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Feedback comments for LD48
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| Timestamp | Since previous | Game | Random-storykeeper's comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27 06:16:14 | Deep Blue | ♥ 2 | You really set the mood with the music. I absolutely love this game track, especially those sliding synths that go up and down. The structure of the whole track feels like a submarine exploring, with all the disjointed notes serving as the sonar. The sound effect for the submarine was a neat choice, since the ascent/descent felt like I was adding an extra bassline and it made me want to explore more just to hear the combination of these two sounds. The sound effect doesn't seem quite clean, though. There's a lot of "pop" noises that can be heard when moving the submarine, and I think the effect could benefit from a hint of fade-in and fade-out. I also love the look of the game. There's something about the free-drawn art that is very inviting and pops out against the plain blue background. The lighting on the sub looks great too. It would have been nice to get some consistency in the HUD and menu section, like free drawn text to go with the cute graphics. The exploration is neat and I loved being able to scope out the map and check out what cool collectibles were hanging around. I did think the lobsters were enemies for some reason and avoided them until I realized they had no effect. 🤔 It didn't seem like there was any sort of end goal, so I just ventured to different areas until I felt like I had explored enough. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, if just for the experience of the audio and graphics clicking together for me. Wonderful entry. | |
| Apr 27 06:32:34 | 16m 20s | Little Mother | ♥ 5 | I love how dark this game gets despite maintaining a very warm, pastel palette. It makes for such a stark change visually, especially at the ending, and it feels more impactful. I was pretty weirded out by the audio, but as the game went on, it became interesting. I'm not sure if it was dynamic or not, but it definitely felt like it, where crossing into different areas changed the music. All of it felt quite seamless and I liked listening in the background for different cues as to how the game was progressing. There was enough mystery to keep me intrigued for a game that mostly involved pressing and holding the down arrow key. The visuals were the highlight, for sure. I love the design of the animals, and the way Little Mother turns her head back and forth while walking breaks my heart. Those poor babies. 😢 I like how the background had no outlines, though that made it hard sometimes to tell what objects were solid and which I could walk over. The game was simple enough that it wasn't a huge deterrent. Overall, an unsettling experience. |
| Apr 27 09:15:16 | 2h 42m | 1GEMCLIC.EXE | ♥ 2 | This game is crazy satisfying, gameplay wise. For what this entry is, I had a good time just relaxing in uh...capitalism... The fun part was definitely trying to go as fast as possible, and the automation upgrades make it especially fun. It's too bad the game only has one sound effect, but it is funny hearing it just devolve into a loud buzz by the time you're going at hyper speed. Maybe the deeper meaning is that the desire to acquire a large sum of non-existent wealth drives one to the point of insanity? Overall, I found this game quite amusing and performance wise, it runs surprisingly well even though I'm currently racking up a mass amount of gems with tons of drills and trading posts. (Also, I love that you can buy more than one capitalism. 🤑) |
| Apr 27 17:28:42 | 8h 13m | Disaster Dig | ♥ 1 | This was a relaxing game, probably because of the choice of music. The sound effects were nice, too. I love the idea of using the main material you dig for as the material you use for refueling yourself. I wish I could just carry fuel in my inventory instead of immediately using it every time I collected it. 😂 Also, it's kind of funny how the ice gets pretty close to the hot area; I thought it would have melted haha. It was surprising that the robot could float, but I think it was overall a good way to ensure you wouldn't get stuck. The game reminded me of a browser/mobile game called Dig to China, but it feels more consequential because you can lose all your progress instantly from running out of fuel. (although I think the warning is good, sometimes venturing too far from the path means there may not be enough time to get back!) |
| Apr 28 06:08:49 | 12h 40m | Oceanographer Cat | ♥ 2 | What a pleasant and cute game! The concept was super fun and I loved watching the all the creatures pop out in terms of colour once their photos are taken. I can definitely see this as an educational game aimed at children that could be used for teaching about ocean life. I found the execution of the mechanics to be quite strange. I haven't seen a game that uses steering with the mouse but doesn't make use of clicking with the mouse at all. During my gameplay, I was constantly trying to click to activate the camera, and I feel like this is the most natural form of controls for a game that involves the mouse. It's also odd that this game has slingshot mechanics for moving - it felt unnatural and I personally feel like the game would have felt a lot more inviting to its exploration concept if the movement were more smooth and constant. I would have also loved to see more responsiveness to the mouse in regards to steering the character rather than just having the cat always face in one direction. Nonetheless, the game was simple enough that the control scheme didn't stop me from playing entirely, but overall, the controls felt like they were more suited for a puzzle game than a little open world adventure like this one. I like the graphics a lot, and the music is calming and wonderfully fitting. Love that bassline against the bell arps. The whole track gives off those wonderful "cute and chill ocean exploration" vibes that I could listen to for hours (actually I'm listening to it right now while typing out this review :3). |
