Demon Well by 100th_Coin 2024-04-16T09:38:15Z
My first experience with this developer's game and it was most certainly positive. Will probably check out other releases.
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → 6Knowledge
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59 | Signal | Signal Board | jam | 851 | 1.90 | 1.52 | 2.12 | 3.15 | 3.10 | 1.50 | 2.18 | ||
| 2025 | 58 | Collector | Serial Cleaner | jam | 776 | 2.44 | 2.18 | 2.56 | 2.52 | 1.92 | 2.66 | 2.34 | ||
| 2024 | 55 | Summoning | 👥 | Hat vs Evil | jam | 1003 | 3.17 | 2.91 | 2.94 | 3.52 | 2.41 | 2.89 | 2.86 |
My first experience with this developer's game and it was most certainly positive. Will probably check out other releases.
Getting over it, but even more annoying (nothing negative, I swear)
The idea here is good, but god do I hate the getting over it type of games. Nothing against this game, but it really does take patience to make progress.
Animations and graphical style were interesting, but everything else kinda fell flat. The hitbox on the summon circle was ridiculously narrow which kinda made spamming the best strategy.
Good graphics and audio, but from the get go I had issues. Fullscreen and non-fullscreen both are completely broken, cutting off the bottom of the window which makes playing really annoying. Certain spells very very difficult to cast, but that is probably on me more than the game.
The style was an absolute killer here. Man the high scores are really high, I only got to like 200 and the others are at 2000.
I smashed it so hard firefox gave up and tried to destroy itself.
The style really holds up the game, its quite simple after a round of figuring things out.
There were so many fish around my raft. I honestly had no clue what the magical pyramids were doing the entire time, they just kinda hung around looking at me. The fish on the other hand were very aggressive and constantly swarming at certain points creating a pile.
Interesting idea, but kinda fell flat.
The creature sounds were the best part of the game. The instant stop to the background music on interact was way funnier to me than it should've been.
Simple art-y card game. Gameplay was very smooth with nice little animations. Got myself stuck on the fire card when I had no cards in my hand (knew what I was getting into before playing it).
Squish and stretch, the best invention since sliced bread. The graphics and music were absolutely brimming with old internet, points for that.
Where is cat??? Want cat
Good take on a classic genre. The graphics were the best part of the experience, and the background music got kinda annoying after struggling hard to find more combos.
Got some portal vibes from this one with some gameplay from getting over it. I was warned the game would be dark, but man, even with full brightness it was DARK. Couldn't really figure out what the concentration feature was, just kinda wandered around until something happened or a character said what to do.
Probably the most unique take on the theme. Too bad I got stuck and I got dissed for it :(
The idea was behind this was the best part. Most other aspects could've used more work, but it was at least an unique game.
Besides the horrible headache I got (probably FOV) it was an ok game, all aspects complemented the game well. Audio was probably my favourite part.
A great mix of tower defense and third person gameplay. It was really unfortunate the controls (or physics don't know which one. Either really fast acceleration or slippery ground) caused the inside part to be extremely difficult to navigate alongside the weird rotation mechanic.
On the outside at least controls improved a little, but all the button related actions were completely lost in the barrage of information. The enemies had a very fast attack that wasn't tied to their attacking animation which made it very hard to get an attack in before they had already done their attack and drained yours. Some SFX on that would've made that much clearer.
With more time and polish this could be an interesting game. There already is a good set of models that really brought the game above a standard jam hack and slash game.
The amount of motion sickness was worth the 5 minutes of playing I could do.
I failed at math, just like in real life :(
@semenov That would be a meatball enemy. Our graphics guy had very open hands as to what he wanted to draw (and this was his first jam + art role)
Don't know if the last level is even possible to be completed with only the one block (could just be me). Regardless, the style carries this game, but otherwise rather flat.
Like many of the other commenters have said, the graphics are the best part of the game, but the first impression is not good. The downloaded file doesn't work (yes I know it said so in the description, but other projects have made working versions), the github version apparently can't launch (didn't spend too much time on that) and once I did make it to the web version, I was already disappointed. And the cherry on the top, I couldn't really even play it, the controls were so odd I barely got past the second level.
Hopping wolf is my mood.
Got a lot of good Hades art style vibes from this one. Unfortunately the depth of it doesn't go beyond the surface.
If I had to take a wild shot, this was a great idea that really didn't pan out in the end. Debug functions are enabled, your summons are unable to cause any damage (except the exploding one for some reason(also the only thing that has SFX??)), broken retargeted animations and small unfinished maps.
Who knows what this could've been if it was finished on time.
The game desperately called for some sound effects or background music. Other than that a unique take on the theme. Unfortunately I got completely stuck on the electricity level after I couldn't figure out how to get past the gate thing.
Almost thought the main menu was somehow supposed to be the game, but quickly figured out what the game wanted me to do.
For a second gamejam, this was very well made. Not exactly my type of game, but good regardless.
:duck:
Fun little game, for sure gets a +1 for using such a unique game engine. Got down to around 3 enemies left before the game froze and crashed. The enemies are absolutely brutal killing machines, practically terminators. Felt like I could be pushed in with no effort.
Classic unreal engine experience, < 10fps, real time lighting and bundle assets. The rats were an interesting idea, but most of the time was probably spent on programming which didn't really leave time for gameplay design and balancing.
Those shrooms really did hit hard. It was a shame it wasn't longer, the end really came out of nowhere and really didn't get to make any choices. Other than that, generally positive experience.
Don't know much about horses, but that man sure knew his horses. A fun lil' game. No clue what this has to do with the theme of the jam, but hey, I liked it.
You guys were right, our teams did really get the same idea from summon. The foundation is all there, but the balance did have room for improvement. Got through the game by spamming the base units and really didn't have any clue as to what the improved enemies did in the gameplay. They all felt a bit too weak to be special.
