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A jam submission

Scent of AuroraView game page

A classic love story of a gun loving patriot...
Submitted by anttihaavikko (@anttihaavikko) — 9 hours, 24 minutes before the deadline
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Scent of Aurora's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Innovation#44.2224.222
Graphics#94.3704.370
Overall#104.0374.037
Audio#123.9263.926
Gameplay#233.8153.815
Theme interpretation#783.4443.444

Ranked from 27 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

GitHub repository URL
https://github.com/anttihaavikko/moonshot

Theme interpretation
Didn't have any grand ideas so I went with quite a literal route with the theme, moons and lots of shooting! 😅

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

This game is so cool but very difficult, thus I didn’t get too fat. It somehow reminds me of My Friend Pedro tho. It’s hard because of the randomness of where your arm can face and there seems to be a very narrow space for improving skill level…(maybe I am just too bad at this game) Would definitely appreciate a slow-mo / bullet time while holding spacebar with a CD period so people don’t rely too much on it. After all, it is a very cool game! (btw I love the visual effects and animations, gold!)

Submitted(+1)

First full 5 stars on each category I gave to any game in the jam! :-D

The polishing was on another level compared to the rest of the entries and the game play was easy to understand, but extremely difficult to master. At some point I wished that the hands had different colors or shape to better distinguish them during spins, but I guess that would break the symmetry.

Developer(+1)

Yeah the different color hands has been suggested and first I though it might be a good idea. But now that I think about it I don't really know if it would help really, would your brain remember the color/side relation at all. I think I learned to tell the hands apart (even though I still fail at it quite ofter) looking at the guns, they do look different upside down. Of course that is a extra bit of mental processing you need to do though. Actually during development I even thought of the idea that left click would always shoot the gun that is more left on the x-axis and wise versa, but scrapped the idea thinking it would dumb it down too much.

Thanks for playing and the feedback! ❤️

Submitted(+1)

Amazing polish and overall "game feel". The chromatic aberration effect really gave the shooting impact. I think the overall difficulty is quite high, and sometimes it felt very random as to whether you made it though a level or not. Perhaps some sort of limited time slow down effect would help smooth those edges, giving you some time to think. Managed to play through it all and was not expecting the moral decision at the end! I chose guns. On the "corridor is lava" level I managed to balance just right, which was satisfying! A strong submission.

 

Developer

Good thing I didn't get rid of that hand stand thing from those timed levels then! 😅 I did think about it but didn't bother since it isn't easy accomplishment to achieve in itself. Some kind of bullet time thing might be cool...

Thanks for playing! ❤️

Submitted(+1)

I love the UI in this game, it's so smooth and clean! The visual design in general is great. I love the contrast of such cute looking creatures, and just... gun. It was fun trying to figure out ways to solve each level, though mostly it involved a lot of wonderfully chaotic and relentless shooting. I had a lot of trouble with level 18, and was amazed at a moment where I somehow managed to off myself, perhaps I clipped into a corner or something there- but it was an amusing result of my struggle. I must say that the effects and feeling of impact they create are top notch here as well. Great job!

Developer(+1)

Thanks! ❤️ Yeah the 18th level indeed seems to be the biggest hurdle for most people. Still kinda happy with the difficulty curve, at least it's one of the last few levels. And super happy I was so lenient with the level skip system. 😅

There is this wall crushing/collision detection thing in place (mainly for the mario level elevators). It can sometimes be triggered in other places too while grinding against the walls too much or at great speeds. There is an hp system built around it too so you need to trigger the collision several times before you manage to kill yourself so it should be quite rare.

Submitted

Really good game this one. 

Well done man. 

Submitted(+1)

Love the idea and very polished presentation. Agree that colour-coded hands/guns would help. Also I like the flying shell casings except he's holding revolvers and this really bothered me for some reason.

Submitted(+1)

Wow, what an incredibly well polished game. To have made this in one month is a moonshot achievement ;)

Where do I even start with my thoughts. Everything is top notch. Visuals are simple but perfect for the feel of the game. The little characters have so much personality. The screen shake makes such a big difference to the feel of the shots. The colors are striking and memorable. The chromatic aberrations add to the aesthetic and give it a very interesting look.

The sound design is fantastic. The music is perfectly fitting for the feel of the game, the sound effects are heavy and feel very impactful. The character speech sounds are very nicely done. You could have totally skipped out on it but your attention to detail clearly shows.

The presentation was extremely polished and professional. The menus have their own look and feel to match the aesthetic of the game. Everything from the font choice to the hyper stylized look make it stand out and feel unique in a world where menus usually receive the least attention. Incredible job on on that.

The one critique I have is that the left and right guns look and behave the same (at least as far as I played) If they had been different colors, that would have made it easier to mentally associate with the left and right hands. As it is now, once I start moving and the character starts turning, which gun is left or right is pretty much guesswork. Would have also been interesting to explore what happens when the guns are different on each hand. Would have added a new dynamic where certain situations preferred one gun over the other and you would have to position yourself for the best advantage.

Overall, an incredible experience, and a very viable commercial product. If you fleshed this game out and added more to it (more guns, more characters, more playstyles, more replayability) it could become a very very popular mainstream game. I really hope you continue to work on this post jam. The sky is the limit! :)

Developer

Thanks a lot for the feedback! ❤️ Especially appreciated from such username. 😁

Different color guns would make sense I guess. Didn’t even cross my mind. I early on didn’t think such would be needed since difficulty was easier but maybe now that it started becoming more difficult.

