I didn't know that "shift" was "glide" because I think I kept killing the hummingbird on accident off-screen, since it's placed behind enemy obstacles you need to clear out. Might just be worth explaining the controls in the description as well.
But well done! I'm impressed with the sprite work and UI.
This is absolutely incredible. The art is fantastic, the presentation is off the charts, and the game itself is satisfying and fun!! Even the music is amazing (I know you used free music, but the lyrics you had recorded on top of it are just perfect and awesome). I love everything about this project. I would be impressed even if it was 5 people working on this. The fact that you dev'd this solo blows my mind. Well done!!!!
Wow, thank you so much for the thoughtful comment and critiques!!
You nailed it, missing hearts is by far the easiest way to lose, and if I were to give players one bit of advice, it's "prioritize hearts." The "floatyness" of the head was an accident that we decided to keep because we liked that it added a little disruption to the right side, but we did hold mixed feelings about it the entire time.
In terms of pure game mechanics, we didn't really mind that the right side is less important than the left side. To be honest, most people have found our game to be much more difficult than we expected, and I think missing X tasks and losing would just be...too brutal. If you manage to stay alive for 2-3 minutes, the right side gets insane, which in my opinion is when the game gets really fun (in retrospect, could have made this happen faster, which was my fault). You basically reach a point where you're constantly grabbing and missing tasks and it's very chaotic, and I'd rather not cut that short. It'll end soon enough anyway, haha.
In terms of flavor, I think of it like this: Fighting crime is deadly. Your personal life can be in total disarray, but if you slip up on the battlefield, it's over. Relationship problems won't kill you, but being distracted by them while fighting could.
I do like the idea of adding some depth to the right side though, where neglecting it is reflected in some additional way. And I think if we were to work on the game further, one of the first things we'd do would be to at least tone down how floaty the head is.
Thanks again for taking the time to try our game and give this review! We really appreciate it!!
Oh, I totally understood the flavor was "cartoon pricked by thorns jump" once I actually stepped into it. Thing is, I just avoided the dead plant for a little longer than I care to admit, feeling uncertain of what to do. To introduce its mechanic, I'd consider having an immediate "dead end" at the start of the level, where it's just like a little cliff in front of you with that plant, so it's obvious.
But take that with a grain of salt. I'm not very good at platformers.
I know you didn't make the water sound effect; it just sounds a bit like some sort of sci-fi warp zoom to me, though I do think it could help to have it trigger less.
The music track changing as you switch dimensions is very cool! I'll confess I didn't really notice, but I just went back to check to see what you mean. I think something you could consider there would be changing the "vibe" and instrumentation of the track between worlds (and maybe soften or adjust the world-changing sound?) but again, take it all with a grain of salt.
Really impressive, great work! You found a good blend of assets with satisfying game mechanics that come together in a game with a lot of potential. I liked pressing R a lot to kick butt and take everything down, but I was able to do it so frequently that I didn't need to switch. Still, that was fun in its own right.
Very charming! I think I'm doing something wrong on level 2. I wouldn't recommend setting it so escape closes the menu since that exits fullscreen, and you can't see the full game unless you're in fullscreen. And then my photo just drifts down, unaffected by W or S. Not entirely sure what's going on.
But, I like the world building you did, and I like the movement controls in level 1. Taking photos of the sparrows was satisfying. Nice work overall!!
Real nice work! I think your game handles the platforming mechanics well, and the dimension-switching puzzles were great!
My only critique would be the sounds. Maybe this didn't bother most people, but I don't love how a lot of the sound effects would pan full left ear or full right ear. It just felt odd and a little annoying for me, but the sounds themselves were good. Just needs a little music!
Fantastic pixel art and animations. I'm currently assuming that "F" to do good actions is just a joke, because I never saw any.
I'll also admit, I hit "continue" my first few playthroughs instead of "new game" (just kind of an autopilot response when "continue" isn't greyed out) so I was even more lost at first. I think that terminology is a little strange in this instance, because you're not really continuing, you're just skipping the intro.
As bleak as the endings are, it's clear this game was made with a lot of passion. Well done, honestly!