Kinda the same thing with the HP bar, I assumed it was my player's HP since it dropped when the "deflector" enemy popped up, but then I didn't lose any when enemies passed? No clue about that.
The link 404s and the publisher's itch.io page is also empty. Is it set to draft?
Is there supposed to be a link somewhere? Can't see it anywhere. And how have people rated it without playing it.
Yet another bot post with no links and an AI generated mobile game title, a classic at this point.
Starting to get a feeling there are bots spamming the LD55 page with these empty games. This is probably the fifth one I've seen in the last hour of playing.
Can you even submit games after the deadline went? Surprisingly many empty games recently from accounts created after the event ended.
I'll give props for making your own engine without any formal training, because even getting something like that working with a relevant degree takes effort and dedication (tried it once, not worth it personally). A bit of a simple game but can't expect the world, especially by what you've told in the comments, but works fine in a jam.
Honestly, could've used an upgrade system, with an autoclicker getting through the entire game was fine but without it would've been too much. Maybe a bit simplistic on the level design but can't expect COD levels in game jams. Some levels had extra zombies which I know are just leftovers and it didn't change the game in any way.
The very first thing I noticed (and felt) was the very low FOV, even got a small headache in under a minute of gameplay. Just like the description says, you just walk around and collect stuff, not much else to say on that matter. Apparently there was an inventory by the looks of the comments, completely missed that. Was kinda weird that there is apparently no audio in the game but there absolutely is if you jump in the water and "drown"...
If I had a nickel for every Samuli that I know who does retro games on outdated hardware, I would have two, which isn't a lot but it is weird there are two of them. Couldn't really try the game out but at least there are some promo images to see the game in action.
Graphics and audio well done in a very bit-y style. First tower defense game of this jam, decent execution and could've played more if the game didn't throw an error: Variable
Gotta give props for not using a game engine, there maybe only a few of you guys but all of you clearly know what you are doing.
The gameplay could've used more time in the oven as this feels like maybe the first version of a mechanic like this. Instructions weren't hard to brute force out of the simple gameplay but a square of text would've helped. Graphics fit the style and atmosphere but can't rate that (props for at telling, quite a few have tried not to).
Honestly surprised there was a cap on the size, many simple games of this type have a bad habit of growing out of the camera. Simple harmless fun for a moment until the cars try to escape on the water and the camera is full.
Could've used a bit more depth and with that even more upgrades. The graphics were the best part, fitting nicely together as a package. Couldn't quite confirm it, but it felt like the magnet had the classic movement issue where moving diagonally is faster than in straight lines, but that isn't an issue, just funny.
Can't say I've seen anything quite like this in a game jam, don't know how much longer the game would've gone for but from the little session it seemed like there was quite a lot of content for a solo jam game. Maybe not the most innovative game ever made but personally I probably wouldn't have managed to make such a game in time.
Also, since you stated explicitly to have 3rd party assets, do remember to opt-out of relevant categories.
@ryusui The rules are very ambiguous, like does a font count as graphics? Who knows, so we can decide what counts and what doesn't, in the end it is probably more about intention and integrity.
Would've loved to get a stat panel or something to tell what each of the hats did. At the start of the game the enemies seemed to die quite easily but eventually they took quite long to go down. And I had no idea if you were supposed to collect more for yourself or try to get through the game as fast as possible. Some of the hats also felt a bit weird shooting in extremely inconvenient ways and being two shots away from a reset made it more frustrating.
Overall a good jam game but could've used a bit more polishing.
Got a lot of Nier-vibes from this one as a first impression. I probably missed something as the boss slamming itself kept one shotting without (what I think is) the health bar at the bottom ever moving an inch. Like others mentioned, the mouse was the biggest issue, nothing else technical to say.
Now counting two online games this jam, last time around didn't even get one so props for that. A simple game that really relies on the graphics and atmosphere, and those are done well. Maybe not my cup of tea, but can't deny the art is good.
The atmosphere was for sure the highlight of this one, but the gameplay rand it's course quite fast. The ghost "running away" but still moving towards you was quite a heart-stopper before knowing what it did.
A very interesting take on this type of a game and theme. Absolutely do not have the brains or the patience to play puzzle games for more than a few levels, but I can see that this is one of the more well made ones. The style of graphics was quite nice, then again, pico-8 has a bit of a tendency to create unique looking games.
Let's hope a link to Itch.io will appear here soon.
A simple bullet hell game, just like it says on the tin. Not really my cup of tee so not sure if I got to see everything but it was enjoyable as long as it played it. Graphics were absolutely the highlight of this one with very fitting animation style. Maybe could've used something to spice up the gameplay but it is absolutely fine as a jam game.
10/10 for LaCat. Looking at the credits I thought this was an entire studio but it was just mostly a lot of voice actors. Cute graphics and good voice acting but the gameplay was quite simple.
I was too uneducated to find the fifth piece, but I got the feeling there wouldn't be much beyond the door. Well done on the graphics and atmosphere. Kinda weird you can't look down and throw the item but the entire mechanic seemed a bit wonky beyond that.
Leaving a comment for ping just in-case the game gets uploaded.
Expected something very different before spoiling myself with the description and comments. Not really my cup of tea having to loop constantly to gain a bit of money, but UI and atmosphere were extremely well made. Was surprised when there was no chargeback penalty, like most other games have, but that was not a negative at all.
Have a bit of a bad habit of turning my brains of in all puzzle games if a the steps aren't clear quite early and unfortunately it happened here as well. I don't think the level 2 was supposed to even be hard but something just didn't click and lost interest. The overall style was quite pleasant and fitting which was a nice change of pace with mismatching elements around every corner. Well done overall.