| Apr 28 06:34:49 | 26m 00s | Diving for Dinner | ♥ 4 | Gotta say, I felt bad for this poor fish stuck in the ice, rip. 😔 Diving For Dinner fish stuck.png I played this on a gamepad, and the experience was overall pretty great. The colour palette is great; I LOVE the look of the penguin. The controls were very fluid and I love the little rush of adrenaline that I get from outrunning the enemies. The musical cue from the sharks was a neat touch and it blended in with the music quite well - so well that I didn't notice that it wasn't part of the actual soundtrack for a while. I love how the sharks just kind of bounce off the rocks if you hide for cover with no chill whatsoever. The map seemed pretty well designed, with big open spaces and mini alcoves on the sides where the penguin could squeeze into but predators couldn't. I loved seeing the varieties of fish, too. For a game that resets all your progress once you die, it would have been nice to have some leniency when being chased by enemies - maybe a slight delay in movement from the enemies upon them noticing you (especially those above and below you, when you have less peripheral than from the sides), or even a life system you can upgrade to. I thought this was a pretty good entry overall, and I love the concept. 🐧 |
| Apr 28 07:13:30 | 38m 41s | EveryDay | ♥ 1 | Holy crap, this game excels in the mood category for me. I think the emotional connection is even more emphasized by the minimal graphics and simple gameplay. The way the character moves, the blurring of certain backgrounds; it all comes together and uh, really makes me feel something all right. I do feel as though the game's sudden dive into darkness was really sudden, and that was what got me interested in playing it. The sudden ending also leaves me feeling a lot of doubt as to whether or not the game truly ended or not. This entry says a lot with so little, and it's quite fantastic in that regard. |
| Apr 28 08:15:54 | 1h 02m | Into the Deep | ♥ 1 | I think the issue regarding the graphics is that they aren't very consistent. The non-outlined main game assets and the outlined hearts for the lives feel like they come from two completely separate games. It's a good job for a jam, and definitely better than what I could ever draw in 72 hours. 😂 But that aside, I think the premise of the game was generally straightforward and I like the idea of the air bar also being affected by hits from enemies and their attacks. The levelling up system was neat and it's great giving the players the option of sacrificing upgrades for a higher score. I don't really get why the individual ships have their own internal levelling system when it seems as though the only thing they upgrade is just the same stats across the board. If they have special unique abilities, that could give each ship more distinction. The audio work is well done. The sound effects are super satisfying, particularly the one where you collect the oxygen canisters. Music is atmospheric and suits a game of this premise. |
| Apr 28 20:38:34 | 12h 22m | Go to the Abyss | ♥ 2 | That was a quick sit. The art and music were the standout points (although I think the outlines on the blue brick platforms in the second stage look quite unnatural against the setting. UI could use a bit of love, or at least a different font, but overall, it was clear what the game was trying to go for. I like that the game had a simple story that worked for the theme. It would have been interesting to read the notes that the father left behind as a way to progress the story in between levels. It just kind of feels like nothing much happens until the very end. The levels were pretty well designed for what could be achieved in 72 hours; I liked the bit with the descending onto the crumbling blocks, it's a shame the spikes don't actually hurt you but I guess that actually made it good for me to not be annoyed by them. 😂 I didn't quite understand how the attack and collection system worked, and it wasn't really clear what the items were and what to do with them. Also, Ctrl and Alt keys aren't really a great fit for a control scheme, especially the Alt key, which just causes the game to lose focus when played in a browser. I would highly recommend sticking with one of the letter keys, even the spacebar. Other than that, the game had a solid premise for a narrative platform adventure. Nice work. 👍 |
| Apr 28 21:22:27 | 43m 53s | Far Fetched | ♥ 5 | The narrative and setup were outstanding. I love the contrast between the rough drawn characters and the solid colour setting and characters. Really helps fuel the imagination. 😉 The music was quite well done in parts - it almost feels a little *too* mature and epic for a setting that calls for more mystery and ambiance. 😂 The production was great though, and I especially love the touch of the chorus joining in for the goblin chase. I would have loved to hear the same done with the second track for the boss battle. While the sound effects chosen were great, I wish the game made more use of them. It would have been nice to hear some dog sounds whenever encountering the dog, or textbox scroll sounds for the text. Just little sound effects here and there would have helped to bring a more immersive experience the same way that the lighting does. I found the levels to be quite well designed, particularly the progression between action and puzzle. The rocks seems kind of hard to push at times, like it was super picky about the angle and you had to push so hard for the rocks to actually move. It complicates things when you have to do it while dodging bullets, but I did manage to get past it - still, the long winded backtracking with the river did feel extremely tedious when you can only push one rock at a time. The narrative was witty and interesting for the most part. I love the boss text, in particular. