itch.io

sorry the first comment was very lacking.

To add to it. I really like the idea of losing "parts of the game" as it goes on, although it might be a little confusing or frustrating, as players (me included) are usually used to getting stronger not weaker (although games have done that in the past too to great success, mostly narrative one, so in this regard Until the Bitter End fits perfectly)

One question, the orbs that shoot out from my character at the start, should I be able to redirect them by walking into them or is this a happy little accident of not turning off physics on them? :D

I think it is now becoming a yearly tradition that I comment on Matt's games very last minute (this year literally)

Cool story, easy to learn gameplay, satisfying cutting effect.

sorry i have to hurry with feedback so...

great atmosphere, i really like the gameplay it feels smooth it feels satysfying and I like the attention to detail (like the animation for when the timer runs out even though it is pretty dark) 

What I enjoyed the most is that you esentially made a game that is on a timer, but the timer itself is so well placed into the world and gameplay that it doesn't feel like an arbitrary clock, but part of the world and part of the experience. 

One gripe is that I would really love an audio slider. Normally I wouldn't mind in a jam game, but your music is very agressive from the start (WHICH FITS THE GAME) but it just blasted my headphones. 

Cool art too

cheers!

Mirror's Edge is my huge inspiration from the begining of me joining Game jams (I even mentioned it in the only devlog that I wrote for my first entry) I am glad this shines through in the game. 

I know I struggle with movement, but I try to improve each year!

Yeaa, the arrows are there to make the game a little easier/more accessible. I wanted to include an option to disable them, because memorizing patterns would be my way to play it, but I didn't have time to do that as a toggle, so I just stuck to having them on by default.

Actually I hope that doesn't impact your impression of the game but it was made over whole 96h period, well I settled on the idea after first 24h passed, but for exmple movmement was done by that point anyway, so it didn't fully go to waste. Last 10h was pure craziness I fixed some bugs, did level art, sequenced the levels in this order that you can now experience etc.

Cheers Puzzle man (i know so i know)

Hey sorry my comment won't be too long, as the time is coutning down as I write.

Cool idea, crisp controls of the bug, not so crisp of the robot, but this isn't a bad thing, but a part of the core experience. I think (what others already pointed out) better explanation of how to make the robot jump would go a long way. The game also seems to be pretty hard (at least it was very hard for me). Lovely artstyle and cool sfx. 

I am pretty sure that this was just your design decission and I am not going to say if it is bad or good, but I feel like letting the player do a partial move (not fill the whole bar) could lead to an easier game, but again, maybe that is not your intention which is fully fine.

cheers

Hey sorry my comment will be short, but I am rushing to return feedback to people before the rating ends.

Pretty cool concept, the artstyle is peak, general atmosphere of the game is cool. I had great time creating the most chaotic photos possible (cake in front of everyone etc.) I think there was some issue that I couldn't enter any text into text input field? but apart from that it was rather bug free. 

I chuckled when I saw -100 points and "UH OH" present on the score screen, to be fair I would deduct more points from Tony for that particular photo (wth is he doing with thath child)

Hey sorry my comment will be short, but I am rushing to feedback games before the rating ends.

I liked the atmosphere, visuals and premise of the game

I wish it was more interactive although the lack of agency is making the theme stronger to some extent.

Solid foundation for making something bigger in the future.

You are the second person this happened to. It is SO UNLUCKY that it happens to THIS exact tile 🤦

Thank you Ellie!

It is sadly a side effect of trying to cobble everything together on sunday. I had to cut some levels and merge others together (joined together haha), so the effect was also not satysfying for me to be honest, but I had to accept that. 

I agree with you are proposing here, it would have been a better level and better introduction. Level 2 could also do some work, but it is what it is.

Thanks for playing Matt, very glad you enjoyed it!

It is my mistake of merging levels together during last day of the jam so that I will be able to submit in time. First level should explain stuff a lot better. I saw that players are always going around level 2 and try to cut down by approaching the enemies. I should've shown that you can jump gaps earlier.

Thanks for playing! Glad you enjoyed.

I was fighting with the undo feature and thought that it finally works perfectly, it turns out I was mistaken. I will have to investigate what could've happened there.

It migh've been after think action. I remember pressing 0+enter, the action didn't go through it just showed me the options again and I pressed 0+enter and it worked.

I can see how the change of rank statuses so that the player isn't highest ranking officer there adds to the tension. That's a good call.

I think the idea is very good and interesting. It is a good interpretation of the theme and can lead to great puzzles. I was a little confused at first at what is happening. If I can suggest something, I would change the bridges to be full bridges not half ones, I lost a puzzle on just not jumping far enough which I believe is not ideal for a puzzle game. There is a school of thought that says that a great puzzle should be challenging to solve but execution of the solution should not be an issue.

Very cool visuals too, nice entry.

I don't think I will be able to provide you anything that will be of much worth*. I usually disable Motion Blur in games and go for Higher FOV if it makes me sick. If it doesn't help and there is an option I will also disable head bob.

