Brad Make Games

This was a fairly simple but polished arcade style game.

First I want to talk about the art. I think the art style for this game is actual quite a clean look. Even though its just black and white with simple pixel art, the particles and cohesive look make the game feel aesthetically pleasing to look at.

Next I want to go over the audio. I think the song is an ok fit for the game (maybe it could have felt more "wintery", but that's just me being nitpicky), but the incredibly short length of the song causes it to loop a lot. This gets annoying pretty fast, especially considering the already simplistic and endless gameplay. As for the sound effects there aren't many needed for this game. I only notice the abstract "hurt" sound when you take damage, which works well enough considering the art style of the game.

Last I want to go into the actual gameplay. I want to start by thanking you for putting your controls in your games somewhere. While the controls are incredibly basic, its very important to tell the player, and that's something a lot of people missed in this jam so good job.

For the actual game loop, I think you do a good job of initially ramping the speed of the snow (At least I'm pretty sure they speed up?), which makes the difficulty feel pretty good. That being said I think you cap the speed a bit early, making it pretty easy to carry on the game forever, which turns the "highscore" into a game of patience instead of skill.

Also, I noticed its easy to camp the top left corner, making it so no snow will hit you (there than when you are big enough to survive a hit). This could easily be fixed by allowing snow to go a bit higher (Or if it is actually possible to get hit there while small and I'm just lucky, ramping up the snows speed and spawn rate more would have also worked).

Overall, this was a charming little game that excels in its simple but appealing visuals. Cant wait to see what you do next! I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow.

Microwave jam comments · Posted in Microwave jam comments

Microwave.

Starting with the art. Microwave.

Next I want to go over the audio. Microwave.

Last I want to go into the actual gameplay. Microwave.

Overall, Microwave. I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow.

Slimmunition jam comments · Posted in Slimmunition jam comments

This game was a very complete and polished. with a handful of little details that make it an enjoyable experience (But that won't stop me from telling you everything I don't like).

First I want to talk about the art. I think your style for this game is very simplistic and cute which works well. You also do a good job of keeping your pixel density consistent which is a pretty big deal when trying to make a consistent look with pixel art (Other than the bullets which are scaled down ruining their pixel density relative to other stuff, but they are moving and nobody would ever notice that detail so I'll let it slide).

One thing I will say regarding the consistency/cohesion of the art in this game is that the characters stick out just a bit to much compared to the background. The characters have shading (which seams to swap between gradient (like on the slime) and linear (like on the square robot)) and a bold outline while the environment has none of that, causes them to conflict a bit with each other. This could be made better if the grass and trees had an outline (probably just a colored outline), and if the trees had shading similar to the characters.

I also noticed a few visual bugs, but they are very minor. Some of the water seems to not be animated, I noticed this in the first level but I'm not sure if it happens elsewhere. Also, the player seems to jitter while moving, making them feel less smooth. This is most likely caused by the players rigidbody2D not having interpolate mode set to "interpolate".

On a positive note, I like the small details you added to your game such as the flower on the player, the way the title changes after winning, and the smooth transition between scenes. Things like this do a lot to make the game feel more polished and complete.

Also, this isn't necessarily an issue, but I think giving your characters an animation (even if its just a second frame they loop between) could go a long way in making them all feel more alive. They are ok as they are now, there's just some missed potential when using the static art style.

Lastly regarding art, I notice that once the game starts there is text above some of the slimes head. Because your game is in a pixel art style, the non-pixel art font stands out quite a bit from the rest of the game. There are lots of pixel fonts that are still easily readable, so I would suggest you use one of those instead to keep a more cohesive look to your game.

Next I want to go over the audio. While there isn't a huge variety, what is in the game fits well. I think the music is a great fit for this game. Not to slow or fast, and fits the cheery vibe you have going. In addition, the shooting sounds from both the player and enemies fit pretty good, although they are a bit quiet compared to the music. I do think that having sound effects for killing enemies, dying, winning a level, etc. would make the game feel more alive, but overall the audio works well enough.