The graphics, level design and gameplay are absolutely the highlight of this one. Personally I would've liked if the intro was either shorter or done during gameplay. I don't have much time per game so having to idle and listen as the dialogue goes on without any significance to the task / gameplay is excessive. The audio was quite loud, even with jam preparation for loud audio (cut windows audio by half), but it also could be because the audio is extremely jagged and not necessarily loud.
Also not quite sure what "Made from the beginning except" means? Were some textures or past assets used or what? Because the rules state: "**You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio). You can opt-out of a voting category when you submit your game.**"
Unfortunately the download link is a 404 and I would prefer not to go out of my way to compile others' games. Hopefully either one is fixed soon.
Interesting take on the gameplay side of this jam. The kick felt like a coin toss whether it wanted to kick everything or nothing, and sometimes had to walk back to get it working. Don't exactly know what the intention of the jumping was as once you "fall down" you can't even get back up anymore. Simple and clean execution, no major technical hiccups to speak of.
Would've been a perfect game for the ESA jam that was like a month ago. Pretty simple in terms of gameplay but figuring out what to actually do with the trash took a bit to figure out. The trash may have been a bit too durable for my space immersion as they could really be bumped around, but simulating that properly would be expecting too much from a jam game. Overall well done, maybe a bit more time in the oven for the gameplay to keep it interesting.
Probably could've used an upgrade system or something to spice up the gameplay as the clicking got tedious after a short while. The movement could've been a bit tighter as having the entire screen edges as the movement area adds even more mouse flicking. Simple graphics and atmosphere but they did their job, overall a fine jam game.
Surprisingly well done for a jam game, but guess having a team does come with that benefit. The general style is nicely done and liked the overall vibe. The gameplay may not exactly be quite high up on my personal list but it is a very fine game regardless.
The light felt a bit too weak to navigate the map, even for a dark game. I moved against many of the walls to navigate around. Somehow I managed to brute force the bells at the beginning by playing random notes, that was weirdly funny to me. Puzzle games are not really my cup of tea so I had to cut it short before I got to the end, but the atmosphere was extremely well done.
Not really my cup of tea as I can't plan my moves as much as these types of games need, but regardless this was a surprisingly simple compared to some games that I've tried in the past as jam games. Some levels felt extremely easy because of the multipliers that kept appearing one after another, while some dragged on quite hard with only the most basic ones. Overall a good jam game, could be expanded into something bigger if wanted.
A lot of time was clearly spent on the level, and it does seem nice, but the gameplay feels a bit thin. As unusual as it is to get a MP game for a jam (now counting 2 out of >1000), I don't know why this one specifically is one. The game seems to run just fine out of the box and no other players are needed.
Unique spin on a very often seen game type. Wasn't quite sure what I was doing until the second level, seemed to accidentally pass the first level somehow. I'm sure the non-compo version has more gameplay, but the compo version was quite barren in terms of gameplay. The movement didn't exactly match what I would've expected being kinda floaty and inaccurate, but it did keep that aspect at least that a bit more interesting.
Great job on the style, felt like the difficulty curve peaked very hard after the "tutorial" level having to skip turns and calculate patterns almost immediately. Didn't get quite far but that was just a skill-issue.
Not necessarily the most unique idea on this theme, but the execution of it absolutely is. For a jam game this is well done but with a big team you can usually get a lot done. Would've loved if this had been a web game instead of unreal engine, but can't have the world at my fingertips.
If I had a nickle for every person who made games in a language they invented, I would have two, which isn't a lot but it is weird it has happened twice. Me not knowing how to actually play is a major skill-issue but won't rate based on that fact. A simple but sweet game, nothing major to complain about.
Well this was an interesting take on the theme. Quite a few of these in the same graphical style, but this is the first in gameplay. For a jam game, very well done in the graphics and atmosphere departments. UI may have been a bit cluttered but that didn't take anything away from the experience.
Took a bit to figure out the warping was the main mechanic of the game, but by the time I managed to figure it out I was out of oxygen and the game started to crumble. First I lost vertical mouse controls, then WASD and eventually the entire game froze but audio was still playing. An interesting take on the theme and and there was a lot of good, but I kinda soured the experience for myself.
Also for some reason the game launched in the background and had to be maximized from the taskbar for it show, which cause the buttons or the mouse cursor to not be where it showed, weird.
I was a bit unsure why I died in the middle of my first run, but apparently there is supposed to be oxygen meter but it isn't visible in the web version, same for the inventory. I don't personally play a lot of these types of games but I did get through this one. The visibility was a bit too limited for my liking but that isn't my decision. Overall a well made jam game.
The atmosphere was quite well done. The gameplay was a bit thin but can't expect the world from game jams. The space bar progress probably could've looped around as it seemed like the furthest throw couldn't catch anything and the bar filled up so fast it had to be tapped and immediately released.
Honestly expected something much more slower but was positively surprised it stayed around as long as there was content for. Simple and to the point. It took a few runs to figure out why I wasn't getting any money, but I guess I just got very lucky to never pick up anything poisonous at the start. A well made jam game.
Could've used a tutorial or instructions in-game, but the game was simple enough to be figured out by brute force. Graphics were nicely done, but the font looked a bit weird as it probably wasn't meant to be this small.
Sweet and simple. No issues on the technical side which seems to be a general trend. For such a rapid-fire game I would've expected more gimmicks and gameplay tricks, maybe even a difficulty tweak. Nothing wrong with it being what it is currently but more is better when there is content for only 60-120 seconds. Overall a very fine game.
Don't know if this was a me problem but my camera kept teleporting around which made the experience very bad. The dimension shifting is a very unique take on the fast-food genre of games that have been around for some time. The "press" on movable items should probably be "hold", and the order screen's material or overlay clips through other surfaces. Not much else was wrong but wasn't necessarily my cup of tea.
What an interesting out-there game. Can't say I've come across quite anything like this before. The controls were a bit odd first but brute forcing solved that issue quite fast. The art style may just be a filter (can't confirm) but it does look unique. The other player simulation mechanic was quite a nice addition, would've been just a void without the others (and their struggles).