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Dad level puns. 😂 I love that the game has checkpoints, but it would have been nice to restart the boss when the fight actually begins rather than at the cutscene text which tests my rapid clicking skills. There are also some issues with the text cutscenes overlapping each other. I wasn't sure if it was intentional, but it didn't seem to lead to anything narrative wise, so I thought it'd be worth pointing out. Examples down below: Far Fetched text overlap maybe 1.png Far Fetched text overlap maybe 2.png Overall, the game was engaging and dynamic. I think the music didn't quite gel together with the art and narrative, but I respect the direction it went in, especially with the addition of the vocals and performers. Very nice stuff. |
| Apr 28 21:49:39 | 27m 12s | Deep Pocket Digs | ♥ 2 | This game's mechanic reminds me of The Sun and Moon, but with more control over where you are underground. Can't a mole learn to keep the bag closed? 😂 The drilling felt quite janky. It feels like there's little to no air momentum, particularly when you move horizontally (eg. when falling off the edge of a cliff, you just stop midair). I'm guessing this is to force players to use the blocks to drill their way through (which is a cool puzzle) - the drilling mechanic itself was quite inconsistent for me and I never quite knew how far or where I was going to end up, which was only an issue when I really wanted to explore particular places. I love the little visuals of the coins jangling around as you're moving. It was a great way to present your progress visually than with just numbers. Plus it was very satisfying seeing the bag fill up. 🤑 |
| May 9 06:23:16 | 248h 33m | The Ocean's Treasure | ♥ 1 | "Awesome. I like hard things." 😂 The most challenging parts of this game were a) trying to figure out how to properly start up the game, and b) trying to figure out how to play. At first, I thought I could just move with the arrow keys to collect the gems. It took me a while to realize that you had to click the mouse, and it was a lot simpler to play than I actually realized. After that, it felt like the game itself was like the ending prize, like "congrats, you figured out how to play this game, now get all the gems you want". It wasn't exactly the most satisfying game, but I do appreciate the little comments that appear when you collect items as you descend. They were the most charming and distinct thing about this entry. There's something quite sad about seeing a plain, neutral faced person casually descending in the emptiest depths of the ocean with nothing but a white bubble surrounding him. Without fish in the ocean, we come to realize: What have we become, with all our spoils going to waste in the depths? Maybe the diver was simply trying to clean up as much waste as he could. What a hero. |
| May 9 06:50:35 | 27m 19s | Animals in the Deep | ♥ 1 | I aspire to be a farmer that can dig with my nose. This game is well made - I like the colours, and the minecraft blocky feel suits the digging to find animals concept pretty well. The pleasant piano music made me think that the game was perhaps influenced by Minecraft, and I think it works overall. I found myself fiddling a lot with the controls, especially since I found myself wanting to press the W key to jump more than the spacebar. In a game like this where the puzzle is just finding the animals, I didn't mind it too much, but it would have made getting out a lot more intuitive. I would have liked to see more feedback from the game as to when you collect an animal - maybe a sound or a change of expression in the animal sprite or farmer, just something so the player has that visual feedback, the same way they get that satisfaction when putting animals back on the farm. When collecting animal directly below me, I would "ride" the animal back up to the surface and the animal would bounce slightly underground upon going back to the farm. It also seemed very easy to get stuck on the sides of the blocks on the way up, though it did make for a fun "dash" ride through the ground using the pickaxe. Overall, it was a good entry, with a lot of cute animals (especially when they're one on top of the other; I thought one of the farm animals was some chicken-mouse hybrid when it was actually just a cat and a chicken on top of each other). |
| May 9 23:33:25 | 16h 42m | The Language of Dreams | ♥ 0 | I also had trouble with going through certain passageways, but I found the lines going through them helped me to move along, and it was extremely helpful having the ability to zoom out to look at the entire map. It took me a while to realize that certain objects could be inspected - I spent most of the time talking to people and it didn't seem as intuitive to me that objects had to be inspected to learn the language. Nonetheless, I appreciate the presentation of the game - the stylized colour schemes and the sketch-like drawing style give this minimal sort of limbo feeling. I love the way the text is basically just fancier letters that get scrambled around until their true meaning is revealed. Seeing the word list fill up is quite satisfying. I found that sometimes, the texts would overlap each other, and that made things confusing to read. But you incorporate the real-life pictures of the pen and paper with the art style very well. It would be wonderful to play a completed version of it someday. |