Last I want to go into the actual gameplay. I think you chose a pretty straight forward genre and carried it out quite well. In addition all of the levels are designed very well, with enemies being introduced at good intervals. Overall the levels feel natural and fun to go through.

Unfortunately there's a couple major issues with the gameplay that hurt the overall experience quite a bit for me. The first one being how you used the theme for this jam. I think the idea of using health as the ammo for your attacks works well on paper, but in reality it leads to a lot of downtime where all you can do is wait for your health to regen so you can keep shooting. This, combined with the fact that most enemies aren't a threat when you have cover, means that almost all encounters are won by simply waiting until you have enough health to one-shot your enemy, causing most gameplay to involve just sitting still (or dodging very basic enemy patterns). I know you were trying to force me to balance health and damage, but I felt like I was balancing damage and patience.
^This section comes off as really harsh, but the feature doesn't ruin the game or anything. I just think its a feature that doesn't make the game more fun, meaning it is probably unnecessary.

The other issue I have with the gameplay is that you drag the game out for longer than necessary. While having a long game isn't bad in its own right, currently, you don't add many new features to keep the player engaged (the new enemies are good, but not enough to keep the game feeling fresh).

Overall, this is the best game I've seen from you and you have certainly improved a lot. I hope you enjoyed working on this game, and I can't wait to see what you do next. I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow.

Smoothie Chef! jam comments · Posted in Smoothie Chef! jam comments

I like how you interpreted the theme in a creative way and made a simple but fun arcade style game.

First I want to talk about the art. I really like the little sprites that make up the scene. While it isn't the most detailed pixel art, they all fit the same goofy style that make them cohesive. That being said, I notice that the "pixel density" is all over the place, making the sprites not fit together as well as they could have (If your not sure what I mean by that, I'm referring to how the actual pixels in each sprite vary in size. To avoid this, make sure each sprite uses the same "Pixels per unit", and you are not scaling any sprites).

One other thing I noticed about the pixel art is that you are not consistent with your outlining. Some things like the knife, parts of the blender, and the mat the blender is on each have colored outlines. While the fruits, player, and bottles don't have colored outlines. In the future I recommend picking an outline style (black, colored, none, etc.) early on, and using it for all sprites. I think doing this plus fixing the pixel density issue would make the game look much more polished.

Next I want to go over the audio. I think the music is a good fit for this game, and all of the sound effects were good choices. They aren't very realistic, but with the goofy art style and arcade style game that's not a bad thing.

Last I want to go into the actual gameplay. I'm really happy to see a tutorial for your game. Even if the controls aren't super complicated, having a tutorial makes the game feel more polished, and makes it much less likely a player won't understand what to do.

In regards to the actual gameplay loop, I think you made a lot out of a really simple idea. The fruits spawn at a good pace, and the knife + player movement speed feel just right (I assume there was a good amount of playtesting). In addition, the powerup bottles do a good job of giving the player something to do while they wait for the fruit they need. Without them I imagine it would be much more frustrating when you are waiting.

That being said I do have a couple smaller issues with the gameplay. To start, there are times where the game will not give you the fruit you need. I had a few attempts end due to the fruit I need not appearing for the entire timers duration. This creates a lack of control for the player, which isn't ideal (especially in an arcade style game). This could maybe be fixed by making the fruit spawn in a set order rather than at random (I'm sure there's many solutions to this tho).

My other annoyance with the game is the "Click really fast" when trying to get a powerup. It's a small issue that probably won't bother to many players, but I find it a more annoying than fun mechanic, and it also feels a bit detached from the rest of the game. I think getting the powerups could have been related to the fruits in some way (like a pickup, or something you deliver to the bottles). But again, this is a minor issue, and the current powerup system is much better than nothing.

Overall, while the game may not have the depth to keep people playing for long periods of time, it is charming and fun enough to keep most people entertained for their first few tries. I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow.

Fire Keeper jam comments · Posted in Fire Keeper jam comments

This is not the most ambitious game. It's a simple idea, that does exactly what you said it does, avoiding any over-scoping or unnecessary features (Although I don't know what your scope was when you started). And while I don't think it excels in any areas, it doesn't have any areas that it is particularly lacking in.

