flamus 2020-04-21 13:07
Cute game, graphics are on point, music fits nicely. Maybe it could use some more movement from time to time. Congrats on your entry!
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD46 → Bonsai
By felixmreeve, natpat, literal_games and Tommo
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 65 | 4.19 | 50 | |
| Fun | 170 | 3.95 | 50 | |
| Innovation | 45 | 4.22 | 50 | |
| Theme | 530 | 3.98 | 49 | |
| Graphics | 206 | 4.37 | 50 | |
| Audio | 195 | 3.97 | 50 | |
| Humor | 1061 | 2.98 | 45 | |
| Mood | 66 | 4.29 | 50 |
Cute game, graphics are on point, music fits nicely. Maybe it could use some more movement from time to time. Congrats on your entry!
It took me quite a while to figure out how the various mechanics worked. Some infographics showing you how to do various things might be helpful. The movement using the mouse instead of the arrow keys was hard to get used to. Really cute concept that matches the theme well.
Really nice game! Love the design and it's well executed, congrats! :) The water mechanic was a bit confusing just as the orange color of the leaves that looked similar to branches.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I think the tools/water mechanics could be a bit clearer, it's tricky trying to communicate all the info. Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! Love it! It really transmits bonsai patient. Also, very innovative idea using scissors for pixel art drawing!! Great entry!
Nice graphics! Good game! The game was pretty intuitive. Their was no audio for me?
Hm that's strange, there should be audio. It seems to work for me but it might depend on your browser or something? Thanks for the feedback!
Aw that was a really cute experience. I loved that trimming branches and leaves happened on a pixel art basis. Really cute mechanic!
Audio was relaxing, the little guy running around was adorable. Maybe a bit too much waiting at the beginning (although I know bonsais IRL take a lot longer!) but once the bonsais started to grow, yay!
Very relaxing! Graphics, audio and theme fit nicely together.
really nice art with some fun game play. A tutorial could help to learn the game a bit better!
Wow, this is excellent. This is one of those ones I'm actually coming back to. My only complaint would be that the outline of the shape becomes a bit hard to see when the leaves start growing over it. Tough problem; perhaps the player could hold a key to see the outline in a bright color?
This is so cool! Very unique and relaxing. The game would really benefit from a tutorial and I felt at times the pacing could be a bit better - either finding ways to encourage the player to relax and slow down to enjoy the methodical pace of the game or giving them more to keep track of/fiddle with/keep them occupied. Honestly really great though and relaxing. Would really like to see a full version of this, great work! :)
I love this game - its well balanced, well paced, easy to understand, and rewarding. I think some more life in the game would have made this even better but I love what it is. Super innovative. Great submission!
Amazing entry. it was relaxing and very cute, the audio feedback is super well put together and the whole gameplay is well done. I would spend way more time on this if I could. Congratulations!
I made all the trees, I feel really calm now. No problems figuring out the game. The graphics are great. The music does get old, so it's nice to have the mute but it fits really well.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone! I agree about the idea of a tutorial, clearer outlines and finding a way to encourage the player to slow down a bit, originally we were thinking about making it take much longer to grow trees and make it more of a real-time game but decided to keep it fast enough to hopefully keep people's attentions. @melomel I'm glad you found it calming!
Very nice game! I like the idea but it bothered me that the music paused when you change the bonsai. The game transmits a lot of peace. Good job!
Such a nice game! I played for quite some time, felt relaxed and wanted to have the highest score! I really liked the graphics, which played well into the overall theme. I think you nailed the mood, and I appreciated that you stated before that this game is slow. I didn't really underestand at first what to do, I was pressing on "finish" rather than "back" haha so it was confusing. I also had to read about the icons to understand them. But once I understood it was all good :). The only negative thing that kept happening once I understood how to play was that it was a bit hard to see where the shape was exactly, and even more for the tree near the forest through the window. So sometimes I would cut my tree a bit to see and remember where the outlines are. Well done overall :v:
Really chill game! The graphics are really nice, and its a great game to play after playing lots of stressful fast paced games! I had a really fun time playing this game, I also really liked the transitions when zooming in on trees!
I like the relaxing nature of this title. The calming music paired with the beautiful and simplistic pixel art graphics makes for an excellent game. I did struggle a bit at first with the controls, but it felt more natural as I played a bit more. Neat!
I enjoy relaxing games so enjoyed this one a lot -- I loved just being able to sit and watch my little bonsai grow. The music was a little repetitive, but also was lovely and calming so it wasn't a big deal at all!
You weren't lying about the game being peaceful I pretty much forgot everything while just focusing on my bonsais. Actually had to bookmark the page so I can find it later again and play more. Great entry, loved it, amazing job!
