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Really enjoyed the game! It’s very innovative, with great visuals and a strong artistic identity. The game fits the Jam theme perfectly and truly stands out. Controls can feel a bit difficult at first, and depth perception can sometimes be confusing, but the music is absolutely fantastic!

Hi! Thanks a lot for the kind words — I’m really happy you liked the core mechanics!

You’re totally right about the movement boundaries. Jam time was pretty tight, so that visual feedback didn’t make it into the submitted build. I’ve already added a visual barrier in a newer version, but I can’t update the Jam page itself due to the rules. Really appreciate the feedback, though — it’s spot on!

Hi! Thanks so much, really glad you enjoyed it!

You’re 100% right about the boundaries — classic jam-time limitation 😅
I’ve already added a visual barrier in a newer build, but couldn’t update the Jam version because of the rules. Thanks a ton for the feedback!

Hi! Thanks for the comment and for trying the game.
If the web version gets stuck on loading, I recommend checking the downloadable version at the end of the page — it’s very fast to download and tends to work much more reliably. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you get a chance to play it!

Graveyard Shifts stands out immediately for its excellent visuals and strong artistic identity. The graphics are very well crafted, charming, and highly consistent, giving the game a lot of personality. Innovation is also a major strength, with creative mechanics and a concept that feels fresh and original.

For new players, however, the game can feel quite demanding at first. The tutorial is detailed but long, and the amount of information presented early on can be overwhelming. A more gradual introduction of mechanics could help make the experience more accessible and allow players to fully appreciate the game’s ideas.

Overall, Graveyard Shifts shows a lot of creativity and polish. With some refinements to onboarding and early gameplay clarity, it has great potential to become an even more engaging and rewarding experience.

The overall experience feels quite confusing at first, but the game shows some really interesting ideas!

🎮 Gameplay

The core mechanic is very original: you control two satellites that emit expanding waves, and pressing the down arrow triggers damage at the intersection point. It’s a clever and intuitive idea.

However, the execution quickly becomes extremely challenging. Hitting enemies near the bottom of the screen is especially difficult, and since no healing power-ups appeared during my playthroughs, the game feels highly punishing.

Some enemies release additional waves when they die, which could create advanced strategies, but synchronizing the enemy waves with your own is very demanding in practice.

🎨 Graphics

The visuals are very well made. The developer clearly drew the elements with care — everything is readable, cohesive and aesthetically pleasing.

The only small point of improvement would be refining the layout and typography on the initial screen, but that is a minor detail.

🔊 Audio

The audio work is excellent:

1. Sound effects feel soft, pleasant and highly compatible with the theme
2. Background music fits perfectly with the rhythm and atmosphere of the gameplay

The developer made very good choices for the overall sound direction.

💡 Innovation

Outstanding innovation. The use of wave interference and intersections as a combat mechanic is highly original and one of the most unique approaches to the jam’s theme.

🌊 Theme Interpretation

Perfect execution of the theme.

The entire gameplay revolves around creating, combining and leveraging waves. It’s both literal and mechanical — a flawless fit for the jam.

🎮 Gameplay

The core idea is charming, but the gameplay still feels very limited. There is no tutorial or explanation, and I couldn’t find any interactions beyond moving with WASD. Collecting items by touching them works fine, but when returning to the town, the sticks and stones are automatically placed without any feedback or indication that you can arrange them strategically.

Because of that, the loop ends up becoming:

go right → collect stones → go left → collect sticks → return to town,

with no clear way to influence the strategy.

If the player loses, it’s not possible to restart from inside the game — you must close and reopen it.

These are common issues in game jams, but addressing them in future versions would greatly improve the experience.

🎨 Graphics

The entire game uses pixel art. While it’s simple, the visuals are very clear, and the color choices for items, sand, and ocean are excellent. Some UI elements, such as the HUD and menu buttons, seem unfinished — which is normal for a jam timeframe.

Highlight: the game’s cover art is beautiful and extremely well made. It really stands out.

🔊 Audio

The music is pleasant and fits the relaxing beach atmosphere. The siren sound that warns the player about incoming waves works very well and provides great feedback.

There are no sound effects when interacting with objects and no menu button sounds, but again, this is understandable given jam constraints.

💡 Innovation

The concept of turning a child’s beach play activity into a functional game mechanic is genuinely creative. It’s a fun and unique idea.

🌊 Theme Interpretation

Excellent interpretation of the theme. The waves are not only thematic — they are a literal and central part of the gameplay. Very well integrated.

✅ Summary

A charming concept with great thematic integration and lovely cover art. With more time for polishing interactions, feedback, and progression, this idea could grow into something much stronger.