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Forwarding the instruction: After downloading, rename GMTKGameJamProj_Data to MagJohn_Data to play.

With that out of the way, I have a qualm with this game. Everything here has a fantastic first impression. Great setting, innovative controllers and mechanics, gorgeous graphics, and the idea of a platforming level with stuff to collect for bragging rights. For what I could play of it, it was a fantastic time.

But I couldn't progress past this point after more than a few attempts. No matter what I polarized or moved, the character was stuck at best. I'm sorry that I couldn't play more of this, since it looked very, very promising. I'm no stranger to unintended things like these ruining an otherwise great experience, so I'm still rating this more adequately just in case I'm the minority that couldn't progress.

For what it's worth, it still showed a lot of promise, and, were it not for that corner of doom, I could have seen it become one of my favorite games in this jam. Maybe after a patch? Here's hoping!

I wanted to like this game, I really did. Excellent presentation, a very helpful tutorial, fun mechanics and brimming with personality. But the floaty platformer and this non-working checkpoint broke my spirit. After plenty of attempts to make it through, I just couldn't go on. I admit defeat.

Regardless, my rating doesn't account for that solely, don't worry. The game is fantastic in a lot of ways regardless.  Everything else around this issue of mine is great, and with some minor tweaking and balancing, it can certainly lighten up a lot. Great submission!

I enjoyed it a lot, although my head hamster is too slow to process how to make it through this level.

Don't worry about me though. I did like this game a lot for what it was. Great ambience, the graphics work with it to perfection, and I overall don't think that the game is any less good just because I'm bad at these puzzle games. If anything, I'd like to see more people give it a shot!

It's very good, and very fitting for the theme. Keep it up!

Hey, not a problem. These things happen. If you do update it afterwards, I'm more than willing to check it out again! 👍

I legit love games where I get to be a jerk for no discernable reason, and this one scratches that itch quite well!

This game looks great and the gameplay is the best kind of chaotic. A swarm reacting to stimuli, rather than being directly controlled or micromanaged. I was a bit sad that I lost some of my rats early on, but finding more to recruit to my army lifted my spirits.

Beautiful looks, and great details with the different music and reactions of the rats. The game felt quite fresh, and it's certainly one of the most unique ones I've played on this jam. Way to go! 🌽

This entry had some great ideas on it, and while short, it was on the fun side of the spectrum.  While the level with the red and yellow blocks was specially difficult, I overall had a great time playing this game. I've seen many entries where one player controls many characters at a time, but it has the unique spin that all but one are enemies or obstacles, which I found exciting.

Like I said, it had a lot of good going for it, and with more development time, I would believe that you could come up with a lot of creative elements from the ideas you've put together here. There can always be more, of course. But given the development time, I believe this did well overall. Well done! 😊

A short but great puzzle platformer, and one of the finest games I've played in the jam.
I want to applaud the team for creating this game. Save for some hiccups, I had an overall great time with it, with surprising challenges that were not difficult to overcome nor too simplistic to be boring.

I wondered for a while what did this have to do with the theme of the jam, but when I realized I could mix colors together, it all made sense. Mixing and matching skills was genius, and it really elevated the experience to me.

It's a fantastic entry, doing what it's set to do after it's two-day-development period.  It outstand from other games on this genre, it's visually memorable and it puts great ideas on the table. What a fantastic, colorful experience! 👍

Game goes quite bananas after a while, with enemies ricocheting all over the place and AOEs that take the whole screen. I played a few rounds and had a great time overall with it, with the voice-overs being the icing of the cake.

While there were some balancing issues and some units being must-haves while others were almost useless, it still felt good to carry an army of monke around the place, flinging them and overall wrecking havoc. It's a bit of a shame that one of my runs ended when enemies basically telefragged my main guy, but it is what it is.

Had a lot of mindless fun with this one, upgrading and flinging monke from left to right. It was a great time! 🐵

With a plot and a boss fight, I would say that this game was quite ambitious. It's interesting that you developed a mythos of sorts and that it gets reflected by the use of life to attack in order to defeat enemies.

