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Steve Dragon

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Timestamp	Since previous	Game		Steve Dragon's comment
Apr 27 06:40:41		Deep in hell	♥ 4	The art was absolutely awesome, loved the beautifully drawn characters and stylistic choices. As a whole, it was an engaging experience, short and punchy. The audio design was stellar as well, the sounds really added to the experience. The music and effects blended together quite seamlessly. Overall, pretty good. However, I will say that the writing was a little bit weak. The way it was phrased and the pacing was off. The twist at the end came out of nowhere. I think the story could be better structured and the dialogue itself could feel more tonally appropriate. That said, I understand that something like that takes a lot of time and this is a game jam, so kudos on getting something so cool out there. It was a pleasure playing it!
Apr 27 09:05:54	2h 25m	Sticky Diagnosis	♥ 3	First of all, having a decent upgrade system to a strong core loop in an LD game is absolutely amazing. Really impressive that you got all that done. I fiddled around with it a bit and there's definitely some strategies one can develop to get better. The balance of the game was a little off. I think the spawn of items and enemies is a bit too random. So, getting 4 bad guy germs before a single defensive food token killed some runs very early on. Too much luck involved, in that way. I think the core loop works, the level design needs a little more love. Overall, cool concept, decent art, trippy music and a good game.
Apr 27 09:18:21	12m 27s	To The Core We Go!	♥ 3	The game is quite charming. The art and the music add to a sort-of retro feel that the simple punchy gameplay continues with. It feels very...complete. The enemy variation is introduced slowly and the caverns themselves are short but exciting to navigate. Very fast-paced. Where is loses out is the tweaking within the different aspects. The combat feels a little off, the enemies feel a little random, the difficulty goes from super easy to super tough on a whim. The combat conttrols are slightly clunky too. Just, overall, needs a lot of playtesting and polish to be well-balanced. The torches seemed like such a cool mechanic, I only wish they'd had some use. Overall, though, a really charming entry. Enjoyed playing it!
Apr 27 09:26:56	8m 35s	Moot	♥ 2	That art was incredible. Legitimately, I aspire to make art like that someday. Absolutely awesome. It was a coherent visual style with so much power, that connected with the music powerfully. The audio work and sound design was amazing too. The mood it captured was beautiful. There's nothing I can criticise. More experimentation with lighting would elevate the mood slightly. The puzzles themselves weren't really...puzzle-y? They didn't make you think too much once you got the basic gist of it, but I think that making proper satisfying puzzles takes an unreasonably long time for a jam anyway. A really brave game I would pay money for if there was a full-version with strong puzzles. Absolutely loved it.
Apr 27 09:36:36	9m 40s	Capsaiciner	♥ 2	The mechanical feel of the game is pretty good. The graphics are simple and functional (and sometimes, cute). The story has a sense of absurdness to it, but I think the humour did not come through as well as it needed to so as to make the oremise work. The power-ups and collectibles were a really nice touch that I appreciated so much. It adds to the experience of playing and makes it more fun. However, I will say, it desperately needs music. To set the tone, to make it more punchy, to make it feel cooler. Music and sound effects will go miles in making this feel better. Overall, I think the core loop being engaging is the greatest strength here cuz then you don't get bored of it even if the motivation to play from art, music and story middles out.
Apr 27 09:43:18	6m 42s	Seeker Of Riches	♥ 1	So, I think the big problem here was the lack of feedback in terms of whether my shots were going through or in terms of player movement. It made it a difficult game to play and experience because the core loop was off. The feel of the game, beyond that, was good. The art is nice (the 3D modelling is quite impressive for a game jam). The deep hole was quite intimidating and overbearing, the sense of scale and power clearly established. Just, overall, it felt quite intense. The sound design was nice, but without visuals to support it didn't really work. Solid attempt, and I would love to play a post-LD version that keeps the concept and polishes up the core gameplay. Also, you really did well on the theme. Not a particularly unique take, but a well-done take.
Apr 27 09:55:03	11m 45s	Pearls of Wisdom	♥ 1	That was pretty cool! I think the whole diving in the deep sea feel really works. It's got some really solid integration between different gameplay goals. In the short term, it was about keeping the diver alive. In the long term, it was about treasure and following maps. In the longest terms, it was about exploring everything in the ocean. The whole system really works. I think the graphics could have used a boost to better fit the style and power of the gameplay, though the direction it's going in is great. The controls took a few tries to get the hang of, so maybe a more engaged tutorial might help. Though, once I got the feel for it, the drag and momentum made it feel akin to controlling a real diver who can push against the water but needs to be careful too. The audio could also use a boost, to be honest, to better convey the tone you're going for. As is, the tone seems a bit lost. Overall, an interesting game!
