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Thanks for the detailed feedback!

The points about the zoom, spikes, and time-based scoring are all fair, and it's been really interesting to see how different players felt about them. Some of those mechanics were experiments on my end, and the feedback has given me a lot to think about.

As for the theme, my interpretation of "Connections" exists on multiple levels. The Nomad is connected to the world they're trying to save, which is why they journey into the Spire in the first place. Then, throughout the game, the connection between the Nomad and the Spirit becomes the core of both the story and the gameplay. The Spirit provides light and guidance, but cannot reach the top alone. The Nomad can navigate the world, but would be lost without the Spirit.
Their journey is only possible because they rely on each other, which is how I chose to explore the theme.

Thanks again for playing and for taking the time to share your thoughts! 

Thank you so much! I'm glad the atmosphere worked for you without turning into a horror game.
The goal was always mystery and adventure rather than jump scares, so I'm happy to hear that came across. And hearing that you enjoyed the spirit's dialogue and sound effects really means a lot.

Thanks for playing and for the kind words - comments like this make all the jam effort worth it! 

Thanks for playing!

I'm glad you enjoyed the atmosphere and exploration. I definitely would have liked to add more environmental storytelling with more time.

Thanks for the feedback and the kind words! 

Thanks for playing and for the thoughtful feedback!

I'm glad you enjoyed the atmosphere, visuals, and the maze mechanics. The comparison to classic point-and-click adventures is a huge compliment.

I think your comments about the spikes and zoom mechanic are fair as well. A few players mentioned that some mechanics can interrupt the exploration-focused mood, and it's been really interesting to see those perspectives after release.

Also, thanks for mentioning the fullscreen issue - that should already be fixed in the latest build.

Appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed feedback! 

Thank you so much for the kind words!

As a programmer, I honestly didn't expect to receive so many compliments about the art and presentation, so hearing that the artwork and story landed well is incredibly rewarding. I put a lot of effort into those areas, and I'm really happy to hear it was worth it.

The "ghost mode" bug is actually one I've tracked down already, and it'll be fixed in a future update. So if you decide to come back and challenge that world record, you'll have to do it the intended way! 

Thanks again for playing and for taking the time to leave such encouraging feedback. It means a lot!

Thanks for playing! I'm glad you enjoyed the visuals, music, and overall atmosphere 😊

And don't worry, you're definitely not the only one who took a few unexpected trips off the maze paths! 

The text feedback is a really good point. A manual "click to continue" option was actually something I considered. Looking back, I think it would have made the dialogue easier to follow.

Thanks again for the kind words and the helpful feedback! 

Thank you both for the feedback!

Honestly, I think I partly agree with you. The time-based star system was something I wanted to experiment with during the jam to see how it would affect replayability and encourage players to revisit levels. Looking back, I'm still not entirely sure it was the right fit for this particular game.

The atmosphere, story, and exploration aspects were always the heart of the experience, and I can definitely see how the rating system can feel at odds with that and create a bit of a "stop" in the narrative flow.

It was an interesting experiment, though, and comments like yours are exactly why I wanted to test it.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and help me understand how it felt from a player's perspective. 

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

If you're curious about the Unity side of things, feel free to reach out! I had a lot of fun implementing some of the mechanics for this jam and I'd be happy to talk about how they were put together.

As for the cages, they're actually meant to capture the spirit/light. The player character can still move, but without the spirit's help they'll eventually fall (or at least have some "hard time" finding their way). It sounds like the mechanic could use a bit more clarity, so that's great feedback.

Thanks again for playing and for the kind words! 

Thanks for playing and for the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the atmosphere and visuals. 😄

As for the Level 3 maze,  I had a lot of fun testing that level with friends and watching people confidently take the wrong path, so I'm happy to see I managed to catch another player with that design choice.

The immunity issue is the same bug a few others have reported, and I've already tracked down the cause. It should be fixed in a near update.

Thanks again for taking the time to play and leave feedback! 

Thank you so much for the kind words! This comment genuinely made my day.

the atmosphere and creating a cohesive visual style were some of my main goals for this project, so it's incredibly rewarding to hear that those were the elements that stood out to you.

I put a lot of care into the artwork, lighting, and world-building, and knowing that it created a memorable experience means a lot. 

Thank you for taking the time to play and leave such thoughtful feedback! 

Thanks for playing and for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the art style and atmosphere. 😊

The stars are actually based on your completion time for each level. For the jam, I wanted to experiment with a simple time-based rating system and see how it affects replayability and whether players would go back to improve their scores.

Thanks again for giving the game a try!

