itch.io

Your assumption is actually incorrect. Games with fewer votes do get an adjustment - you could call it a penalty, but what it does is balance the ratings so the games with fewer ratings aren't automatic winners.

The formula for jam ratings was explained by an admin. According to them, the formula is:adjustment = sqrt(min(median, votes_received) / median)

This means that the adjustment for a game that got 19 votes in a jam with median of 20 is = 0.97467, about a 2.5% reduction in average score, eg. a 4.5 rating would go to 4.386 for the purpose of comparison during ranking.

The statistical bias is actually accounted for by a backend algorithm. Essentially, any games with less reviews than the median are skewed proportionally lower to promote fairness. Of course, it's not a perfect solution but it is something the system considers.

it's not adding up for me either. But oh well. Jam ratings aren't that important in the end anyway. Hollow Knight placed 126th when it was first released as a jam game.

*bump*

Most likely the target people haven't seen this, but I know there are people out there who started projects and didn't submit. I know because I've been in those shoes before!

Very cool game and homage to Papers, Please. I think the theme implementation is spot on. Gameplay-wise, I wish there had been a way to zoom in on each paper as I had a hard time making out the text. Also, I did a trial run where I sent all the forms up without looking and I got through the whole stack. At the end the number turned negative and I started pulling <null> files. Lol! Anyways, really dug the originality of this game and all the attention to detail and effort put into each aspect of the game including the various distractions that popped up from time to time. Good stuff!

Unreal engine games run like crap on my current potato of a PC, so I wasn't able to run this at a decent framerate. That being said, I played enough to know that I like the atmosphere and overall intent of the game. I think the statue idea is a great implementation of the jam theme and a great setup for puzzles. I would definitely play a full length game based around it (once I get my hands on a proper gaming PC again). Well done!

LOVED the concept of this game! Cleverly implements the jam theme and gameplay is intriguing and suspenseful. I do think it's too unforgiving, as it's not always clear when the it's okay to perform certain actions and when it's not. An alert meter that increases rapidly as opposed to instant failure could go a long way towards making the game feel more fair.  Also, a breathing indicator would have been helpful so you can time the rhythm correctly. Overall a very good premise and I would definitely play this again were you to expand it into a more polished experience!

My game is short and playable in browser. Let me know if you run into any issues!

https://aevox23.itch.io/engraved

First off, great title! I totally loved the art and overall presentation. I also liked the simplicity of interacting with entities by walking into them.

Gameplay-wise, I felt like the flow never quite clicked for me. Either the player character moves too slowly, or the timer expires too quickly, making it feel like you don't really have a chance to evaluate enough graves. It felt very luck-based to me and hard to apply a specific strategy.

Instead of a short time limit, I would have preferred a longer limit with another form of pressure applied, such as a roaming enemy or enemies that you have to avoid while you dig. Also, it feels bad to accidentally potion an empty spot, and then watch as your time wastes away. An easy way to prevent that would be to make it so potions only work on graves,

Overall, I enjoyed deciphering the cause of death for each grave to assign potions, and the need for quick-decision making. I also really liked the retro vibes, environment art, and character designs.

Kudos to you for a unique and creative entry!

Due to the time limitation of the jam, as well as technical difficulties on the day of submission, I'm sure there are some hard-working devs out there who didn't quite manage to squeeze their entry past the finish line in time. 

If that's you, please share a clip, demo, or screenshot below of your unfinished work! If you'd like, you can also talk about lessons learned. Game jams can be rough... and all kinds of obstacles can prevent even the best of devs from achieving their goals. But your effort deserves a chance at recognition - hence this thread.

Show us what you made!