Here just the movement messing with my head a little when it swapped quickly and also made my brain think of where in the space I am, so that is probably why it felt a little dizzy (but I was able to push through, no worries, didn't even have to chew gigner :D)

*I have actually no idea why I am like this but I talked to: internist, eye doctor, laryngologist, neurologist and even rendering specialists with years of experience in AAA games and... Nobody understands why this happens to me. So designing with my condition in mind isn't probably worth your time.

I could see the situation playing out in my head, which means the text and the music did a great job of activating my imagination. The game didn't register my choice once and I had to double take (although the choice was quite crucial, so maybe it was giving me time to re-think it) Other than that the text controls were snappy and weren't getting in front of the action.

I need to read about the events that inspired the game.

It is a quite high barier of entry to play a text adventure in such saturated game jam, but it was... well it wasn't exactly nice or cool, it was rather depressing to be honest, but I get that that is one of the emotions you were probably designing for, so that is cool. 

also, PTSD:
 

Wow this game is hard. It is very impressive that this is your first jam entry. 

If I can give some advice, you should fill out the itch page, preferably with some description and how to play, also add screenshots etc! I think you're missing out a lot on people who do not click on the game because they can't see the nice art without starting it. You need to really stand out for people to notice a game among 10600 games. 

You can still do that after you submit (the only thing you can't change are the game files). Sorry this comes so late into the rating period, but hope it helps for future jams.

Thank you! I must say that I've played quite a lot of good puzzle games this jam. 

Sorry to brag but I feel like I hit the pacing of the puzzles quite well this year and I've also encountered games with great puzzle progression, the GMTK community is getting better and better with puzzle design (probably in part thanks to Mark's videos on the matter)

Super cool game, with quite a bit of depth for a jam game. The art, sounds and music are nice and pleasant, during one song I felt like it sounded a little similar to 1st Final Fantasy battle music at the beginning which (intentional or not) was a very nice throwback for me. 

The fights were challenging and fun to think through I was a little suprpised that getting the enemy health down to 0 doesn't eliminate them, but sets them to doomed, but once it happened I knew what to expect.

On my first try I beat the Cat guardian but he also doomed me in the process which is very unlucky (pictured below) but I had a lot of fun.

Stellar work!

I believe 0451 isn't just a random number ;) 

I really enjoyed the movement and first few obstacles, it was fluid and enjoyable. I'm a little less fond of  Sticky Walls, they seem to have some weird collisions and they slowed down the gameplay for me, the biggest issues I had with the gravity changing walls. I admire how they are made technically, but I wasn't a fan of them as they confused me a bit and sadly I have some motion sickess in games so I had to squint and push through. I was also able to fall out of the level with those walls. 

I enjoyed the announcers a lot, the humor was on point and the recordings were well made, the "wordplay" joke or the "like a stick joke" were most memorable for me.

I also liked that in some levels I think I was able to beat them in a way that wasn't the fully intended path, but it didn't feel like I am breaking the game, but just using the mechanics skillfully to skip a part of the obstacle.

Overall I enjoyed it and was able to beat the game and go on to become a very succesful indie developer while the show was cancelled (sad). I would probably just want more pure parkour but that doesn't mean the parts weren't well made.

Okay, the level of polish in this game is through the roof. Even the undo function undoing the dashes like that? That is crazy.

The puzzle design and their pacing is awesome, I wasn't stuck at any point yet I felt challenge, I was feeling that I am learning stuff as I go, like the levels just flow. 

The ending? <SPOILER> that was sad... I was really hoping there is an optimal way to do the puzzle so both make it, but I don't think that was possible, I felt that.

Graphics great, audio was fitting but was probably the worst (but still good) part of the game. 

One minor thing that bugged me at first is that the walls are placed in center of a grid tile (so that the tile is split in half) which at first was a little confusing, but I got used to it and forgot about it about halfway in. 

Even the "menu level" instantly teaching the player what the game is about. This is some solid work.

Okay I don't want to sound over the top, because this after all is still just a Sokoban with a thematic twist, but to bo honest, I would like to be able to make games like that in 96 hours. Maybe this is not groundbreaking but this is so well executed, the attention to detail and even attaching some story to it...

Very well done. 

So... That has never happened before 🤣

Thank you for playing and I am so sorry. I have no idea why but THE ONE most important tile is missing from the level based on your screenshot and it seems like it happened only to you out of all players (that I know of).

I know we already spoke on discord, but I have to investigate it, this is so random and this exact tile for some reason...

I see. I admire you doing it in C++ especially when you're just starting out.

Hope to see you next year with a much bigger and polished game. Welcome to the Unreal Adventure :)

That is some high praise, thank you!

Cool game and it is always good to see another Unreal game, we are in the minority in jams.

Rather simple but at least it is easy to understand what to do. 

I would like to ask why the choice to make the pick up button (Q) and placing button (E) different inputs? I think it would feel rather natural to do it all with one button.