While the game is lacking in aspects such as polish, I'd still say it's a good submission for the jam's purposes. A short, difficult game, but sometimes, that's all that one needs. Good job! 👍

Conceptually, I love the idea of synergizing and trying to make very different people work together. Giving them unique tasks to try to balance them and make them cooperate was a clever use of the themes of the jam. The mechanics were solid, and I'd say that the graphics server their purpose, giving it its own kind of charm.
However, I don't know if I'm just dense or something, but even after knowing that red was grumpier and blue was more light-hearted, I still couldn't tell from time to time which task would be best for whom. After several attempts, I never reached peak synergy, and felt somewhat frustrated as a result. If anything, because I wanted to see what else was there in the game, yet I couldn't make it that far.

It's a good game, but it really could have done with some more tells and quality of life changes. If you do update it post-jam, consider rebalancing things a bit. Otherwise, great submission! 👍

I don't say this quite often, but this is one of my favorite games in this jam so far. It doesn't seem much from a first glance, but it's a very strong, well thought improvisational game that any fan of word-based games would love.
I started a bit slow on it while I got the hang of the mechanics, barely breaking even and getting clutters of letters I couldn't use. But then I started paying attention and saw that letters like Z and X were the money makers. Texas, Zen, Axis, that's where the dough was at!

After a while, with enough money to spare, I ended up trying to hoard enough letters to make the longest words possible, and it always felt satisfying to wait for words with the letters that you needed to appear and buy them. I was enthralled by this one.

This is a gold example of why I like game jams so much. To the point, using the theme in a creative fashion, running with a simple idea and making the most of it. I'm very stingy with my ratings, yet this one deserves all of my stars and praise! 👍

While simple in presentation, the idea of linking things to move them and use them for puzzle solving was awe-inspiring.

Pshysics-based puzzles are prone to glitches and the like, so I'm not going to go into that territory. The ideas and mechanics behind this game were quite clever, and some of the puzzles made me feel super smart for figuring out a solution. Even if they were not very complex, it still gave me some satisfaction.

The setting and visuals of the game are great as well. Not too heavy as to not get distracting, yet with some details here and there that did make it pop! It's a good balance!

A clever brain-bender indeed. I'd love to see this evolve with at least some more quality of life, such as being able to restart a room if something gets lost, or even some areas to experiment further with the linking mechanics. There's a lot of potential in a game like this! 👍

I must say, it's a rather good looking game there (I specially like the looks of the character), with some creative use of its mechanics that serve both platforming and narrative. The cohesion of the visuals, the VHS, the static and the introspection of the protagonist go well hand in hand to showcase the setting of yearning for something of the past (or at least, that's what I got of it).

I really didn't seem to get much out of the gameplay though. It was a bit slow and even clunky at times. And while the sounds helped make the atmosphere, the repetitiveness of the static got a bit annoying later on.

Regardless, I did like this submission! Left me wanting to see more about these VHSs and the people around the protagonist. It's not every day when I get this nostalgic about old technology. Thanks! 😊

I'm a fan of those very difficult 1-health shooters such as Hotline Miami, so I became enamoured by this one. While getting used to defending the Ammo Box and the limited bullets caused me to have a somewhat annoying first impression of the game, after a few attempts, I felt like a sharpshooter as I was speedrunning around the place, running and shooting.

Some clunkyness aside, the game felt very sharp and tense, having to make every bullet count. (Thematically, I still find it ironic that there's such a tight limit on bullets given that you're carrying an ammo box). I legit thought for a long while that it was a single level game, but was pleasantly surprised to see there was more and then more, and even a boss fight to boot! Very impressive given the development time!

I've played some good entries on this jam, but the rush and satisfaction of getting the grip of this one has had no peer so far. Way to go! 👏

First try, booyeah!

I had some expectations of relatively simple puzzles when I started playing this game, but when I found out that it was more than just separating the pieces, but that a mechanic like firing was tied to both blocks being together, that blew my mind.

This short experience truly played to the strengths of its mechanics. A good balance of platforming, action and even stealth-like scenes when the little block had to dodge enemies and be on its own while trying to infiltrate the enemy base. It was a short but sweet experience all round.

You're likely aware of the shortcomings of this project already. Physics and movement were a bit wonky, and I read someone saying that dying meant going back all the way to the start. I'm willing to say that some of that could have been tweaked further if the jam had been longer, but it'd still be something to keep into consideration in the future.

All in all though, I had a good time playing this game! It had the right amount of puzzles, and I could only imagine what other mechanics could be implemented on the premise that these two blocks having different puzzle-solving elements when apart and together! Way to go! 🌟

I made it to the end!

I'm a sucker for silly plots, and the super brief cutscene at the start got a chortle out of me. The themes of the different levels were a great setting, with the unexpected Bible one taking the cake!