Apr 27 10:04:11	9m 08s	Abyssonaut	♥ 2	That was legitimately amazing. Loved the art, loved the gameplay concept and felt so excited to be playing through a full-length adventure. The level design is beautiful, the work as a whole is thoroughly engaging and fun to play. The only qualm I have with this is that the throwing rocks bit was a little iffy. It would have been amazing if there was a way to put the rock down/some form of auto-targetting to help with placing rocks on the balloon platform. That got frustrating really fast (but it might just be that I am personally bad at it and the game is fine, so I can't fault the game too much). That one minor qualm expressed, I just wanna say this was a great game and I'm glad I played it.
Apr 27 10:17:31	13m 20s	Delevator	♥ 2	The scope of the story is far too large to fit in a narrative as small as this. The result was a lack of emotional impact because it didn't leave room for interpretation but also did not have enough concrete stuff to make it feel emotionally impactful. The graphics and audio were decent, the mood was set well, but the lack of a powerful story in a story-driven game meant that I didn't really have a good time with it. Good attempt, can be easily made longer and more powerful with some work and time.
Apr 27 11:30:24	1h 12m	Bucket: A Space Odyssey	♥ 2	The writing is very functional and the paths are interesting. They intertwine well with the longer-term consequences as well as immediate payoffs. I liked that. The combination of a more graphical and image based system with the text based on seemed to work well. I loved the little touch of mentioning the AU distance. Bucket be cute. I think you missed out on making the audio more impactful and engaging. The graphics could be more visually consistent in style too. Though the mood and theme were somewhat fitting, it definitely needs a lot more polish. It also desperately needs length. More stuff to do, more options. Just more. The story requires more. Without more stuff before the FTL drive is assembled, it feels too minor and not significant. I can sense what you're going for, it's just not working at the current length. The encounters themselves are well designed. Whoever was the quest designer here has done a stellar job. Lots of moral choices, the voice notes back home to mom, the risk-reward calculations. They were all great.
Apr 27 11:51:08	20m 44s	Search for the Quacken	♥ 2	The individual components of the game are quite decent. The 3D art is impressive and creates a strong feel of something miniature you're playing around with. The fish streams are good, but the implementation makes it obvious they're segmented (maybe better if more seamless). The music is creepy and intense. The gameplay takes a lot of experimentation to get going, but when it does it isn't bad. Risk-reward balance, decision making. What didn't work was these elements together as a game. There is little cohesion here. The art, the music and gameplay are so discordant that it feels like the game doesn't know what it wants to be. I think it needs to focus in and decide on a direction. Those things are hard to do in a jam game with so much else within it, I just wish they'd been there to make it a better experience overall.
Apr 27 12:02:59	11m 51s	Leech of the Deep	♥ 0	The greatest strength of this game is the absolute horror you feel when you first see the leech. Running away from it is an instinctive, intuitive thing. I loved that. The entire game was based on instinct and ease. No learning curve (for me, at least), no thinking, just play. It's very emotive too. The core loop is solid, the level design is decent but it definitely needs polish. A more unified visual style, something that ties it together more. With some polish, it would be a stellar game. Further, the quality of levels dips a little after the first few. (That is not too bad in a jam game because of constraints on testing times and balance.) Well done!
Apr 27 13:58:21	1h 55m	The Fall	♥ 1	I think it was a decent game. The art direction was very practical, the game is easy to read and understand. The core loop definitely needs tweaking, I agree with @tim77 in that some of it was too out of control. The art was cool, the main character was well-designed but it felt like it was missing some of the finesse and polish it needed to stand out and help the game feel great. (Quick bug note: The high score seems to be stuck on 10650, not reflecting actual score.)
Apr 27 14:05:49	7m 28s	You Are Now Breathing Manually	♥ 3	The concept is really good. The whole manual breathing thing was quite cool, I enjoyed having that busywork to keep me interacting, making even basic things feel panicky. It evoked a sense of being trapped, which is a really interesting blend of gameplay and theme. I don't think the movement really works as a secondary mechanic. The movement didn't feel difficult, just frustrating. I think it's either a problem with the balance and level design, or maybe a problem with the mechanic as a whole. Maybe it needs some other mechanic, maybe puzzle based, rather than dexterity. The art style felt a bit incoherent, the music was a little out of place. The sound design on the breathing was stellar though. Really creepy and tense. All in all, fun little project. Could use a lot of polish.
