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I like the off hands approach this game has with you, it gives you just enough information to get started and leaves the rest to your own pace and sense of discovery. I felt that respected the adventurer in me to go as I pleased with the non-linearity of the design.

Probably one of my favourite entries due to the unique approach and LOTZ style it has going for it, which is unlike other entries. Battle mechanics and system had thought into it and wasn’t just pure attack mashing.

All the music and sfx was deliberate and well scored, whether it was custom or not it absolutely fit the aesthetic and vibe. I have not seen a tile set like this used often before so it was refreshing visually and auditory.

The whole thing had a dark brooding vibe going to the world but I would have liked a bigger hook in the story to make the overall game more compelling.

Games a bit on the long side so I have unfortunately not finished it, but have enjoyed my time with it, there’s a lot of effort and love that has gone into multiple facets of this entry and you can see it.

Very well done!

I was quite disappointed to be just simply dropped into the game with no intro, especially considering what it was with the reveal. A simple setting build up from the perspective of the ‘dungeon master’ would have been fitting and great like a ‘setting the scene’ for the players.

The sequence was great for transforming and the overall story and sequence of events really felt like a ‘magical girl anime’ and the vibes of madoka magica were apparent which the game even references. I did find the transformation sequence after a while got repetitive.

The weakest part of this entry are the fights, they are really not balanced. I just wanted to speed past those sections to get to the next part of the story and hope for the best in RNG.

I appreciated the use of custom busts but could tell where some were traced over, such as the rat and rtp graphic. For a jam game though it’s fine and it allowed for the art to mostly be consistent where possible apart from were styles conflicted.

Overall this is a different vibe game out of other entries with a magical girl approach and focus on more than just Harold.

This entry has had love put into the small things, from changing default sfx, jingles, to the font and its own little logo to boot.

I played with battles turned off which i really appreciated.

There was a few typos and errors in the dialogue throughout but nothing too inconsistent.

Light comical journey with some funny moments and good use of comical timing, music and sfx.

The play on words for 'stealsmith' and 'steelsmith' was quite funny. Or ‘roam’ and the emperors name.

It felt like i was playing on godmode when Harold would smite all who stood in his path, truly the power of no battles.

The game really runs its course and is too long, even without battles i racked up to an hours worth of play time and stuck with it until they end as i wanted to do that for all entries. The overall story was amusing and I liked the interpretation of being a hero at the end and what it all meant but some sections  could have been condensed.

Overall solid entry.

A memorable and unique entry for me out of what I’ve played.

This had a completely different tone and setting from other entries with a big focus on puzzles.

Not your run of the mill puzzles and quite well thought out with a cute idea of controlling a toy.

I found some of the dialogue a little long and slow but other than that enjoyed this one.

Solutions were not always obvious and the use of different characters was interesting but also a little frustrating to back track.

For a jam entry this was rather long and I could see it being longer for any not so puzzle savvy.

I would have preferred it if I had a choice when and where to save.

That sword sure is a keeper.

Thank you, someone else has pointed out the repeat sprite at the start and it  has been addressed.

Many thanks for your feedback and playing :)

Apologies for the late reply, but thank you for playing and i am glad you enjoyed it :) I'm glad you found the antagonist so unlikeable you felt that way as that was the intention haha.

Thank you for playing our entry!

Ooof, that's a big saddening you got spoiled a bit and didn't get to experience it without prior knowledge. Despite being pushed for time i knew no matter what i had to do the face reveal at the end as it has been something building up and the nature of how 'harold' currently is in his situation under that Armour. 

Yep you can find the sprite without the switch, thank you i have fixed this :)

You are correct, this was due to time constraints. We had dialogue i was unable to implement but has been implemented in the updated version we are currently working on and will upload after the jam period.  I think i have posted this in Human's server, if you are interested there is a thread in the jam channel where i posted early concept art, maps and missing text.

Yes the sprite overlaps unfortunately hahaha so it looks a tad funny with the blanket.

Thank you very much for your feedback and glad you enjoyed it :)

Thank you very much for your feedback just to address your points. 

I completely agree with you that the map sections were a bit long and lacking in direction, there was intending to be events and other things that happen on the maps but unfortunately we were strapped for time. Due to time we reused the map to backtrack as originally you would have moved right past the river. There was no time to make full 8 directional movement and 7 frames of animation per direction for Harold so hes stuck endlessly walking with pixels clipping on one of his cycles hahaha!

There's definitely typos and that is one of them thank you for pointing it out. We were running on no sleep up until the deadline before we crashed and the script really wabbles towards the end with them. We have fixed and addressed the script and at some point after the jam is over, i will be uploading a version with updated busts and script. Due to time constraints we just focused on the key points which were the story and art so other things got a pass and the empty/lack of direction in the beginning for the maps is definitely the games weakest point.

Once again thank you very much for your critique/insight its highly appreciated thank you!

Thank you so much! It means a lot i'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!

I'm genuinely taken back by how well its been received and i'm so glad its invoked that right notes with you. We were finishing the script on no sleep right up until the end so there is definitely typos and errors. The intention was to be more serious and compelling and im glad it came across. 

