FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD51 → Machine Learning

Machine Learning

By tylerstraub

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall913.7825
Fun723.8124
Innovation2993.1524
Theme1673.7625
Graphics973.9125
Audio2023.2924
Mood1573.4725

Comments

pianoman373 2022-10-03 04:28

I really like the creative use of backtracking through the level after gaining an upgrade to reach new areas. The puzzles were clever and left me wanting more levels. The platforming did get a bit frustrating at times, and the area right after getting the boots felt nearly impossible. Great game nonetheless!

tylerstraub 2022-10-03 20:20

@pianoman373 thanks for the feedback. i was worried about that section being too difficult but didn't have much time to test. the latest download tweaked that area to make it a little more forgiving

phoenixofforce 2022-10-03 22:36

After the first death i was like "i want to speedrun it". But that changed quicly when i got the boots and had to get back :D It was very fun tho. Wished that the time reset when you got a checkpoint.

mistagiggles 2022-10-04 09:22

Great game with a brilliantly executed concept.

Pixel art and sound are great, and the level/puzzle design was engaging. The time element really puts the pressure on!

d34th0ftit4n5 2022-10-04 17:44

god damn that was very tough, amazing game, great controls and great viuals, good job!

kory 2022-10-04 18:59

I agree with others that I wish there was a way to reset the timer manually, but getting back from the boots upgrade was a fun time! I also enjoyed the death sound effect.

vykri 2022-10-04 19:19

Nice mini metroidvania. Like others, I didn't like having to wait to die knowing that I wouldn't make it to the next checkpoint. I think it would make more sense for the checkpoints to reset your timer. Other than that, I enjoyed getting all the upgrades and making my way to the end. Well done.

tylerstraub 2022-10-04 19:52

@phoenixofforce @mistagiggles @d34th0ftit4n5 @kory @vykri Thanks everyone for the feedback. That was definitely a gameplay decision I was not sure which direction to go, as I wasn't sure if resetting the timer at each checkpoint strayed from the theme too much. In hindsight, it would've been a much nicer QOL improvement.

climbing-dolphin 2022-10-05 07:28

I'm always surprised when i see a metroidvania in a short jam. This one works well! Some jumps are a bit hard, but the checkpoints are at the best positions so you can repeat the jumps agains and again. Good job!

codsalmon 2022-10-05 07:33

Very solid little Metroidvania! Great use of the theme. The 10 second timer really added some tension when getting from A->B. As others have said, I think it would have been nice if the timers reset after hitting a checkpoint, but it's not a huge pain point that I occasionally had to stand around for a few seconds. I felt like the level design was very elegant, as well. Nothing revolutionary from a gameplay perspective here, but it's impressive that you were able to pull together such a tight and well-paced experience in such a short time.

pbg 2022-10-05 12:46

I really enjoyed this! Reminds me of the mobile game "Robot Wants Kitty," where each level is a mini-metroidvania - you start from scratch power-wise every time. I would love to see more levels in that same vein - you need to powerup every time.

Core-gameplay-wise, the only suggestion I would make is that touching a checkpoint sets your timer to 10 seconds - I think this would speed up gameplay but still put the pressure on when you are exploring.

Cool game! I love it when someone successfully makes a metroidvania for LD. Really enjoyed this.

jose-bonilla 2022-10-06 03:21

Nice concept, I think it's a fun game with potential for expansion. I finished it, I liked the level design (how you have to backtrack to get what you need). Congrats for submitting to compo!

lustdante 2022-10-06 03:57

Metroidvanian game design vibe was massive. Very well polished entry!!

tylerstraub 2022-10-06 04:24

@jose-bonilla @lustdante @climbing-dolphin Thank you all for the comments!

@codsalmon @kory @phoenixofforce Since people seem to be enjoying this game and there have been a few requests, I have uploaded version 1.0.2 which introduces the timer resetting every time you touch a checkpoint. Hopefully this improves quality of life a bit. Thought I would ping you all again in case you wanted to try again with the new changes!

aplavaridge 2022-10-06 05:00

Great concept, really annoyed I didn't come up with something similar, reckon there's a lot of potential for this to become a full game! Simple concept but nicely executed.

fattori 2022-10-06 07:46

loved, a kind of similar concept than the one I was part of, but a different take nonetheless great work!

jk5000 2022-10-07 08:25

This a fun and pretty well made compo game. The jumping do not always works and same with the wall jump. The level design was also a bit confusing, but it was not too bad. The visuals is good, and I like the games atmosphere. Overall is this a good compo game.

tommo 2022-10-07 13:04

Fun to play, though I found the wall jump tricky at times. Enjoyed the way you brought the theme in too. Well done!

rillep 2022-10-07 13:16

Good and interesting level design, but a bit short, and some sound effects were really cool.

adecon 2022-10-07 13:17

Veeeery had to playing... But I am very inspired by my own game engine :)

pixelydian 2022-10-07 18:43

Well I'm not usually a fan of "up" to jump (I prefer space bar), I'm excusing it because I really like your game :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: The little robot is so cute, and I like the art in general. Level layout/design is good - I like the little bit of backtracking back to the obviously unreachable point in the beginning. Little Metroidvania! I had a lot of deaths after I got the boots, but I'd say that means you have a good difficulty curve. By that point I just needed to get good :laughing:. Well done!

serxiolas 2022-10-07 21:03

Nice on! fun to play, nice visuals cohesive sound!

In platforms try to avoid touching the ceiling with the head while jumping because it is fustrating for the gamer, also missed some "coyote time" there.

A notable entry!

tylerstraub 2022-10-07 22:48

@serxiolas Thank you, there actually is coyote time of 4 ticks I believe (so like 67ms). Not sure what the "standard" is and if what I did wasn't lenient enough. I appreciate the feedback for the ceiling touching though!

talops 2022-10-11 18:53

As someone who has already [made a metroidvania](https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/danmakoid-bullet-hell-metroidvania) for a previous compo, I know how much of an undertaking it is and am always explosively hyped up whenever I see one here, and this one doesn't disappoint! Even made with a custom engine on top of that, impressive!

The art is really good, the platforming is very challenging yet feels great and responsive for how simple it is. Maybe the gravity is just a tad too strong? I loved the unusually discrete mechanical foreshadowing, and how more enemies started spawning after picking up the spike-walk upgrade, opening up for some tricky jumps. That is some very smart re-use of your level design!

It seems like, just like me, you didn't have enough time to make music. Kind of a curse with scope-heavy genres isn't it? :sweat_smile:

Really liked it, congrats on the wonderful submission!

ukulelefury 2022-10-14 21:21

:D Very fun game! The mechanics and controls were great. The upgrades were all very satisfying. The 10-second pacing and level-design felt really really nice. I love the pixels, and simple sounds. This was a lot of fun!