Now, I don't think I need to go in detail about the shortcomings of the game. It looks to me that you were experimenting with some features still, so, for the purposes of the jam, I think that you did alright with Telebuster. I'd only mention that, on future platformers that depend on jumping onto lower levels, consider moving the camera down and somewhat. Level 2 was challenging due to so the leaps of faith. Level 3, in comparison, was a breeze, and it did feel tight and even fun as it had some verticality to it.

Good job nevertheless! 👍

I swear I have friends.

Online multiplayer in a 2-day gamejam? I'm not the programmer of my team, so I don't know how difficult that is, but it does sound like something to applaud at.

The game does look neat, and I had fun when I saw that the variation of enemies were also hydras. After roaming for a while, I don't think I saw any objectives or the like, but for a quickly put up online game, I think that witnessing that something like this can be done so fast is an experience on its own. Also, the music really bopped! Good tunes!

I did check the multiplayer on my own, just to make sure it worked, and I was pleasantly surprised! I might get a friend to play it with me at some point to see if we an at least get rid of some enemies.

All in all, game-wise, there's not much to offer, but I can bet that you learned a lot from making this.  Don't be afraid to take more risks like these in future jams, and hey, maybe you can turn a project like this into something bigger in the future! Cheers!

The game is quite pretty and it really looks ambitious. It has that going for it, but otherwise, I didn't understand what I was doing, and there were no clear instructions. I'm legit confused if I'm doing things wrong or if the game is bugged.

I'm rating it out of need because of the rules, but if there's something I could be missing when it comes to gameplay, do let me know and I can give it another try.  I really would like to see what this is all about!

My friend deserved better, but we did what we could.

I'm always up for endless runners and physics-based games, so this one was a neat surprise to finish this first night of jam games. I loved the test dummy and the environments. A lot of good detail, and it was a slick presentation overall! I originally was wondering what was the point of changing the chain's length since it was objectively better to keep it short, but then I saw the magnets and my mind was blown by how much sense that made.

The game was great for what it was, so my next observations are more on the side. I'm not sure if this game has audio, since the description says it has pre-existing audio, yet I couldn't hear a thing. And without a downloadable version, when I tried to play the Web build, I couldn't originally see the whole screen of the game, not even enough to see the "full screen button". I had to press F11 on Firefox to  be able to click on it and enjoy the game as it was intended. Just things to check on on future iterations.

Regardless, I had a good time with this one! Thanks a lot for sharing it with us all! 👍

Hah, our team can relate when it comes to turning unexpected behaviour into core gameplay mechanics! But yeah, it was  great experience, so I'd naturally look forward to seeing what you make off this, in whatever engine or shape! 👍

I'm a keyboard god! 💪

Got to say, this game had some nice ideas, and the presentation was superb! I love the "keyboard" theme, which is quite unique in its cartoonish fashion. All in all, it's a great take on the "move boxes around" genre of puzzle games, since it rarely feels like pushing and more often feels like you're a big magnet. There's a great use of the keyboard layout and the limited spaces areas.

I must admit, though, that it took me quite a while to get used to the movement system. It was well worth it later on, but it still felt somewhat stressful even by the end.

But all in all, I can't complain about anything else. Lots of charm to be found, and quite an amusing experience! 🐳

I've played plenty of "square puzzles", yet this one has some of the freshest ideas I've seen so far. Finished it and I was quite delighted from beginning to end, specially towards the end, with the level where the chain worked as a safety net of sorts. That was a very clever use of the theme, I'd say!

I just want to make a small observation, since these physics-based games tend sometimes to be wonky, that the pictured puzzle over there, I completed it by dragging the white block out of the "undraggable" zone. So yeah, something was wonky over there and made the right puzzle trivial.

Still though, I am impressed. The puzzles had just enough difficulty to be rewarding without being too simple either. Great presentation overall!

I like the pacing of this game. Goes simple-ish at first, but does get tricky at times, specially when it comes to trying to make it into the highscores.

Web build was somewhat cumbersome, but functional. In my 1080p resolution, however, I had to scroll down to see one of the characters at times. Ended up downloading it, and had a great time with it. Semi-speedrunning it while trying to not fall into holes was quite satisfying, I'd say.

I've played many move-the-boxes puzzle games around, but this one is fresh just from the movement sharing. A simple tweak can do a whole lot of difference!

