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You're welcome! Good job if this was during a period of DAW adjustment (that's always scary).

Yeah, it's a good idea to do that kind of cohesion planning in advance when you can, but it isn't always in your control. I always write up a specific doc for the devs and ask them exactly what tracks they will need, that way I can start making connections from the beginning between tracks.

And just to be clear, I wasn't talking about the need for dramatic changes in the progression EVENTUALLY, but rather changes within the progression specifically after two repetitions. It's called the rule of three in classical composition (or a "sentence" in academia). It gets ignored all the time in modern pop music choruses, but ignoring it in instrumental music really doesn't work most of the time. If you have one subphrase, you can repeat that subphrase once, but the next time you repeat it, you better change it up or the listener is going to start tuning out. Here's a video for more explanation: 

Thank you so much! We really appreciate it.

Well, even just finding two or more different copyright free tracks. As long as they are stylistically coherent. Again, excellent job here, might be my favorite game of the jam!

This was fun! Loved the little details, zebra removal lol. Could of course have used a little bit more, but focusing on the polished experience was the way to go.

The music worked for all three tracks, but they didn't feel like they fit together very well (three different games, almost). The texture of the main menu track and level track were similar, but the timbres were so different that they felt divorced. I really liked the instrument choices in the level music, consider reusing more instruments across the various tracks to help tie them together. Also, don't be afraid to have more variation in your chord choices for each phrase! Once you've done the same progression twice (I-V-I-V...) it's time to switch it up on the third time! The listener starts tuning out if they hear the same thing three times in a row.

Excellent work everyone!

12:58. This was fun! I tried using the mouse to look around, which had trouble turning, but once I switched to the keyboard it was great. Loved the speed broom. Art was fine. The music didn't really fit IMO, but the kids saying yes and the broom swish sound were delightful. Great job!

Wow, uncanny, we had a very similar concept. You executed yours quite nicely! Writing is super important in these types of games and you nailed yours. And the art was delightful too. Music choices were solid too. Really great work here!

Nice asset choices overall, although I think you forgot to credit the sounds? I've seen and heard similar assets used in this jam already (especially the music). Controls were slightly frustrating for me, with my hand on the mouse for attacking, I REALLY wanted to use it to look around, and it messed me up fairly consistently. Might be better to have a keyboard button for the attack. 
There were several issues where the pumpkins could clip through or around things, so that I couldn't get them or the candy they dropped. 

Fun! Asset choices were solid. It would have been nice to have some sort of collision on the ring itself? Lots of times when I went through the ring, but the end tail of the broom didn't register the right verticality or something.

Simple but functional! Could have used some sound effects and variation in spawn location, enemy type, etc. IMO, the music didn't really fit the game.

Simple enough, but it works! Some direction on how to progress past the initial screen would have been helpful. Also, when the game launched, I wasn't sure which sprite was my character. It needs something to draw the eye. The music didn't really fit the mood of the game IMO.

Nice! This was a very solid experience. Graphics were great. Music and SFX would have made this a much better experience.

Nice concept! Asset choices were solid, and the writing was pretty good! Obviously it would have been nice to finish, but you've got a decent idea to work with here!

This was fun! Solid asset choices overall, though the music didn't really fit the theme for me, and it got old after awhile. I would at least consider changing it for different levels or zones. 
It took me awhile to get the hang of jumping, I was stuck for awhile on one of the earlier levels but eventually I got the hang of it and was able to play through to the end. One major cheat bug, you could get candy from the same door multiple times if you were fast enough!

Hello all,

I'm an established concert composer (15+years) with a terminal degree in music composition who has begun making the transition into writing for games. I've done four game jams recently, and would love to sink my teeth into a full scale project. I'm comfortable writing in any musical style, but I specialize in scores with a cinematic or experimental style. I have a letter of recommendation from BAFTA award winning composer Jason Graves (Dead Space, Tomb Raider, Far Cry Primal) if you would like to see it. You can check out my work here on my itch profile, go to my website: https://www.danieljmcintoshcomposer.com/listen-media , or check out my reel on YouTube: 

This was fantastic! Just the right amount of chaos to be challenging without being frustrating. Artwork was effective, as were the sounds. I really like the music, but could have used some more variation. Perhaps different tracks for different levels/zones?

Models were nice. Too much open space without any direction, I spent several minutes wandering around without finding anything to do.

Nice! Oof, that fall speed is intense. I spent a little too much time trying to figure out how to get past the initial chasm: some indicator that you can triple jump would have helped. 

Fun! Neat concept. A few of the ghosts hung out on the walls for awhile so it took awhile to circle them. Could use some background music IMO, but I'm biased. Great job!

Simple but fun! Great job. 

The start of something nice here! Camera had a few glitches. I found the SFX for the dialogue to be very distracting; it didn't align with the music very well. The music in the cutscene clipped when looping, either give it some tops and tails or make sure that your end isn't bigger than your start (matching pitch and timbral content helps too). It also didn't tie into the level music very well. After Jack stops being so epic, when he's talking to the kids I would start a new track that's a little more playful. Great job everyone!

I downloaded it, but I couldn't get past the character selection screen, maybe because I don't have a controller. I won't leave a rating, just wanted to let you know.