First I want to talk about the art. It's not the most impressive pixel art I have ever seen, in fact without the text description on the itch page I would struggle to tell what some things are. That being said all the art in your game is cohesive and matches each other (which is much more important than the actual quality of the art). In addition I think the title screen for your game is clean and leaves a decent first impression (although the lack of transition into your first level takes away from that cleanness a bit). Also, the default unity bars used in a few places look very out of place and take a lot away. Just setting the visual on the bars to "none" and letting it be a solid rectangle would be better.

Next I want to go over the audio. I think the music is an alright fit both for the game and title. It is a bit jarring when the music switches at the start, so having a fade for the music would also help when changing songs (You are definitely not the first to do this). As far as sound effects go, your game doesn't seem to have a lot to put sound effects on so I'd say you got the most important ones, and they fit alright. That being said, when you stop the fire breathing, I think having it fade in/out would have felt much better than cutting it off instantly when you let go of E.

Last I want to go into the actual gameplay. With a concept this basic, it needs to be executed very well to actually be fun. Unfortunately I feel that the level design was as good as it could have been. For me and the couple of people I have seen try this game it was a bit to difficult, especially the second level. When I would lose it was hard to tell what I was actually doing wrong, which lead to repeating the same mistakes. Overall I think the levels are to long, and making them shorter would help make the game a bit easier and reduce the annoyance when starting over a.

In addition there's a lack of player feedback, particularly relating to visuals, that would have made actions feel more rewarding. I think having an extra animation or particles when getting fire or heating homes would have been nice. And while there is an indicator for when its getting dark and the chicken sound, more specific clarity to how far you are in a day would be nice (My first time playing I wasn't even sure if the first level was endless or completable, which could lead to some players not seeing most of your game).

One thing I will give you props for was the addition of a new feature each level. Although you only use them for surface level ideas, so having more interesting levels where you use the features in new ways or combine them would have been nice.

Overall the game checks every box on what it means to be a "complete game". It's the best game I've seen from you in a game jam, and I'm excited to see what you make next. I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow

The Test jam comments · Posted in The Test jam comments

You certainly chose one ambitious genre for this game jam. And while I think there are improvements that could be made, the fact you got a working RTS game like this working at all is impressive.

First I want to talk about the visuals. I really like the little intro with the text. It's simple, clean, and gives the game some proper set up. As for the game itself, the models don't fit great with the environment, but at I can tell each of them apart so that's good enough. I think it would have been cool if you really leaned into the simulation look with the game and made the environment just colored boxes and stuff, that way the other models would have all fit in the game better, or maybe you could have used some kind of prototype materials with the terrain system.

Next I want to talk about the audio.

Next I want to talk about the gameplay. You have all the necessary things to create the "starcraft" style base building and unit management, but the fight itself feels lacking. Basically, you made a really cool system, but didn't give the proper sandbox for people to enjoy it. I think the thing attacking your base should have ramped up over time, sending stronger units later into the game (if it already does, make it ramp more, eventually sending tanks). Also I think the units attacking your base should come in less frequent but more deadly groups instead of a constant stream. This would give a more realistic "attack" feeling, the way an actual player would attack. In addition, the little outposts should probably increase in difficulty as you get closer to the enemy base. Currently its hard to push through the first few outposts, but then really easy at the back once you have built up an army.

In addition, there were quite a few quality of life changes that would have helped. For example, I think you should always have most of your controls visible in game. I know they are on the itch page and they aren't super complicated, but I strongly suggest you don't rely on that. If you don't have time for a proper tutorial, I would say even throwing them on the bottom of the screen as a static UI element is better than nothing.

Also, I think there's a lot of ways you could have given the player better feedback as to what is happening. Such as "+xx" coming out of mines when you get resources, circles around selected units, death effects on units, particles, sound effects, and other small things I can't think of at the moment.

Overall, this game is certainly the most impressive project I have seen from you when it comes to programming, although it lacks some of the charm your projects usually have. I'm glad to see you tried something new though, and I can't wait to see what you make next. I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow.