Started off very strong with the pulse vision, but couldn't get past the moving platforms. I'm absolutely sure I was doing something wrong as I couldn't interact with any of the highlighted objects. Tried spamming every single key but nothing seemed to work. Shame it ended being so short for me because no keybinds were given.
I'm sure the is a complete game somewhere in that itchio page, but I just can not figure it out. The drone buzzes around for a bit then swaps to another location and loops without any indication what it is doing or what I am supposed to do. Also there is no audio and the cutscene doesn't take up the full window.
Pretty simple gameplay that really relies on the levels to be interesting, but there was at least some variety in the level design (unlike quite a few games this jam). The mantling mechanic felt a bit out of place, feeling a bit too heavy for a game like this but mostly everything else was fine. Nice style and overall feel in the levels and mechanics were simple enough to understand without much guidance.
A simple mining game, a few of these have been running around this jam but this specific execution is the most complete / comprehensive package. The art and atmosphere are well put together and the gameplay has enough gimmicks to stay interesting. Overall, well done.
Just for future reference, from the rules: "You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio). You can opt-out of a voting category when you submit your game."
The controls and flow of the process were honestly the biggest hindrance. The style and idea are there the rest kinda fall short. Not sure but it seems like the dialogue box is completely broken with flashing text, multiple lines, and random symbols mixed in with the normal text.
Itchio is a 404 btw.
The atmosphere in combination with the graphics and music made it an interesting experience. The balance between time day length and how much you could collect didn't seem to scale quite as much I would've hoped. In the start it was quite slow and days were as short as the would be, so obviously not as many were collected, and the prices seemed to increased quite fast. Props having a next day button to skip the upgrade screen entirely.
Kinda sus to get just an .exe and nothing else, but at least it didn't throw any warnings about trojans. Short and simple, maybe could've used some gimmick to spice up the gameplay a little. Unlike in many other games of this type, the enemies could actually catch up. Surprisingly many just leave them too slow.
@b0guslaw About the .exe, what I meant was that most other games provide a folder where the executable exists with other stuff. Yes, it is possible to provide only the .exe but it just looks weird when there are no other folders / files. And on the speed, I meant that as a positive for this game, other games don't usually have that. Probably just came out wrong, but that happens.
Prime Finland slander, but the only thing we would buy is more beer or lonkero and spend the next month's welfare on the tickets. Honestly expected more grinding but it was over quite fast **after** discovering there are upgrades, whoops. Not sure but I didn't find a way to close the tutorial panel when starting the game which was a bit weird. Cool graphic style and random trash pandas everywhere.
What a nice twist on the retro RPG combat. Didn't quite get to the end by the screenshot's on the page but I think I got the gist of the game. Didn't get to test if the potions could be applied twice because I wanted to throw a shield and a damage, but apparently that would just target the chosen target and you can't apply buffs to enemies (could've been interesting to see that). Simple graphics but there was quite a big lack of atmosphere.
Could've used a bit more polish. The examination process was quite detailed but the way to get to the conclusion was quite a hurdle with the icons being quite small and at a weird angle, and the signatures being quite odd (never figures out which ones were correct). The tools was a nice addition, as most other games would've just done without any of those.
I must've been the worst collector because everyone liked me but the bank ran dry and in to the negative very fast. Weird how that doesn't have a fail condition, where is the money coming from. Also the background music doesn't loop, just ends after the first time.
Guess the Halloween being so close on the calendar made a lot of developers think of summonings and witching stuff. There's been so many I've lost count at this point. Its a shame Unreal Engine is just so unsuited for jams because these small games get lost in the totally unnecessary bloom, gloss and whatever post-processing is done by default. The game was about what I expected from the promo material but doesn't mean it was bad, just expected.
Well it was quite random, just like the description said. Interesting take on the theme. Quite short but that is quite understandable with the art being of high quality, but the gameplay really took a hit because of it. Not really sure what could've been added to spice it up being mainly a talking game (not really my cup of tea).
The only thing I would've liked was a spell UI that showed all of them and currently selected one, I only used the starting spell the entire time. Gameplay absolutely carried this one with good atmosphere to boot. Could be expanded into something bigger with items, level and enemies pretty easily.
First slow burn game of this jam, as much I would've wanted to collect everything trying to get through all of the games really doesn't leave enough time to properly test everything. Atmosphere was nice but the gameplay was quite thin. The first collectibles didn't seem to give much but I sure hope they get a bit more valuable after a while.
Oh boy that was a game and a half, accidentally played for like 45 minutes to min max my sheep and cow empire. Graphics and audio were nice (besides the **VERY** loud background song), audio sliders would've been nice. Couldn't figure out what the wood was supposed to be used for as I went there exactly once before realizing the animals are much easier. More player abilities would've been nice, but for a game jam game it was already quite a lot of things to do, well done.
Honestly expected much worse, but it was about as long there was content for. The upgrades were maybe a bit too easy to get, but don't know if that is even a problem to be honest. Points for having a right-click, not groundbreaking but haven't seen that before.
Nice graphics, audio and atmosphere all in all. The leaves had a bit of a bad tendency to get stuck in corners, but that has been the case in most other leaf-blowing games. Short and simple, no technical hiccups that I could find. A very fine jam game.
I've probably played a bit too many match the type games and they kinda seem to meld together. The art style and idea stood out enough to differentiate itself but under the hood it is mostly similar. Well done on sticking out in some way.
What a nice weird game. Managed to complete everything on the first go except the gun because I couldn't pick up the rod. Points for great audio design.
First impressions were mixed, but once I got into the tutorial I had some hope. Then the first level loaded and it turned into a generic point and click magic shooter. The audio was very loud and had to lower my windows audio to 1 to play. Not sure what the bar was supposed to represent as you could spam the magic before the counter was full. This game, alongside at least 10 others, have this weird spinning thing that happens the moment the game starts (Still choose the believe it is a rigidbody that has unconstrained rotation).