Really cool concept, and I appreciated the stylistic art style! I also liked the design of the menus and overall UI.
As far as constructive feedback, I didn't like the way that blocks sometimes obscure the view of the player. I don't know if camera controls were available, but if there was I wasn't aware of it as I played from only the base perspective.  Also, it seemed like your push hazards were bugged, as I would get repeatedly pushed even after I was no longer in range of the hazard. 
I wasn't a fan of puzzles that require you to go fast to solve. While I'm not against time pressure, it can be frustrating to have figured out a solution to a puzzle only to fail at the execution repeatedly until you get it right. I managed to get through all the puzzles except the last one for that reason. I would have preferred if the fire would cause you to expire after a certain number of moves rather than a certain duration of time. And perhaps the body itself could serve as a bonfire rather than needing to light a predetermined stack?
I have to say though that I think this was a great implementation of the jam theme, and very creatively done. I especially like the mechanic of being able to use your past bodies as stepping stones to reach new areas. And I wish there had been even more clever opportunities to use death as a means to solve puzzles. For example, being able to pick up past bodies and stack multiples of them to reach higher areas, or to jam hazards and/or halt moving platforms.  
Overall a cool game, and nice use of the theme. I would definitely play again if you were to refine and add more puzzles. Best of luck in the jam!
-Aevox

I unfortunately wasn't able to play your game as it didn't run on my machine. In the future I would suggest a low graphics option, but tbh it's probably just my potato of a computer! That being said, I watched some gameplay of your game on Ducky Dev's stream and was impressed by the atmosphere and vibes. I also really liked the character portraits, and the overall idea of the coffee shop setting. Good stuff!

Hi! the intention of this thread is to spotlight games made by creators other than yourself. Do you have any recommendations based on the jam entries you've tried?.

Hey all, with all the threads asking for people to share their games, I wanted to try something a little different.

Use this thread to share a recommendation for OTHER jam entries you really enjoyed, along with at least one sentence about why you liked it!

Do NOT post your own game. There's plenty other threads to do that. This one is about giving a shout out to others and forming a collection of some of the best games this jam has to offer, according to the community.

I'll start with one. Dead-End Job is a beautiful game with unique art style and polished gameplay! Check it out here:

https://itch.io/jam/jamsepticeye/rate/3934489

Now share your own recommendations!

Okay, closing submissions for now, due to a growing backlog! I'll continue going through all the games in this thread one by one.

If anyone else posts, I'll do my best to play your game and leave feedback. But it's not guaranteed.

Thank you all!

Game Title: The Anty-Christ

Enjoyment (2/5): Utterly wild yet entertaining, and the length of the game is perfect for a game jam game.  The game is held back by some serious bugs and lack of overall polish. I had to restart the game the first time around because I denied demon arms, and when I returned he offered wings instead, which locked me out from progressing. So it felt like going forward I had to select only the options the game "wanted" me to take, which hampered my enjoyment.

Creativity (5/5): The narrative was engaging, and humorous. Some parts were a little *too* out there for me, personally, but the creativity is undeniable. I enjoyed talking to various NPCs and the overall level designs as well.

Theme (3/5): The core premise is interesting, but I felt the application of the jam theme could have been stronger. Also, the game presents itself as an RPG with stats and combat, but is really more of a visual novel / interactive fiction, with linear progress and scripted outcomes. That's fine, but it leads to a lot of unecessary menus and options, as well as may disappoint people expecting real combat. As a narrative experience, I feel it would have benefitted from more interesting choices to make. However, I understand all too well the limitations of game jams! so I don't fault the developers for not including many diverse branches.    

Visuals (3/5): Some mismatched assets, with differences in resolution and size, but the environments were genuinely well made and interesting to explore. Some of the text could have used additional proofreading, and too much of the stock RPG Maker fluff is still present in the menus, but overall I appreciated the variations in the environments and felt it did a good job of staying fresh throughout. I especially liked how the player character visually evolved throughout the narrative.

Overall Score (3/5): Not bad for a first ever project! (my first games were virtually unplayable). But the bugs and lack of polish hold it back from being a recommendable experience. That being said, it's clear that heart and creativity were put into this, and I look forward to seeing more games from you in the future.

Good luck in the Jam!
-Aevox

Game Title: Until Death Brings Us Together

Enjoyment (3/5):
The core gameplay is frenetic, engaging and high-pressure due to the timer. However, the levels are so large that you end up running blind at times in search of enemies, which feels more like hide 'n seek when it should be tag. So that was a point of frustration. I think the game would have benefited from smaller maps, or on-screen indicators to point toward off-screen enemies. I would have personally also liked to see powerups or abilities unlocked for the player, although the variety in enemy types was admirable and managed to keep things fresh for the duration of the game.

