You should add a link to your Ludum Dare submission page so people who find your game on itch can go and rate it. I can't find your ldjam page anywhere.

This game is freaking insane! Off the walls high speed action with a pretty trippy aesthetic and lots of screen shake. Very well done!

Love the game feel. The screen shake really sells the impact of each shot. The colors and minimal aesthetic work well. I like the subtle way the enemy speed and positioning is set up to make the time slowdown mechanic useful. I also like the way the boss emphasizes the importance of that time slowdown mechanic. It's perhaps on the short side, but it was really satisfying to beat after a couple of attempts. Excellent work!

The game has some good game feel. The ground pound in particular is very satisfying. I love the very fast pace and how hectic it can get. I would say that binding attack to left mouse click is questionable, as the game doesn't really use the mouse movement for anything. Other than that, a very solid entry.

This game is really intense. I love the fast pacing and the really quick level intro text. It's simple, but enjoyable, and I like all of the different twists you throw in as the game goes on. The visuals are somewhat basic, but they at least communicate their function well. All in all, a very solid entry. Good work!

This game is great! I feel that it really embraces the purpose of the theme. It's really tough, but really fun. My only complaint is that maybe the game should start off a bit easier before the difficulty ramps up. The interest curve would be a lot better if the game had a wave based system. There's a lot of depth to this game wrapped up in a two button control scheme. I was gonna complain about not having a way to go down fast until I realized I could spin all the way around and shoot up. This game is incredibly elegant it its simplicity. Amazing work!

Side note: I noticed the vertical aspect ratio. Are you planning a mobile version? Because that would be sick! This would be the perfect thing to pull out on the bus.  I'd love to play a mobile version of this expanded with waves and unlockable guns/characters.

This game has a really great mechanic that I haven't really seen before in a game. I like how you use hearts as a way to combine all of these different puzzle mechanics. From opening doors to shooting bullets, everything is connected. I'm surprised by the amount you are able to squeeze out of this one mechanic. My only main complaint is the amount of waiting that you have to do to heal, especially in the late game. Other than that, this game is excellent. Amazing work!

Thanks for playing. Glad you enjoyed it!

This game has a lot of really interesting ideas going on and is an excellent interpretation of the theme. I particularly like how some obstacles are above ground while some are below ground, making each space very different to navigate. That being said, this game could use some more polish. There really isn't a lot of audiovisual feedback and hitboxes can be pretty unclear at times. Despite the game's unpolished nature, I really enjoyed it. Great work!

Animation certainly is very difficult in 3D, but I actually think that low poly art has a certain charm to it when done right. Maybe I'm not as jaded with it as I am with a lot of the low effort pixel art you see nowadays.

Thanks for the valuable feedback! That's a really interesting point. While I tried to add obstacles that make it difficult to keep up your combo, you may be right that I went too far in a few places. Difficulty balance with level design is always a tricky thing, and this game in particular is a puzzle to design for because of the lack of player agency in terms of when you're able to start/continue a combo. Too few obstacles and players are getting high combos without having to try, but too many obstacles and players are getting hit out of their combos every time. Perhaps I should have focused more on elements that reward high combos and less on obstacles that make high combos incredibly difficult to pull off. I think if I had some verticality in my levels, I could do the Sonic 3 thing of having a faster, nonstop action route but also several variations on an easier but slower route. You can see this mentality come up in a few levels, but it's usually limited to two routs that converge almost immediately. There's a lot of experimentation to be done on how to do this mechanic justice. I'll be sure to keep your criticism in mind.

Yeah, but even just modeling stuff in 3D is super impressive. 2D is usually the safe jam option, but there are so many possibilities in 3D.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

This game is pretty cool! A few games this jam did grappling hooks, but I like the zero gravity spin on it, getting to move objects in the environment around. Also, being able to attach either end of the chain to any object lead to a lot of cool opportunities, sorta like the tether in Just Cause. The only complaints that I have for the game is that the VO was a bit awkward and sometimes the game didn't let me use the knife and I'm not sure why.  Despite these issues, I had a really good time playing this game. Solid work!

The concept is really neat, but it's really tough to land on these small little rockets. Making the rockets sized more like large platforms would make the game more playable. Precision platforming like this doesn't really work well in first person.  I'd also consider making platforms automatically stick to walls to make the timing a bit easier. That aside, It's impressive that you were able to make a 3D game given the time constraint. Nice work!

Not really the same thing as FFXV. It looks kinda similar to the teleport in that game, but it's completely different mechanically.

Thanks for the valuable feedback! You're right that a signal for when your charge is running out is absolutely something that I should add.

This game is absolutely amazing! It really goes to show how much of an untapped well turn based gameplay is. Linking weapon swaps to movement is a decision that made me have to think a few turns ahead as opposed to relying on reacting to situations as they come. The little dance you have to do to get into opposition with the enemies reminds me of a good game of chess. Not to mention that the audiovisual presentation is great as well. What a fantastic game!

