itch.io

Thank you! Regarding the website: if you want to make one, start as soon as possible and build it little by little. Months or years from now, you’ll look back and already have a well-paved path.

If you can’t afford it right now due to limited resources, you can just use Cloudflare. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have your own domain yet; you can always buy one later whenever you feel like it.

The best approach is getting 1% better every day. Determination always beats motivation!

Thank you! Yes, I made the UI too. I’m actually a bit obsessed with diegetic UI. I don’t want interfaces covering the gameplay. I want the information to exist naturally inside the game world, even if the player doesn’t immediately understand every detail.

For example, power-ups attach themselves to the core and keep their original colours, becoming visually integrated into it. The core itself gradually absorbs those colours, slowly mutating its own colour as the run progresses. A healing power creates a ghostly ring that slowly fills up. The core’s hitbox depends on how many rings it has, so having more health also makes it physically larger and harder to manoeuvre.

The permanent currency is attracted by a deliberately slow beam, which gives collecting it more importance. Even the currency itself has a small protein chain inside it. The experience isn’t shown through a conventional bar either: it accumulates inside the core and reaches a visible threshold before producing the level-up effect.

The threat level grows around the edges of the arena instead of using a normal meter. Off-screen enemies appear as coloured marks on the borders, and tutorials use arrows, circles and trajectories placed directly in the game world.

These are the kinds of tiny details I try to polish as much as possible, even though most players will probably never notice half of them. The goal is for the interface to feel like part of the world rather than a layer placed on top of it.

I still use a few conventional elements, like the settings button, combo counter and reroll button, but I try to keep them to a minimum.

My main advice would be to choose a visual rule and commit to it completely. For this game, I went for something mathematical, geometric and exaggerated. How would you represent poison in the most mathematical way possible? What about gravity? I try to reduce every idea to its most basic visual form and stay faithful to it.

After that, it’s mostly about iterating, experimenting and insisting. Sometimes things work, sometimes they look terrible, but both outcomes teach you something.

I don’t really recommend my software stack, though. I’m a front-end web designer, so I made everything from scratch in JavaScript using what I already know, even if it isn’t the most practical approach. I also love building engines and tools, so I avoid using a game engine because that’s one of the parts I enjoy most. For most people, though, using an engine would probably be a better choice.

P.S. I’m not sure which of these features are included in the version submitted to the jam. If you want to play the very latest version, it’s available on my website: gamebob.dev. I’ll keep updating the jam version too.

My creative motto: Once I commit to an idea, I take it all the way. Doubt and half-measures only weaken the result.

Thank you so much, man! This means a lot to me. I really wanted the swipes and physics to feel smooth, so I’m glad you noticed. I’m also happy you liked the art, VFX and animations. I had a lot of fun making them. Thanks for playing and for the kind words <3

Thanks for the explanation! I know the themes are usually just for inspiration, but I always love to understand the design decisions and how everyone thinks. Making any game requires a lot of time and effort, so I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. My ‘good job’ was completely genuine!

I take a layered approach with an MVP strategy. I uploaded the first functional version early and kept pushing improved updates over time. (You have the artifacts in the game page, with the version and time, you can download and try all the versions upload If you want to see the progress). This way I always have a working build ready which I think is the smartest way to develop. Every new build is pushed to itch.io upon my approval. In about a day and 3 hours when the JAM finishes I will be releasing a new update with some major changes. I want to be fair with JAM votes.

I am currently finishing up all the core systems and content loops which include:

• Story mode with unique boss fights
• Crafted puzzle challenges
• Unlockable Cores with progression levels
• Permanent meta progression
• Missions and achievements
• A detailed Codex to master enemies
• Fully diegetic UI

You can check out my website which is updated daily outside of the jam as a build in public strategy https://www.gamebob.dev/en/games/axon-surge/

SFX and music will be added by the end of this week or next. For now I am focusing on building the core systems. Feedback is always welcome!

You applied the limitation in such a creative way that at first I thought it wasn’t there at all, but in a way, it actually is! 🤣 Very interesting, good job

I absolutely love the art style, the idea, and the concept—it’s super fun! My only piece of feedback is that you need to be really, really close to grab the enemies. At first, I thought the mechanic was broken, until I almost took a hit and finally saw the throwing animation, which looks awesome. Really entertaining, the sound effects are spot on. Congrats!

Short and sweet! The art style is good. I just had some minor issues with the hitboxes and felt it lacked a bit of feedback when hitting the enemies, but overall, good work!

It definitely conveys tension, no doubt about that. Even though I didn’t really enjoy the gameplay, I guess not every game is for everyone. Good luck and great job!

I like the game and the aesthetics. My only issue is that I don’t see how it fits the jam’s theme or limitation, but the game is fun and looks great. Good job!

