level!

Submitted(+1)

Very nice game! I got stucked in the 5th level, i really like the way the ball bouces and phisycs behind, the effects are amazing, I really liked this game!

Submitted(+1)

This is amazing! It's unique and really makes you think. I also love how health is treated like a resource rather than purely an obstacle. I couldn't unlock level 12, but I'm assuming that's the easter egg?

Developer

Yes, level 12 will be unlocked if you find the hidden secret of each level :)

Submitted(+1)

This is a really unique game! It's cool to see someone else who took the idea the same way I did, by quite literally breaking a physical loop! (Although yours was a loop loop, mine was a gas station loop.) So, 5 stars for theme interpretation! I also really liked the art and sound effects; they added to the overall experience. The gameplay wasn't bad either - I appreciated how mechanics were introduced very regularly and the level design made you think. Overall, this was a really fun game to try out. Great work!

Developer

Many thanks dor your feedback! I will play your game very soon as well and I am also looking forward tonget in touch with all the different ways how to interpret the theme  :)

Viewing comments 28 to 9 of 28 · Next page · Last page