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The sliced up arms are so weirdly satisfying. Cool stuff!

Dude this game is a vibe. I love the visual style soo much. Really cool stuff!

As mentioned in another comment, game does not seem to be frame rate independent (Was really fast for me). Pixel art was badass though! Cool stuff.

Really satisfying to shoot the gun. Loved the vibrant art style, cool stuff!

I enjoyed suffering though that haha. Art was gorgeous! Cool stuff!

Loved the core mechanic of turning your own blood into a weapon, really neat concept. Also the visuals and humour where spot on haha. Cool stuff!

Whistling was a 10/10 OST. Cool stuff man!

Not sure if there is an ending, but i ate a bunch of fish and enjoyed doing it. Also the artist really beautiful! Huge fan of the color pallet you used. Cool Stuff!

The true monster is the calories we made along the way. Cool stuff dude!

I loved the art and animations, and the humor was spot on haha. I also think you nailed the game jam theme really well. Cool stuff dude!

Hey there Dweomer, wanted to give you some quick feedback for the new version of the game(congrats btw!).

I can already see how much work youve put into this new build. The visuals are a huge step up from the prototype. I think there is alot of potential here, I really like the idle RPG loop of recruiting heroes and sending them into dungeons for loot.

My biggest piece of feedback right now is that I feel a bit disconnected from the party members and the action. In the previous version of the game, I loved seeing the hero running around and visually engaging in combat. The new version feels like its lacking with feedback of what your party is doing, I dont really get a sense of when a party member is about to attack or use an ability. It think a visual element could help alot here, like a small progress bar or a quick animation, that showed them charging up their attacks. It would really help me feel more engaged with whats happening on the screen.

Also small nitpick here, but it would  be nice to if we could still click on the exit we want to take, instead of needing to use the buttons, or arrow keys. 

All in all, great work on the update! Im excited to see where you take the game from here. Good luck deving.

Really enjoyed this one, the art is detailed and full of personality, and the narrative feels like a reverse Scott Pilgrim in the best way.

Very interesting concept! The idea of syncing level mechanics to a looping music track is super clever. I loved how different parts of the "music loop" triggered different interactions. I could definitely see this idea being pushed even further if you kept going with it.

That would be great! I'm a Godot dev myself and would love to see how you put it together. I'll definitely keep an eye out if you end up sharing the shader.

Cool stuff. Love the crt effect in the preview pictures, how'd you do it?

There actually is a way to deselect units — but it’s all currently set up for PC (right-click or pressing Escape). The game wasn’t really designed with mobile in mind, so I totally get that things feel small and fiddly on touchscreens. I’ll definitely think about adding more mobile-friendly controls in the future.

Regardless, thanks for checking out the game!

Definitely still early days — but thanks for checking it out!
You’re absolutely right, delete/sell functionality is essential, I’ll be adding that along with a bunch of other core features and polish soon.

Great ideas, adding shift-click or multi-build support is something I definitely want to add. As for building upgrades and a research lab — 100% yes! I’ve already been brainstorming ways to add a tech tree and progression systems so you can upgrade units and buildings over time. Lots more coming soon!

Holy dude! I did not expect anyone to make it that far with how barebones the current version is 😂 That screenshot is insane — your base looks like it's running a small nation at this point.

Thanks a ton for playing so deep into it. I'm actively working on adding lots more content, major balancing passes, and improving progression across all three areas (Buildings, towers, and Enemies). It's still early, but seeing people like you push the limits like this is super motivating.

Thanks for playing!

Massive high-fives right back at you! Thanks so much for checking out the game.

Thanks so much for playing, and for the feedback! Funny enough, that outcome with the small creature was actually intended – every dialogue option has a good or bad outcome, and it sounds like you just got unlucky with the 'leaning in' part (haha). I also agree that the onboarding should be clearer. I kind of just throw you into the game without any explanation, so that’s definitely something I’ll improve. Really appreciate the feedback, and thanks again for playing!

