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I think the game has an interesting concept! I liked how a lantern is needed to explore the dark areas, but the combat felt a bit punishing due to high enemy health, multiple combat phases, and controls that felt difficult to manage during busy phases.

A few quick notes on the "Left Shift" to spawn projectiles: it’s a cool idea for ranged combat, but it’s currently challenging to use because each projectile stays in place, harms the player, and occasionally spawns behind you. Since the sword ability stopped working for me at one point, I had to rely on these projectiles to progress. I noticed the projectile ability wasn't in the control list, so perhaps it's still a work in progress? With some additional polish,  balance tuning, and bug fixes, I think the core gameplay loop here could be very strong!

Great interpretation of the theme! The controls are responsive and intuitive. With a bit more visual polish (like UI cues or a tutorial), this would be even more accessible to new players.

Hello, Pinellia. I'm glad you enjoyed the project. The UI could have been communicated better. At the top left of the screen is a UI element that's like the Zelda heart system, but instead of hearts, it represents each part of the player. The "R" input was for better aiming because normally, the aiming crosshairs are invisible until you press the shoot button. Thanks for sharing your feedback!

Hey, Blue! Thanks for playing and sharing your thoughts. I'd be happy to hear a full breakdown. I believe we met on Discord, and I recall sharing a prototype of the build with you. You mentioned incorporating shooting with movement, and I’m totally on the same page. I actually experimented with a downward-shot mechanic to give the player extra height (like a rocket jump), but I had to scrap it due to the jam deadline. It’s definitely something I want to revisit.

Wow, there's a lot here! This is a cool game, well done. Unfortunately, the hair grappling ability broke when I was playing the web build, so I was stuck and unable to make progress. Once I downloaded the game, the issue went away.

An enjoyable entry. The level design felt tight, and the automatic camera was a nice touch; changing between marbles to make progress is an interesting idea. 

Side note:

I'm not sure if this was intended, but in the Cistern area, there is a small gap near the bounce pad past the waterfall.  I got stuck there and had to restart the game.

No problem, glad the feedback was helpful. I'm sure you're considering most of this already, but here are some extra thoughts on the grapple to improve accessibility/learnability:

• Keep it simple: It's definitely a complicated/unique mechanic, which makes it even more difficult to design levels around, so I think it could be useful to break down the movement into more manageable chunks in your notes so you can accurately measure & organize abilities for level design.  For example, you could measure how much horizontal and vertical distance you get from pulling off every movement option using a grid-like level blockout (where each block represents 1 unit of distance), categorize each movement option by how difficult it is to pull off, record it somewhere (maybe a spreadsheet), and design levels around the amount of distance it takes to pull off each move. Here's an example of how it would look:

• This might be a little excessive, but the idea is to think about complex mechanics from a clearer perspective and design levels around the difficulty of each movement option. You could choose "easier" moves from a spreadsheet of every movement option to ensure easier moves are always in easier parts of the level and avoid discouraging new players. In addition, you could sprinkle in optional secrets by hiding them behind the most advanced movement options.

• Gradually increase difficulty: I think gradually increasing the difficulty of levels is crucial for complex mechanics. When I first got the grapple mechanic, I didn't know what I was doing and kept falling off the level. This was fine because I could immediately restart, but it would be nice to have a moment to breathe and experiment with the new controls. Again, I think taking level ideas from the spreadsheet of "easier" grapple moves would be useful in organizing the levels. To go back to the example spreadsheet above, the initial part of the level where you get the grapple mechanic could be to cross large gaps and then gradually build from there.

• Reference from similar games: If you haven't done so already, maybe try analyzing the level design in similar titles, like Penny’s Big Breakaway or Hell Pie. Look at reviews specifically focusing on their platforming to see what resonated with players and what missed the mark to help strengthen your approach.

In summary, I think breaking down complex mechanics into more manageable chunks, gradually increasing the difficulty, and referencing similar games could help. Additionally, Playtesting, gaining more feedback, and doing other movement-based projects could help build on your experience managing complex mechanics. Overall, nice job!

This entry feels very polished! The intro sequence is great, and combining a rail movement system with shooting mechanics feels like a really unique twist for a Metroidvania. I did find navigation a bit challenging, even with the map, which limited me to the second area. I also struggled with the visual cues for items—it was hard to tell at a glance which objects were HP pickups versus hazards. This is a solid start, and a bit more visual distinction and clearer navigation would really help the gameplay flow!