Creativity (5/5):
The idea of running into Enemies and Hazards on purpose while they try to avoid you is very clever! I think that idea has a lot of potential. And the setup of a bride saving her groom provided an interesting backdrop and inversion of typical tropes.

Theme (5/5):
The story was surprisingly cohesive, and boy - what an ending! Perfect implementation of Death as an Opportunity and the payoff was well-executed. It seems based on dialogue that the final confrontation was intended to be different, but the current ending actually fits quite well as a conclusion to the story. Nice work!

Visuals (4/5):
The hand-drawn visuals are very well done. and I appreciated all of the enemy designs and animations. I particularly liked the fierce, motivated look of the female protagonist during gameplay. Environments could have used more variety, but for a jam game it wasn't bad. Overall, pleasing to look at and clearly presented. The dialogue contains typos which distract from the content. I recommend having someone proofread for mistakes.

Overall Score (3/5):
I enjoyed the experience by the end, but have to admit I almost gave up halfway due to moments of frustration. I think the gameplay could use some fine-tuning to emphasize the parts that are fun while minimizing the elements that aren't. Either way, I had a good time with this one and would recommend it to people seeking something humorous with a decent amount of challenge.

Good luck in the Jam!
-Aevox

Lol! That one was a little on the nose. Mr. Barry as the Caretaker was a bit more subtle. :)

i wish it was, too! Unfortunately I had to condense the scope in order to get a playable game finished in time for the jam. That being said, I'm looking into potentially expanding the project to a more substantial game after the jam. So stay tuned!

Hi, not anymore! It should be playable directly in the browser. If the Itch.io embed isn't working, you can play it on gdgames:
https://gd.games/aevox23/engraved---jam-version

The downloadable .zip file is for the source code, which can only be opened with the right software.

I agree! the original concept was that you would be doing upkeep around the graveyard, and finding objects to place on the ghost's graves in accordance with their requests. That being said, due to time limitations the game was condensed to something much shorter and more basic.

 Thanks for playing!

Thank you for your submissions! I will play and review every single one who rated mine.

that's awesome! My wife helped me with designing the art and characters for my submission. It's nice having a collaborator you can turn to at any time. :)

As the title says, rate my game and I'll write a detailed review of yours!

Priority given to those with few or no ratings and first-time creators.

My game submission is Engraved: A cozy narrative game about death.

https://itch.io/jam/jamsepticeye/rate/3938118

Looking forward to trying all of your games! I will start going through them tonight one by one.

*UPDATE*:  due to a growing backlog I can't guarantee I'll get to your game in time if you post here today. But I'll try my best to play and review everyone's entries!

EDIT: This is an accidental repost. Please see the original thread here:

https://itch.io/jam/jamsepticeye/topic/5394523/rate-for-rate-offering-detailed-r...

- - - - - - - - - - -

As the title says, rate my game and I'll write a detailed review of yours!

Priority given to those with few or no ratings and first-time creators.

My game submission is Engraved: A cozy narrative game about death.

Page link:

https://itch.io/jam/jamsepticeye/rate/3938118

Direct link: (playable on PC and Mobile)

https://gd.games/aevox23/engraved---jam-version

Looking forward to trying all of your games! I will start going through them tonight one by one.

My submission, "Engraved", is a bite-sized, cozy narrative game... about death. Check it out if you want a relaxing change of pace!

gdgames upload:

https://gd.games/aevox23/engraved---jam-version

Yes please! Same as here on discord. aevox23.

Hi! I have in mind a game that needs a melancholic and eerie theme, but not overly sad. It should be somewhat relaxing. The game is an inherent oxymoron because it is a "dark cozy game". If you are interested, let me know! I tried messaging you on discord, but unfortunately I could not because we don't occupy any mutual servers.

Hello! I am a solo game dev seeking help on the art and music side of things. I can design, program, and write (although it may be helpful to have a writer join the team as well just to save on time).