Currently world building and fleshing out more stuff, it'll be a long road but definitely something more will come out of it, can't say when though :)

I'm glad you really enjoyed it!

I'm so glad you were invested in the story and the characters as pen ultimately this was the focus. The game play was more or less an afterthought and i agree not really necessarily.  We really wanted to redefine a more honourable 'harold' and with a more serious focus.  It was intended to go on after the final scene but due to time constraints and wanting to polish what was existing, that was were we opted to left it so things could be finished and complete.  

Thank you for playing!

Many thanks for playing, i'm glad you liked their designs :) and enjoyed it.

Some of the spelling and grammar of the dialogue needed some work such as typos and the wrong use of apostrophe or commas. A proof read was in dire need here.

The custom art was lovely, one of the things that made me want to play this entry was the lovely thumbnail with the cool cape! However there is disparity between the quality of some battlers such as why the fire goblins were so pixelated and a different style compared to the thicker style of others.

I also found it weird that the thief just had goblins with him with little to no explanation.

The ‘choice’ aspect of this entry is really underused and basic, it feels like no choices have any immediate impact or weight to them to make it feel like they matter or give any weight to my decision making.

The lock pick system was interesting but the tutorial should have been given before you can just out right waste your lockpick without knowing how it works.

The mapping is not great, it’s a lot of square shapes of grass and random pathways with the same rows of trees. It’s the most uninteresting part of this entry is the forest maps between the towns.

Some effort was made to build a relationship between Harold and Claire but I feel it could have gone further.

Battles were a bit iffy in terms of balance and could have used a lot more work.

Space, the final frontier...

I was hooked with the comedic premise of this one, the burger lines had me giggling.

The use of pictures and comedic timing was great, the writing was very enjoyable.

The setting of in space was a breath of fresh air out of other entries i played and enjoyed the choice of appropriate space music.

The first puzzle of the bat was a bit more complicated/on a steep hill rather than gradually escalating.

If the creator had used a progression series of increasing difficulty for the candy puzzles this would have been a better approach and given the player a bit of help or direction with it, it would have been better.

The ship exploration felt a little empty and I was disappointed a lot of rooms were empty or devoid of something worth exploring each nook and cranny.

The story of the game is the most engaging and interesting part coupleled with the premise

I found it enjoyable for the amusing dialogue and premise which is definitely its strong suits.

 Overall a bit more narrowing and direction + explanation would have gone a long way, but overall solid entry and definitely one of the memorable story ones for me.

CONSIDER ME CRASHED

Custom art immediately pops out and great care has been taken into changing the default sfx and music appropiate for the game.

Combat is lacking and overall simple.

There are typos and spelling errors such as 'collasp'.

Since the battles were pretty basic, they needed to balanced if it wasn't the focus. 

Enemies had way too much hp that it was a chore to get through the battles for the story as it took too long to defeat them.

What story there was, was incredibly basic and had no development or context. There was a direction but no feeling overall in it. The goal of returning the sword was over in a brief flash and  no consequences or time to experience anything with it.

Die monster, you don't belong in this world!

From the get go this game uses some fun pacing techniques with the 'chapter' intros and text.

I really appreciated that and the accompanying sfx.

Music was very appropriate and  a breath of fresh air hearing non rtp music and sfx.

Loved the unique battle system along with the custom animations and effects.

I can tell a bunch of effort went into this and it was enjoyable to play.

ANIME ENERGY i was not expecting but felt it overstayed its welcome with that sequence being a bit long for a gag.

Overall solid entry but could have done with some more time in the oven to balance better.

I wish there was more depth to the story but its simple and okay.  I liked the tonal shift with the choosing to be evil and whip. Combat is extremely simple and mapping is fine.

Not what i was expecting and got an unexpected crash at the gravestone hahha, had to paste an image into the folder for it to work.

I have been thoroughly spooked.

My goodness, i passed along your feedback to my friend as we both wrote this together and he was really happy/a bit emotional at your detailed feedback and reception.

I'm so glad it resonated with you, honestly we are both over the moon :D

We couldn't ask for anything better and i'm so glad you were able to connect with Harold and that some of the dialogue and themeing has really stuck with you. We've been tweaking the script and are gonna put out after the jam a more complete version just for that finality, but honestly thank you very much for your detailed and honest feedback it means the world.

Right from the get go this entry is very well presented and very well sounding. Everything is well timed and appropriate for the context and setting of a screen play. Everything is deliberately well timed and executed to feel like a real performance such as sound ques, musical stings and the lighting of a spot light. This is probably one use of 3D in rpg maker that I can get behind and say works effectively.

The writing is well written for the theming of a screen play with the player able to make multiple choices to effect the outcome of scenarios. Music is very good, quite possibly the best sounding entry I’ve played so far. The style of music and comedic timing reminds me of Banjo kazooie.

One of the best examples of musical timing is when Harold finds Marsha singing in the forest with each timed ‘la’ a musical note. It’s very well done.