Just for future reference, from the rules: "**You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio). You can opt-out of a voting category when you submit your game.**" but then you did opt-out of graphics but not audio?
Seemed to get kinda far by not knowing how to even play. The collection screen seemed to be the biggest issue for me having no feedback at all to what was happening or what was supposed to happen. When the next round started I only had the starting units from the start. I'm sure all of the mechanics have a reason to exist but the first 5 rounds seemed to go by without any input on the battle. The character art was done in an interesting style, but the rest seemed to be placeholders so not much to say on those.
Haven't played one these styled games in a long time, nice little throwback. Gameplay was a bit simple but that is to be expected when you do everything solo. Didn't unfortunately get to see the end as I died and couldn't restart because the button for it didn't work (or return to menu, don't know which one). Overall a simple jam game, a few technical hiccups but it is what it is.
The only technical thing that stood out was X being the interact key, quite a weird choice. Besides that I actually kinda enjoyed the enemies not killing you instantly and teleporting back to start (what most jam games would do) but instead the ingredients spilled everywhere. Not much else say that hasn't already been said, good style, goofy animations and harmless fun.
Got a bit of a headache from this one, but that is just a skill-issue. The vibes were strong in this one, from the audio to shoving yourself through a wall, just so much random aspects to go around. Would love to see if the level is actually just a long looped hallway with every single combination or just what the gameplay requires (didn't get to the end because of the skill-issue). Gameplay is a bit thin but the gameplay gimmicks were enough to hide it.
A short but sweet jam game, never really used the mouse as there was just too much going on but don't think it really made my experience any different regardless of it. It was kinda funny when your entire backpack got emptied in-front of you and you couldn't do anything but stumble on your ex-items that piled up.
Not quite sure what happened as the players just stopped playing by the first minute, expected it to go for as long as there were lives left. A very interesting take on the theme, can't say I've come across another like this one. The graphics and the style of them were absolute standout and a lot of time was clearly put into them.
Seen quite a few card games around this jam but this one absolutely holds the spot in terms of graphics and style. Gameplay may not be the most unique and isn't also the most thinnest in what can actually be played. For a jam game, very well done.
Seemed like my favorite bug was the bomb, but regardless of that the atmosphere was great with the graphics and audio. The random spawning of new ones felt a bit stagnant by the half point having to just wait around while the pesky bombs kept taking my lives by running under the next, but overall a nice game.
A fun short game, no idea what the story was about but at least there was one. Since you explicitly noted 3rd party assets, I'll just copy-paste from the rules: "You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio)"
A nice and simple collecting game. There were some things that I took note of: Selecting a new flower didn't seem to be plantable until interacting with a butterfly (something to do with focusing on wrong layer?), music cuts very hard when entering the book (to be expected when just hard starting a song but very noticeable), and the game seemed to just throw money at me which meant all of the flowers were basically free to unlock at the very start (making the money system pointless). Nothing major but could've used a bit more time in the oven.
As much as I would like to give a fair playthrough, I think the gameplay would run dry quite fast. The art is fitting and consistent, audio fit, and no technical issues. A jam game of all times.
Shame I got stuck in a sideways soul before I could get to the end. The atmosphere is well done but some sort of a background music could've elevated it even further. The letters had a bit of a bad tendency to spawn at the very edges of the screen which felt a bit annoying. Overall a fine jam experience.
Nice throwback game to the flash era. The turning felt like an actual garbage truck, don't know if that is a positive or a negative. Dead-end streets felt like an actual trap with the turning radius, but can't expect everything to be perfect. I couldn't really figure out when the "quota" was filled for an upgrade as I only managed to get one before the dead-end road got me. Overall a good jam game, well done.
Currently in the top 3 of this game jam (at least personally). Everything was clearly made with a plan and so every piece fits together from audio to gameplay. Didn't get to see how restarting is handled, coming down to the last ball in the final level. The black hole marble seems to be either the biggest W or troll depending on where it wants to go. For me it got stuck in a corner but a bomb managed to clutch it into the boss to win the whole thing. Very well done.
The collection mechanic was a bit confusing as it felt like the ray wouldn't capture anything and the ship had to be rammed into the planet for the objects to register. Besides that I was surprised that there were moving asteroid belts, gravity and other small features jam games of this calibre wouldn't have. Atmosphere was quite well done but probably could've used some background music to fill the void.
Couldn't get the itch.io build to load on any of my browsers, weird.
Just for future reference, from the rules: "You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio). You can opt-out of a voting category when you submit your game."
About everything I had to say about this game has clearly been said by everyone else, so won't go into the details. First impression was quite bad as I thought it was just a collect and deposit game, but then I was teleported around to the next location. Got quickly overwhelmed and couldn't really progress, but then again, missed a core mechanic.
The atmosphere was for sure the strong one in this one. The gameplay is not the most unique one but for a jam game it was fine. Some of the enemies seemed to get stuck in corners of the level, and in the final level I couldn't figure out what the "gimmick" of the new enemy was.
The art was the highlight of this one. Have come across a few of these inspect and decline games but this one is not quite at the top unfortunately. The gameplay is quite thin without many gimmicks to keep it interesting, and the lack of transitions, sound effects or interesting camera work really hurts it. The first item I got I could clearly see an error on the handle, but clicking at the part that connects it to the body isn't counted as a valid "error spot" which obviously spends the amount of points you can click on. Didn't play much but guessing the exact same thing plagues the rest of the game as well.
Overall a short little retro throwback. The trash felt a bit weird as you basically have to be always ahead of the truck to be able to pick up the item due to the level moving, and the audio for the trashcans felt delayed. Probably could've used more "enemies" and maybe the truck could swerve onto oncoming side for some extra challenge. The dogs were really the only trouble as you could hang around only on the right side just fine.