Thanks! I totally agree – some atmospheric or background music would have really added to the experience. To be honest, I kind of overscoped and ran out of time, so I was rushing to get the user interface sound effects in at the last minute. But i do appreciate the feedback!

Overall, this game has a very polished feel to it. The gameplay is simple but effective. I honestly don’t have much to criticize, as it truly feels like a finished product. If I were to nitpick, I’d say that adding an extra mechanic or two could spice things up and make it a bit more replayable. But all that aside, this is probably the best entry I’ve played so far – really well done!

It’s cool to see I’m not the only one who made a text-based adventure! The visuals are really clean, and the dialogue reads nicely. I honestly don’t have much feedback to give, but maybe adding some sound effects could enhance the overall feel of the game. Additionally, incorporating a few more dynamic elements could help add some visual variety to the experience.

Overall, cool game!

Neat game! You can definitely feel the pressure in this one! As for some feedback, to be brutally honest, the character movement could be a bit frustrating at times. It didn’t feel very precise, and I often found myself struggling to line up with the doors, walking into walls instead. This made it feel more like a mechanical check rather than focusing on the strategy of picking the right door in the maze – although maybe that was the design intention? If not, perhaps a grid-based movement system, where you can just press a direction to enter a door, could help it feel more responsive.

That said, it was still a cool game, and I enjoyed the challenge! - Nice work.

Okay, cutscenes in a jam entry? Badass! The game has a vibe of its own. Overall, it was really entertaining with some great humor, and the visuals were solid – I especially loved the alien designs! The voice acting was also a nice touch. The only feedback I can think of is that it took me a while to understand what I needed to do. At first, I was just randomly picking songs and hoping for the best.

All in all, awesome work – super fun to play!

Overall, a really simple but effective game! I think it hits the mark perfectly with the jam's theme and really gives the player that feeling of betting on their own luck. The animations feel nicely polished, too. If I had any feedback, it would be that the game’s feel could’ve been enhanced with some sound effects, like for the buttons or hitting a big catch!

But overall, awesome game – nicely done!

Overall, I really like the concept of this game and had a fun time beating it! The idea is great, and I can definitely see the potential here. That said, I did notice a couple of things that might improve the experience. For example, while I liked the door-picking mechanic, it didn’t feel like much of a choice since both doors lead to random rooms. It would be awesome if there were some small hints or clues about what might be behind each door, making the player feel more involved in the decision.

I also found that once you get the hang of the mechanics, it’s possible to 'cheese' the game a bit by entering a room, avoiding the traps, and quickly clicking into the next room before any enemies can really do damage. I think addressing that would add more challenge.

Considering the time constraints of the jam, the game is fairly polished, and I really enjoyed playing it. With a bit more time, I could totally see this becoming even better. Great job!

Overall, a really cool game! I really enjoyed the humor, especially with some of the dialogue and sound effects – it added a lot of charm. If I had to give any feedback, it would just be a small nitpick: sometimes the dialogue moved a bit too quickly, making it hard to read before the next line started. It would also be great to have a few more control options, like being able to click on arrows or use AD, rather than just relying on the arrow keys.

Awesome work though – had a lot of fun playing!

Really enjoyed the storytelling and atmosphere. The black and white contrast when there is a lightning strike was really neat. Cool game :)

Had a few bugs where clicking the cable at the stat did not plug it into the wall, but reloading the game fixed it for me. Also fell into a hole i could not seem to get out of but i could of just been missing somthing :p

It took me a few minutes to figure out what I was supposed to move and where to move it during the first level. But once I got the hang of it, it was a blast to play. The puzzles were challenging and made me think. The voice acting was a really nice addition too!

Nice entry!

https://itch.io/jam/-pixel-game-jam-2024/rate/2713833

Highest score ive managed to get in my own game is 1720  ;P

Thank you, I really appreciate the gameplay video, its so helpful!

I loved the game's aesthetics, especially the way you did the cables. The UI and menus where nice and grabbed my attention. The game's scope surprised me, it felt massive for a jam title! The atmosphere, especially on the first planet, was fantastic. It got creepy at times too, which kept me on my toes. Flying between planets added a nice layer of immersion, and the story clearly shows a lot of effort was put into it. Overall, while i do think that some systems could of been refined a bit more,  I still found myself really enjoying this entery! nicely done.

