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Hey thanks! That's very nice of you to say. I'm planning to put out a post jam version with more actual game attached to it.

https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2019/rate/462733#post-869733  One Hand Drive. Here's a driving game where you can only control one input at a time.  You move your hand with the mouse and press Left Click to take control of the steering or the throttle.

HeadCannon has entered my canon of top GMTK 2019 games. I mean that with no hyperbole. It's a simple concept,  a sidescrolling shooter where you only have one shot (and its your head). But the execution is where the game shines! The moment to moment gameplay is always engaging.  Every new enemy brings with it a new challenge and changes the way that the game is played. Most importantly the central mechanic enhances the game instead of detracting from it. Scrambling defenselessly across a field of enemies to pickup your only means of defense is just as engaging as lining up those same enemies for your shot. Speaking of shots give this game... one.

Honestly one of my favorites so far! Constantly engaging. I love that scrambling to reclaim your head is just as much fun as lining up a shot to maximize your score! The character controls are excellent and the art/music are great. A cool concept well executed! Really well Done! 

Edit: I just noticed that the world changes color when you lose your head. That's really good player feedback!

https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2019/rate/462548

Here's DodgeMaster. A surprisingly engaging game about dodging rockets and protecting the last vestiges of a space fleet. Quite a simple mechanic but effective. Don't... dodge... this game. 

https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2019/unrated

For the angels among us who don't want to see any games go unnoticed. Why don't you take a dip in there and show the rest of us in the comments any underrated gems you may find!

This is quite an addicting game for such a simple mechanic! You did a good job of working within your limitations and making the most of your time and energy. I think the connection to the theme might be a bit lost on me. But all in all I'm impressed! You somehow made moving your cursor around the screen pretty engaging! Good Job!

Interesting concept. Curious to see how you iterate on this. It's unfortunate that there isn't an art and sound section cause you killed it in those departments! Looking forward to the sequel!

Hey thanks! That's very kind of you to say! And that's fair, I'd also like there to be more game here  😂 I'm hoping to add on to this idea soon. Thanks for trying it out!

Thank you for the very kind words! I really appreciate the feedback! Yes collision is definitely on the top of my to do list for the post jam version (once I learn how lol). I agree that the controls could use some retooling. It's, frankly, very poorly communicated but there technically is a break function. If you push up on the throttle it accelerates in reverse. You can use that as a break. Unfortunately I never added an obstacle where you would need to do that so I'd imagine most players will never even notice that feature.  I am thinking of adding a hand break too. Something to let players drift. Again thanks for the feedback!

So cute! Love the simple art style. The fountain is amazing. Though the connection to the theme is a just a little bit of a stretch I would love to play a full version of this. 

I love the gameboy aesthetic! Very metroid by way of kirby.  Even the names of the areas are charming. I didn't make it to far into the game, I need to git gud, but I had fun with the parts that I got to see.  I feel like, and this might just be me, part of what makes a metroidvania a metroidvania is that the upgrades change the way you interact with parts of the world. Since in Grapple you get the grapple after just a few short rooms there isn't much room for re-contextualization.  Maybe holding off on giving the player the grapple and allowing them to play through some of the game without it would give the game more of a metroidvania feel. I don't know, I just love games like this that make you think about genres in a new light.  Thanks for the cool game!

I absolutely love the level design! You've created such a distinct mood with so little geometry.  I honestly spent most of my time in Soloun wandering the streets. I really appreciated how things like the river and the warehouses are setup visually before you get to them. Seriously the level design is really cool.  Unfortunately the gameplay is a bit lacking and the connection to the theme is a bit tenuous. But, that being said, you can pet a dog. So all in all I hope to someday visit the streets of Soloun again!

Glad you enjoyed! Definitely would like to expand on this in the future. And the ability to move up gentle inclines (or ramps who knows) is towards the top of my to do list!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed! I agree.  I'd like to add collision to the gates and columns. Once I figure out how lol. Thank you for your feedback!

Thank you for trying out One Hand Drive! One of the inspirations for the design of this game was Mark Brown's video on the level design of Uncharted. I tried to implement some of the principles shown in that video to guide the player around the course. Spoilers (lol)! I tried to guide the player's eye towards the next gateway by framing it in the gateway they are approaching. There are some branching pathways. At one point two pathways intersect. The gate that both of these pathways go through frames two different gates depending on which direction the player approaches it from. The whole course is contiguous and even reverses in direction at one point. Hopefully this gives the player a feeling of flow, where at each point the direction is clear by not explicit.