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(+1)

Holy shit. I think the other people have totally missed out on how absolutely amazing the mechanics of this game are and how refreshing the take on the theme is. At first, I was dying constantly due to my bullets since I was spamming them, but I had no idea they were bouncing back so I thought the game was bugged. Then, I started seeing bullets hit me and I'm thinking "damn, do the enemies shoot bullets, that's unfair because I can't move..." Then I realized the bullets were mine and bouncing off the walls and I was like "okay, I need to be way more careful with my shots" and then FINALLY I realized I could shoot my bullets. I absolutely loved this mechanic. I would get into these crazy tense situations where I would accidentally shoot one too many shots and before engaging with the next target, shoot a canceling-out shot. This was incredibly engaging since it kind of brought me into a state of flow. It also made phase mode feel soooooooooo good. Talk about addicting mechanisms.  Having that variable reinforcement of getting phase bullets feels incredibly rewarding and is essentially the only reason I consistently would select the random powerup.

The aesthetics are so minimalist, but they work perfectly, it's like it was stripped down into the most parsimonious form and served to use to figure out how to enjoy, and I vibe with it completely. The music slaps, the game is super frustrating similar to something like Spelunky, and it just forces you to keep going, especially with the hardmode counter, that was a brilliant addition.

I've played 116 games this jam now and I can say easily that this was the most fun game I've played so far. Well done.


(+1)

Thank you so much for your response! Really glad you liked it. It helps a lot to see a player's journey with the game - how you initially thought the game functioned, and how your thoughts changed over time - all of it was really enlightening about the whole player experience. So far the reception has been fairly positive, so I'd be more than happy to take the project further and refine it. I think there are fair criticisms of the randomized elements, so those could stand another design pass imo.  

Very much appreciated your feedback!

(+1)

I'd love to see a later version. The criticism I read may be fair, but of course you had to adhere to a jam theme so your design decisions are reasonable. I do think the game would succeed even without them, but I could also see other systems working such as everything have a double-edged effect, e.g. [slower enemies OR phase] + [faster enemies OR strong enemies].