Also audio was quite loud.
Leaving a comment just in case the build is ever uploaded.
For those that may not be able to launch this version: https://tinyurl.com/Itchio-Link
@kristinamay This was supposed to be my venting game about the entire field after 3 years of working in it, but time was not on my side, so most of the actual content will be in some future update or an entirely different game. Good to hear at least someone figured out the vending machine xD
The story/idea behind this game is the highlight with atmosphere and BG graphics being well made. The levels could've used a bit more time in the oven, but the gameplay drags behind as it is quite simplistic without much to speak of in terms of gimmicks, upgrades etc. outside of unlocking basic elements that exist in every game.
Honestly a perfect timing on getting to the end, I was just about to ask "Is this an infinite loop" and arrived at the counter. The graphical style is so weird and I honestly have no clue what was done to achieve it, but it does fit. Don't exactly know what the characters were supposed to do in terms of difficulty but I always gave them a high five on the forehead whenever I was them.
Didn't get through the whole game (trying to rate most games doesn't leave a lot of time per game) but from the first few levels I did, the atmosphere was the hallmark feature. The gameplay personally felt a bit tedious by the end, has a bit of the Baldurs Gate 3 syndrome where moves take just a bit too long and lack of sound controls was also a thing I noted instantly. The camera felt a bit unnatural but not unusable.
As a base for an expansion this could work.
The moment the game froze for a solid 5 seconds and random collision sounds started playing, I knew what I was in for. And was it glorious. The only thing I would've liked to be a bit improved was the collision / movement interaction. It seemed like the smaller props kept breaking the movement, where sometimes it felt like I was floating and the controls were reversed. Overall, exactly what I expected from the thumbnail, well done.
Couldn't even get a itchio link with some digging around in the profile, this one is really buried in some deep place.
A fine jam game overall. The graphics were well done and the atmosphere was what is was supposed to be. Shame the general unreal engine experience is glossy materials and bad fps, but that isn't on the developers necessarily. A few times I found kids that were running around outside of the map so they couldn't be killed (sounds quite bad :laughing:). Besides that I couldn't find anything else technical.
I absolutely do not have the brains for these types of games, but even with my dumb luck I managed to get to round 8. This is a good base for a full game if it were to be turned in to one. The order of the coins was a bit confusing but not a deal breaker. Props for the graphics and atmosphere.
Very well done on the visual and atmosphere side. I'm not sure if I liked or hated the fact that single ingredient foods were included, but it did lower the playtime, so it didn't overstay its welcome. By the end I couldn't figure out the bottom left two but don't think there was more game after that anyways.
Oh my, there is so much style in this one. Noticed a few things when playing: 1. The hanged man is in the book twice, replacing hierophant 2. Hermit = Hemit 3. The answer texts really do not seem to describe what it says in the book (Mass effect dialogue syndrome).
The most fun I had with this one was spamming the dash into the obstacles to play some piece of audio that is always cut off (probably playing in the character which is destroyed and reset). I had no clue what the intro image was supposed to represent and it felt like I accidentally stumbled into the game. The controls were tight and respawning was fast to counteract the level difficulty. I was going to write that you could get stuck on the platforms' sides but that turned out to be a mechanic in the later levels.
Congrats on the first jam release. This one had a bit of balancing and input issues but besides that it was mostly fine. The graphics were the highlight of this one and a bit a shame there was no audio. With the current difficulty it would've been nice if the skulls either stayed in your inventory or in the altar, but can't have everything I want.
Not exactly my cup of tea as most of it felt a bit too brute forcing a solution. Graphics and atmosphere are well made but the gameplay wasn't necessarily as well made.
The art was for sure the best part of this one, shame there didn't seem to be enough time to fully create the gameplay loop according to past comments. Would've loved to see where this one would've gone if time wasn't so limited.
Not quite sure if I did everything or not, but I did enjoy the brief style and atmosphere. Audio slider may have been a nice addition if it were longer but for this it was fine.
The audio layering was very well made, probably the best in terms of BG-music this jam that I've come across. The collecting seemed a bit too light as I probably killed more than saved as they kept flying off the back. Graphics were all very well made all the way from the level to the UI. Didn't even know there was a drift until finishing playing, didn't seem to make that much of a different in gameplay, but nice to have regardless.
Started of quite strong with the key collecting and wireframe visuals, but the sand puzzle was a weird one that took a bit to figure out. The start was quite strong so the rest was bound to fall a bit shorter, as you can't expect the world from jam games. Didn't quite figure out the tree part as it felt more natural to try climb higher than to just wait for it to be at a pre-determined part because the hitbox felt like it was the entire width of the starting side.
Overall a fine jam experience, could've been a bit longer. Well done on the graphical style.
Well done on the graphics and atmosphere side, don't know if there would've been much more that could've been added in terms of gameplay but it did feel a bit dry after a while. The upgrades are almost always a good idea in a game like this, so props for that.
Interesting spin on the explore and progress style of game. Had some problems at the start with the pick-up being press F not hold F which instantly dropped the fly but didn't stop it from firing, which was a bit odd. Also noticed that when the level restarts (at least I think it is that) the background music instance isn't destroyed and another one is spawned, so eventually you'll have a bunch of overlapping songs. Even with those faults, there wasn't much wrong, so well done.
Didn't expect spelunky 2 sprites in a game jam and I'll give props for disabling voting on graphics, quite a few have tried to skip that part. Short and simple, maybe could've used some directions as it felt a bit like interacting with everything until something happens. By the end it was clear what was expected but first impressions matter.
Didn't quite get to the end but I after a few upgrades it probably wouldn't get much more intense. The art and vibe were the strongest part of this game while the gameplay or progression probably could've used more time in the oven. The obstacle colliders were extremely precise, often hitting outside of the image frame, and even the fruits could spawn under / over the obstacles. Overall a fine jam game.
