apparently games on itch.io are legally required to be playable in the web browser before anyone even bothers with playing your game
This isn’t generally true. If you think this, then you’re catering to the wrong crowd, IMO. Namely, the impatient people, who are usually children. I, for one, am less likely to play a web-only game. Not just that, I’m sure that accounts for YouTubers also, who you will need in your quest.
Indeed, it’s not just spamming advertising on different subreddits or paying for Facebook ads. You can contact real people to see your work for themselves. That’s what is generally done and it certainly increases your chances. On the other hand, you must then make your presentation e-mail to the reviewer more polished and appealing than the hundred others he or she may be receiving every few days.
Now, if your work looks like garbage as you so say, then that won’t work. I checked your last game out, and here’s what I see (do keep in mind that I mean no harm, even if it sounds insulting; it’s hard to convey emotions through text):
Firstly, the cover image definitely sets the tone and, if anything, reminds me of games that are purposefully made to look bad (especially the Comic Sans). This may or may not be what you want.
Your description mentions the game using Pygame and how it’s a great choice, but for most players this is meaningless information as long as they get an exe file.
I tried to run the game on Linux via Wine, but that apparently doesn’t work. I then tried to reverse engineer the EXE but that was too difficult, so I had to move to someone’s Windows computer.
Immediately I was shaken by the 4-second music loop that repeats forever. There is nothing you’ll fit in 4 seconds that won’t sound repetitive immediately :P. I’ve heard that Koji Kondo would listen to the infamous Mario Bros theme on repeat constantly while writing it, to see if it ever lost charm or became irritating. I don’t know how true that is, but it’s certainly an inspiring story.
Some of the dialog in the game was too long to fit in the window, IIRC. The window itself may be too small for people with huge monitors, so resizability is generally something to be expected.
The graphics has so little “life” in it, simply walking quickly became a chore. While doing a repetitive task I’d like to at least soak in your visuals. You might be surprised to see how much better it will look if every screen had a unique background. At least have the clouds move.
I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t find randomness to be very funny. That’s just me, though, and there wasn’t too much.
Despite all of this, there is very clear potential from you. Your use of Pygame demonstrates your desire to put effort in your game from a programming standpoint. The HUD design in your game is very intuitive and well-made, though I didn’t see the HP and coin counters actually change. The game page has a clear, consistent blue design, shows the game and explains it well. You’ve even put in a garlic image for the tab icon. The scope of your game, despite its simplicity, show you have moderate ambitions. You clearly have the desire to improve, and there is no better time to start than today.
I also saw your creator’s page. The one sentence there describes you as mediocre. Such defeatist attitude won’t bring you players, and will likely drive them away. After all, why should they disbelieve such negative words from yourself?
Game development is an art, and like all forms of art, it takes effort and discipline to do it. The Finally Finish Something 2022 jam is what drove you to finish your game, but in the future, your drive will have to come from you and you alone. Keep going, and I look forward to seeing what you will make later.