Apr 27 14:16:37	10m 48s	Just Call Your Mom	♥ 1	The visual style was cool. It felt quite interesting to see the hand-drawn characters animate and move with the whole 2D beat-em-up style. The audio added to that, made it seem more fun and fast-paced. The punching felt okay, but I felt the gameplay was somewhat lacking. It needed more, options or something. The combat has little complexity, and since there's no story to keep you hooked per se, it really needs the combat to shine. I think more variety in the core gameplay loop will definitely help a lot, and maybe added enemy variety. Just...more to keep the player here.
Apr 27 14:33:26	16m 49s	Deep Exploration	♥ 1	Generally speaking, not a bad concept. The actual gameplay is satisfying, weaving around danger and collecting powerups. It can definitely be clearer how you work within the game. So, maybe more feedback to the player about when they get powerups and stuff like that. The audio-cues seemed a little buggy, which really hurt the game when they became so important in the darkness. The art and music were a little incoherent, but I guess those are because it's a prototype more than anything else. I think the prototype works. It's a working proof-of-concept for a diving game. It's not the best as it is, but it has potential.
Apr 27 14:42:18	8m 52s	I'm So Deep	♥ 1	It is definitely super innovative as a concept. I fooled around with the AI with different kinds of poetry and different keywords, but it seems to know when I'm doing that. Honestly, that's so cool. Overall, that's the highlight of it, the way it feels like it's doing the impossible and actually reading my (albeit bad) poetry. Everything else is charming. Obviously, it can use polish, but the core loop works and it works well!
Apr 27 14:53:41	11m 23s	WordGeddon	♥ 1	The core loop seems fine. It was nice to be able to answer with 4-letter words while knowing, for sure, that there was a longer one I was sacrificing for time. Made for interesting decisions. I wish it told me what the 8-letter word was every time instead of only when I gave up. The words themselves were a little...strange. Some of them like "nonesuch" aren't in use as such, so it felt like the game had cheated me of the satisfaction of actually finding the 8-letter word. Maybe more curation there is required. Overall, pretty decent.
Apr 27 15:21:34	27m 53s	Deep Abyss	♥ 3	3d graphics are cool and the music's pretty lit, not gonna lie. I really vibed. The game has desperate balance issues. It's almost impossible to get past the start unless you're lucky and move past the squids quickly. Some of the enemies move faster than the sub, so it's literally impossible to dodge them. Just...it's not fun because it constantly kills you. It's unfair. Lots of potential though. I like how the enemies grow in size and the submarine grows smaller. It makes it feel creepy and adds depth. It just needs to be better balanced to allow one to experience that depth.
Apr 27 15:49:50	28m 16s	Decked Out Clone	♥ 1	The mood was pretty decent, with the art being charming and functional enough to bring it together well. It lacked substance, so I can't say much more. The music was nice, but it didn't do much for me in terms of tying with the theme of the game. It felt a bit repetitive and there wasn't a really strong hook. Overall, good attempt. I realize the time crunch is real, but it definitely needs content to make it a better play. However, for a first attempt, you've made a decent game that has working controls, decent art, good mood and music. That's more than a lot of people can say. (Not to mention, it's distinctly smooth playing)
Apr 27 16:11:48	21m 58s	Rocket Philosophy	♥ 2	That was genuinely funny. The enlightenments are hilarious, the whole beard and philosophy theme is hilarious and it just made me chuckle. The art was cute-sy, but it felt a little off-beat for some reason. The music worked, but again, it felt a little off-beat and slightly off-tone. The gameplay was solid. It was engaging, ramped up in difficulty well and was all-around interesting, if not particularly innovative. Still, a strong core loop which keeps you going, and a humourous set of quotes to keep inspiring you. I kept playing to see more and more pearls of wisdom, and I was not disappointed.