The visuals are without a doubt the highlight of this game. I don't know if intentional or not but the character seemed to rotate around after bumping into some object, this can be stopped in Unity by freezing the rotation on the rigidbody (if it is being used and if not, then no clue why it would even be happening). A bit short, but can be expanded easily.
A lot of time was spent on the art and it shows. The gameplay may have been a bit simplistic but that is to be expected from jam games. Probably the most unique take on the theme in terms of story and world.
The initial impressions were extremely good, but by the mid-late game the mass kinda felt weightless as the camera kept zooming in and out, and every other object also kept changing in size so there was a weird sense of never really growing while everyone else felt bigger. The abilities being in a list on the side made it kinda difficult to interact with in the chaos and probably would've been better as an ability bar with the keybinds somewhere on screen. An audio slider would've been nice as well. Overall a good short asteroid busting game.
Instructions would've been nice, but figured it out eventually. But what I never figured out was what the meat was for. The tower bar just filled up but nothing seemed to change once it was empty. Simple clean graphics and a short little experience without hindrances, well done overall.
The very first thing I noticed was the character rotation on its own. This feels like a classic Unity rigidbody unconstrained rotation issue. Not much to say on the graphics anymore without parroting everyone else. Some of the interactable items had inconstant language, the very first door being the most obvious.
The mouse was a bit too sensitive but enjoyed this overall. No clue what the grunting noise was about, seemed like it pushed them more than that cat did. Unfortunately for the cat it can be pushed out of the map through the floor, but it did seem to make sounds which probably only meant the visual part got outside.
Literally everything I had to say about this one was said by the person above me. Needs a bit of hand holding at the start because the mechanics are quite unique. I, by pure luck, even managed to get through two levels by just spamming random buttons because I had no clue what to do.
Shame the mouse is so laggy the experience is disrupted. It wasn't particularly hard to get through, but at first the instructions really didn't come through and had to spend a few moments on head scratching at what I was meant to do. Atmosphere and art were absolutely a highlight while gameplay may have been a bit thin.
If you can steal a man's toilet in a thieving game, you know you have a good game at your hands. Getting some of the items out seemed like an impossibility but that is probably the point. Interesting execution for this type of a game.
The gameplay is a bit too basic personally. The first level has holes where you can fall through, most prominent being at the end. The trigger to transition probably doesn't appear if everyone isn't collected. Same exact thing happened on the second level (which I couldn't even get to by third try) and I just fall through the level. There seemed to be more content but a shame that I couldn't really get access to it.
Not quite sure if I even completed the game, just kinda interacted with with I think is the door when I entered the bell part without all of the items collected and got thrown back to the main menu. Art is very well done and even showed how it was being done, props for that. Honestly I have seen paid games with even less content than this game, just expand, build a community and send it.
Wasn't quite sure what my goal was but after all of the enemies died I just kept collecting and eventually won. If the collectibles had a spawner, why not the enemies as well? Not quite sure where all of the work went with such a large team but it was fun as long as it lasted.
Most of the time must've been spent on the art, but it all fits and is well made. Unfortunately the gameplay is a bit on the shorter side but with systems already in-place it could be expanded into something larger or entirely different. If this was first/second game jam, congrats on making a playable game. Not many even get that far.
Just for future reference, from the rules "You’re free to use 3rd party Artwork/Music/Audio assets, or assets you previously created, but we ask that you OPT-OUT of the respected voting categories (Graphics, Audio). You can opt-out of a voting category when you submit your game."
First impressions were quite high as I expected a simulation in combination with being able to craft your unique paper plane with the tools that are visible in the screenshots. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. The gameplay was very simplistic, but the atmosphere and graphics were nice.
Clearly a lot of time went into the graphics and atmosphere but I think the gameplay could've used a bit more time in the oven. Even after figuring out each damage type only works on specific enemies by brute forcing it, the lack of any other feedback like sound of particles etc. made it feel a bit lacking.
For a first jam this is quite impressive. Not many can even get a proper build working in that amount of time. The graphics and atmosphere are without a doubt the highlight of this game. Well done overall.
Graphics are clearly the highlight of this one, strongly followed by the atmosphere and audio. Shame the final level didn't have an ending, felt kinda weird to just bump into a collider and that's it. While punching you could spam movement keys and the hit could hit a single target twice.
The last level got surprisingly difficult compared to the two first ones which were basically a free win. Clearly having multiple artists makes a good looking game, rip me and my default assets. For a first game this is an accomplishment, well done.
Could've used some variety in enemies or movement as the gameplay was pretty simple, but that is to be expected from jam games (especially without much experience). The enemies seemed to really dislike strafing as their forward velocity seemed to carry them very far. Some sound would've been nice but at least there was BG sound to fill the void. The free hand drawn (?) UI elements were a nice touch, haven't seen too many of those this jam.
Leaving a comment in case the file is uploaded.
Controls were a bit unconventional but figured them out eventually. Thank you for a checkpoint system because the movement isn't exactly the fastest. The atmosphere was without a doubt the strongest suit of this one, but the gameplay was a bit thin but something has to give in a solo project.
Not much to say on the gameplay, very simple and to the point. Graphics and audio fit the game nicely, and the only thing that I noted was the fact there was no highlight on the selected bee. Drew quite a few weird paths because sometimes the selecting just didn't work.
What an interesting take on the theme. At around 5 minutes I was starting think that I would run out of food soon near by and the game probably could've used an upgrade system. And that is when I found the upgrade menu and realized why the wood was needed alongside iron (which is not a food). Mother was quite hungry even after feeding her, maybe a short countdown after feeding would've sufficed for that. Job well done.
