itch.io

I had to stop by choice because I was too cracked. I got a fire half the size of the screen and a score over 10,000

This game was generally fun. Top-Down puzzlers are a pretty great genre. The puzzles in this game strike a good balance between difficulty and accessibility. They're not too hard as to be frustrating, but not too easy as to be trivial. As per the minute to minute, the movement speed is agonizingly slow, and the lack of a reload button can be an added frustration if you mess up halfway through. I also found it hard at points to figure out where the crabs would go while running due to a felt lack of consistency for turn direction when the crabs ran into a wall. (3)

The game's art is very cute and gives me a Baba Is You type vibe. The animations were functional, and the art properly communicated what the game expected. My only gripe is a lack of any particles or player feedback. (4)

The genre is pretty standard, but the spin on the formula with the crabs running is pretty novel. The connection to the theme is pretty weak (which is fair considering this jam's theme was pretty hard to work with.) Not much feedback in the creativity regard. Theme is cool, main mechanic is cool, but nothing really stands out to me as extraordinarily special. (3)

More than anything else, I applaud the idea! Knowledge based games are very interesting, but also I think can be very hit or miss. This game's core idea is very good, but the execution unfortunately doesn't support that. The fact that each time you fail you have to wait roughly 10 seconds just watching the baby bird crawl off the platform makes retrying really boring. Originally, I didn't like the fact that there was no indication of whether you were doing something right or not, or how to fly, but I understand that that's the point, and so if the reset mechanic was more supportive of a game where you die repeatedly, i think I'd be more behind it. (1)

The art is pretty good! The canopy and bird are well made and the animations are clean. The sound design is good, and everything is well communicated through the art. Very impressive that it was all made yourselves! I do find it funny that you change from a grey large winged, fat bird, into a small blue thin winged bird. I think the art also still has a little room to grow as some of the grass and bird sprites were a little flat and didn't fit the design of the rest of the background. (4)

Game idea is very creative and fits the jam's theme very well! A truly novel game. The only thing I think is a little derivative is that the method of flight seems to be the same as the method in Super Mario World, which means it's probably one of the first things a player will try if they grew up playing that game. (4)

Took me a solid 5 minutes to figure out that I could edit the items. Floundered around with the physics trying to beat level 2. After I figured out that I could edit the items, I enjoyed it a little more, but it's still very basic and very hard to predict what was going to happen. editing everything 1 by 1 component wise was also very frustrating. The physics were fun and messing with the cannons was the most enjoyable part. (3)

The art didn't really communicate what each piece did. I thought the cannons were cauldrons for the first 5 minutes. Art is basic, but I'm glad you went the route of making your own art, that takes a lot of work, so congrats! (1)

Idea is clearly inspired by the "Bad Piggies" genre of games. Doesn't do much to make itself stand out, and the levels are all pretty traditional. Connection to the jam is pretty weak. (which is fair since this game jam's theme was pretty hard to work with) It did capture the spirit of the Bad Piggies game quite well as another commenter stated. (2)

Was very playable. The fact that both colors and movement took one hand led to some interesting scenarios where I had to prioritize one over the other. It's hard to tell what damages an enemy, as I understand green damages yellow because green is a component of yellow, but other times it seemed like enemies would be damaged by colors completely separate from them or wouldn't be damaged by their own color. The controls screen did not help clarify this. It also sometimes ate my input for the color picking, and having to spam the color button to fill the flask was very irritating on my finger joints. Would have loved to be able to mix the colors using mouse instead. (2)

Game art was cool. Obviously done independently, which is great! The intro cutscene could have been longer, I found it hard to read on my first load of the game. Lack of music was awkward. (2)

The idea is very novel!!! Love the idea of mixing potions of colors to throw at enemies. It unfortunately doesn't seem to pair well with the jam theme. (which is fair, this jam theme was very hard to work with) (3)

Not having a menu or introduction did this game a massive disservice as I died many times at the beginning not knowing what was going on. For a runner style game, the mechanics are fine, but there were multiple instances where I died due to the level not properly communicating where I was supposed to go next (Like at the beginning where I didn't realize I was supposed to duck, or a blind jump pit. The end free-fall was fun, but also very hard to see what was coming ahead. (2)

The art and presentation were pretty simple. I'm glad you made your own art, and the beginning "cutscene' where the character flails was fun. The skulls properly communicate that they are death, and the coins as points work. Otherwise, the game doesn't have much art to speak of. The sound effects were grating, however, and the fact that the character swears when they die has some level of comedy to it but gets old and crass very quickly. (2)

The game doesn't have any interesting unique mechanics, and it doesn't really connect to the theme. The connection that does maybe exist only acts to harm the game. (1)

