This was very cute! I really like how the tractor beam is only so long, it forces you to dip down between the buildings instead of camping the top of the screen.
There are some rough edges here, especially collision with the buildings. The game could use some challenge ramping like increasing the scrolling speed or setting the distance between humans a little farther as your score increases. I think you'd also do well to have the tractor beam stay active for more than 1 frame. It happens so quickly that it is hardly visible and also feels a little inaccurate.
It's also difficult to emulate retro visuals when you're painting backgrounds with the brush tool and rotating sprites. Pixel art has a very deliberate look to it, and I think the game loses some authenticity here.
I look forward to seeing what you make next!
Viewing post in Unidentifiable flyin' object 2: the Game jam comments
Thank you for your very comprehensive comment!
Since this was our very first entry to any game jam and doing so in a completely new environment and engine there was a lot for us to learn. This lead to many unexpected issues we had to resolve before being able to implement ideas for ramping up the difficulty unfortunately.
Once voting is over I will implement the changes to the beam which you suggested and an increased difficulty as you get further. It might even include whumans which are trying to shoot down the Ufo ;)