itch.io

This is the Dark Souls of games where you have to throw things in the trash.

Yes, I’ll include that next time I update the game!

The idea of repeatedly fighting a random permutation of the same boss is very appealing. You learn the boss’s movement and attack patterns, and so to some extent your experience is transferrable, but you still have to learn and adapt! Conceptually, it’s inventive, and your boss design is just as creative – I love how you can anticipate its movement patterns based on the placement of its jets.

The visual feedback for hitting the boss is crystal clear, and this could be enhanced further with some juicy sound effects across the board. I also find that the reloading mechanic is just a timed task – in lieu of simply unlimited bullets, maybe the player slows down to reload, so you have to pick your window carefully? Either way, nice work!

I’ve seen a bunch of games take advantage of the irresistibility of collecting custom dice. But somehow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game allow you to customize each side! What a great idea. I had one die that was almost all red, and then another for injuries and poisons. It’s quite an intuitive and rewarding way of mitigating the randomness of dice – that randomness is of your own design!

I would love to see my custom dice in 3D, though the shaking animation for rolling totally reads; brilliant call. I think greater tactility and feedback – animations, particles, and especially sounds – would make this game a banger. Big potential. Nice work!

Nice game! The player is quite crisp and responsive, which is essential given the brutal difficulty of the platforming. I admire how you organically introduced the edge-wrap mechanic by cleverly placing the platforms.

Aside from the punny title, I think this game only fits the theme on a surface level – I struggled with this too, and I think a lot of games did. Maybe integrating the randomness of dice – a bonus power-up to aid with platforming? – would make gameplay more stimulating, more forgiving, and more adherent to the theme. Good work!

Thanks chief! We caught that bug right at the end and decided it was a feature. Nice playing!

Thank you so much for taking the time to both play the game and write out your thoughts! I appreciate it very much, and after staring at this thing for a week, your criticisms have really gotten me excited about the game again.

Hard agree on the combo meter. That’s a day one addition for a potential post-jam version. I think your one-hit kill idea is awesome too–it fully converts the enemies into targets rather than actual entities. To me, that alteration accurately observes that the game in its current state is too beholden to top-down-shooter genre conventions. Definitely a lot to think about. Thank you again for your thoughtful commentary!

Wow, this is incredibly polished! The player character is absolutely adorable and his walk and jump animations are delightful. The cel-shaded art style and its pastel color palette are lovely, though like below commenters I had trouble with depth perception. Excellent 3D modeling work, though--absolutely everything is pleasantly plump and geometric! I found the controls a tiny bit slow and stiff, but I appreciate the laid-back pace of this game, and I appreciate that you didn't punish certain platforming mistakes by sending the player back to the start (though I kind of wish this were the case for the snowball!) Also, the music and sound are suitably soft and gentle--really nice.

I agree with below commenters about the camera locking up, but I still had a good time with this game, even though I got hung up on a platforming section and didn't complete the entire thing. Excellent work--this is wonderfully appealing and amazingly complete!

Nice work! It's obvious that a ton of love was put into the visual theming, and the character art absolutely rocks.  (The health meter is a great touch as well!) The controls are ultra-snappy, and the sound effects offer solid feedback over the bombastic synthwave jam in the background. (I love the little violin stab sound that the enemies make, as well.)

Though I wasn't totally clear on my objective, I had fun hacking and slashing my way through classical Cupids--it's a satisfying tactile experience. Still, I think that tactility could be upped a little bit--I agree with YDOG below that taking and dealing damage could use a bit more feedback, and dying definitely could. Plus, the combat felt a little off to me, notably the player's short slashing range, and the fact that slashing and turning around mid-slash redirects your attack behind you instead of walking you backwards. Even so, this game is a fun experience with loads of personality. 

What a fascinating and challenging puzzle-platformer. The game's core mechanic is very easy to understand, yet actually executing it is a significant mental challenge. I felt a similar mind-stretching sensation to when playing Portal for the first time. The visuals are spartan, yet somehow match eerily well with the ominous, weighty sound design and haunting music, which prepped me suitably for the macabre ending. I especially like the audiovisual treatment of the bond between the siblings--the line changing color as it stretches is inspired.

My only bit of constructive criticism is that I still found the controls a little obtrusive long after I had figured out the puzzles, though upon reflection I would argue that taking my own skill into account is an important part of solving these puzzles. That is: "Now that I've determined a way to pull this section off, can I actually do it? is there a way to make it easier to execute?" Overall, this is a thoughtfully and beautifully designed game. Great work!

This is an extremely novel concept! Communicating lore entirely through letters is ingenious, and I found myself drawn into the world as I encountered more monsters and read more letters. If there is an overarching narrative communicated by this letters, I think I missed it, but I would love to see the same concept expanded into a larger story someday. Perhaps your letters and your ability to deliver them have a bearing on what happens. In addition, the point-pool combat system is a creative and interesting way to reward game knowledge and allow for mid-battle strategizing.

Ultimately, I think the game would benefit greatly from giving the player more feedback. For a good while, I wasn't quite sure what to do or how to do it, though I eventually managed to figure out how to move my character and travel around the map. Even something as simple as a particle effect when climbing difficult terrain could make a difference. Though I liked the pensive, mechanical score, I think additional audio cues would also help in this department. Even a "How to Play" on your itch.io page would be awesome--I'm worried I missed some major mechanics! Regardless, nice work!

Great work team! This is absolutely wonderful. The visual design is appealing and extremely polished--the parallax in the background and the endearing game-over crying animation are two of my favorite details. The concept is extremely novel as well, and controlling both characters with the up and down arrow keys is surprisingly intuitive. The audio ties it all together though--the way the animations line up with the music's beat is sensational, and the melody coming in right after the tutorial is a great touch.

As with below commenters, my principal hang-up is that I'm getting absolutely smoked. I couldn't hit double digits no matter how hard I tried. I think that keeping the balloon below the danger zone while jumping is challenging enough to start out--maybe bring in the birds later, or have an early section with just birds! Overall, though, this is a stunningly complete package. Amazing work!

Terrific job team! Visually, the game is very compelling. I loved watching my chubby witch character skip and hop, and the prospect of finding a new soft, round creature honestly incentivized me to keep exploring the world. The backgrounds are lovely, particularly the dark/florescent area--great work on the shaders. The synthy, pastoral music is a pleasant mood-setter, and the variety and quantity of it is astonishing! Though a bit janky on slopes, the controls are stable and intuitive. As I found myself hitting my head a lot, I think the player's drawn platforms would benefit from being one-sided (jump through from the bottom).

Overall, the general progression of the game is hugely impressive considering the timespan. I did run into similar issues to Wyatt and other commenters below with regard to solving puzzles; it took me a fair bit of trial and error to ascertain all of the elemental interactions. I also got softlocked at the three pedestals, as the strawberry prevented me from backtracking! None of this, however, was enough to significantly impair my enjoyment of this game. Amazing work!

LD website didn't let me post a comment, so writing here. This is fun as hell! The colored barriers are a stroke of genius--really encouraged me to switch between weapons rapidly and often (and the way it's built into the boss is great.) The character feels just weighty enough, and the three weapons + specials are distinct and fun. Sounds are nice, too.

The one thing that rubs me the wrong way is the slo-mo, since it can occur if a player projectile way off-screen lands a hit. It looks cool, but I think it momentarily interrupts the sensation of control you have over the location of your character. Maybe save it for the moment you conquer a loop.

This is a really good time, though. I've got to know how you did that ripple effect. So cool.