This game was very fun to play through. The lack of jump was confusing originally, and I definitely had to consult the controls a couple times, but after that initial phase of confusion, it was very smooth. The letters each having different abilities was quite novel, and the fact that I could only use two at a time made for interesting decisions. My main complaint is the D functions as infinite height, as you can repeatedly reuse the jetpack in midair (trivializing R, T, and E) and A made any remaining challenge in the game obsolete (which you can get directly upon getting E) S seems fun for speedrunners, but I found the speed boost uncontrollable. Overall, really fun game, but needs some revision on the scaling of the abilities. (4)

The game's art style is charming, and the map design was very competent. Considering the assets were all outsourced, it's hard to rank much higher than 3, however. Using free online resources isn't a problem, but there's not much presentation to judge outside of those resources, and it feels unfair to give a 5 for resources you didn't make. (3)

The core game loop isn't super novel, but the letter abilities add a well-needed twist to the formula. The attachment to the theme was also very creative and well implemented. (4)

This game was very fun to play through. The lack of jump was confusing originally, and I definitely had to consult the controls a couple times, but after that initial phase of confusion, it was very smooth. The letters each having different abilities was quite novel, and the fact that I could only use two at a time made for interesting decisions. My main complaint is the D functions as infinite height, as you can repeatedly reuse the jetpack in midair (trivializing R, T, and E) and A made any remaining challenge in the game obsolete (which you can get directly upon getting E) S seems fun for speedrunners, but I found the speed boost uncontrollable. Overall, really fun game, but needs some revision on the scaling of the abilities. (4)

The game's art style is charming, and the map design was very competent. Considering the assets were all outsourced, it's hard to rank much higher than 3, however. Using free online resources isn't a problem, but there's not much presentation to judge outside of those resources, and it feels unfair to give a 5 for resources you didn't make. (3)

The core game loop isn't super novel, but the letter abilities add a well-needed twist to the formula. The attachment to the theme was also very creative and well implemented. (4)

Hahaha, thank you! I tried to make sure my interpretation wouldn't be something that everyone else would be doing. (though it seems there were a couple others with similar ideas) I'm glad you had fun running around and exploring the world. <3

I'm glad you had fun exploring and running around the world! I agree the map could have used more points of interest and more places to explore and were I to spend more time on the project, I would definitely take that advice. As for the music and font, can you describe what happened? I haven't been able to recreate the problems you've presented but would love to know why they're happening so I can fix them in my future projects.

It sure beats Sonic 06! Haha, thank you for trying it out and rating.

Haha, I got the same comment from many of my playtesters! I'm glad you enjoyed the movement; That's what I spent most of my time working on as it was really important to me that it felt satisfying. Also, thank you for the compliment on my art! :)

Yeah, I love games that mess with gravity and so I wanted to make a speedrunning momentum platformer you could run on any surface, in any direction! I do love that head canon that the world just doesn't know how to do gravity, and if I had more time I would have given Justice a model and made it so that when they go spinning through the air, they start flailing around. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it and found plenty of things to break!

(And you get a package requirement from many of the quests in the game which you can access by going to the mail office.)

Yeah! That's a pretty accurate description, ahaha. I love games that play with gravity so I wanted to make a game where you could run on any surface, in any direction. And thank you for the compliment on my art!

Thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! My primary goal was to make a game fun for speedrunning as I myself love the sport; I'm glad that came through.

As others have said, unfortunately the game does not load. I look forward to seeing your game next year!!!

I love racing games, so this was an enjoyable 10 minute experience. Additionally, the AI for the other cars was very well done. That said, I would have liked to see the camera zoomed out. I find that other's problems controlling the car were likely due with how little of the track in front of you that you could see and therefore how little time you have to react to turns. For the first couple laps you are going to run into grass no matter how good you are, because you're just not going to have time to react. Additionally, because the AI travels in straight lines, I found that at the beginning lap of the race it was very easy for the AI to make a sudden jerky turn, slam into me, and pile me into the grass, essentially killing my run. Something you may not have intended is that because you can use both arrow keys and WASD, using both applies speed twice and makes you go stupid fast. This inclusion was fun, even if it made the game basically uncontrollable, and made the grass patches a trivial suggestion. Overall, however, good movement and a fun experience. (3)

The art is very simple, often times the grass texture didn't communicate where the grass really started, and not much was done to add to the games aesthetic. Consider adding some particle effects behind the cars, or a fun banner when you complete a lap that tells you what lap you're on. (1)

The game design was pretty standard. Tank control driving game. No unique mechanics, interesting shortcuts, or mixup. Tried and true formula executed well. The connection to the jam theme is functional, though very surface level (which is fair because this jam's theme was hard to work with.) (2)

The shooting and overall gameplay loop is very satisfying. It’s a well-tested formula of exploring to get power ups to progress and you did it well. That said, jumping was a little awkward, and some inclusions (such as charging) did feel a little haphazard. Overall a pleasant experience and one with much potential. (4)