I am happy to hear that. It seems like this style fits you very well.

The art direction and atmosphere you created here is absolutely top notch. The whole idea is horryfing, actually I felt a little bit like in eastern european silent hill. I am not 100% sure if I like the fact that some of the animations take my precious time, but I guess it also adds to the dread a little. I wish you would include a little bit more audio effects to make some things even more disgusting. I am not sure in what direction are you planning to go with as a team after the jam, but creating horrors is the way based on what you presented here.

Only bad thing that I can say about the game is that it is way too short.

It is a great idea with very good execution and has that systemic design element where taking the tile from under the hammer makes it drop down, then you need to actually let the hammer build a little so you have ammo, that is clever, that makes the player feel clever, because this is a truly clever game.

Yet another banger.

This is some very stellar boss battle design. Very enjoyable, I admire the level of polish in this game. The different attacks did actually feel like vastly different skills, they impacted the play area it is really something that I didn't expect to be at this high level. I wouldn't say that I would like to play a full version of this game, but I would love to see elements of this game in some future full releases.

Very nice experience, cool jam game.

Gameplay-wise this is a game right up my alley, so I was bound to enjoy it. I did really enjoy it, it was clever it was challenging and it was rewarding. Beautiful puzzle design, nice twists, great setups with some big "aha" moments. Level F8 however, I'm not sure how it was for other players, but for me it was a little exhausting as I got stuck on it for a long while, but I pushed through. I personally think that <SPOILERS> 2 ways around being both baits was a little bit of an overkill</SPOILERS> it was a difficulty spike for me, it didn't hinder my general experience but it made me less patient for next couple of puzzles. Luckily the next puzzles went down a little bit in difficulty for a while, so I had some space to breathe. 

The art isn't very much my style, but I do think it is nice looking. The cutscenes are very well made, the gameplay sections could use a little bit more love, especially knowing how much love was involved in creating the game (which shows :))
 I very much enjoyed the attention to detail, like the counts art aging down. 
I didn't really care about the movement issues, the game was fine for me, wouldn't notice it without the other comments much to be honest.

Personally, I did enjoy the game a lot, but I might be biased as at least twice during jams I tried to make a similar game (limited moves concept) but never got it to work. I think you made it work. Even "spamming" the theme interpretation to be present in many parts of the game is something that I like to do. 

Sorry if this feedback is a little chaotic, but to summarize
- switch around or tweak some levels, especially F8 could be benefitial
- expanding the art of gameplay sections would be great
- A little bit more explanation or tutorialization at the beginning would be great

- The puzzle design is excellent
- The idea is very well executed
- Cutscene art looks great
- Amount of levels and mechanics is impressive and they are shown to the player at a great pace

Overall great game and once again, excellent puzzles.

I think skipping a turn would kind of defeat the purpose, but I've placed some tiles that let you do that by just walking up and down for example to progress turns without changing your position. When it comes to showing enemy movements... I personally would remove them from the game so that it would be a skill to learn the pattern, but I do believe it is better game design and makes it more accessible to show it. The way it is currently implemented, although it could be done in a better way visually, is a compromise between what I like in games and what I think people enjoy in games.

Thanks for playing and for detailed feedback

That is a great idea that I wish I had before submission. Adding a feature to just cut to the finish would take 10 minutes and probably would lead to better experience.

Thanks for playing!

Added the demo to my library, will play it after rating period ^^

Thanks!

I really have a soft spot for logic grids / deduction puzzles. This is very well designed and I was noticing more things as I played, the highlights when you hover over clues etc. It is a very nice touch. It took me couple tries before solving my first murder mystery here, but I blame that mostly on the fact that I had to google "minesweeper rules", lol.
At first I was a little lost until finding the "?"up in the top corner so I saw the tutorial and could begin playing. I also scrolled down to comments and only then I got it that the gun is interactable, also I think the music stops after one play?

That being said, I honestly say that I enjoyed the game very much and I am probably a part of target audience for a more fleshed out and even more polished version. (If there is already a game like that out there that you took inspiration from, let me know :D)

It took me a little too much time (hehe) to grasp that enemies leave those small clocks that heal me when they expire. It actually creates a cool dynamic, a good start for something truly interesting for sure. The game is quite hard as it is really getting chaotic the longer you play, but it was fun :)

Thanks! I'll be playing games soon I hope I will be able to provide good feedback.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it

Thanks for playing.

 I believe "stuck detection" would defeat the purpose and I don't think there are a lot of where you get stuck in a way that 2-3 undos wouldn't take you back to a place where you can continue with a different solution. If I am wrong, feel free to correct me with an example :D

Z for undo, R for restart and N for skip are there just for thath.

Movement is a thing that I get wrong a lot, I usually start with a good snappy movement and then when more features (and undo) gets added it gets bloated and feels off :/ I believe that I am improving as the jams go by, but it is an Achilles heel of mine.