itch.io

Hey this was really fun! 😃

Few thoughts below.

1. The movement is super smooth already, so what follows are just a few observations I've picked up from obsessing over platformer mechanics in the past. Plus the game is pretty focused on movement so I feel it helps to obsess on the details a little:
   1. The left edge of the loaf's hitbox needs to expand out a bit, currently you clip through the wall on the left side:
      1.  
      2. If you like it this way (because you're colliding the front face), then consider adding that same perspective to the walls to help the eye trace the collisions better.
   2. My personal taste is to allow jumping up to ~0.5 seconds after leaving a ledge. It makes the game a lot more accessible for players who don't normally play platformers (there's a whole skillset that gamers take for granted).
   3. When you land, the loaf plays a really slick animation as it lands. But when you fall, you don't get that animation :(
   4. If you increase the gravity by 50% when the loaf is falling, you might appreciate the snappier feeling.
2. Controls are very straightforward, but it never hurts to add a few variant options like space for jump, arrows for move, etc. Another accessibility thing (some people have a more dextrous right hand, or prefer using their thumb to press spacebar to jump).
3. I really like the search & explore concept. Currently it feels a little low-stakes - the slimes aren't too deadly, and the level is vast and relatively empty to explore. It could be interesting if the bread leaves a trail of crumbs behind it as it explores, and shrinks over time. Finding the ingredients boosts it back up to size or you could add another mechanic for that. Slimes could be attracted to the crumbs and eventually track you down. That's just one idea and it might not be the direction you're looking for, but I would strongly suggest adding some pressure to push the player into making decisions while they explore (e.g. do I have the size to roam, or should I be more systematic in my search?)
4. It would also be interesting to explore "biomes" in the level. Perhaps the background colour changes to indicate what ingredient might be in that area. Or maybe if you add props you could hint that an area is a kitchen or a rat cage, etc.
5. Bread interacts with heat in various ways (rises in the oven, chars in the toaster) so playing with toaster traps or oven zones could be interesting!

All in all a great jam entry and a pleasure to play 🙂 nice work!