Starship Manager jam comments · Posted in Starship Manager jam comments

I like the idea and I think the game has a good presentation, but there are some issues that stop the game from being enjoyed the way I think you wanted it to be.

Starting with the art I think everything looks good and fits together well. The particles are a good edition that make things feel more alive (although I think the smoke behind the ships feels a bit too big). The title screen is very clean and gives a great first impression to the player. My only real issue with the art is all the default Unity UI. It doesn't really fit with the rest of your art and gives off "placeholder" vibes (It only takes a second to draw a custom white box with a black outline). As a final note, I think the numbers on the ships were a good idea but they cover up the art a bit to much.

Next I want to go over the audio. I think you picked a very fitting song for both the title and game sections, although the scene swap when hitting start game is quite jarring. I would suggest adding a fade to black and having the audio fade between the songs for a much cleaner feel. In regards to sound effects, I only noticed the ones when ships move and the upgrade is ready. Its a good start to giving the game some life, and I noticed it does get louder or quieter as you move the camera closer/farther which is a nice detail. My only suggestion would be to add more sound effects to things like shooting, terminals opening, buttons being pressed, etc.

Last I want to go into the actual gameplay. Like I said before the concept isn't bad, but due to some issues I don't think the game is the experience you wanted it to be. There are a few bugs but you already mentioned them on the itch page so I won't go over them here. First off, The game has a lot of controls and none of them are listed in the game (unless you count the numbers on the ships). I know they are on the itch page, but I strongly suggest you don't rely on that. If you don't have time for a proper tutorial, I would say even throwing them on the bottom of the screen as a static UI element is better than nothing.

Next, I think the main concept behind your game is ruined by the fact that it is completely optional. From what I can tell the best way to win is to just attack the enemy ships on game start, ignoring the upgrades. I think a solution to this would have been to make ships respawn, and make winning only happen when you destroy the big red ship. Then maybe give the red ship its own guns to protect itself so that you need to upgrade a bit to actually take it down (this is just one idea to make the main mechanic more necessary, but I'm sure there's many ways you could have done it).

Overall the game is still interesting to mess around with for a bit, and I'm sure with more time many of the critiques mentioned above would have been fixed. I'm glad to see you tried something new, and you've improved a lot since the first games I saw from you. I apologize if this review was a bit much, but I'm doing this to all the games from this jam as I think critiques help us grow.

Cloak and Chat jam comments · Posted in Cloak and Chat jam comments

Brad Make Games1 year ago (2 edits)

I've seen the concept of switching characters in a few games from this jam, but I really like how you tried to execute it. I think its really cool that you did all the art for this game your self, and I like the environments and animations (especially on the cat). I think the sound effects that are there are good, but I think it could have used some music in addition to the ambient sound. The gameplay itself made since, and I really like the different abilities the cat had (I'm still not 100% sure what cloak did differently). Although it could have used more in game instructions at the start (I know they were on your itch page, but you can't always be sure if people will see that). I also encountered a lot of small issues with the movement such as being able to leave the map, jumping much higher sometimes, and other small things. Fortunately these issues didn't stop me from being able to complete the game. Overall there's still room for polish, but with the time frame given in the jam this is still a great entry!

Carrying Your Weight jam comments · Posted in Carrying Your Weight jam comments

I really like the idea for this puzzle game. The art was very simple, but it was still easy to understand my objective and what each thing did. Adding music/sound effects could have helped make this game feel a lot more complete and make actions feel satisfying, but I understand you were in a time crunch. The levels were pretty basic, but did a good job introducing mechanics, and then building on them. There were just a few issues I had with the game. Sometimes buttons got stuck and I had to restart levels, the blue character could get stuck when jumping while touching a wall, and the players jump felt off due to how fast it was. Overall these are minor issues and it was still a enjoyable experience!

Robopanic jam comments · Posted in Robopanic jam comments

I thought this was a really good entry. While the concept is simple, it was still a lot of fun to try and see how many people I could gather before getting overrun. The art was basic but it all fit together and was good enough to understand what everything was. The music wasn't anything special but was still much better than nothing, and the sound effects were fitting and made things feel better. There were only a few things that I think could have been changed, such as enemies spawning right on top of my group causing me to get hit, the robots, making the small robots a bit slower to give the player more of a chance to avoid them. In the end these were small things, and overall this was a great game!

