Game About Trying to Gain More Time In A Time Cave

jorbits 2022-04-04 12:34

I tried out the first few stages and I really like how the jumping feels (the particles and it feels snappy). But I'm not sure, are the doors supposed to be checkpoints, because if I die I've to start at the beginning again.

Anyways I'll probably try to finish it later today, after work. It feels fun so far.

Edit: I get it now, I need the gems to activate the doors. Should've read more carfully.

Edit 2: So I finished the game, sadly I could not get the last gem. The music is good and does not get boring. The levels are fun and challenging, but they are quite difficult though (which is not bad). The hidden gems were a nice touch. Sadly I can't go back and try to get the last gem after reaching the endscreen. It is a nice entry, even if the tileset may felt unfinished.

benjamin-gare 2022-04-04 13:39

I like the two jump styles. This game is definitely a fun game. I'm going to bookmark for later.

kuro 2022-04-04 14:43

Hey hacksaw. Cool game, I had fun. Sounds great, looks nice, and the gameplay feels just right. The backgrounds are a bit bland, but we all know how it goes during compo, don't we...

hacksaw.png ^ P.S.: I Really feel like you missed a grand 'yo momma' joke opportuninty there.

jcmonkey 2022-04-04 23:13

game could use some coyote time. also the automatically jumping forward felt wierd. some times i thought i could just jump and make a thing i didnt. or i would just jump over things.

mascoll 2022-04-04 23:50

Super crisp graphics and really good game-feel! The checkpoint system is really well implemeted! Great work!!!

asmadigames 2022-04-05 00:06

Really well polished game, good sound, good visuals. Replaying content pretty frustrating though, really cut in to the fun level of the experience.

alchemic 2022-04-05 09:08

I really love the two jump styles. I like these kinds of almost "grid-based" platformers.

The music is fantastic, and the graphics are nice.

That last room got a bit weird for me. I think some of the timings on the projectiles got a bit out of sync, the blue projectiles coming from the right got blocked by the red things after a few tries, and the laser wasn't fully blocked by that extra red thing.

Regardless, I still managed to beat it lol.

jepjoh2 2022-04-05 10:15

Time Gem

2022-04-05 23:39

Contextual controls of movement and jump felt kinda awkward at times, especially trying to micro-adjust on small platforms. Final 2 rooms are fairly unpleasant, cycles and awkward movement really do hamper the ending and the checkpoints aren't tight enough for me with constant redoing of rooms where waiting is the entire strategy. Visually I like the jump colours and effects, very satisfying to see in motion. Musics fine....just fine, nothing more. Got all the gems and helped a couple of magical friends stay together, definitely needs refinement.

boaromayox 2022-04-06 05:49

The pixel art looks amazing, and the controls and gameplay are tight! The m.o. of the mage encompasses the theme well.

The obstacles, though challenging, didn't feel like they could be impossible to finish, or frustrating at all, up until the fifth part of the cave, at least. Plus, the music added that encouragement, without being dull or heavy-handed. It's, in a sense, an addictive game.

Overall, this one's one of the better games I've played so far in this jam!

bloodbane 2022-04-06 09:02

TBH this game feels more like "Game About Trying to Collect More Gems in a time cave", cause that's literally what I did to complete this game. Otherwise, it would be more frustrating. That being said, it was fun and the gem collecting part was fun and also mandatory ;).

marcmagus 2022-04-06 14:16

Thanks for bringing your game by my stream for feedback! If you’d like to revisit the play and commentary you can view the highlight at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1447203081

I enjoyed this take on a puzzle platformer. Interestingly slightly different movement, the hidden-but-obvious shinies were fun to hunt.

Hunt-the-gems for warp was an interesting approach that is either brilliant or doesn't work out quite right and I'm not sure which. It might make it "the warps are harder to get to for exactly the people who need them most", or it might make it "decide if you want to focus on platforming or puzzling" and I'm still not sure which it is. I think you mixed puzzle gems and harder-platforming gems so the answer is unfortunately a bit of a muddle that pushes it more to the hard for the people who need it end. I definitely enjoyed playing (and hunting gems).

sipfindel 2022-04-06 16:43

I like the artstyle a lot. The jumping mechanic took some time to get used to but it wasn't bad. What frustrated me though was the lack of checkpoints. Starting over and over again from the very start wasn't much fun.

hacksawunit 2022-04-06 16:45

@sipfindel You can collect the marigold 'time gems' to skip levels using the door in the first room. It's up to you if you think that's a good mechanic, though!! :D

yngvarr 2022-04-06 18:01

Ah, one of those precision platformers that I ~~suck at~~ absolutely love! :D

Very well made game, so polished and nice to move around. Platforming feels just right for a game of this kind, and level design is annoying as hell. The idea of using checkpoints as rewards for collecting time gems is questionable, failing to understand a new level from the get-go results in several frustrating attempts to catch up only to fail the last level again. Rinse and repeat until rage quit. :sweat_smile: And a background tune still sits in my head, dunno if it's a good thing or not. :)

All in all, that was quite an experience and I'm happy I gave this game a try. You can watch me struggle for 25 minutes here (spoiler: I rage quit): https://youtu.be/-doNW0PHu_A

pat-cleaver 2022-04-06 18:54

Really nice entry, I love all the particle effects! It's nicely polished too, great work!

renge 2022-04-06 19:05

Love the little secrets you put into some of the levels. I tried my best to find them all, but wasn't successful... You really managed to put a lot of polish into the game for the timespan!

sagiii 2022-04-06 19:13

Hello! I really liked the game. Nothing to say tbh, the idea is well executed.

glayson 2022-04-06 19:25

Great music! the art style is charming! I liked the jump mechanics, but, sometimes, the dude lagged a little to jump.

Nice job!

yorsh 2022-04-06 19:29

It's super crisp to play. Jump is kind of weird/unique but it works really well imo. Sound and arts are very well made too. I don't know how I feel about the gem mechanic, it's interesting but I've been missing a lot of them which make the game really hard in the end.

bytomancer 2022-04-06 21:11

The jumping mechanics remind me of Castlevania, lots of commitment to your actions, which is really well paired with the level layouts. Assets were all very well crafted. Really enjoyed playing this one!

ratface 2022-04-06 21:37

Great game! Could really use coyote time. Did not notice there were 2 types of jumps, those weren't very clear. Really like the addition of secret collectibles to fast travel to the level.

elysiagriffin 2022-04-09 10:50

Thanks for submitting your game for me to play on my stream!

If you’d like to rewatch the playthrough, you can find it here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1450162412?t=11h28m31s

Good luck on your ratings, see you next LD! :D

💜 Elysia Griffin AKA Button Feedback Lady

https://www.twitch.tv/elysiagriffin

team-choo-choo 2022-04-13 21:16

nice man! solid game! the tutorial in the level works really well all the general game elements work well - gg

i'd argue the graphics making up the level design are a bit plain but i love the song

very nice keep it up - take care :)

100th-coin 2022-04-18 22:01

I love the story, and the "optional" collectibles. Was there a reward for collecting all of them? The last room especially was challenging to collect the gem on, yet it seemingly didn't do anything. (the last one, at least)

I loved the artwork, and the jump/charge is a lot of fun. I think the last level had a bit too many moving parts. It became way too much to keep track of, especially when going for the gem. All around, great work!

blubberquark 2022-04-21 13:11

The platforming is surprisingly well designed and innovative. Who would have thought that you cab design a game around fixed jump arcs?

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