This was so great! I loved to — snip, snip — carve those leaves out of the way and the tree into shape. I helped four trees grow, and when I stopped I didn’t care that they were 100% accurate to the target shape, they just felt alive and doing their own thing. I know bonsai is about coercion and perfection but watching the pixels feels nice, too. Beautiful game :)
Thanks for the kind words everyone! @peterfiftyfour thanks for the feedback, I think if we were to do it again or add to it we would improve the visibility of the tree shapes, you're right that it becomes a bit tricky once you're close to done! @black-flag we worked hard on the transitions, thanks for noticing! @damienp I'm glad you enjoyed letting them grow their own way haha
Woah, I'm in love with this game, really, it's a kind of prfect game for me XD. I have try this game, and I have totally forgrt to rate it because i was too taken by the game ! So I 'm be back for rating it ! i have nothing of really constructive to say, just Bravo ! Maybe just a sand box mode, with a great bonzai ^^
Lovely game! Very relaxing and fun to play for a long time :) here's my playthrough of it: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/600651091
An interesting game loop that could keep me entertained for a long time! Well done!
Yes bonsai gardening! Wish the wonderful soundtrack played continuously throughout, but I learned to slow down a bit to watch my trees grow. Loved the plant shapes. Easy interface. Good jam.
@mateusboga Oh cool, thanks for that! It's cool to see someone playing it live. Thanks everyone for the kind words and feedback!
Really nice game, love the simple interface, I loved trying to fill a shape and also to make random bonsai composition, haha, really had fun
In real life my bonsai is not beautiful... suddenly I love this game!
Very relaxing and well made game. Love the mood. Was a bit hard to understand how to begin playing but then it all made sense.
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Saw the timelapse posted, and was very curious to look at the growing bansai mechanics. Am not disappointed, it's very impressive. The graphics are adorable, and music very relaxing. Managed to do all shapes between 83 and 92 percents! Only thing that I found weird was the silence when swithcing plants. The save is a very welcoming feature too, I am keeping the link handy.
Amazing work on your entry, loved it.
It was a very relaxing fun game. Graphics and sound were also great!
@jmad Ah cool, thanks for playing through the whole thing! I think perhaps the best way to solve the silence issue would be to add buttons for switching left/right to the trees next to the current one. That way you wouldn't need to zoom out into the room but could still go back to the room for a break from the music? Thanks for the feedback!
nice, lovely, wholesome :3
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@trexxak thanks so much for taking the time for this, we are super stoked that you enjoyed building your own shapes!
Even though I don't have thepatience for this type of game is not for me, I enjoyed it. It is really well made, the mood is really wel set with the graphics and the music. It was also quite satisfying to see these plants growing in this cute pixely way. It is a great entry which feels very polished , I would maybe not play this but it is a great one in this genre!! Great job!
My bonsai turned into abominations but that was such a unique experience! I loved every second of it. Awesome job guys! <3
I can't even imagine how I'd code something like this myself.
That's probably the most different idea i saw not only on this jam but in all jams i have participated. I really enjoyed the game's proposal and mechanics, which are really easy to understand and use. The artstyle choice also contribute for the easy going atmosphere, completed by the soundtrack.
Excellent job!
Oh man, I really love the concept. I wish my hair was as cool as his. At first I was pretty stressed about the trees going beyond the points, but then I realized that the branch cutting tool could just always solve my problems. Then the game became much less of a rush between trees. I do wish it was easier to toggle between trees. Also the templates became hard to see because of the background and the trees all mixing together.
At first I was like huh, this isn't working . . . but that's because I did not heed the advice of "patience", ha. Then I loved it.
What I didn't realize that finish meant finished for good - I thought you could "finish" as in leave it alone for now and let it grow and come back to it.
But once I understood everything I was hooked. I really think you should make this a mobile app. Would be pretty cool if it was real time so you log on a couple times a day and trim it, water it, etc. Make people actually work for it so it can be appreciated. Of course, it would be difficult to get people hooked at the beginning . . .
really cool game, very chill I like a lot the walking animation, the trees are pretty, and the progression in the shapes is very well-done (fish shape <3)
One of the most brilliant games I've ever played, and not just for LD46, but in general. Seriously, amazing job. The pixel art, the music, sfx, mechanics are all just flawless. I'm amazed you did this so quickly. It's relaxing, but also challenging. Simple, yet lots of layers to it. If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. Please continue making games like this! :smiley_cat:
Thanks for bringing Bonsai by my stream for us to check out. It was very soothing and innovative.
If you'd like to watch again, you can find the highlight at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/617255767
Very unique gameplay! I didn't get it at first that I should try to match the shapes, I thought that maybe it was some sort of "seed for pizza shaped trees" or something. When I figured out it out the game, which I was already enjoying, became even better!
@holysparks haha I don't think we thought of that, sorry! Good point though, I'm glad you enjoyed it in the end!