You're not alone jam comments · Posted in You're not alone jam comments

I like the concept of the game, and for the most part it looked like it was all put together well. The sound effects were fitting and the art seemed to all fit together well (aside from the T-pose guy in the shed). The level design was also good, and helped make a spooky environment that built tension and mystery. Unfortunately it suffered a lot from the movement system, which I'm sure you already know. I always felt like I was trying to fight to go up the small bumps. And even when I was able to move around freely, I was always annoyed by the fact that stamina was drained even when just walking, forcing me to completely stop for awhile while I wait for the stamina to recharge. In the end I did get stuck in a part of the terrain so I wasn't able to see how much was left, but for a first game it was still very impressive!

Slimentum jam comments · Posted in Slimentum jam comments

Its simple but effective gameplay. The music was a good fit and it was nice to see that it transitioned between scenes smoothly. In addition, the overall art style was simple but still conveyed everything it needed to for the player to understand what was going on, especially the character who has a basic design that works well within the context of the game. The movement felt alright and the levels were designed really well to compliment the movement (also the line that follows the player was a really nice touch).

That being said there are a few things that I think would have improved this game a lot. To start, I think the jump felt inconsistent around the ramps/hills (probably due to the ground check not always working with slopes). On top of that, I think the player could have had some better player feedback such as turning around when moving left, a jump sound, and possibly a small animation effect when jumping (squash and stretch). Also, I noticed there were some collectables throughout the game (mainly the first level), but it was never clear if they did anything.

Overall the game was still enjoyable, and I'm exited to see what you do next. And as a side note, good job on the itch page!

Top Fighter 2 jam comments · Posted in Top Fighter 2 jam comments

This was a neat game to play through. The fights were pretty straight forward and I was able to get through everything no problem. The game has a lot of nice touches that make it feel more complete such as the pause menu, level select, and sandbox mode. That being said there's always more that can be done to polish the game like smoothly changing the music when transitioning scenes, using animations to avoid objects popping in/out, and adding custom pixel buttons and text fonts. The music for the game was fitting and there was a good variety. That being said, I think having some sound effects could really have helped hits feel more impactful, and some other sounds could have helped with clarity. The art work was pretty good and I like the designs of the tops. The background was basic but works well within the context of the game. Overall I think the game was fun but could have used more player feedback for what was happening during the battles.

Witch is real jam comments · Posted in Witch is real jam comments

I was really surprised by this game and its quality! The art is simple but visually appealing and does a good job of conveying what is happening. The music and sound effects are also quite basic but fitting. The gameplay itself is a unique idea that fits the theme very well. The puzzles are also designed very well, doing a good job of slowly ramping up in difficulty.

I only had a couple issues when playing. One being that the movement felt a little off, sometimes feeling like jumps wouldn't work near ledges. The other being that solving the puzzles could take awhile even after knowing the solutions, meaning that failing a puzzle due to missing a jump or miss-timing a spell cast (which were both fairly easy to do) would waste a lot of time. Maybe this wouldn't have been as noticeable if the levels were broken up into more smaller levels.

Overall this was a very enjoyable game that fits the theme very well!

This is real jam comments · Posted in This is real jam comments

Its certainly an interesting take on the theme, although I think it lacks a bit of polish. I like the music and think its fitting for the kind of game this is trying to be. The art is very basic, but that's not always a bad thing. One small issue I noticed was that the movement was a little rough, and when moving at high speeds certain elements would vibrate (like the health bar). The biggest issue I noticed when playing the game was the lack of feedback. For example in the first level you're not supposed to get the coins, but if you do collect them it doesn't do enough to inform the player that they have lost, leading to some confusion. Overall its still an interesting game with some cool ideas!