Way cool! I love that switching worlds on the main menu shows the credits. In general, I think your initial presentation of the game is excellent. I also really like the mechanics and level design in general! My only two critiques would be: I don't look at a dead plant and think "I can probably bounce on that," and I'm really not so sure about that water sound effect you used.
But I like the look and feel of it a lot. Nice music you made, too! Super impressive overall!
Gosh, this game is incredibly creative, but also so bizarre. The non-Euclidian geometry is awesome, though I think that kind of stuff could be wrapped in a simpler package. There's a lot to digest when you look at this game. The controls pop-up at the beginning doesn't show text in fullscreen mode, so that confused me for a bit (I'd consider adding the controls to the game's description). In general, I would have liked the task each level set for me to be a little more clear, but I have to give you all props for making something I'd have no idea how to make. Brain-bending puzzles for sure! Impressive work!!
Great work! Satisfying jump mechanics, cool use of the theme (love the creepy vibe the alternate dimension has), and the time limit is funny!
A time limit coupled with the "start over if you restart 3 times" thing is a little too strict for my tastes, but I've never been great at platformers. If I could pick just one, I prefer the time limit.
Great work! Swordfighting mechanics are tricky, and you got a system with some good strategy in there. I think pressing in spacebar causes a parry even if I hold it down for a block, which seems OP, so I'd suggest having parry happen only if you release your spacebar shortly after pressing it, to get a little risk/reward action. Admittedly, I only tried the web version, so it may be different on the downloaded version.
Heheh, I was legitimately disappointed when it ended so suddenly (a good sign - I was looking forward to more!). This one really embraced the theme harder than most, and had a compelling story! Great job!
Aww, can't rate it cause I'm not in this jam, but what a creative game!
My only critique is that it seems like, in the long run, making only 1-3 satellites is a more efficient, safer plan than making a bunch. And I think the game is more fun when it's a bunch. So I'd consider adjusting game mechanics to encourage rather than discourage that, but it's hard to say.
I see, the cover image had me thinking you'd be attacking ghosts, but you ran into some unexpected hurdles during development. But despite that, you pulled through and made a working, challenging game with some charming aesthetics! Great job!
Very cool! I did struggle a bit figuring out the mechanics, and I think an energy gauge somewhere might have helped with the last segment a bit, but I love the way you interpreted "2 dimensions." I think that aspect worked super well here. Great job!
You're not the only one; it seems a lot of people found our game more challenging than we expected. You might be surprised how well you can do when you just focus on controlling the left side for a while, but I understand if the right side's too distracting. Thank you for trying it nonetheless, I'll try out your game soon!
Oh man, this was actually such a cool game. I loved a lot about it, but I do have three critiques:
One, I initially passed over this game a few times because the cover image didn't really grab me. Maybe it's just me, take that with a grain of salt.
Two, I think my biggest complaint while playing the game would be the camera controls. They were mostly alright, but some of the behavior felt clunky and difficult. I didn't like that I couldn't look up while flat on the floor (though admittedly it makes sense lol), and the way the camera "collided" with the walls and stuff made it difficult to see what I was doing while navigating tight spaces. In a game about navigating tight spaces, I'd consider polishing that if possible.
Three, I really wish you played the main menu music in the actual game, maybe on the final level (or heck, all the levels). It's so epic and cool, and I only got to hear 5 seconds of it.
But overall, I think this is an innovative and fun mechanic, and I love that way it's executed! I think you've got a really special game here. Awesome job!
I think I've only seen one or two other games that had a similar "echolocation" type of effect, and I freaking love it every time. This game was so cool and effective as a puzzle game, and I think you did a great job!!
My only critique is that on the third puzzle, I found myself lost in pitch black darkness and couldn't find any sort of reference point. After walking in various directions and aiming the camera for a few minutes, I ended up giving up. I'd be careful about any lightless, silent areas you have.
Yeah, the "float-y-ness" of the head wasn't intentional but became one of those "it's not a bug, it's a feature" kind of moments for us because we liked how it added some disruption. We tried to soften its effect, but couldn't quite figure out a good way in time. Thanks for playing!