Interesting mechanic! I like puzzle platformers. Great job!

It’s like a curious party game, I wasn’t expecting something like this, it is quite different, and fun

Super fun, really well executed, and gorgeous too! Congrats, there’s not much more I can say!”

Super fun, really well executed, and gorgeous too! Congrats, there’s not much more I can say!”

I saw you were short on time for development. Good luck on your next project!

Ngl (not gonna lie), I’ve looked at the controls and how to play like 2 or 3 times, and I still don’t have a clue what I’m doing 🤣

No, unfortunately the Jam version doesn’t have music, I prioritized the mechanics 😅 The final version will have music and sound effects

And I can’t upload a new version until the Jam voting ends

I like the concept, it’s fun, but the enemies are tiny and it’s very hard to hit them. I do really, really like how you deflect the projectiles, though-it feels very natural

I love the visuals and the possession mechanic. The background gets a little confusing, though; it feels like you’re supposed to follow the paths, but since you’re flying, I’m not quite sure what the real goal is. Also, like others are saying, possessing and killing them makes it super easy, but it’s still a lot of fun to do

Probably my fault, but I’ve been stuck since the beginning; my character doesn’t move

Gives off strong Binding of Isaac vibes, great presentation, I like the game. The boss is a bit of a bullet sponge though, and not being able to catch all the balls gets a little frustrating. Great art nonetheless!

like the concept of the game, it’s different. However, the UI is really confusing—there’s so much on the screen that I don’t understand most of it. I’m also not sure if I can move the camera, since right-clicking opens my file explorer. On top of that, having to go through the tedious process of filling everything back out every time I die really breaks the flow. I couldn’t explore it fully because of those little annoyances. Still, great work and keep going!

You need the camera to be really low so you can shoot up. If it’s played on a 2D plane, I feel like that’s unnecessary since it forces you into a specific playstyle. Since I usually play top-down games, I didn’t get it at all until I lowered the camera and realized it was actually shooting

Good work and keep at it!

Interesting. As you mentioned you’re an artist, the art is definitely the highlight. The game isn’t very psionic and doesn’t stick strictly to the limitations—it’s more of an experience, a logic puzzle brought to life as a game. If you don’t know how to code, good job! The more games you make, the better your chances of making something great. Keep at it!

I enjoyed the game a lot, I liked the visuals and it’s super funny. The enemies are such a massive pain, and that actually makes it a better game

“I didn’t understand much. If it’s a game with a lot of reading, I’d take better care of the font so it’s more legible. Not really my kind of game, I’m sorry

A game with parries is always ideal, psionic or not. Thanks for the game!

I like the graphics, they’re very quirky, along with the theme and the little alien. I don’t think I’ve seen another platformer in the JAM and it fits really well, although it’s a shame to call those poor, super cute little creatures ‘enemies’.

It’s cool making these types of 3D games, even though the movement is so fast I get a bit motion sick, but it’s a fun time playing

The gameplay isn’t very intuitive, but it’s an interesting idea. I wouldn’t know exactly what it’s missing to make it more user-friendly 😅

Its hard and fast but I like it, is enjoyable. Congratulations!

I like the art but is very difficult to play 😅

It’s quite entertaining and delivers the power fantasy of a psionic entity. Great job!

The Boss has a simple mechanic: each tentacle has a color. You have to break all 3 tentacles to be able to damage it. It has a vulnerability period, and then they regenerate.

Regarding the throwing mechanic, in the game, outside of the JAM, I’ve already created different mechanics and different cores with various types of Psionic powers, but I didn’t have time to upload it. If you’d like, I will update it once the JAM voting ends.

Thank you for playing the game and for the feedback!

Probably was a bug. I will play again and see if works fine, thanks for the answer 😊

I liked the game. Personally, I would remove the player’s ability to shoot and just let them eliminate each other. And for the last one standing, I’d add the chance for a ‘Finish him’ moment, kind of like in Abe’s Oddysee where you could control them until they exploded.

I don’t know why that came to mind while playing your game

I wasn’t familiar with the game, I’ll look into it. I don’t use any engine, which is why the game’s aesthetics are like that; I didn’t want to get into creating a game engine and used math to my advantage. Everything is programmed from scratch 😊

Thanks for playing the game, and I’m glad you liked it!

I will play again, don’t worry, thanks for the answer 😊

Thank you so much! ❤️ It really means a lot to me that you spent so much time experimenting with the mechanics and building your setup for the boss. That’s exactly the kind of thing I hoped people would do with the game. And I’m very happy those 20 minutes didn’t feel wasted! 😄

Good luck with the rest of the JAM! 🙌

Always! My weak spot 🤣