Liminal Space jam comments · Posted in Liminal Space jam comments

I see that on the games itch page you said you weren't able to finish the project, but what you did make is an interesting concept with some well executed tricks. The graphics work well for a game like this, although they created some pretty bad lag that I assume is related to the lighting. As I played through the game I liked how you used the visual tricks to make the world loop or change in strange ways. It really fits the liminal space things and the theme of the jam well. The environments themselves were quite simple with only a few different assets, but for a game like this that isn't always a bad thing. Lastly there are only a few sound effects, but the ones that are in the game fit.

Aside from fixing the lag, the first thing I would recommend adding/ changing is some more guidance. At the moment there is really no way for the player to know what they should be doing, and there isn't a lot of feedback for when I am doing the right thing. In addition, I think the main menu could be cleaned up a bit and have some art added.

I'm sure many of the things I listed would have been fixed with more time, but overall getting anything finished is still an accomplishment to be proud of.

Spears and Spiders VR comments · Replied to dobsy in Spears and Spiders VR comments

Please Help Me! I'm Stuck In Esoteric Prime Number Hell! jam comments · Posted in Please Help Me! I'm Stuck In Esoteric Prime Number Hell! jam comments

Thanks for playing it! I've made a lot of games in the past, but this was my first time trying VR so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Like others have said, this game is unbelievably polished for a game jam. I think the level of detail the art has and the variety of it really make this game stand out. The music is similar with such a wide variety of great tracks and sound effects. The game itself was a really interesting concept, but in my opinion was held back by the overwhelming use of RNG. Many levels had random dead ends, and sometimes just felt unwinnable, while other times felt really easy and lackluster. Along with that the random shops felt way to pricy early on to be used, but didn't feel impactful in the later levels. That being said this was still a great experience and a really well made game.

XL RPG jam comments · Posted in XL RPG jam comments

This is an interesting concept. I haven't played many games in this format so that was a bit interesting. There's not much to say about graphics or sound effects. The gameplay itself was a bit basic and lacked some depth. I think the game could have been a lot more interesting if you used the excel format to do something other engines couldn't. Overall its still a complete experience and very different from other game jams games I have seen.

Water Bottle jam comments · Posted in Water Bottle jam comments

This game had a great sense of humor and was a fun experience. The art is a little rough around the edges but it gets the point across and is unique. The music fits well and while there weren't to many sound effects the ones that are there fit well. Overall the game is simple but still well made and very interesting.

Buried Future jam comments · Posted in Buried Future jam comments

This game has incredible polish for a game jam. I liked the puzzles involving the boxes and the movement felt clean. The sound fit well and the music was nice. The art was all clean as well. There were a few things that I think could need work. The button puzzles never made sense to me, I just moved things randomly until it worked. Overall this is the best game I have played so far in this jam, keep up the good work.

Spacecraft Scraps jam comments · Posted in Spacecraft Scraps jam comments

The game feels pretty good to play. The movement is nice and the sound fits. It is a bit basic but what is here is very polished.

Puppet Slayer jam comments · Posted in Puppet Slayer jam comments

Robots do be taking over the world

High Stealth!! jam comments · Posted in High Stealth!! jam comments

I think the game accomplishes its goal. The stealth works and feels similar to other stealth games. There are some issues that should be addressed. The controls for the character are rough, feeling more like a tank game than a person walking. I think the minimap was a good addition, making the game possible to beat. I think it would have been cool if the minimap showed where enemies wore looking but its still alright how it is. Overall the game is rough around the edges but still works.

Future Delivery jam comments · Posted in Future Delivery jam comments

I like the concept for this game and flying the drone was more intuitive than I expected. There are a few issues I noticed while playing such as how you can pick up each box multiple times, no feedback for when you get hit, and the drone being offscreen when moving in certain ways, and way to many enemies to really enjoy the movement. Overall I think the game was fun for a bit, and has a lot of potential if there was more emphasis on flying the drone and less on the enemies.