I actually really wanted to do this, but wasn't sure if there was time to get it implemented in a way that made sense with the gameplay loop (wanted it to be easy to just get into the game).
But I like the character of Flying V, and I think I or we might do more with him in the future. Thanks for playing!
Admittedly, I only did Karen's ending, but yes, I enjoyed it! I get the feeling you all had a lot of fun making this together. You should consider doing NaNoRenO next year!
The environments were put together well, and it felt pleasant to run around! I think the character was tilted to be parallel with the camera all the time and it gave movement a sort of bizarre feel. There are various things related to collision and hitboxes that could be polished, but this is a valiant effort for your first game jam! I also liked the twist of dying and becoming a zombie that attacks people. Nicely done!
The environment is spooky, and the build-up is done well. I think the ending would have been better if it wasn't so abrupt and unrelated to what was going on. Like if the running man came out of the gas station (or from out behind it, or out of the forest) as you're driving away and then you see him in the rearview chasing after you or something, THAT would freak me out.
Solid execution with a lot of potential. Nicely done!
This is great!! I wish I could say I beat it, but that ending bit where you're in that room and ships just SPAWN IN NEXT TO YOU in a line on top and bottom...it's obscenely brutal for me, but I was never great at arcade games. I think I would also soften the penalty for touching the walls.
Otherwise, I love all the rest of it, and I think it's very well-executed. Great job!!
The creatures zip by so fast, but the resulting experience is an effective challenge. I like the assets you used, and I think you did a great job for your first game! Nicely done!
Really nice puzzles! I found the difficulty curve seemed to peak at around level 5. Not sure if they got easier or if I got better, hard to say. I liked the levels that had you putting the monster right next to the bed, creating this sense of tension as you complete the puzzle.
Wow, that was fun!! It took me a moment to understand what I was actually trying to do (for some reason I thought I needed to sacrifice X amount of people to become powerful enough to get the goal or something), but once I understood the gameplay loop, I got way into it. I know you used assets for the town, but you did a great job arranging them into a detailed and fleshed-out environment.
I think you could do a lot with this concept. Great work!!
Gosh, you have so much to be proud of. The game may not have a scripted "ending" but it has a full gameplay loop, and an intricate one at that. You even have procedurally generated levels. You accomplished more than 90% of the participants here.
No need for super fancy screenshots; I'd get one that shows the blue movement grid, cause that looked really nice, and one that captures the gunfire (from either side) could be cool too. I'd aim for 3 screenshots, and then honestly just re-use one of them with your game's title photoshopped over it for your cover image. Or use the design for one of your characters in the cover image, because their style and outline shading is very appealing.
Obviously, it's your page; do as you will. But I think the 10 days of effort you put into this game deserve to be validated with a few extra minutes of effort on your page. Good luck!
If you do try Save the Date and feel like talking to someone about it, feel free to lemme know. Just make sure you try all the endings, more than once (much like DDLC, you'll start off wondering why the heck you're playing it, but you gotta stick with it). I think it took me about an hour and a half to fully clear it, but it honestly changed how I view stories and fiction. No small feat for something that was written in 3 days by one person.
Anyway! Good luck with the jam, and your next visual novel!
This game is honestly one of the more impressive ones I've seen, and looks and feels (mostly) polished. Strong Xcom feel, with pleasant aesthetics, good sounds, and great mechanics. This needs more attention.
I would strongly recommend including some screenshots for your game on your page, and I would further recommend you use a screenshot for your cover image instead (with the name of the game put over it). The game honestly looks very good, and it doesn't come across with this cover image in my opinion.
Hmm, were you playing the game fullscreened? If not, the up/down arrow keys will ALSO scroll you up and down on the webpage, which is unplayable. But fullscreen fixes that. The phasing issue you described is a bit concerning, too. The blocks are supposed to disappear only once they're about an inch "below" the bottom of the screen. I wonder if it's a resolution issue, and you're seeing further down than intended. Not sure.
Well, thank you so much for your feedback, and thanks for playing!!