The art is quite simplistic, but it communicates effectively. It’s clear thought was put into it, but sometimes the enemies and animations could break or be questionable. (2)

The idea of a “short metroidvania” is one that works well. The connection to the jam theme is pretty questionable (which is valid as this jam’s theme was hard to work with) and the overall gameplay loop was pretty simple. That said, combining metroidvania world exploration with vampire survivor type upgrades was quite novel. (3)

The gameplay is simple but doesn’t outstay its welcome, gets harder gradually, and the multiple endings are compelling to get. That said, it is quite simple and quite repetitive. (3)

The art is drawn well, communicates clearly, and looks nice. Additionally, the messages are varied enough to not feel too monotonous. That said, the game is very sparse with content, and the art is quite simplistic. (3)

The idea is very strongly tied to the theme, and the gameplay is novel, but the overall idea seems pretty surface level. That fact doesn’t make the central idea any less meaningful or well-executed, but it does mean it’s hard to rank it high in terms of creativity. (3)

I think that’s an extremely valid design approach to having such a short deadline. I took the opposite approach and the contrast is transparently clear. I’m glad you all learned a lot!

Absolutely do reach out if you do make further steps to complete your original scope. Like I said, I think a furthering of the story could be absolutely gripping, and I’d love if you reached out in need for playtesting, feedback, or just an announcement that the game is finished.

For a first game jam project, great job.

The gameplay was very simple. Tank controls are tried and tested. Game could be difficult at times, but it ramped well. That said, it was very simple and got tiring after a short time (about 5-10 minutes) (2)

Graphics were simple but communicated effectively. Thick outlines for walls were a good choice, and you could tell what enemies were. Colors were also nice. The art is however too simple to be able to rate highly. Definitely room for improvement, but you understand the design aspects of art! (2)

The game is very simple, and very tradition. Tank control top down level navigator where you avoid spikes and saws. I also fail to understand the connection to the theme. (1)

Very simple gameplay. Never grasped me, and the story was too short to be able to grip me as deeply as I think it absolutely could. (2)

This is a GORGEOUS game with very fitting music. Absolutely fantastic job. (5)

The idea of this story, while simple and obvious, is touching and decently novel. It also connects to the theme well! Gameplay is a little less inspired. (which makes sense considering it seems to be a story game primarily) (3)

This is an awesome FNAF-like. Very well crafted "animatronic" activities. Everything responds well, and it's very snappy. Awesome job!!! (5)

The art, though simple, is very charming, and has a consistent, throughline in how everything is drawn. My only feedback is that it can be hard to tell to which camera The Lovers are moving to. (4)

The idea for the characters are very novel, the idea for the game less so. It also doesn't connect to the theme very tightly (which is fair because this jam's theme was very hard to work with) (3)

Overall, very solid game. Does the FNAF formula very solidly and with novelty to boot. My favorite game I've played thus far in this jam.

Very fun, simple mechanics. The world is very intelligently crafted, I can tell you put time into how you designed it in being able to interact with the elements from multiple directions. (4)

The art is simple, but has a charm to it and manages to communicate what it needs to effectively (3)

The idea of a precision platformer isn't novel, but having to move through the same space with gravity pointing it multiple directions is. It's also loosely tied to the theme of the jam, which is always a plus (3)

The controls were a bit too difficult for it to be a game I would want to play long term (gave the game 15-20 minutes.) Because of the difficulty of moving in or out of your opponent's range at will, it often felt like luck whether I managed to hit my opponent because I didn't have control of my range or my direction. It also felt as though if the enmy decided to rush into me, I was all but dead unless I got crazily lucky. (2)

Presentation wise, very cool. I love newgrounds and this reminded me of the "newgrounds" artstyle. That said, the artstyle is quite simplistic, so it's hard to give it a max score. (3) 

This is a very unique idea I haven't seen before, and I see a lot of potential in it, my biggest problem is that it doesn't feel like it relates to the jam much (which is fair because this jam's theme was very hard to work around.) (3)

Pog, high score of 7100. Once you're going fast enough, you don't even have to dodge the light beams anymore, ahaha.

Understood, thank you for clarifying

Last year you used Titan Souls as an example of a boss rush, but in the jam's description you say "There's no finding the bosses, no exploring the whole level, no going through obstacles, none of that, only bosses." As I'm sure you're aware, a big part of Titan Souls is exploring the world and moving from boss to boss between fights. There are even some puzzles in order to get to certain bosses such a Onyxia, Vinethesis, ect.
This leads me to ask, what constitutes a "Boss Rush." So long as the major focus is on the bosses, is it okay to have to walk between bosses such as in Titan Souls or SotC?