Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD53 → Isles Express
By cinterre
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 227 | 3.45 | 65 | |
| Fun | 266 | 3.14 | 66 | |
| Innovation | 184 | 3.40 | 66 | |
| Theme | 171 | 3.93 | 66 | |
| Graphics | 155 | 3.73 | 67 | |
| Audio | 164 | 3.42 | 65 |
This game feels very clean and well-made! Only thing I'd have to say are the controls and game loop are pretty unforgiving for someone who isn't used to this kind of thing. It took me a while to get used to it, and even then I was still struggling. However, even with such a difficult input to player-movement "agency", it is still enjoyable and fun to play.
*CRASH* *CRASH* *CRASH* - I'd say you nailed the retro (pre-NES) aesthetic...and punishing controls.
Really nice game! Very clear art regarding low-ratio pixel art aestheic. And sound beautifully adds to the atmosphere. As it was previously said, the conrols are hard to use for a reasonably-bad-at-driving-motorboards person, and I felt like timer was laughing at me (not like it didn't have a reason). I'd like to play easier version, if you will make post-jam updates. Overall, congrats on your first jam!
nice game. Despite the map being so small and a simple delivery game, the control mechanics make it really challenging!
the embedded version sadly didn't work for me, I couldn't select anything
I really like the aesthetics of the game. It was sometime hard to understand the direction the boat was facing.
Took me a couple of minutes to figure out why the boat felt so unresponsive, but once I'd figured out the rudder worked, I had a pretty good time with this. The controls are much less arcadey than I'd have expected from a PICO-8 game - it's quite unique! Like a nautical Elite. Good work!
the controls are hard to master but it really makes you feel like you're on a boat :D
the control system is pretty unique and interesting, it took me two deaths to understand how they work. i think the delivery timers are a bit too short, and it is very easy to crash, so the game feels pretty hard and unforgiving. the art and sound are pretty good too, great game
Very nice game! It got a bit easier after I realized I could intentionally loop around the screen to get places.
You nailed the aesthetic you were going for! The graphics and sounds fit perfectly. Controls are hard but they make sense if you take the time to figure out the rudder and gear indicators.
@buni I uploaded the zip of the html version and posted a version on itchIO now as well. Thanks for the heads up.
Pretty cool entry! I love how the physics and mechanics feel realistic even though the graphics are very retro. Gameplay itself is nothing too crazy, but it's enganing and satisfying.
Cool vibe! Controls were tough for sure. Well done!
I enjoyed delivering the stuff by the boat!
The graphics and SFX are spot on. especially for PICO-8, which is a nice addition (I've seen so many games made on it lately... I think I need to take a look myself)
I really like this game but Holy Moly this steering is difficult at first! Of course being on a father's boat I quite understood and I know you wanted to go for something extra and not just simple go from A to B.
Good entry!
I love the difficulty, but I'm a sucker for hard games
I am quite pleased with this. It is an extremely satisfying experience -- and on the Pico-8! Thank you for making me happy.
- Graphics were more low-res than I usually like but they were well done for low-res. Audio too. - Control scheme was very challenging, I was starting to figure it out at the end but still very challenging (remind me never to drive a boat).
It took a minute but I got the hang of it. It's notable that PICO-8 doesn't have sprite rotation in its API and you had to make it yourself and its a really cool effect!
Great job on your first Pico-8 game! I can't really think of any flaws with this one. It accomplishes exactly what it set out to do. It's extremely difficult but that definitely seems to be the intention. It's cool how with enough practice I was really able to develop much better control of the movement.
@cheesepencil I'm glad I had help from the forums for that one. Re-learning basic trig for the boat physics was enough math challenge for me already haha.
Hey, fellow Pico-8 enthusiast! Great entry! I love how you were able to stay with a reasonable scope and that you were able to finish the project as well as polish it! Yes, the controls are pretty punishing, but that's the fun of pico in my opinion! I'm glad that I played with your game, nice solutions with pico! Cheers
Everbody's gotta love retro games. I really love the sounds and the art design here. Very well done :)
Nice sounds and artworok !
Fantastic work for your first game jam. You've done a great job keeping the scope of the game concise. I did find the difficulty very challenging, but I think I got the hang of it in the end.
another pico-8 game, wonderful =D i love how it looks and the little soundeffects too! it feels very well done as well. to me, the controlls are a tiny bit too difficult, but the atmosphere is clearly there, whcih made me stay for a longer time :)
Congratz for your first LD game, you made it! :thumbsup: As a first time your game feels well polished and fun to play. I'm not a huge fan of pico-8 games but you managed to make it fun and nicely difficult.
The controls are a bit hard to handle at first, maybe making the boat a bit more responsive wouldn't be bad.
The music and sfx are fitting the game too.
For a first LD game, you did an amazing job, well done.
I struggled with controls, but graphics (I like pixel art a lot) amazing, I've used pico 8 and know it's limits on art with only 16 colors I think IDK been a bit. Also audio very good for pico 8 limitations feels very real.
