xedur 2026-04-20 17:54
Fundamentally changing how the game changes multiple times during the gameplay is an interesting idea. It does make it a bit more challenging in terms of time as you (kinda) need to develop 3 separate games, which means testing, balancing and debugging for 3 games. The obvious drawback with this approach is that players will likely enjoy one game/mode more than others and it's difficult to finish, let alone polish a single game/mode during a short game jam, let alone 3.
That being said, I did like the idea and game jams are a perfect place to try out things like this! I think adding a slight transition animation to when the game modes change would make it easier for the player to grasp the new game mode's style and rules. Seeing some feedback to when you hit the enemies or they hit you would also make the game feel more responsive. This could be something as simple as flashing the model, adding a little knockback, etc.