Lessons Learned & Postmortem of My First Game   (WARNING TEXT DUMP!)

Hey everyone, Im writing this post for though who might care to read, and to analyzes the design choices of my game and the insights Ive gained from feedback so far.

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Combat:

My goal was to encourage cautious exploration, with players strategically peeking corners and managing enemy projectiles. I think this approach resonated with players who where already familiar with this style of gamplay. However,  for newcomers, it might have felt frustrating due to:

Unclear Tutorials: The core gameplay loop of cautious exploration wasn't properly introduced, leaving some players confused.

Difficulty: The punishing death penalty (complete restart) and the lack of checkpoints. I think this game would of benifitted from checkpoints after every relic.

Missing Feedback: Lack of visual cues for off-screen attacks made the experience more unreactive than reactive/ strategic.

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In Hindsight:

Improved Tutorials: Prioritizing clear communication of the intended playstyle from the beginning.

Fair Challenge: Implementing checkpoints and difficulty options to cater to a broader audience.

Visual Feedback: Visual indicators for off-screen attacks would of  improved player awareness and decision-making.

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Movement:

This seems to be a controversial topic and a dealbreaker for many. Player preferences regarding movement controls (A/D for strafing vs. turning) seem divided. There's no single "right" or "wrong" approach, but offering options would have improved accessibility.

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In Hindsight:

Control Customization: Including options for different control layouts, or letting players set there own keybindings, to personalize their own prefered experience.

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Level Design:

The intention was to guide players visually towards the central pyramid, with each relic retrieval leading players back to a familiar location. While I still think the concept was sound, the execution needed refinement:

Limited Visual Cues: The environment lacked strong visual distinctions, making it difficult for players to recognize the pyramid as a central point and easily navigate back to it. Repetitive textures and unclear pathways between relics detracted from the intended visual flow.

Underdeveloped Theming: Enemy placement could have benefited from stronger thematic ties to each zone (maze-like, projectile counting/timing , ambush potential).

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In Hindsight:

Enhanced Landmark: Emphasize the pyramid's visual dominance to make it a clear landmark. This could involve using diffrent colors, unique textures, or changing its size.

Clearer Paths: Implement stronger visual cues, like diffrent textures for pathways leading to and from the pyramid to aid player navigation.

Enemy Encounters: Fleshing out more diverse enemy placement 'puzzles', aligned with zone themes (puzzles, timing challenges, surprises).

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Other Learnings:

The intro was too long. It should of been condensed down, and honestly could of been 'shown' not 'told'. Text to speech AI was not for everyone (fair enough). I had added it fairly last minite for though who might not want to read, but i think there where better ways to do/solve this.

Enviroment was too static. I think adding more dynamic details like animations that make enemies and health orbs float up and down could of helped make the game feel more dynamic (just as an exampe). And the lack of variery in wall textures, enemies, ect.

In Conclusion:

These are some key takeaways from  my development, and while there is more i could talk about (like boss design) ill skip past it for lack of time. I appreciate all the feedback received so far, and welcome further discussions. (ps if you acually read all of this thanks!)

Hey there!

The movement and speed felt great, but smoother turning would be even better. There's a bug where holding a movement key grants super speed! I loved finding the different weapons with fantastic art, but some combat feedback like hit effects would be nice.  Getting lost was a big issue for me since the similar-looking tiles made it hard to remember where I'd been. Maybe  a mini-map could help? Overall, these are just some suggestions, and I enjoyed playing!

Hey there!

Overall, I had a great time playing! The theme was spot-on, and the combat idea has a lot of potential with a few minor nitpicks. A clickable option for actions during combat and health bars for enemies i think would improve the gameplay experience. I found myself getting lost a few times unsure where I should go, until i found the popup telling me what to look for. The visuals and sound design were fantastic, especially the music! The polish on the UI and animations is top-notch. Keep up the great work!