I guess some fault probably lies with me for coming into this game with expectations of it being good after how good Liquids was last jam, but I had no fun with this game. It took too long to do anything and it was just timewall after timewall. It isn't unique and barely adheres to the theme either. I guess I was just hoping for more
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Universe Time's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Balance (Speed of the game) | #6 | 3.277 | 3.277 |
| Fun (Overall enjoyment) | #7 | 3.213 | 3.213 |
| Overall | #8 | 3.133 | 3.133 |
| Theme (How well the game fits the jams theme) | #9 | 3.585 | 3.585 |
| Uniqueness (Originality of the game) | #16 | 2.457 | 2.457 |
Ranked from 94 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
Fun:4/5. My second favorite redshark game after IMR
Balance:3/5. The balancing is mediocrewith a new softcap being added every 3 OoMs instead of having a softcap that gets more powerful based on time,but oh well. The upgrades are either underpowered or op,and resource effects wear out after you reach a number thats way above for the effects to matter. I also wish he would add an actual layer instead of stacking new mechanics upon the Supersymmetry layer,but i guess thats for a post-jam update.
Uniqueness:4/5. Out of all the games in this jam its the only one that plays out like that,from the fact it starts out from time planck instead of 1s to the multiple mechanics (i still wish there was a second layer,itd improve the game a LOT).
Theme:5/5. A few games in this jam didnt exactly focus on the time theme by having it as a layer or a subresource instead of having it as the main resource,but this game really focues on the time aspect.
Im expecting more updates,if he doesnt resume IMR developing,which i hope he does.
Fun game! This feels like a pretty standard modern incremental game, with inspiration for certain mechanics from things like AD NG+3 and Distance Incremental. You can tell its a Mr Red Shark game. Decent balancing, although a bit too linear/whack-a-mole and idle for my tastes. I wish I could’ve seen a bit more pushing the envelope / experimentation, since game jams are a perfect setting for that. But overall you did a great job :)
I will, however, critique that the theme was not really incorporated into the mechanics at all. The main currency could have been called whatever, and the game would’ve worked equally well.
A well balanced incremental (no huge timewalls, no speeding through without even having time to read the upgrades names), however the lack of any strategy or thinking made it unfun for me. Just buying whatever upgrade is available first as soon as you can is not exactly thrilling gameplay. It's also not very original.
I did like the particle physics theme, I think the game could have capitalized on that further by adding some information snippets related to the development of the universe whenever you unlock something new.
I guess the jam theme was "time"? I don't see it written anywhere. :( Okay fit I guess, but you don't really interact with time in a meaningful manner, so could have done more there.
A well balanced incremental (no huge timewalls, no speeding through without even having time to read the upgrades names), however the lack of any strategy or thinking made it unfun for me. Just buying whatever upgrade is available first as soon as you can is not exactly thrilling gameplay. It's also not very original.
I did like the particle physics theme, I think the game could have capitalized on that further by adding some information snippets related to the development of the universe whenever you unlock something new.
I guess the jam theme was "time"? I don't see it written anywhere. :( Okay fit I guess, but you don't really interact with time in a meaningful manner, so could have done more there.
Fun and balancing- Balancing is meh and too much waiting without much engaging content for such a short game imo. Though it doesn't give too much clicking or ridiculous lengths of active play, which is pretty good.
Here there's also a problem of most mechanics after supersymmetry not being useful until around a hundred seconds after you unlock them. Most of the currencies only provide upgrades early on, which doesn't really feel like you're unlocking anything new, since it's just the same gameplay loop- Unlock currency, wait a while, buy upgrades with that currency, wait for next unlock. The game also seems to unfortunately fall into the "search for upgrades simulator" pitfall.
In terms of progression, it's basically pretty linear- no conscious choices, no strategy. This problem is mainly caused by the whole progression being around upgrades which give massive boosts that it's never good to think twice before buying them.
Uniqueness- Basically just a general idle game with upgrades and whatnot.
Theme- Didn't fit all that well, basically just a currency that has the name "time" in it.
Sorry if I'm being a bit too critical here, I do think the game is still pretty good for what you can do in 14 days. I've done far less in 14 days.
Submitted
Project IridiumFun: 4/5
I have loved pretty much all of your games so far, and so this fits my desires and expectations from you! Hardly any clicking, I loved seeing the time tick closer to the present.
Balance: 5/5
No waits seemed overly long, but nowhere did I find that I was skipping through content too quickly. Nicely done.
Uniqueness: 3/5
Fortunately or unfortunately, the gameplay was very similar to your other games, and to "whack-a-mole idle games" in general. Still what I enjoy, just nothing new.
Theme: 4/5
Definitely about time, and building up closer to the present day, just could have been incorporated into more of the gameplay vs just a general theme.
4h01m, nice game!
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