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Loved the minimal style, pairs very well on the web-page in minimized mode. The environments were very well done and I could feel an area transition very well.  Also really liked the Pick-1 rougelike upgrade system after bosses, very interesting way to do upgrades in a Metroidvania. The beginning had a LOT of dialog and I accidentally skipped most of it since its triggered by location, but most of it was things that could be pieced together on just game experience (like enemies harming you on contact, acidic water, health items) It kinda took away from the atmosphere a little bit. Also found the save areas were spaced very far from each other, made dying way more punishing. I will also say I did NOT appreciate accidentally pressing R and resetting all my progress and overwriting my save :( Had to redo a large amount because of that, but just assuming that may have been an oversight in debugging tools or a safety button for Jam players.

The icons on the character were a good touch, it helped let me know what maneuvers I had available and a cheeky way of showing your upgrades as a visual change. The music was good but some of the effects (specifically the balls bouncing) were ear piercing (I was on the executable version) The characters controls were a little stiff for me, some moments that required high precision had me getting repeated Game Overs (my hardest hurdles was the emergency lever ascend and the needle thread between the spikes) Luckily the checkpoints are given very generously so repetition wasn't too bad. The upgrades also made backtracking a whole lot easier and is very Metroidvania, when I got to the end and needed to go to the opposite corner of the map to get the missing piece, it was pretty seemless and a good test to see how fast/maneuverable I could be with my full toolset, so good job at the functionality of upgrades! Also bless your soul for an infinite healing mechanic; in a Game Jam, that is a BLESSING!

Teaching the player the mechanics they secretly had access to the entire time sure was a teaser for me to replay it and see how I could break/speed through! I did have a little trouble with the bouncing, I think I just need to git gud though lol

Entirely not your fault! It' justs a little too well hidden for something mandatory lol

Tried again with the attack and dodge (should have read the start page, it was right there lol) and it was SIGNIFICANTLY better and made it way further, but didn't know where to bring the gold key. Maybe I'm not as big of a math nerd as I though, but it still seemed like some enemies couldn't be killed without taking damage so you could get the right orientation or tile pattern to be adjacent to them.

Really liked the turn-based world, could think about everything before committing to the movement. I feel like there was a lot of unavoidable damage you had to tank and rooms you get sucker-punched by entering and not being able to go back. There were some rooms that had enough to orient where you were while others had me guessing where they went like the first room with its 3 entrances and nothing else.

I loved the gunplay of this; the gun feels more like a tool with complexity since you have to manually cock it and load one bullet at a time with manual inputs. Felt like a big time cowboy rolling up on a crew and gunning them down as fast as I can press the sequence. I was able to get in some rooms earlier than intended without the dynamite, seemed like you could just walk up to the rubble and phase through it.

I REALLY like the idea of the combat, makes me think more about my swings more than just hacking and slashing. I think some clearer feedback on when an enemy is staggered would help prepare the player for drawing the rune attacks.

That would be a crazy issue but I don't doubt it could be an issue with computers these days lol

You are indeed missing the Red Lens upgrade. If you want a hint, check the room where you got the Climbing Gloves carefully, there may be an alternative route :)

Loved the idea of being a vampire bat and sucking enemies to recover or even net-gain some HP; makes wanting to engage in combat more of an interest. There was a LOT of enemies, often piling up into a mob of 20 that would melt me instantly whenever I got nearby lol It was easy to get glitched into the air and not be able to come back down, but thankfully you added a respawn button. The map was VERY large, and the minimalist aesthetic did make it very easy to get lost in, I sorta used the large trees as a landmarks to know my positioning so smart choice with them.

It seems like it was really ambitious, I hope to see it fleshed out. I think if you removed the restrictions of the Jam's theme and kept evolving the ideas, it'd be a fun little vampire combat game! I also loved the art, the 2D characters have a charm to them and I liked the wide range of animals used.

Really good job at guiding the player the right way, after I got the pull power-up, I thought I just swapped it out, but the next room explaining it was smart. Also in the flashing room when it tells you to pause and it zooms out, I was like OMG!! What a reveal! It was some Grade-A showmanship! It was a little cumbersome to walk around the room with the point-and-click style and I did sequence break a little with being able to grab the mirror and pages sooner than expected, but including the diary and trying to understand why Delilah made the puzzles more personal than just "go up, down, than left" which a whole new layer of enjoyment from the game.

The collision was a little frustrating, some blocks looked like they could be pushed/pulled but wouldn't fit some times when I loaded into a room, and other times I got stuck along a smooth wall and had to redo the Naga room a lot. The game was super bright and hard to make some stuff out, but the minimal Atari graphics made it manageable, so great job tying the theme into functionality! Also the room getting changed via the game was a little paranormal element I wasn't expecting, maybe the player having to puzzle together that the room  was the same as the one you're in and having to manually move the bed in real life could have bridged that for me, but perhaps there's an element to the story I missed with that.

