itch.io

Incredible writing with strong messages attached to the minigames. I heavily appreciated the use of Hawaiian language WITH definitions through hovering over them. Extremely nice touch and really shows the care and love put into this game. Though not entirely engaging in its minigames, the messages definitely gets through. Good work!

This is my favorite game of the jam thus far hands down. I'm an incredibly big fan of visual novels and believe that compelling characters and art style is what makes or breaks it, and this game knocks it out of the park. The sound design and word choice in dialogue made each character feel alive and real. The art style is genuinely one of the most unique ones I've seen in a very long time, and it works well with the tone of the game very well. Though I could never get anything to craft (might've been a bug, might've been me being stupid), I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the npcs and repairing the world as much as I could. Some QoL things would help the game a lot though, like maybe a little icon change when you hover over something that's interactable, or a hovering icon above an npc when they have new dialogue. Overall, AMAZING work from the entire team. I really hope this game expands!

game of the year

A truly standout game in terms of quality, especially with its writing and rhythm gameplay mechanics. Though a little confusing and hard to digest in the very beginning, I got the gist quickly and was able to absorb and appreciate a lot of the dialogue and story. I was initially worried about getting very lost, but I figured out that by simply following the flowers that needed to be pollinated (like a bee!) I would find my way to the end and hit every major plot point and character. Incredibly game design on all fronts. Hope you guys continue on this project!

For a solo dev project, I'd say that you nailed the overall feel of the game. The atmosphere, mechanics, and writing (ESPECIALLY the writing) all tied the game together in a nice way. Some more tutorial on how the game actually works would do wonders for comprehension. I'm sad to hear that a lot got cut, as I think this game had a lot of potential to do a lot of unique puzzles with its camera mechanic. Good work overall!

Though I couldn't progress past the last "fuel the fire" microgame due to a seeming insufficient amount of fuel being on screen, I had fun! Reminiscent of games like Wario Ware, you guys captured the formula very well, and utilize the three simple methods of control very well. I would have liked to see the end of the game to fully get a grasp of the narrative, as right now I don't quite see how some of the tasks could at all contribute to climate change. Overall good work.

To say that I've been looking forward to this game's completion since the start would be an understatement, and the product did NOT disappoint. The cute and charming art, the engaging tower defense mechanics, the difficulty curve that always proved a challenge but not frustrating, every facet of this game was shown clear care from its team and remained true to the themes of the jam as well. As a fan of tower defense games, I can confidently say that you all have succeeded at making a very fun one. Amazing work guys!!!!

An incredibly short yet enjoyable experience. The clean art and sound design keep help with the overall charm of the game, and I can only imagine how much this game can expand upon its existing mechanics. It seems that a lot of gameplay elements had to be cut for time, but I hope that doesn't discourage you from continuing to build off of what you have. This is a very well-made proof of concept, and I hope you continue it in the future.

For a solo-dev project, this is ASTOUNDING! Real definition of a polished jam product. I will say, it was incredibly overwhelming at the start with little to no real efficient tutorial (blocks of text with no visual indictors do nothing for my retention), but my prior knowledge of games like Civ 6 helped me to get a grasp of things. For 6 weeks and a solo dev, this game appears to be QUITE large (you should have seen my face when I saw how big the world really was), and to hear that many things got cut and that there could've been more should be an accomplishment to say considering your (I assume) amazing work-ethic. The game mechanics and trading systems were engaging, well thought out, and had me looking forward to each new location I discovered on the map. Awesome work!

The game definitely hit the thriller/horror aspects with the great sound design and aesthetics, and for what the development timeline of this game seemed to be as well as the incredibly small team, I'd say that this is a pretty good success at what it tries to accomplish. Though, even just a LITTLE in-game explanation of anything would do wonders for comprehension. I try to play games before reading the summaries in order to get a more natural playthrough, and I will say that I was able to understand some of what was trying to be conveyed before resorting to the itch page, but some in-game explanations would go miles for this.

What an absolutely beautiful experience. The clever puzzles, easy to understand game mechanics, intriguing narrative, amazing atmosphere, and top-notch music all work in tandem to create a great game. I've worked on puzzle games before and know how challenging it can be plan, playtest, and execute puzzles that feel cohesive and build on each other throughout the game, but I can say with confidence that this game could serve as a blueprint for what a 2d puzzle platformer can accomplish within the 6 week time frame we were given. Phenomenal job guys!!!!

