itch.io

Don't worry, you didn't come across as too harsh, you're just not the first person to say that the game is a bit too difficult. And you don't need to apologise for using they, as I only mentioned that to clarify and not because I'm annoyed or anything like that.

Thanks! I completely understand what you mean by recording and editing taking a lot of time. While not exactly the same, I do record gameplay videos myself for speedruns and still only have to do some simple cutting afterwards, not also record myself speaking and make sure the audio is hearable.

About the game itself: the 'balls' are actually pearls and getting them is how you get the second/good ending. I was planning on adding a dash (because those are a staple of Metroidvanias), but had to settle for just having the speed boost due to not having enough time to add it while also extending the map so there would be an area where you could get it. 

You can actually avoid the frog's hand by using the speed boost as it stops following your horizontal position when it lunges up to grab, but you're probably not the only to just let it grab you instead.

This next part might be a bit surprising, but the version you played is actually a bit easier than the original project. The section at the start where you jump from the left onto two blocks and the the larger platform with an air pocket was a section where you needed to make multiple tight jumps back and forth between left and right to go up a staircase of blocks while making sure to not hit your head on one of them in versions 1.0.0 and 1.0.1. I adjusted it yesterday in version 1.0.2 due to it being too frustrating, so you actually got lucky with that. I probably should have adjusted the rest of the platforming as well.

This is a bit of a lengthy reply, but I thought it'd be nice to clarify a few things.

P.S. My pronouns are he/him.

P.P.S. Hope you succeed at playing all the games!

Will make sure to add that, maybe as an option in the settings, in the next update. Thanks for playing!

I've honestly been waiting for this since the moment I found out you were making playthrough videos of the games in the jam.

Ah, hadn't noticed the change yet, as I'd played the game yesterday and hadn't had time to leave a comment. Nice to know that I can try to beat the game now.

EDIT: Just beat the game! The ending is pretty well done!

Shift has now been added as a key for sprinting. Thanks for the suggestion!

I enjoyed the platforming and the music is pretty good! The art looks a bit simple, but certainly has its charm.

Really like the art palette and the art as well! Managing finances while having enough food and also doing research is a bit challenging at first, but does get easier if you slowly build up research from the start like I did. Having a way to save the game would be nice as upgrading a crew member to 10 of all three stats for the final task is pretty time consuming, at least if there isn't a faster method that I'm unaware of than just constantly upgrading the crew and repeating tasks that pay well for multiple days.

Thanks for playing! I'll add shift as a button for sprinting later today if I have time.

Love the voice acting. The art looks grat, even if some of the grounded enemies slightly (or in the case of one goblin fully) hover off the ground. I was going to point out the sword animation not lining up with when the enemies die, but since others have already brought that to your attention I'll mention something else I found, that being that the player flickers between the running and wall holding animations if you run into a corner. You might be able to fix that by not letting the player switch to the wall holding animation while being grounded.

In regard to the update:

Having to snap the camera to discover fish instead of just using the light is a nice addition. The same goes for the new foe lurking in the depths, but I do have to say that losing all your progress when he kills you is a bit annoying.

P.S. Also good to see that you can't just go through the seafloor anymore.

The art is lovely! The starting screen looks a bit off-center on my screen, which might be due to scaling issues.

By the way, why do the bubbles only refill oxygen up to 89%?

I was suspecting them to be pre-rendered models, yet wasn't fully sure due to the jam only being 3 days, but it does make sense as it's only 2 models. 

I'll make sure to check regularly on PizzaBreaker and other projects you might be working on.

Really great atmosphere!I did only encounter the monster briefly before never seeing him again, so I recommend either making him a bit more active or adding more of him if you ever decide to improve the game.

That's one way to make use of the limitation! Also like how the player sprite looks kinda 3D. The game sadly didn't want to be fair in my one and only life though as the first pipe that appeared was so far vertically down that the top part was partially missing and the bottom gap was so small that getting through it was impossible.👍

Just to let you know, you made an incorrect assumption: my scores weren't actually achieved in a failed attempt to beat w@terbottle. I had gotten those before they got their score, buuutt.... I have managed to reclaim my position at the top after you posted your video.