Thanks for playing and for the feedback! I actually managed to track down that bug after release, and it should be fixed in the next update. Sorry about the crash, but I'm glad you still enjoyed the atmosphere and made it a few mazes in. 

Thanks for taking the time to try the game!

Loved the vibe of the game - the atmosphere and design choices worked really well together. And the way the main mechanic is taught is much better than a traditional tutorial - creating a more immersive experience. Great job!

Great game! loved the slime mechanic and the level design - wonderfully done! 

Saved it to my collection for a later run :) 

Great strategy-management game! Love the space theme of it all.

Definitely gonna come back for this one for another playthrough 

Took me a bit to understand how it works - but once I got it had lot's of fun! A good yet challenging puzzle game - GG

Really cool game, and I love the visual aesthetic and artstyle. As some people already mentioned here, the controls are a bit hard to get used to, but other than that, great job!

Really liked the dark atmosphere and the world building. At some points it felt like the game could use a bit more horror elements, though that might just be because of the soundtrack setting a certain expectation for me.

Other than that, good job!

Loved the concept and the puzzles are well made, good job! 

Great game! I really loved the arcade feeling it gives off. The graphics, sound effects, and mechanics all work really well together, and the game as a whole feels very polished.

I’ll definitely come back and play it again after voting ends. Great job on this one!

Great take on the jam’s theme! I really loved the concept behind it, and it genuinely made me laugh a few times. The game also looks really great visually. Well done!

I really like the concept for this one, and I loved the graphics for the wizard! The only issue I had was with the controls, which took me a minute to get used to, but overall I had fun with it. Good job!

Wow, the amount of content and systems packed into this in just 10 days is seriously impressive.

Really liked the visual direction of the game, and using roots as the main connection mechanic was a very creative choice. The sound design also added a lot to the atmosphere, and overall the whole experience felt cohesive and thoughtfully made. Great work on this one!

Great game! Loved the intensity, the mechanics work great and I had lots of fun.

A good TD game, had a lot of fun playing it. Good job!

Great game! The whole sniper matchmaker concept is a really clever fit for the jam theme.
Overall, I had a lot of fun playing it. Good job!

Loved the aesthetics of the game, and the atmosphere works really well. The main mechanic is fun and works well too, even if it felt a bit too forgiving at times. Overall, great job with this project!

Really enjoyed this one! I really liked the combination of autobattler mechanics with the whole “connections” idea in the unit designs. It worked really well for me, and I found the mechanic genuinely interesting to experiment with and play around.

In general, the game just feels good to play. I’ll probably come back to it after rating some more games :)

A very cool puzzle game! I was a bit confused by the camera angle at first, but once I got the hang of it I had a fun time with the game. The music was really nice too!

Great arcade game! Took me a minute to understand where the enemies actually were, but the moment the first shot came flying at me, everything clicked.

Great job with this one!

Cute and fun game! The main mechanic works really well with the jam theme and makes for a fun experience overall.

Some small feedback: I think the win condition could be a bit clearer or slightly harder if the characters actually needed to collide directly. Other than that, good job!

Great market-sim concept! It took me a second to fully understand what I was supposed to do at the beginning, but once things clicked I could really see the potential here.

Feels like a strong base for something bigger if you plan on continuing development. Good job!

I love the retro pixel art look of the game, and the Tamagotchi-style mechanics work really well together with it. Good job with this one!

Cute puzzle game! The font color was a bit too light for me personally, so some parts were a little hard to read.

One thing I would change is the way the hints work. At the start, the main goal of the game wasn’t fully clear without using them, so they ended up feeling more like guidance than optional hints.

Other than that, good job!

Good job with this one! The art style is simple, but in a good way that keeps the focus on the mechanics and systems of the game, and there are a lot of them. 

This honestly feels like a really solid base for a larger management game, and also like a huge amount of work for a game jam.

And yeah, the game could probably use a bit more guidance or “hand holding” at the start, but overall it’s a really cool game and great work here.

I really liked the idea behind the main mechanic here, though I did run into some control issues while playing.

That said, the core concept is fun and the game definitely has a it's charm. Good job overall!

A fun, fast paced game with lots of potential! As others mentioned in the comments, a bit more polish and tighter jump controls would really help improve the experience.

Other than that, good job!

Cool game and I really liked the twist on the main game mechanic - GG!

Good job with this one! The endless runner mechanics felt really good, and I liked the fun music together with the way the starfish collects the other starfishes on its back. It gives the whole game a really playful vibe.

Great game! I really didn’t expect a story element going into this one, but it fit surprisingly well and added a lot to the experience.

The UI, visual design, and audio all work really well together and match the gameplay vibe perfectly. Good job!