I have a hard time rating this game. On one hand, it’s extremely frustrating. On the other, the ability to buy extra time using hourglasses encourages you to try again and again.
At some point you want to stop playing because the cost of buying more time becomes too high, but then you’re already close to reaching the second stage and you get curious about what comes next.
Unfortunately, the difference in controls between the first and second stage, combined with the lack of time to adapt, made me give up. That’s a shame, because I think many players might quit at this point, and since it’s a game jam game, it would be nice if more people could fully appreciate the work that went into it. A possible solution could be a checkpoint after the first stage.
I also have mixed feelings about the visuals. The pseudo realistic, ugly models are kind of awful, but at the same time they add a weird, funny charm. I honestly can’t tell whether this effect is intentional or not.
The text animation that plays after death also bothered me. I know it only lasts a second, but I really just want to skip it and jump straight back into the game.
I also thought it could be interesting if the obstacles were placed randomly, but at this difficulty level, learning the pattern is clearly part of the game, and it probably wouldn’t work without that.
What’s surprising is that the overall effect is still positively addictive. It doesn’t feel like an intentional psychological trick by the developer, but rather the result of many small elements coming together. Somehow, it works really well.