The player movement feels incredibly polished—the grapple has a learning curve, but it’s so satisfying once it clicks! I did struggle a bit with navigation; some textures are flat enough that entryways blend into the walls. A bit of depth cueing, like fog or a shadow under the player for platforming, would go a long way. I also found the difficulty spikes a bit sharp in certain levels. Lastly, I noticed the music doesn't always loop, leaving some quiet gaps. Overall, the core movement is fantastic—great work!

Great job on the art! I did encounter a few bugs—such as a blank dialogue box at the start and visible collision lines after the skeleton teleports you back to the beginning of the game—that made things a little confusing. If you can smooth those out and polish the enemy animations, it would really take the game to the next level. Keep up the great work!

The roll mechanic was interesting. I like how you could turn into a ball and bounce around to gain extra height. The grapple mechanic felt a little buggy at first until I realized that the grapple target is the center of the screen. It would be helpful if the target were visible at all times or if there were an auto-target feature. Once the grapple works, it's cool to gain additional height & speed. Adding character animations would enhance the polish of each ability.  Overall, good job and congrats on submitting!

Awesome. Thanks for sharing! 

Glad you liked it. Nice video!

Thank you!

Thanks. Really appreciate it!

Awesome! Thanks so much!

Thanks a lot!

Nice job! It fits the theme of the competition well. The sound effects were a nice addition too.

Very cool idea. Reminds me of Baba is You. Encountered unexpected lag when trying to push blocks in one of the later levels, but overall it was nicely done for 3.5 hrs!

Fun and challenging once you get used to it .

Nice Job!

Thanks for the feedback!

I completely get where you're coming from. Funnily enough the monsters used to have sound, but I scrapped it because I thought it sounded weird. I should have kept it in, haha!

Good effort. The pale character stood out, making gameplay clear between levels. The dash move also felt nice to control. However, the wall jump was a lot more challenging than I expected. Jump heights also felt a bit inconsistent. Maybe consider modeling your wall jump/jump controls closer to other 2D games like Hollow Knight or Celeste.

Credits:

• Sound - Freesound.org
• Font - Dafont.com

I liked how the idea was simple. When loading the game, I immediately knew that I needed to shoot the boxes. The inclusion of a menu was a neat touch as well. However, the mouse sensitivity on my end made it difficult for me to aim (I'm using a trackpad). It was also hard to notice the score counter. Putting it at the center of the screen could help with that. It would be cool to see some feedback once the trash is shot (maybe it explodes, makes a funny noise, etc.) Adding a garden or some sort of environmentally friendly structure to defend against the trash could make gameplay more purposeful as well. Overall, I congratulate you on your first game jam entry! I hope that you can continue your game dev journey.

Don't worry I'm not offended :). I really appreciate that you took the time to give me feedback. I'm glad you liked it!

Hold down "z" and move arrow keys in various directions to duplicate. The description (and in-game control scheme) has it set as "x," which is incorrect. Sorry for the confusion. 

*IMPORTANT NOTE* Hold down 'z' not 'x'

Hold down z and repeatedly tap arrow keys to create duplicates. Here are all things that can be created:

• Treadmill: Hold z and tap down->left then let go of z
• Spring: Hold z and tap down then let go of z
• Attack: Hold z and tap right once and then up twice, let go of x after this

Sorry, I didn't realize how confusing this mechanic can be.

Very sorry, the input to hold down should be "z" not "x." The idea was to hold down z and press the arrow keys in a certain direction, but I understand how that's confusing. Thanks for your comments! I'll definitely have to make it less confusing.

The simple graphics were nice. I also enjoyed the sound effects. I had trouble understanding how the concept relates to the theme, but pretty good and responsive gameplay.

The art is great. I liked the use of the theme as well. At times it was hard to read the text towards the bottom of the screen. Though, I'm not sure if I'm the only one with that issue.

Thanks for the great game jam and feedback. I had fun creating!

Great! Hopefully, I'll have more to show you later!

Thanks! I had a lot of ideas for the main mechanic that did not make it through. I'll definitely add updates to this project soon.

There's only one level. The 2nd level was a test level. Thanks for the feedback!

I feel this is a good attempt.  Sometimes when moving to another area, the camera wouldn't completely follow my player. Aside from the other glitches that a previous commenter mentioned, I liked the music and simple aesthetic. Nice work.

Throwing orbs around to teleport the player was a simple but fun idea. I liked the relaxing art style of the levels too.

The visuals were great. I especially liked smashing into things.  This was a fun game.