Great entry for the jam! Kudos! 🐳

There's too many good things going with The Rainsdowne Players. Yet it still hits me that it's hard to find any information about it or people playing it. It's on Steam and on Switch, and even then, it's more than likely that it's made it past all of your radars. I propose taking it for a spin, as it's a game unlike anything you've played before.

While it's rough around the edges and with plenty of things not very clear, it has a lot of charm and soul, with plenty of things to collect, combinations to try, and some truly brilliant moments.

I'll be sharing the fanart I made for it not long ago, because why not? Looking forward to more works from Steve and co! 

I kinda felt like a sadist when I realized that I could maximize my score by getting as many Bloops sick as possible. I can’t even tell if this is working as intended or just a happy accident. But hey, it was flipping fun.

It’s very hard to nail down exactly what this is. Some weird mix of strategy, puzzle, arcade and physics gameplay, which can be as calming as thrilling, with the explosions being somewhat zen in nature, respite them representing dozens of Bloops dying. The duality of Bloops, I’d say.

But hey, I got almost to a million in score, so it’s all good, right? Right. Simple in functions, and with some very memetic sound effects. This game was a blast, and in more ways than one. Stirring towards the simplistic and even click-heavy at times, but it was still a bundle of joy for most of its duration.

I talk for my team when I say that this entry was special by reasons that are seemingly contradictory. Great job, and we hope to see more from your team later on!

The more you play, the more epic it gets. After a few rounds, I felt like a super badass.

While deceptively simple on the looks, this is an extremely fast paced gunslinging shooter. I got to it by accident, and I'm glad I did, since it's the kind of rogue-like that screams for an enhanced version.

I started feeble and weak, barely making it to the second or third wagons. But after hoarding a bit of money, I was dispensing lead left and right, pilfering the pilferers, doing wagons in seconds. It's just so good.

The Whales and Games team salutes you for making such a great entry. Cute frog btw!

To think that a platformer about dogballs could be so charming and emotional…

What an all-round marvel. Simple, yet effective and even stunning graphics paired with a musical track that’s fitting, funny and thrilling, and grouped up with platformer puzzles that really tie everything together. I’m astonished.

What can I say? I’m flabbergasted. I usually write longer reviews with feedback, but I’m utterly speechless this time around. On your place, I have no idea of what I would change or add to improve the experience, since it’s already all so neatly packed together. If anything, as someone mentioned before, an R button or something to quickly restart. But really, for short levels, that’s just me being picky.

Incredible work. I’ll forward it to the Whales and Games to share on the delight that Dog Dog Dungeon is. I clap like a madman for you, looking to see more of this kind of entries in the coming jams

A deceptively head-cracking puzzler. You can easily “know” the solution by looking at the blocks, but getting them into place is the real trick, and I love it for it.

The whole game feels like one of those frustrating slide puzzles, but with an actual fun methodology to them, with very limited space to maneuver to get everything into place. The mix of the gorgeous artwork, the tribal-esque music and clever levels make this a top-notch entry.

By far, my favorite detail is how the sacrifices scream as they get close to the pit. That’s the kind of polish that really outstands. Fascinating job!

The Whales and Games were looking forward to check this out since the game was announced. We’re looking forward to seeing where else will this team head in the future!

1. Haize! I'm the 'moski. I'm a mexican art-designer-wanna-be who does general gaming art, from fanart to YouTube Channel Art for others.

2. I've been interested in the indie game culture for years now. I haven't participated on any jams from itch.io, since I've been very busy, nor do I know how to actually code, so I'm expecting to join along a friend that can do that so I can focus on the art and some overall designing.

3. From the development perspective, my favorites are Cave Story, Binding of Isaac and Stardew Valley. The first and last are impressive because of how big they become by being made by a single person, while BoI has a lot of personal story from the creator reflected into it. It's documentation is glorious.

4. The only experience I've got is some RPG Maker projects. The only released one, and most successful, was The Farming One, made in 2014 for an RPG Maker contest. It's still floating around and free, if anyone wants to give it a shot. It was made by me and the friend that I'm expecting to do the coding on this project. We've learned and improved a lot since then.

5. My passions are video-games, but I don't think that there's anyone here joining out of sheer obligation. So, other than that, some TV shows and comics, and drawing original characters, designing worlds for them. If anyone wants to get in contact, here's a blatant advertising for my twitter, hoping this is not against the rules :v

Looking forward to seeing your projects. Who knows? Maybe we can collaborate in the future! :3