So like, what's up with all the AI-generated images in the game? You couldn't hire an artist or even attempt to make that artwork yourself?
Exactly. This is a free game-jam game and was an enormous amount of work already. I bought assets from artists where possible (all credited), donated to free assets where it wasn't necessary and made a lot of the "gameplay" art myself. Hiring someone was out of the question. And for stuff like the intro and characters obviously nothing pre-made existed.
On the other hand, I made all the music myself for the very first time and that felt more important to me on this project. Personally, I like the quality of the AI assets and they are in line with what I envisioned for this project, but I also understand the many problems people have with AI generated content (and because of that, GenAI usage is also correctly disclosed on this page - EDIT: at least the boxes are ticked in the setup of this page, not sure where they show up?!). Without the intro, my son and I wouldnt have had the experience of recording his voice for it - which I'll never forget - so I'd never want to miss that and I am glad that I decided to go this route.
When I continue working on the game for a full proper release the AI art will be replaced, I am already in touch with various artists :)