Outer Space jam comments · Posted in Outer Space jam comments

The game looks really good visually, and the audio fits very well. Flying the ship around feels a little stiff for being in space but it still works. The combat is fun but I was only able to find one group of enemies in the entire game. Most of this games issues came from the menus. Having "Yes" "No" on the menus all the time even when they didn't do anything is a bit misleading, I was never able to open the pause menu with escape, I wish I knew about "O" earlier so I could see controls and such at the start. The other issue I found was the navigation only worked for the hub and scrapyard. Due to this I could not find the pirate base (Assuming there is one) and could not beat the game. Overall I think this was a great entry for this game jam with a lot of fun moments, that just needs some simple fixes for the menus.

Resist jam comments · Posted in Resist jam comments

The game is very simple but plays well. Visually it looks very clean. I noticed a few issues while playing, enemies sometimes spawn on top of me, meaning I cant dodge them. After awhile all basic enemies stopped spawning and I only got the slow ones that don't shoot. I also didn't hear any sound, but its a game jam so that happens. Overall I think the game is clean for being made in such a short time.

Falling Forever jam comments · Posted in Falling Forever jam comments

I actually enjoyed your game a lot. There wasn't a title screen (although there was a quit screen which surprised me) and the art is very rough to say the least, but the game-play is very entertaining. At first I couldn't tell if you had made each level yourself or if they were random (At least I think they were all randomly generated). But the levels felt pretty good to play through (almost addicting!). There were a few things I think could have been done differently. First I think the player could have been spawned a bit higher, so I don't get killed immediately after spawning over and over. Next I think the camera could have been zoomed out a bit more, allowing the player to see a little bit farther ahead. The music loop was also a bit short but that's normal for a game jam. Also, I think the art was very rough. I think at the very least you could have made each level have a different color scheme. Lastly I think some sound effects when you die/win could have helped give the game some more polish. Overall a very simple but fun game!

Smash Limit jam comments · Posted in Smash Limit jam comments

As usual you have a very clean title and everything. The game plays fine with no outstanding bugs. When it comes to controls everything is as expected, but I find ctrl to be a strange option for shooting but it works alright. The game-play is alright, but because there is no threat of losing it becomes stale quite fast, and a high score is no longer a test of skill but instead a test of patience. One thing I did notice is that the jumping feels a little strange, I believe you are adding force as the player holds space. This works but I recommend having the jump apply all its force at the start, and then increasing gravity when the player releases space until you touch the ground. In my cases this feels much better to use. Overall you have improved a lot over these last few game jams and I hope you continue to do more! (sorry I couldn't compete in this one, had some other projects I had to do)

SUPER SHOT jam comments · Posted in SUPER SHOT jam comments

The game is certainly rough around the edges but that's to be expected in a game jam. I like the concepts but the project may have been a bit ambitious for the time frame.

The shop didn't seem to do anything for me (This may have been a bug?)
moving the character feels stiff (I think the game would have been fine just locking the character in place)
By moving in any one direction for a few seconds you can guarantee that all enemies approach from the same side
you can just spam click to spawn enemies and immediately shoot them for points (maybe make missed shots not give points?)
there is no reason to ever aim close to the player, the shots may as well have had a set distance
the music is a bit loud (but it's better to be to loud than to quiet)
and all the UI/menus look blurry
when you die many particles are spawned lagging the game
The background gives no sense of movement (just needs some pattern instead of a black screen)
credits have no back button meaning your stuck

I know this sounds like a lot, but some of it is just nitpicking.

That being said I don't think this is a horrible game. You have a working game that fits the theme of the jam.

The shooting works well
The particles look good
Screen shake is never bad (might have been a bit much tho)
the menus all work
Controls are shown to the player
I like the concept of missed shots becoming enemies
There are sound effects

Overall completing a game at all is an accomplishment and something to be proud of. (Only 3 out of the 10 people that entered this jam submitted something)

Slime Shooter jam comments · Replied to MS ANNOTATION X in Slime Shooter jam comments

Thanks for the reply! The game was very rushed (being entirely made in one day). I see that I could have been more clear with the controls and I agree that the background is dull. With the music I think it is generally better to have it be loud because the player can't make a quiet game louder, but can always turn the game down (either through their own computer volume or volume mixer). Although I do agree it was a bit much.

Gravity jam comments · Posted in Gravity jam comments