Thanks for playing!

Submitted(+1)

Very good game.
Some levels are very hard. Especially the "floor is lava" levels.

I think the final boss is one of the few levels I got on my first try. :D

Sometimes it gets frustrating because I never got the feeling that I can control the movement for more than one or two shots. Maybe some type of bullet time effect where the time slows down and the player has more time to control the shots. I don't know if it would help to better see wich gun is left or right.

The bullet casing effect is nice, but those look like revolvers. :D

Loved it, the polish you put in is amazing.

Developer (1 edit)

Haha, true. Maybe they should spit cases only every six shots. 😁 Well there isn’t any reloading either. Didn’t feel the need for too much realism.

Thanks for playing and the feedback! ❤️

Submitted(+1)

This is one of the best jam games I've ever played, ever. This is a believable game to get an actual release. Seriously amazing work.

Submitted(+1)

Using the guns to move is so creative! This game was satisfying to play start to finish. You guys did a great job on the visuals and the audio too!

Developer

Thanks! ❤️ Just me though, no other guys... 😁

Yeah I do like the games where one mechanic has multiple uses, like Downwell for example. First time I tried to do it myself.

Submitted

Amazing looking game.   I just wish I was any good at it!

Submitted(+1)

I gotta say that this (like others have mentioned) is one of the juicier games I've seen come out of a jam. You have a great aesthetic going, and the cutscenes are simple, but convey very well.

I like that you introduce multiple ways to play with the mechanics -- though I feel like thematically, you should shoot stuff first, THEN learn to move with the shots.  Obviously from a gameplay perspective, it makes much more sense to do it the way you did, and you told the story in a way that sells it, too.

I did find that in the harder levels, I was able to spam-click the mouse and the arms would flail enough and I'd shoot enough bullets that I'd just win eventually (I tested and also got it to work against the bosses).

That aside, this game was a lot of fun.

Developer (1 edit)

Thanks! ❤️ I really do like my juice... 😁

Yeah the oonga boonga mashing tactic is indeed a pretty well working method of playing the game. I tried to deter away from it a bit with the secondary bonus objectives but didn't want to gimp it too much. I mean I tried to make just shooting feel nice and fun and limiting or punishing for doing so would have not been too fun. And obviously even a semi-intelligent button mashing tactic works better if you still keep your eyes open and kinda reactively employ different mashing techniques based on the situation. So still some skill elements involved there.

Submitted(+1)

Ohh, I've seen this on twitter! Juiciest jam entry I've played yet. Really chaotic, but manage to finish it. I don't like the overall message, but I do like that you "punish" the player with the gameplay if they choose to abandon their guns. Selene's barks are funny. Overall a very polished and fun game that has the high quality of a commercial product.

Developer(+1)

Cool, thanks! Nice to know that someone at least has the patience/stubborness/interest to go trough the whole thing and that it isn’t just way too hard. There isn’t a real message or at least not any intentional one. Just some light narrative I kinda kept improvising on during the dev month to frame the gameplay. I wouldn’t say that the other option is any less punishing either. 😜 The final level is completely different based on your choice...

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

Hey, I found it very compelling trying to get better at controlling the character, so it didn't feel like a chore but a challenge. Most of the time I mashed the buttons though, hahaha. 

Death of the author and all that, the game's message (unintentionally) seems to be about both gun control and being true to what you love (even if you're kind of bad at it). Edit: And Freedom(?

I'll have to check out the other ending later, but the game's really well made.

Submitted(+1)

Wow. That other ending was a bit extreme, hahaha. I don't know what to think anymore.

Submitted(+1)

This game looks great!  I really like the aesthetics.  I really wanted to play more, but couldn't get over the hill in level 3.  Not sure if it requires more skill or more patience.  Guess I came up short on both. :)

Developer

Either works! 😁 Or just random frantic brute force button mashing...

Submitted

Was really astonished by the level of polish !

Submitted

A realy polished game, which is ready to be realeased with a few more levels. I like it.

Submitted(+1)

I can't believe you made a game like this in only a single month !

The level of polish is incredible, the levels are well thought, the game is challenging, there are secondary objectives.

The art is well done, the music is cool and catchy :)

On the (very few) downsides, I would not that the glitch effect is a bit too glaring and that you owe me a new mouse.

Excellent job !

PS : I could not get past the "Corridor is lava" level, I think it was my limit :'(

Developer

Thanks! ❤️

Yeah that level is definitely one of the hardest ones it seems. Did you notice btw that the secondary objectives count for the same as level beating, netting you the ability to skip levels? You need total of 30 completions/bonuses to reach the ”final” boss. 

Submitted

Ooh I'll definitively try the last boss then :) 

Submitted(+1)

Thoroughly impressed. This seems like a small game one would find on steam. The gameplay, art, and animations are all really robust. Great job!

Submitted(+1)

This is a really interesting puzzle to figure out! I also really like how powerful and kinetic firing a shot feels -- especially given how core to the concept of the game that is, it's important that firing a single shot feels cool and fun by itself, and you totally nailed it. Nice work!