I'm glad you enjoy the game! Also, thanks for the suggestion on the combo mechanic; it was really core to the game's development. I tried to add some spacing between areas in the level to give players a little bit of respite between major combo sections. In hindsight, having more verticality so I could have a slower route and a faster route through the level would help keep both novice and expert players engaged. But you're certainly right that some enemies are at that point where it's like a 50/50 shot at getting them before the timer runs out. I tried to minmize that by tightening the spacing, but I clearly missed a few spots. I think your suggestion about not having the combo run out in mid air is once again a perfect solution to the problem. Thank you for the helpful feedback!

The game is pretty fun and fluid. I like the main mechanic and how you expand the traversable space with your gun like Splatoon. My only problem is that the wall jump is hard to pull off (had to look in the comments to figure out there was a wall jump). The character should probably wall jump even when you're facing the wall. Just have the character automatically turn around when you do. Maybe even consider making it a wall hang like in Demon's Crest, though that might slow down the game, taking way from the execution aspect. Overall, it's a very nice game. Good work!

This game is very fun. It's simple and straight to the point. The ammo=health thing really prevents me from spamming and makes me think. I like how you have to go to where the enemy dies to pickup the health/ammo as that puts me at risk and adds more tension. The risk vs reward shopping is also neat. There are a lot of games this jam doing health=ammo, but I think this one does it best by adding in additional elements to make health=ammo actually matter. Nice stuff!

I really like to look of the game and the way the cute aesthetic contrasts  with the spikes and blood. I also like how you've sort of combined Monkey Ball with an automatic runner type game. Very interesting! I will say that some of those timing windows are very tight, so I didn't get too far, but what I did play I enjoyed. Good job!

I had a really good time playing your game! The music is really rad and the visuals are pretty decent. I like how you combine the movement ability with the attacking ability, and teleporting around is really fluid. I will say that the charge up seems unnecessary, as I never really did a half throw, and the gameplay could have been a bit snappier if I could throw instantaneously, but it's not necessarily bad the way it is. That aside, this game is pretty great. Nice work!

I'm glad you enjoyed the game! Difficulty balancing is something I always have trouble with. It's the old issue of being too good at your own game to judge it properly. In hindsight, bottomless pits were probably a bit overkill. Replacing them with the spike hazards would have made the game more approachable for beginners. Anyway, thanks for the valuable feedback!

I'm glad you enjoyed the game!

This game is pretty fun, though the screen can get a bit cluttered. I like how you can still live after all your balloons have been popped by shooting down. Adds an extra bit of tension as I hold on and try to find a new balloon. All in all, a solid game. Good job!

This was pretty difficult to understand, but I think I figured it out after a while, though not entirely. There's probably a lot of depth that I'm not getting due to my lack of understanding of many of the game's systems, but I at least understand the basics. The visual aesthetic is pretty good looking, though the minimalism is part of why the game was difficult to understand. The audio design is also very relaxing. Movement is pretty fluid and I like emerging from the top of the could to perform tricks. That being said, I don't understand the point of this 6 button WEADZX control scheme. What ever happened to good old WASD? If the you want to have fine grain movement, then an analog stick or the mouse would have been better choices. The control scheme in the game is just unwieldy and I cannot get used to it. That aside, the game is really good looking and sounding, and the movement feels good. Solid work!

Well, it has rules in the sense of your control scheme, how you build up speed, and your interaction with the obstacles. But you're right about there being no explicit goal. That being said, I'd argue that there is an implicit goal of trying to go as fast as possible without bumping into things. This could have been highlighted with points and a high score board, but, as the developer said, that's not the feel they were going for.

This game is an audiovisual marvel. The gameplay is simple, but effective. I really like the sense of speed you get. The bounce pads were also interesting as both an obstacle and something you could get a boost off of, contributing to the dual purpose design. The game is just a really relaxing experience done incredibly well. Good job!

This game is pretty neat. The movement system is pretty interesting and can be fun to use. The controls are a bit finicky with how many bumpers/triggers you have to press and hold at the same time, but I imagine that's kinda what you're going for. It's like Bionic Commando meets QWOP. If you're going to expand on this game and want to streamline the controls scheme, as a rule of thumb, I wouldn't have the player use the bumpers and triggers simultaneously, as that requires extra fingers. Maybe you could combine the functions of the left trigger and bumper, so I press the button to call my arm in and release it to shoot it out again (or maybe the other way around). Also, grappling would be easier if you could grab things from a greater distance as the timing window is pretty tight currently. Despite these issues, this is a really interesting premise and it would be cool to see this expanded upon, perhaps with enemies you could punch with your arm, but what you have here is promising. Great work!

This is a pretty neat concept. I always find games that mess around with the operating system intriguing. Though the mechanic isn't really given time to mature in this short experience, it's still pretty cool to mess around with nonetheless. Great job!

The game is really fun! I like how each level starts with calm conservation of resources but ends with a hectic dash to get the last few enemies before my health runs out. The minimalist art style works really well too. Different objects are clear and distinct, and the game doesn't look overly simple due to particle effects and screen shake. Some games with minimalist squares just look cheap, but this game makes them look stylish. I was going to complain about having to repeat all of the levels on death, but the game is short enough to justify it. The game could do with having a few more mechanics introduced in later levels, but no real complaints about what is there. Nice work!

