itch.io

I'm sure more submissions will come in before the deadline...

Thanks! Best of luck for the showcase too!

Thanks for playing. Good point. It didn't occur to me at the time to simply let a player input their name, but I could add it in for future projects. Could be a good idea.

A tower defense entry. That is pretty cool. It was quite easy, though. I beat the game on my first attempt just by building blue tangs as soon as I made enough money for it, and I think I only had the reef breached once in the early stages. Other than that, growing defences is an interesting application of the grow theme, and I liked the overall idea of protecting marine life by fighting against plastic trash.  I think the game could be made a little harder, as it seems like  nothing could beat the simple strategy of just building the most expensive tower once you make the money for it.

Interesting take on the grow concept. I managed to smash up a few rodents, although I soon got bigger and couldn't move into the small places anymore. I don't know if it is just me, but the blood splatter effect is kind of weird when I kill rodent, like a bunch of stretched out pixels. I grew big at one point, but then, I saw a large rodent. When I approached it, the game suddenly threw me to the menu screen. Not sure if that was a bug or a game over. Overall, the concept and idea is pretty unique and interesting, I'd say.

It was quite cute, with nice art and sound. That said, the gameplay was a bit tedious, which as far as I can tell, was largely exploration, searching around and finding cards or other items.I admit that I was not keen on downloading a game at first, but the cover art and screenshots were nice enough to pique my interest and curiosity.  I don't know much about RPGmaker, but is it possible to have a web playable version? The game has a lot of charm, and I think it's a shame that it didn't get more ratings, which might be due to the download requirement.

Interesting, a 2D RPG type game. I feel like the player's walking speed is a bit slow, and I'm spending quite a bit of time just walking through the spaces. Could this be sped up? The text speed is also a bit slow. Minor nitpicks, but sometimes I'm the kind of player who likes to go fast.

I liked the story, the story twist partway as well as the general horror vibes conveyed through the art and style... although horror is not generally my thing. The moving furniture mechanic is also pretty interesting. Now, need to be careful not to start eating someone.

This was a pretty interesting take on the grow theme, with enemy hordes growing stronger and stronger as well as your own character and defences also growing throughout the game. I also liked that you could level up quite quickly and pick a new defender quickly - it added to the sense of progression and accomplishment while playing the game.  I also liked the magic woodland theme of the art. I think some more detailed controls and instructions could help - I wasn't sure how the game was supposed to work at first, but I managed to figure it out over time.

The music and art was pretty nice with adorable and relaxing vibes. I admit, I wasn't sure how to play this, I've never really played 2048, but it was still sort of fun to shift the seeds around and watch the changes happen, if anything.

Some other folks did bring this up, but I think a tutorial would be helpful. I wasn't sure how to play at first, or even what keys I was supposed to press. It's impressive work given the time you spent on it, but I think instructions might have helped. I was quite clueless at the start, and probably still slightly clueless now.

Wait sorry, I didn't see this reply. itch didn't notify me.

You can play on your iPad or computer. The choicescript platform is optimized for both.

Saves are kept in the browser, but I'm not sure if there is a way to download or retrieve it.

It's a private mode on your web browser. But it is probably not enabled on your web browser so that shouldn't be an issue.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_browsing

Are your saves working? If yes, then incognito mode shouldn't be an issue.

Unless you clear your browser data or have incognito mode enabled, saves should persist even if you close your internet browser and shut down your computer.

If I release an update for the game, it might (but not always) disrupt saves. That said, the next projected update is in early February, so it should be safe until then.

Ok, this was really funny... but the controls were also pretty tough. The fake tongue is also very confusing to handle, which I suppose is the point.

Is it possible to indicate how many 'lives' you have left? I think we'll die after eating three bad asteroids, but I'm not sure if it is indicated anywhere on the screen. 

I liked the art and the overall style. I think the music is also pretty fitting. Did not manage to get too big, however, since I keep eating the wrong asteriods and dying. Had some fun. Also an interesting take on the theme.

A good and touching read. I liked the snow effect too, looks a lot more real that what I could make.

Thanks for the notes. Best of luck for the jam too!

Hey thanks. I admit it does get repetitive, something I noticed during personal playtesting, and was considering making it shorter. But I'll probably take note of all the feedback for my next project.

Hey, thanks for playing and providing your thoughts! Thanks for hosting this jam too!

"Hypothesis Lab is a recurring jam in which game devs create games, vote on the games, and then we take the data from the jam to bring you an analysis of what your games and voting habits say about you. Think of it as a social experiment. The goal is not only to create better games by understanding what "sells," but also to understand external factors like how our biases and lived experiences help shape the games we create."

If I may, could I clarify the bolded part? What degree of voting data can/will the jam collect from individual voters?

Thanks again. This was another favorite of mine.

Hey thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Additional code which was added to the game can be viewed at this link.

Thanks for the heads up. My bad about the hard to read text. I forgot to add another layer to the menus at the title screen. But I will likely fix this after the jam.

Bonus tasks attempted. (These are open to interpretation but I think my game has met them.)

3. A place that fills with light

Start at least one location mostly dark. By the end of the game, that same place should be clearly brighter because of what the player did. Aim for several distinct lit spots that only appear after player actions.

4. A story about the light

Give the light some meaning in the world of your game. A line of dialogue, a note, a memory, a short text on screen. Extra love if you sneak in a Hebrew word like or for light, ner for candle, or neshamah for soul.

5. Someone changed by the light

Show at least one character, creature, or community that clearly changes because the light spreads. Maybe they wake up, calm down, open a gate, sing, remember something, or choose a different path.

This was pretty fun. I couldn't stop playing until the end.

That's really good. I don't think I've been able to cross $800 yet.

Fair. I need a better way to organize all the stat panels.

Thanks. I primarily made this to force myself to learn some new ren'py features, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. Did you find this game through the Short Games Showcase?

Further updates. The game gives you clearer warnings  when it tells you the bonus objective. A rank system as also been added to the end for a sense of accomplishment.

Made some updates to the game based on private feedback. To ensure that you do not sell away too much food for the final challenge, you have the option to sell a lower amount of food. The quantity of food sold was previously automatic, but you will have control over it once the final challenge is revealed.

Also fixed some typos.

Just tried it. Your art is pretty good. I like it.

Sure. Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like a fantastic offer, and I'll be keen on exploring a collaboration. Do you have discord? Otherwise, we can also reach out over email. Just let me know.

I did say I was open to expanding the side romance options... :)

Ehh... I'm not in a rush to put this on the storefront, and there are a couple of jams for continuing or remastering an existing game this month. I might add that to the list. Making Darrin, Ari and Cara proper romance options was something I had been thinking of for a while.

Hey thanks! Best of luck for the jam too.

Thanks for the comments. I did actually like the music, but I see your point that it may be coming on as too strong. Something I'll take note of.

Thanks. Good timing too. I had just finished a UI and sound update.

Less than that, actually. Just spent the whole day at my desk. Thanks!

I made the script file and the image files available at the link below. Password is Chicken. Anyone else who stumbles upon this comment and wants to see the script file is also free to access the page and download the file.

https://chanceoffire.itch.io/robot-recovery-mission-download

Thanks. A quest log could be handy... it's a good idea.