Like others have mentioned the controls are kind tough for someone who isn't used to this sort of thing. On further inspection I did notice you have a gear shifting menu in the top left which I really appreciate! I also like the audio design for feedback on your motor running.
Love the minimal aesthetic. Feels like you did a ton with a little, including a very interesting mechanic in the boat, and really cool sound effects!
An impossibly charming game! The minimal color palette really worked in this games favor and it was really fun to drive the boat around! Loved every part of it.
It took me quite a bit to get used to controls. I especially had trouble with the fact that X changes gears to the right in the "R N 1 2 3" and C to the left (by the relative position of those two keys, should be the other way around and my brain was protesting all the time :laughing:). It's really a great job for a first project and a solo one! Feels finished and complete. Small, but all the Pico-8 games I ever saw were small :smile:
Colors are pleasant and the whole design of the game screen is very good.
Interesting controls, took me a bit to understand. Didn't have the patience to master them, but I commend the originality. Pretty charming in all other aspects. Focused and well-realized entry even if not exactly my cup of tea.
For your first game jam, that's huge! Congratulations!
Wow, this game was certainly difficult. At first I didn't get the controls at all and got the amazing score of 0, but after reading the comments and trying it again twice I think I managed to get a pretty reasonable score! It was also quite fun once I understood it. I also liked the SFX, they sounded exactly like what I imagine motored boats sound like. I think a more detailed tutorial for people who don't know how to drive and have no idea what throttle means (like me, I thought it worked like a normal racing game at first) would help, and it was also impossible to see the boat when it was "in-between" wrapping around the map, but otherwise, great entry! Here's my highscore:
Screenshot 2023-05-03 221802.png
@frogman Thanks for sticking with it. That's the highest score I've seen!
At first I was sceptical about the physics but you get used to it really fast and it feels smooth. The arts are amazing, and the retro style is winking. Nice work !
the sound design & graphics work together really well to achieve that style of careful, precision arcade game like lunar lander~ i had a bit of difficulty on controller since the up and down on the control stick would change the throttle, but otherwise could manage the controls on keyboard! great work :)
I can see the idea though I wish the boat would be less easy to accelerate and easier to slow down.
Nice concept and graphics. Would have like it more if the controls were a little easier.
I enjoyed the controls, they made it feel close to driving a boat. Also like the audio fxs especially with pico-8 nice job
Love the art
Controls were pretty hard to master, but once you get used to it the game is a blast. Loved the simple graphic :).
Really cute entry... I don't know exactly why... but I always struggle with rudder controls in these kinds of settings. Yours clicked and made sense once I got used to it. Good job :thumbsup_tone1: Nice cool and chill aestethics
Nice game! I saw it get reviewed on a stream yesterday. The retro graphics are very nice and the audio suits it well. The controls confused me in the beginning but after that it was simple.
Screenshot 2023-05-06 at 3.21.15 PM.png
A very simple idea, but personally the control doesn't work for me. I think it might be a good idea for an alternative control, unless the key challenge is the control :)
Thanks for the game
Nice! I really appreciated the coherence in the presentation in terms of the retro graphics and audio. The controls are a bit unintuitive for the first time player (or maybe just me I don't know too much about boats XD), so I think a practice mode or tutorial would be helpful.
Amazing little game! Love the art and audio. The only complain I could make is that the motorboat was a bit too hard to control for me, but overall, I really enjoyed my time. Good job!
Absolutely stellar Pic-8 entry! The controls were challenging but a lot of fun to master! Thank you for knocking it out of the park with your game jam!
Screenshot 2023-05-06 201809.png
I couldn't control the speedboat very well.
I like the intro-music though! The interface is also quite clear. The manual transmission indicators at the top are a cute idea.
I like the graphics a lot, I didn't know about the Pico 8 before but it seems like a fun platform! The controls were really hard and it took me a while to understand what to do, but overall it was pretty good. Well done on your first game jam!
Very nice using Pico8! Even though it's very simple in graphics and design, it really reminded me of old Atari games, which I used to love playing as a kid. It's one of those you can kick back and try and beat your high scores! Loved the graphics too, something charming about those old 8-bit stuff for sure. Only issues is that, at first it was rather difficult to control but with a little practice it became much easier, even though the timer was very tight. Although the packages, I thought originally they were part of the island at the start, if they were a little brighter or blinked, that might of been more handy. But overall for a first time jam, it was awesome! Well done ^-^
I like the artstyle a lot; PICO-8 games are always nice to see. I found the controls really frustrating, but I guess that's sort of the point of the game. I only got a couple deliveries in before running out of gas.
I love a good PICO-8 game. The controls were quite tricky, but I like the tight game loop. Great work on your first jam!
This one sure as heck is difficult — controls are beyond my ken. The throttle was easy enough but the rudder I constantly wrestled with. I was able to steer somewhat, get gas and get some goods, but coulnd’t win. An innovative game with appealing graphics and sound nonetheless.