Frenzy mode is really fun! I was expecting there to be more than 2 levels and thus more enemy types, but time constraints do end up forcing cuts. The current gameplay loop is still fun though and mostly makes up for that.

Very fun interpretation of the limitation! Just a nitpick, but the villager sprite in the selection boxes seems to have accidentally been placed too high.

The spritework looks great! Also enjoyed the stages. I wouldn't mind playing again if you ever add more stages or improve the game with music, SFX and/or background art.

It seems I'm one of the few to actually beat the game! You've done a nice job with the pixelart and I like the premise. The very high encounter rate is a bit annoying though and the first few enemies on the second floor were a bit underleveled compared to my stats. There also could have been some visual effect to show you taking damage instead of the shield number just going down.

The animations look pretty good! The idea of using glowsticks to be able to find your way back fits the creepy atmosphere nicely. The monster did kill me once even though I was observing it, but I don't know if that has to do with my torch not being fully lit.

Nice art! I'm not really a fan of lofi music (as it has never helped me study), but it does fit the game and the idea of deep sleep and studying well. Something you might want to fix is the sprites for the start and level complete screens not scaling when you go fullscreen.

Fun to see one more game with oxygen management as a primary mechanic!

The concept is pretty interesting. I do have to admit that walking around quickly gets a bit too repetitive, especially due to the lack of music and the environments not being distinct enough, but the artwork is very well done and Malt is great.

Fantastic game! The character and enemy design is great and the same goes for the different abilities and evironment, especially the moon. I did sometimes clip underground for a second while dashing downwards, but I got ejected back up afterwards so it's not really a problem.

The souls look really good! Navigating the map is a bit annoying though as passages are a bit too easy to miss and you keep getting stuck on steps while going up vertically. Also really liked the choice you have to make at the end.

The quality is great! I was expecting there to be around 30 fish max, but I've gone underwater so many times now and still haven't found them all. One recommendation I have is to show to current color of the submarine while on the surface, as it's currently always yellow.

This really stands out between all the submitted games! I don't know if it's just an issue I have, but the audio is a bit scratchy, especially during the bubble transition when starting and ending an episode. Everything else is still fantastic!

P.S. How can I get gray pearls?

You've done really well with the art and mechanics, especially the screens that appear for opening the door and escpaing. 

I do have to say that the enemy detection bar should progress faster, as you can currently just sprint past the two stationary guards instead of sneaking around the building. 

And I also noticed that the player and door don't reset if you play again after beating the game.

It's still a very nice game!

Hilarious concept that also fits the theme so, so well! The cards were always on the bottom right of the screen instead of the middle though and some SFX would have made the experience even better, but the game is still fun as it is.

Very unique concept! It's nice that the exit is randomised forcing you to think more about where in the map you're at. Having SFX for teleporting and sending a probe would have been nice, but that's just a minor complaint.

Thanks for the comment and for informing me about the bug with using W or Space for jumping! That should be fixed now.

Thanks for informing me about the jump issue, it should be fixed now. 

I also made the part you were stuck on easier, so you can try it again if you want.

Wasn't expecting to see a game incorporating every meme on the internet today. The concept are puzzles are pretty neat! This is just a nitpick, but I do think the text and buttons that appear after completing a stage could have been bigger as they look a  bit too small and the darkened area around the text and buttons doesn't cover the entire screen, making it look like a mistake rather than being intentional.

It's nice that the party is random after time you play since it make each playthrough different. It's also impressive how much unique dialogue, encounters, and character quirks you managed to incorporate within the time limit, while also having great art and music. Playing it was truly amazing!

This game is gorgeous! It also ended up educating me on the possible plays in poker, which is nice.

My lips are sealed...

Yeah, I realise now that I might have made it a bit too difficult, though it does get easier once you start getting abilities.

The pixel looks great. I would have loved to see what the end result would have been if you had enough time to finish development.

Neat concept! The player and enemy sprites are a bit blurry, but the designs do look pretty nice.