I'd love to see an expansion on the parallels to understanding the developer character to solve their puzzles in-game if a continuation of the project happens or a sequel!

This was an awesome game!! I love a non-traditional movement idea to metroidvania and a driving combat game is exactly that! Its controls were buttery smooth on controller and the music was well made for each situation. A little issue I had was some doors seemed just like walls so I got lost a couple times, it was perfectly solved with the first one with the arc being drawn on the ground (and thank god I have some drafting knowledge lol) also the keycard solution was a nice nod to Metal Gear Solid, but I can see how a player who didn't play that might get confused without a little Otacon telling them. I also had some trouble with the combat; I would hit enemies and sometimes it would count as a hit and other times, I'd get damaged. Also a lot of bouncing off walls and getting all my HP blended by a spinny razor thingie happened a few times (especially in the ice area) but it's very forgiving with checkpoints. There was a fun amount of secret upgrades with enough of a subtle nod to them and I'm sure there's more I missed! Also very cheeky to have the ending sequence get you close enough to them to realize you missed them, it teased me enough for a replay and I found 1

I had a weird enjoyment out of mastering the heavy momentum of the Sisyphus bolder. It did feel sticky in some spots like corners where I had to move a little away from the wall in order to be able to jump. I also couldn’t fully understand the wall climb momentum, it seemed like sometimes I’d ascend further than other times. I liked the added challenge of trying to beat the game without any upgrades; it took a few tries but once I mastered the movement system, it became a speedrun challenge for me lol I actually found it way harder to beat the game with the upgrades and couldn't beat it when trying to get the mushroom upgrade, maybe I don’t know how to fully use it or didn’t see a path to take

We have had some REALLY bizarre issues that seem to happen on computers other than the ones we tested on. Perhaps an issue with the HTML export or some oversights in how certain hardware would handle the game ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But the downloadable version has been pretty consistent with performance and minimal game breaking bugs if you would like to experience it in the intended way!

The movement was very slippery and platforms were claustrophobic. Jumping on some enemies was a very tight space and resulted in a lot of repeated hits and resets. Very punishing for the precision of it. The music was catchy and was stuck in my head even after finishing. Did make it to the end, so it is possible gamers!

Glad to hear you enjoyed! The theme was a bit loosely interpreted but happy that it was enjoyable beyond it! Also awesome to hear it gives 2010s vibes, we'll see if we can get a port for DS out by next year lol

Love that guy

I'm stuck trying to figure out how to get my new critters that I just breed onto the field to work and stop being freeloaders who eat my pepperonis. I enjoy the idea of autonomous creatures and mixing the breeds to create some unique bug to fit some task I might need it to prioritize. On-screen guides or tutorials could help with this in a post-jam update and feedback on each creature's efficiency like how much they gathered for the day can help the player in knowing whats working well in the ecosystem and what isn't. Fun game!

All very good feedback, glad you enjoyed many different parts of the game! The jump was just intended for when you have low calories to get a little oomph going down without having to spend calories, not as an extra boost on exit. We hadn't encountered anyone who had done that but we can see how you came to the conclusion. I'll also have to check out Dolphin Olympics 2, never heard of it but does remind me of the game we made lol

Fun game! Loved having to grab the best items on the go, but found it a little hard at the max speed with finicky grab areas and overlapping items. Also rage inducing to get full stopped by the mirrors but that's a skill issue lol I'd love for an arcadey expansion on this!

It's ok, we called him a taxi and had them stop for some McNuggets on the way home 🚕 He said thanks for playing

Glad you stuck with it! And thanks for playing!

Great at setting a tone! It felt unsettling and had me gasping at some twists. It's a little wordy at the beginning, somewhat cryptic, and brutally punishing, but sticking with it had great payoff. Great work!

Everyone in life has a different metabolism rate, sometimes its a blessing and sometimes it a curse. We will see what we can do to our little specimen to fine-tune the fishy eating experience 🐟

I LOVED this one! The mechanics took a round to understand but after that it was awesome! Played to the very end! I'd love for more enemy types and going more in-depth with the whole system! Bold choice with the thumbnail and name lol

Got a little confused at first on how to progress, but thankfully has a pretty short and sweet How To Play tab. Very satisfying weapons and floor flow! Was sneaking around corners trying to get the jump on those worms (they look worm-shaped idk if they really are worms)

Thanks! Glad we could at least make it in the Top 5 VCCCFMJ (Verdant Cosmic Canine Consumes For Moonward Journey) game for someone!