The game concept is 2D and is best described as having both gothic & cozy vibes. If you're interested I'd be happy to provide more info! Pixel art is a plus, but willing to entertain any 2D style.

EDIT: Found a composer. Now just needing someone handy with art!

This seems like great chaotic fun! The "skirmishers" are an interesting addition that really establish this as a true wargame / racing hybrid.

It's hard to comment on the balance as I haven't played it but I don't see anything particularly problematic. Even if it turned out to be janky it would only add to the theme of the game!

I disagree with others that there is too much going on. The core idea is apocalyptic racing and I think this design suits that very well without becoming too complex. There are some small typos in the document but nothing that obfuscates the intended meaning, and the game seems like it would play quite fast once one has a rhythm going. 

My only real suggestion would be to have printable sheets that allows players to track their chosen vehicle, skirmishers, armor/health, and upgrades.

Nice work!

A simple, elegant design that is very clear and offers lots of tactical flexibility. I think it's interesting that the player with initiative can choose to give up their initial draw to the opponent for the sake of a better hand for themselves.

My only real gripe is that the presence of 4 clan decks, while cool, slightly undermines the simplicity of the rest of the design. Ideally, in a game involving playing cards, I would want to be able to memorize what each card does within a short time of playing. But with four factions all slightly varied of each other, this becomes a much more difficult task.

If you had told me that a 5+ was a stagger, a 9+ was a deathblow, etc. it would essentially be the same game but with less of a need to constantly look up values on the table. Perhaps if just the face cards varied between clans, it would be easier to keep track? It would probably also be easier to balance.

All in all, this game looks like a great deal of fun and makes me wish I had some nice vampire miniatures to represent my coterie on the table! Great execution and implementation of theme.

I think examples would be great in helping people to visually understand how the game is played. The game itself is actually very simple and quite clever, but the rules layout makes it seem a little more complicated than it really is. Also, the bottom edge seems like it should say 'starting edge', which is an aspect that probably confused some readers. But overall it's a cool concept and seems like it could make for some quick cut-throat gameplay.

I didn't want the game to require a "board" because I wanted it to be playable with whatever tokens / miniatures one hand on hand. Even a tape measure isn't really needed because during gameplay all lengths fall within the 12" or less of a standard ruler.

Game length is actually surprisingly short because as written, the game ends if a players reaches 10 VP while controlling the center planet (first column of first page spells out win condition). Because VP is handed out at the end of each round, games can end pretty quickly especially at the 2 player count. In future versions the max goal of VP will probably be adjusted based on player count. For now, feel free to use whatever VP goal makes the most sense to you based on the pace your games are going.

Twilight Imperium was definitely an inspiration along with other 4X games like Eclipse. Although TI is technically grand strategy rather than 4X. Most notably, TI lacks an exploration element, which I wanted to make a key component of this game. 

TI seemed a perfect starting point because it's a game with many layers of complexity based around the simple idea of territorial expansion and player interaction. I was curious how much we could "Subtract" from the game without losing the core essence of it.

Initially, there was a plan to have differently themed factions but that ended up being reduced to just the faction traits. Everything in the game is streamlined as much as possible although I will admit that the balance is probably not quite right yet. After the jam we will probably update an improved version of the game.

Quick clarifications for combat involving more than 2 players in proximity

- For each roll, the attacking player chooses an enemy player to target. Any hits rolled are toward that enemy's units only.
- After combat, if the defending system owner has no units left in orbit, you claim the system (whether or not there are still other enemy units in orbit from other players). 

Note that all other players are considered enemy players. Alliances are never official and thus ending a move in proximity of an enemy ship or system always forces a combat regardless of any prior agreements.

Our entry to the Design by Subtraction jam, this game was inspired by the idea that 4X is a genre typically known for its many layers of complexity.

Our goal was to cut the typical 4X gameplay down to its bare fundamentals: EXploit, EXpand, EXplore, and EXterminate. In addition, the game includes Negotiation, a strong Theme, and Technological advancement, which are regarded as key elements of the hidden 5th and most important X: The EXperience.

Enjoy!