Apr 27 17:16:43	1h 04m	Ariel Cleanomancer and the Eldritch Sweep	♥ 5	That was outstanding. I can praise the music, the sound design (the vacuum is SO SATISFYING), the cute art and the strong theme. But, most of all, I want to praise the puzzle design. It is stellar. It is just absolutely stellar. The levels are beautiful, intense, satisfying to solve and I am confounded as to how you guys managed to design puzzles that work so well in so little time. For that, kudos! You've really outdone any expectations I had from an LD puzzle game (or puzzle games in general). The only thing that I can think of in terms of improvements is that the isometric style, colour choices and design come together in a weird way sometimes that make it difficult to see the floor spaces. So, a couple levels in, I found myself stuck at a puzzle because I couldn't see the tile in front of my player as free. Multiple times, I found tiles existing or being blocked where I didn't think they were because of shadows, lighting and plants. It's an easy fix with some testing, and it was a minor annoyance at worst. That is very nitpicky though. The fact that that is the only thing I could think of when I replayed the game in my head means this is really awesome. Would love a post-LD release to play through. If not, I'll probably come back to this and show this one off. Loved it!
Apr 27 17:19:29	2m 46s	Beebook - Beat the Feed	♥ 1	Aw. The MacOS version seems to be missing from the Itch page. Looks like a really cool game from the screenshots and descriptions though!
Apr 27 17:49:03	29m 34s	Augmented	♥ 2	The mechanical aspect of the game was interesting at first, with it forcing you to read closely and not glaze over for details. I think it needed expanding upon, with other types of questions or other ways to use the information. The story and ending were predictable but satisfying, so that worked. The graphics didn't feel charming, could have used a little more work. The audio didn't match the tone of the game. Overall, though, the story and mechanics made it a solid showing.
Apr 27 17:53:03	4m 00s	Burst Vein	♥ 4	Echoing what @ilyas-aqil said, this was an awesome game. The scale and feel of it is great, the atmosphere works really well. I was a little stuck on the puzzles, but that made it all the more satisfying when I figured it out. It was never unfairly challenging. The whole confusion, overbearing, sense of being lost fit in with the theme. It got progressively creepier till the end whcih is so trippy and exciting to watch. Just, the way the game flowed at the end. The union messaging was on point and hilarious. The environmental storytelling throughout the first section was engaging, with the letters and the rooms and everything. Even the puzzle elements had such cool messaging to it. All in all, I loved it!
Apr 27 17:57:26	4m 23s	Deepest Sword	♥ 1	The graphics were really charming, the gameplay was innovative and fun and overall it was a decent game. It felt like a polished release, with the way it was structured and the absolute finish that everything had. I spent a lot of time playing it so clearly it was engaging and fun. I think what I disliked about it was the way the puzzles could be figured out long before the maneuvers were executed. It took a lot of fiddling about to get the sword to do certain things. I understand that it's by design, but I felt it took away from the experience and added a lot of frustration to the game. That wasn't for me. Apart from that, solid game.
Apr 28 08:26:20	14h 28m	They Told You	♥ 0	As a whole, I think the way you told that story was fairly compelling. The small vignettes painted almost in an epistolary form. I think that is the strongest part of the game. The music is good, but it gets a little repetitive. It needs more variation, maybe escalation as the game escalates. The fact that it is 3d is impressive, but still it needed more in terms of visuals to make the walking bits more interesting. It got kind of same-y, not really engaging, because of how little there was to do except make a beeline to the next orange tree. There were not enough trees to make it feel like the forest, the mountainside didn't have the same kind of depth that it needed to feel ominous. It just needed more work and polish. The gameplay gave way to narrative, which I can respect, but a little more focus on UI and polish would have made it feel much better. Still, a good entry. One can see the work that has gone into it.
Apr 28 09:37:29	1h 11m	Untitled Simulator	♥ 1	The research, theme and dialogue was good. I enjoyed the premise and it started off well. The problem for me was the absolute snail's pace at which the text appears and how it can go around in circles over and over. I played for a long time, but didn't finish the game because I just got so tired of waiting for the same cycles of text to finish. Even with the text and premise being interesting, that one thing really broke the experience for me.
May 13 22:57:11	373h 19m	Dig Deeper and Deeper	♥ 0	I think the core concept works. It's more an experimental proof-of-concept rather than an actual game (which is fair since this is a jam). It needs a lot of polish. More responsive graphics, a more extensive shop, cleaner code that lends to more consistent behaviour. As @lisyarus said, sometimes it just didn't destroy blocks when it really felt like it should have. If optimised, I think this could be a really cool core loop. Add to that some narrative or mood, and you've got a neat little game. Looking forward to a future version if you decide to make one!