A really nice premise here! I enjoyed the artwork, and the writing was very sincere and realistic for such a heavy topic. It took me awhile to realize the wand wasn't in the house and that I could leave, and then I got stuck in the woods where I couldn't see my character anymore, but I enjoyed what I did play! Sounds would of course help sell the emotional impact that you are going for.

Fairly simple, nothing in the hook to really warrant much attention.

Simple, but it worked! I would have liked some variation in the game play after a time, otherwise you're about done playing after 30 seconds. Also, when the game ends it would be a good idea to have some kind of game over screen, the first time it happened I thought it was a bug. The art style of the pumpkin and the rest didn't match.

Nice job! All your asset choices were effective, the SFX in particular. Boy did I struggle with the movement though. WASD would have helped a lot. Spawn in time at the beginning felt a little long too.

Very nice job on camera and picture rating mechanics! The path to get back up to the computer was a bit tricky to navigate. Models were worthy of taking pictures of. Could have used some more variation in the music, it didn't really sell me on the whole "lovely experience in the wild taking pictures" vibe, it was just generically chill.

The game play was fun, and the art worked. Sound design, the music in particular, got old pretty quick. Overall, the game didn't really give me much in the way of an upliftment factor.

Oh, this was absolutely delightful. So creative, and a lot of fun! In a few years, I would LOVE a version of this with additional difficulty levels to have my kids practice typing. Could maybe use some custom sound work, but what you have is serviceable. Really great work!

Fun mechanics! Wasted a lot of time down in the underworld until I figured out what I was supposed to be doing. Maybe have the directions point the player up instead of down to avoid that frustration. Theme and upliftment weren't really there... probably because this was made for another jam. Music fit for the combat area, might want something different for the Underworld.

Fun game, and a polished experience! It took me awhile to figure out how to get the companions, but once I did, quite enjoyable. Is it infinite? I couldn't tell for sure, but I stopped playing once the bombs took up half the screen. I would have liked some credits/acknowledgements to know who did what, even if it was all solo dev. The upliftment factor wasn't really there... but I'm guessing you built this primarily for the other jam you submitted it to.

And you can always ask a composer for new tunes tailored to your project. There are a million of us floating around here looking to collaborate :)

That was a very nice, uplifting concept! Gameplay worked fine. I would have liked some credits or an acknowledgement that this was a solo dev project.

I don't want to sound overly critical here, but if you are going to make a game whose premise is focused on music, you'd better make sure that your music is incredibly effective, which I don't think you quite achieved. The BGM was just kind of there, it didn't evoke calm, or fear, or dread, so I would have preferred something subtler if the synth was going to truly be the star (pun intended) of the show. The star synth was also just a synth. Other than tempo and number of notes, there wasn't anything soothing about it when it was calm, or anything vulnerable or anxious about it in those other states. Using common approaches to dissonance and consonance in the melodic and harmonic aspects, changing timbre through EQ or other filters, there are a host of musical aspects that could have contributed to enhancing this that don't seem to have seen much attention. Most egregiously, the star's material doesn't seem to have any correlation at all to the BGM, either in correlation or in opposition. Make sure that all music elements are either working together, or that they are opposed in a manner that is logical.

Again, a really nice concept, and the gameplay worked nicely, it just really needs some musical attention to truly achieve what you were shooting for. 

P.S. If you're going to do voice acting with minimal editing, at least be sure to trim the end of the clip so that we don't hear you press the button to stop recording!

Thank you so very much! If you liked the music you can download the soundtrack for free (including several tracks that didn't make it) here: https://www.danieljmcintoshcomposer.com/recordings-media

This was a solid experience, nice work! The music didn't quite fit for me, and since there was no other sound going on, it really could have used some changes at different narrative beats. Something a little more upbeat for the initial "going on a date" vibes, something a little spookier for when the lights go out, and then maybe something a little more fantastical for the imagination portions. 

Charming! A very solid and polished experience, nicely done. Art design was lovely. Audio sounds were fine, but for a longer game like Sudoku, you really need either a longer track or multiple tracks. Gets old after awhile.

Art was absolutely fantastic, especially the cutscene. The rest may sound really critical, but I feel that honest feedback is more valuable than nothing. 

I really wanted to give this game more of a chance, because I could feel that there's some real craft going on and potentially something awesome further in, but I couldn't get past the locked gate in the first area even though I had the key, and I didn't want to search all of the event-less rooms AGAIN in case there was a second key, and I definitely didn't want to start over again if it was a bug. The voice-acting didn't work for me, because there really wasn't much emoting going on to really pull you into the character; I would have preferred to just read text. Some camera jankiness was also mildly frustrating.

An interest concept, but it badly needs some clearer directions. Some way to identify the notes of the ghosts rather than just clicking on the witch, perhaps a keyboard that lights up down below? Or something in the art that hints at them? Spam-clicking is the way to go here currently, but that could be turned around by more identifiable notes of the ghosts, some clear indication of which notes are in the melody, then cranking up ghost speed so that you are frantically looking for the correct next note.

Thank you so much, both for playing, and for your comments! I'll check out your game here in a bit.

Thanks for playing, and for your detailed comments!

Great platform mechanics here! I found the timed events to be frustrating. Anything less than perfection and your were basically toast. Couldn't get past the third level. Checkpoints would have helped. Serviceable SFX, but this REALLY needs a soundtrack. Also, I don't know that I would describe a world where you are attacked by boars and sentient blobs as a dream world lol.