Thank you for playing my game! Audio mixing is definitely something I should have put more effort into. There is another enemy that gets introduced, but it isn't until the last level, which is a problem with the game. The second enemy has spikes on his head so you can't jump on him. The only way to beat him is by dashing through him. There are also static spikes and bottomless pits that get introduced. The main incentive for getting long combos is to get a better score. You get ranked at the end of the level based on enemies killed, combos, and time. But you're right that there isn't much of an in game advantage to combos. I guess the spike enemies sort of give you an incentive, but they don't get introduced until the last level. Your suggestion about giving the player health for combos is definitely a good solution that would make the game a lot more fun. Thanks for the useful feedback!

As a word of advice, people don't generally read the "short description" too thoroughly. That's more of a tagline for your game and people don't look at it for control information. You should probably put a list of controls in the main body of the game's description for people to refer to. Something like this:

CONTROLS (gamepad only)

Analog Stick - Movement

A(xbox) or X(ps4) - Jump/Shoot

It should be something that people will notice on your page at a glance. Hope this helps!

I really like this game. It's sorta like Super Crate Box, but with moments of vulnerability in between guns to even out the pacing. The whole recoil=movement idea certainly isn't unique in this jam, but the mechanic is very well implemented here and the game controls excellently. The screen shake and controller rumble really sell the impact of each shot. The aesthetic is really nice as well, with lots of detail strewn about the level. That being said, the weapon pickups blend into the background and could have done with being a different color. I almost missed them entirely. It certainly would be a shame if somebody plays this game without even realizing that there are weapon pickups. My other criticism is the fact that the score is not displayed on the death screen. The high score feature is nice, but not having the score on the death screen means that I have to remember my score before I die, and most players will be focused on the intense gameplay instead and miss their score entirely. That being said, these are both minor issues that don't really take away from the core gameplay loop, which is excellent. I have to say that this is a really great entry overall. Good work!

Glad you enjoyed it! Music is definitely my weak spot as a solo developer, but it's something I hope to get better at.

It might help for enemies to have a small hitbox (area that hurts when touched), but a large hurtbox (area where a character is vulnerable). That would make it easier to get up close to an enemy, considering how small the player's horizontal range is.

I think this game is pretty great and is a perfect example of what this theme is all about. Enemies serve as both obstacles and your means of breaking blocks, while your uppercut serves both as a jump and an attack. Uppercut really embraces the elegant simplicity the theme encourages while simultaneously presenting deep and thoughtful gameplay. I particularly like the ability to uppercut a falling gem to get more points, as juggling gems while avoiding enemies adds another layer of depth to the gameplay. If the game were to be expanded upon, more features like this would be interesting. The visuals were also great. The player character as well as the enemies are very expressive, though the background is dull. The game feel is also somewhat lacking. The sound effects and screen shake help the impacts really land, but the way blocks and enemies just disappear isn't particularly satisfying and the lack of background music leaves a somewhat empty feeling, though I realize the time limit is likely to blame here. Also, not emphasizing the score is certainly a missed opportunity. It's hard to see that small, black font in the corner over a dark backdrop. Even though I was making sure to juggle those gems to get more points, I never really took note of my final score.  The score should be more prominently displayed, especially on the game over screen. That would give players a lot more motivation to replay for a high score. That being said, these criticisms aren't necessarily things that make the game bad so much as they are ways the game could improve. All in all, I really enjoyed this game and think that it's one of the best implementations of the theme. Excellent work!

This game is pretty cool. I like the idea of climbing up falling blocks to advance as it keeps the level layout dynamic. I also like the super jump mechanic as it forces you to make yourself vulnerable in order to access a movement ability whereas most games reserve charging for attack abilities. The game also has one of the better visual and audio presentations of the jam. There is no denying that his is a well put together game.

While the game's core mechanic certainly fits the theme (which is more than I can say for some other entries), I feel that the pairing as it is implemented in this game is almost entirely arbitrary as the two mechanics hardly interact. The issue essentially comes down to the fact that there's never a reason to shoot but not jump or jump but not shoot, so the fact that I'm forced to do both simultaneously is inconsequential. Downwell also combines jumping and shooting, but you have limited ammo in that game, so doing one limits your ability to do the other. It also means that you can't fall and shoot at the same time, so you have to stop firing if you want to fall straight down. To Jerry's credit, you do have to stop shooting for a moment in order to charge up a super jump, but, other than that, they may as well be separate buttons.

All this is not to say that the game is bad; on the contrary, I found it rather enjoyable, and combing the buttons does at the very least simplify the control scheme, so It's not like the mechanic is entirely pointless. I'm just saying that the game could benefit from having more tension between jumping and shooting by having one mechanic have notable consequences for the other.

That aside, this is one of the more competently put together and complete feeling games of the jam. Good work!

Sorry, the game doesn't have a save system. Perhaps I could have made that clearer.