The only criticism I would have is that choices don’t affect the outcome all too much and things mostly go the same way however it offers some slight replay ability. Another is that all of the text is auto timed and understandably this is because of deliberate musical use and would be impossible otherwise if text was proceeded at the players leisure. I feel that starting section drags on a little for a tutorial but other than that its fantastic.

Overall incredibly good entry, one of my favorite so far, it had me smiling from its charm and well executed music.

Many thanks!

I was wondering whilst playing what he tagline joke would be, was not disappointed.

Exactly what it says on the tin.

I have been thoroughly horrified.

'When i was 9, i used to try and sing along to the lyrics of the second One Piece opening even though i don't know Japanese.'

And then i was hooked.

I never thought a game would be so relatable but it takes a joke and really runs with it.

The writing is very charming and keeps you going from the start. I loved the premise and the joke of it all. Has a good message in it too even among the humor. Good interesting take on the battle system too, enjoyed every moment!

The low resolution pixel style makes it stand out among entries and has an interesting intro.

The control scheme was a little weird to get used to.

I found the text font of the game extremely hard to read and some of the tiles messed with my eyes that i had to stop playing as it made me feel sick.

The hub area with the canvas and the doors reminded me of yume nikki.

Game has a unique premise over all with harold as a painter.

Unfortunately upon download the game does not appear to run.

Little last minute game as per jam tradition.

I wish it was a little more fleshed out than a big empty map with the same npc pasted over and over or had some kind of simple premise or plot to give it something to hold it together.

Short entry which drops you right in the middle of it.

As someone not familiar with some of the plugins used, it took a little while to understand i could swap between party members and how to empower skills.

A note on the controls or a mini tutorial would have gone a long way.

Short enough to not overstay its welcome but good all the same.

For some reason the web versions resolution is really low and the fog graphic is very obscuring, i would recommend less opacity.

Light story and simple premise where i get to pummel living rubble and be followed by a demon cat as i clean up.

Overall feeling of the game was consistent and charming throughout!

Use of unique battlers and music was great.

For some reason, intentional or not, i can't move harold with arrows or wasd but only mouse input + the z key, this was very jarring to begin with - later in the game however i could.

Other than that any rock smashing enthusiasts better pick this one up right away!

The sprite for harold is incredibly colourful and cute.

Got to vibe with some penguins and just wondering what is behind that door.

Pacman clone starring harold!

Overall solid although it was very easy to get my character stuck on the corner of blocks, outside of that it is pretty good. The tunes got a real good vibe going!

What have you done truck-kun?

Never really understood lemmings as a child so playing this allowed me to learn how you actually play lemmings.

Solid game play wise with some good puzzle design, i completely forgot you could box select lemmings so i struggled with the divine intervention until i realized that.

Simple entry made with Eric as its focus for the character.

If i had to give a few criticism i would say that the battles were kind of bland and the maps big and uninteresting.

There is a lot of familiar RTP, music and sfx use in the entry and some alternate music would have improved it a bunch.

Simple entry that with a bit more polish could have been a lot better.

A large 256 by 256 map is a funny joke but often random encounters of the same enemy on a low detailed maze is not very fun.

I didn't play this one for very long due to the undesirable encounter rate.

The thumbnail alone made this jam entry stand out to me and the use of 3d assets was interesting.

Visuals -

Right off the back the use of the 3d assets in the map design is great, although i wished i could walk around the church scene.

The layout of the battle scene was interesting and location of ui and use of assets is different.

There is something nostalgic to me about the prerendered assets reminding me of the psx era.

The custom sprites and gestures when interacting is a fantastic detail such as the food.

Combat

There's quite a bit of effort in the combat from the graphics to the choice of music and mechanics.

The follow up skills is good and skill useage has had effort put into it.

If there was one criticism i could give the battles is that i would have loved better mapped battle parallaxes and more sounds as battles were overall quiet.

Really good entry!

I don't know why the portrait for harold absolutely cracked me up

Short cut scene experience made in a short amount of time, gave me a few giggles for the silly portrait.

I would recommend for the sake of experience and learning to continue it!

WHO WILL BE HAROLDED AS THE CHAMPION!?

In the name of sparkling haroldine justice here is my brief review.

The Story felt like a parody episode of dbz with a good helping dose of nice custom art.

Although not my style of story and not much of a visual novel player, the creator knew how to play with it and clearly has experience before.

One of the things i loved most about this entry are all the custom battlers depicting various harolds.

I ended up spending all my money on stat boosters and bull horned my way through.

Due to the nature of the story it was hard to have emotional investment in any sense of stakes and a lot of the references were lost on me personally. This meant the further i got into the narrative the less i understood. By the end i had kind of gotten confused and not understood what was happening, but enjoyed the accompanying art and music choices.

The final fight with the scrolling entry's of  a previous jam in the background was a fantastic addition however.

Overall solid entry with a unique visual novel and choice approach compared to other entries but i feel it is also on the bloated side and a bit long winded for a jam entry with the additional content. Strong points are definitely its art and fun takes on designs!