itch.io

The pick is only VERY marginally more efficient than the hammer so it's not that big a deal. The game is not incredibly high stakes so the option of the hammer is merely for preference. Some people like the heft of smashing a bigger area. Some like precision. I didn't make this game to be hyper-optimised, it's more for the vibes. If I continued to work on it past the jam I would've made sure every tool was perfectly balanced in its own niche.

The pick is actually slightly more efficient per hit but the hammer helps clear bigger spaces faster once you discover where a fossil is hidden. Mostly just personal preference.

Thank you for the feedback, it was a joy to see you and your daughter play the game. It reminded me of the joy my little cousin has when he tests my various games. Never fails to put a smile on my face :))
I hadn't considered a mobile port though I see the potential. I'll have to think it over as it's a skillset I don't yet have but have considered learning.
Regardless thanks for playing and sharing your experience, this made my day <3

You've brought up some valid feedback. I'll have to look into diagonal elements...
Thanks for playing!

Thanks for playing and the kind words <3

I agree that more metrics would be helpful granted they don't overwhelm the player, and the game definitely needs more work with its onboarding. Good points there.
Also you hit the nail on the head, I grew up playing Warcraft 3 TDs so that and some of the Starcraft custom map TDs definitely inspired the design. Glad that someone picked up on it xD
Thanks for playing and your feedback!

You've brought up a number of small points that are great feedback and easy enough to fix. Also the live feedback is always immensively helpful to really get into the mind of a player so I appreciate that you gave the game a really solid go <3

I see your points about teaching the various tiles more clearly and better portal pathing indicators. Thanks for the feedback :))

Love your progression with the game, glad you stuck with it to find the depth in the end :DD

I agree that it could be made more new-player-friendly. Thanks for the clear feedback <3

Thanks for playing <3

Haha I designed it with that "just one more round feel", glad to know it's working!

This is a valid criticism for a lot of things. More cats indeed...
Thanks for playing xD

Retrigger stacking to victory!

My boy Lawrence has come so far

Haha I thought I'd fixed all the integer overflow-level combos but I guess not... rebalancing still needed xD
Thanks for playing!

Thank you for the shining review!
It means a lot that someone noticed all the little bits of polish <3

Wow that's a wild score, thanks for playing <3

Yep tiles those are key to maximising your economy, thanks for playing!

Every part of this game has been tuned for maximum goofiness and I'm all in! The horse stacking, the exploding collision sound, the fact that the player is just another horse with a cowboy hat, and tthe way the horses just get tossed aside like ragdolls when scoring them then get back up to run away. I had a smile on my face the whole time xD
I've seen a fair amount of games about drawing loops but this is easily the best, comedic genius!!

Thanks for playing! <3

I've learned my mistake with the 8x speed but I'm glad people are getting some fun out of it :DD
Thanks for playing!

This is a devilishly smart puzzler, just when I thought I'd seen it all it introduced more features. Loved the whole retro aesthetic, gotta respect the commitment to the bit xD

From opening with a simple but poignant story, to the gentle banjo ambience, to the level-twisting reality-shifting mind-bending puzzles, this game was a banger. Also I absolutely adore the logo! Keep up the amazing work, and keen to see what you do with this idea!

Thanks for playing, (and leading me to your fun game)!

This was a damn good game loop. Simple but immensely satisfying. You start as a chump, barely mining a few blocks before time was out. It was during this stage I discovered a diamond before I had time to mine it and it sparked a fire in me. By the end I was carving my way through the map, cutting diamonds like butter, optimising my bomb usage and ultimately wrecking shop in this pixel underworld. That's my one gripe. I agree with Squishy Turtle Games, in that the portals feel like an end to the fun loop you've built. But an immensely fun game and you should be proud, my first jam game sucked big time and barely worked, xD
Keep up the good work, you've got a solid core here!

I should've hidden the 8x speed option outside of my testing but am glad people are finding it funny regardless xD
Thanks for playing :DD

The atmosphere you built with this one was phenomenal. The way the haunting music just fades to silence with a candle flickering on the screen when you lose beats any jumpscare. Very ominous, great work!

I will count the sound effect as a success then xD
Thanks for playing!

There is something primal about pairing number-go-up with lil-guys that just tickles the brain in the right way. Loved this game, the calm music, the theming, the pixel art. Great work!

Don't we all <3

This game has made me afraid to go to the grocery store now. Every corner I turn I'm frantically on the lookout for wild watermeloops and cantaloops. Audio was fire though.

Already wishlisted :DD

You guys have put lightning in a bottle with this game. You made a completely playable and deep metroidbrania (not the greatest term but fitting) in a weekend?! Such games (reminds me of Leap Year) are rare indeed and give that illusive feeling of discovery as if you're slowing learning the language of games again. Just for a moment everything is new and anything is possible. Discovering how to make fire anywhere and practicing that maneuvre was total *chef's kiss*. The secrets were doled out at a perfect pace that encouraged exploration.

Not only that but you made it with its own narrative and unique character designs and some gorgeously drawn art! Absolute wizardry.

The final rush up the mountain with a rapidly shrinking timer was (pardon the pun), peak. As a Sisyphus fan myself, narratively the ending was perfect as well. We must imagine Sisyphus happy. The best take on a classic story.

Perfect 5/5. Polish up the environment and game juice and release this on steam for the world to experience please.

This was a simple game but damn it was executed incredibly well. Easy to understand premise, beautifully clean aesthetic with some vibey music in the background (suitably space themed), and a growing complexity as the match goes on. Great work!

Love how you put that trying to "confound an A* search", great description and it's exactly why I thought it was a unique take. Also games about optimisation just tickle my brain xD
Thanks for playing (also led me to your amazing game)!

That last level was a test of skill, glad you enjoyed! <3

This is the first and possibly only perfect rating I'll give for this jam. It sucked me in until I'd collected a ton of different threads of this fake-reality. The density of references in here was just insane. There's obscure Macbeth and Dante references, internet humour galore, a fake Game of Thrones (I think?), influencer controversies, conspiracy theorists, accurately depicted grindset mindset bros, and even those new age spirituality ads that I swear I've seen before. This might have been a game about helping people out of the loop but you got me fully entranced IN the loop for far longer than I care to admit. Incredible work, this is art.
#CondorsOfAvalon #potato

Absolutely adore the cute aesthetic, sounds, and music! The core loop is satisfying and quickly overwhelming and is quite a unique take on the theme, great work! Also your game's itch.io page looks amazing <3

This game feels like one of those obscure games on an old console (ps2-era maybe?) that you think back to fondly years later when you stumble upon video essays about it. Weird description for a jam game, but that was the vibe I got from playing this, it just felt nostalgic. And I mean that in the best way possible. Gorgeous art, design, colour palette, and the music just evokes a sense of homeliness. A near perfect game considering it was a jam title!