The art style is INCREDIBLY charming and unique!!! It really brings the whole aesthetic together with the themes of the game. I do think that a bit of QoL improvements would aid in telling the player what is and isn't interactable. Clarity of game direction/gameplay is a little muddied because of the awesome artwork, but it should be an easy fix. Amazing work!!

Holy peak it's so beautiful. The art style, the concept, the call to action, the mechanics, EVERYTHING about this game as it currently stands is, in my opinion, picture perfect to what this jam asks for. With the rate that you guys are going at, I believe that the scope is most certainly doable. The gameplay loop is clear and the narrative is concise. Just AMAZING stuff guys. Keep it up!!!

I think this game has a very clear goal and will execute it very well with the mechanics and ideas shown as the foundation of production. The scope and production plan laid out appear to be very thought-out and doable for the jam. I love how this game aims to teach something that isn't commonly known at all (I had to look up what grafting was personally to understand what was going on), so good work in terms of impact. My main concerns lie with the depth of the game in terms of interesting aspects within the mechanics and overall gameplay. I think the foundation is incredibly good for what it is, but I'd personally just want to see more. I also would want to see a clearer art direction, but I'm sure that'll come with time as more and more of the game gets fleshed out. Overall, great work!

I'm really blown away by how concise, effective, and engaging your sprint 2 slideshow and showcase video are! The vision is incredibly clear with an incredible call to action of educating people about invasive plants while also learning how to identify them.  My only real note is the worry that the gameplay will feel a little repetitive after a while. With this game being similar to that of Papers Please, I wonder/hope that the narrative of the game will drive the engagement for players that aren't the BIGGEST fans of just solving puzzles. Amazing stuff so far and I can't wait to see more!

While the pitch of the game is extremely compelling and design document manages to outline the mechanics, win condition, there is no clear "call to action". I have high hopes for this project, but I fear that the scope and lack of clear production plan could lead to rushed content in the endgame. Overall, I suggest budgeting time more efficiently and homing in on a clear goal/call to action in hopes of putting out a game that's as good as the initial idea.

In all honesty, I'm incredibly confused. The cover image, itch description, and GDD are incredibly hard to digest and understand what exactly you want your game to be about as well as what the loop is. The way AI structures its writing is most likely the culprit to this, and your GDD, as well as future submissions viewable to others, would benefit largely from it being written by people to better communicate effective, simple, and concise ideas. From what I did understand, this appears to go from a survival game to a tycoon one, which needs to be handled extremely carefully in order for the themes to not entirely go against that of the jam. For the gameplay loop, actions are listed, but not how they're done, making what the player actually does mechanically to be left ambiguous. Also, even with AI assistance, I don't believe that what's being proposed is feasible within 6 weeks. Just the section talking about how a "one year crisis is divided into 24 strategic moves. Each move is 15 days, and in each move Tyler has a hard ceiling of 24 Capacity Units of stamina to spend." is an incredibly ambitious undertaking from a technical level, so I'd be wary of that.

I REALLY like the fun, thrilling, and semi-stressful gameplay loop of needing to keep your crops and yourself alive through the harsh environment. I also really like the farmer-centered theming, as I feel it's one of the most overlooked aspects of ecosystems. I'd personally want to see a bit more of what the world used to look like and perhaps learn a bit more about who we are and how we were able to survive. Overall a compelling concept with intriguing gameplay and unique theming. My only real concern is that the production plan itself isn't that fleshed out, so I'd just be mindful of scope creep.

I do really love the tone and feel that's being described for the game, but I feel like it will be shadowed by the unclear message the game is trying to send. I don't quite understand when it's stated that: "What the player experiences is no longer the anxiety of drawing cards, but the surprise of nurturing a new life like opening a blind box in a post-apocalyptic wasteland." when a key part of gatcha games, and parts mentioned within your GDD about the game, is that there will be "bad" options that you get. The research that has been done for this game is remarkable, but I think the mechanics and gameplay loop of the game doesn't do the it justice, and strays away from the main themes of the jam.

The initial idea of a deck builder being able to shape the world through a time-based system is very unique and interesting! It kinda gives the vibes of games like Civ where you're creating the world through resources, in this case being your cards. It is however unclear what the win/lose condition of the game would be and how one would achieve it, or how one would build the deck to begin with.  The game appears to have a very clear vision though, and I think once more of the foundation is laid, this will be a great game with a lot to say