Congrats on the first game, since you asked for criticizing I will provide. To me this felt like a precise platformer but the bounds for the character felt weird in combination with extremely short flat areas in certain parts. The camera was too zoomed in for most of the level as there were quite a few drops that required almost blindly jumping in, same goes for ascending. The text in certain area felt a bit weird but then (at least I did) you have go back to deliver the single food back, it was just a bit of a weird combination.
For a first go, not bad at all. Have seen many worse games, and some of them didn't even launch.
Like others have mentioned, I also couldn't really understand how the matching worked and just spammed closest looking ones and (I think) I won? Not quite sure since the game didn't seem to tell what happened and moved to the next case. Art and atmosphere are top notch but could use some updating. Also audio was quite loud.
Just for future reference, Unreal engine games are not exactly well looked upon in game jams with the download sizes and ridiculous system requirements.
I got the hang of the game quite fast but never figured out how to get back to the bunker. The map seemed quite big and with the resources seemingly dropping from zombies don't know if the size mattered in any way. Never really got to see the colony sim in action as the moment I started the game I just left outside and never got back, but I am sure there is a working simulation somewhere in there.
Graphics were about what I would've expected from unreal engine, a lot of gloss and filters, but so do most other games. The controls were a bit funky but not unusable. Simple and to the point.
Some direction would've been nice, couldn't figure out what the items did (besides a random sound or dice leaving or appearing), and no clue how much health there was as some runs felt much longer than others. Also the cauldron sfx was WAY too loud, but every other was just fine, weird.
The disconnect between the MC art and rest of the art is kinda funny depending on if intentional or not. The exploration could've used some background music or SFXs, but then getting a ear-full of loud SFXs when the beatings happens is also weird. The levels are well made and have some gameplay functionality, overall well done.
The disconnect between the MC art and rest of the art is kinda funny depending on if intentional or not. The exploration could've used some background music or SFXs, but then getting a ear-full of loud SFXs when the beatings happens is also weird. The levels are well made and have some gameplay functionality, overall well done.
The disconnect between the MC art and rest of the art is kinda funny depending on if intentional or not. The exploration could've used some background music or SFXs, but then getting a ear-full of loud SFXs when the beatings happens is also weird. The levels are well made and have some gameplay functionality, overall well done.
Considering how short the story was from start to end, I don't why the button to skip skips the **entire** thing when it could've just skipped to the next panel. Sneaky lil pose at the end for those that did watch the whole thing :thumbsup:. Not much to say on the gameplay, a bit simplistic but nothing negative to say about it.
Interesting idea to shove the game into a windows window. Had some issues with the bridge colliders blocking entry, exit and jumping but didn't block any progress. Didn't even notice there was a third sound to be collected at the end and couldn't collect the key (looked it up on the video above after the fact). Surprisingly the second game where you collect sounds. Overall a simple jam game with no major issues, well done.
My my, whoever made the first level clearly went out of their way to make a an absolute banger. That map with enemies and even more areas could've been a standalone game. Unfortunately for the rest of the game I had absolutely no clue what was going on with the story and the bedroom scenes. Well done on the atmosphere.
Props to the artist for creating this many pieces with consistent quality. Gameplay was a bit on the thinner side but it was certainly unique, can't say I've seen two of the same teeth collecting games.
Despite the shortness, there is a lot of room for future development. Dialogue and item systems do take their own time to develop and if they are modular enough this could be used. The only thing I really couldn't get into was the weird button for almost every item. Good work though.
Not much to say on the game, it was simple and to the point. Good to see that I wasn't the only one to think of sanitation workers when the theme was announced.
Maybe a bit too easy to get the funds for the key, but props for having upgrades. Couldn't figure out what the relation between the bottle spawning was, because on the first go every bottle was big but every run after that only the small ones spawned. On the web version the game would crash when the freezing animation would play, but then again, there was a warning that the .exe is superior.
Graphically impressive short experience. Audio was a bit loud but well designed to fit the game. There must be something wrong with the tools as they seem to only work when they want. On the first time nothing worked on the door and had to restart. After completing the game the menu didn't seem to work and felt more like a crash than complete, but that is usually what happens in jam games.
The web version doesn't work unless you upload it to itchio or someplace else, and the other version doesn't have an executable.
The atmosphere, graphics, and audio were very well done, only played the tutorial as these types of games really aren't for me. Regardless a well done jam game.
Overall very well done, really liked the space atmosphere with the retro SFXs. Wasn't quite sure what to do about the lasers but everything else was well thought out in my opinion.
Nice short atmosphere romp around space, audio was a bit on the louder side but that is just personal preference.
Nice to see other monkey enthusiasts around here. All of the basics mechanical features felt great but some of the minigames probably could've been a bit bigger as the hitboxes felt quite small. Overall a nice jam game.
@excitemike @skeyven @rizbleu @kseniya @coda-highland
Thank you so much for trying the game regardless of how broken it was, couldn't figure out why this version didn't work for some as it worked on both of my test runs. Now there is an itch.io link (should've been from the get go but somehow forgot) that hopefully works for everyone.
@fupi The game was intentionally left a tad unfinished but there should been some sort of audio or visual to indicate there is a "call" going on the line besides the color. Once the call is finished the light changes and some sort of audio probably would play, and that is when you can disconnect the call by clicking it.
Thank you for playing regardless :)
@fupi In the future xd, had to leave 12 hours before the deadline to help a friend with something else so none of them made it in.
@thoastbot There are so many ideas I wanted to do with the board and the world around it but just didn't have enough time for anything but the base mechanic. All of them are in the code just waiting to be activated, and honestly with how incomplete this is, might as well pick it up again in the next jam.
Quite a flashbang to get fired in the first few seconds of a game, too real xd. Didn't have any issues figuring out what was needed to play but it felt weird that the level is the second part of the process instead of the first. After blindly guessing what the level would be the loop became clear but I would've preferred some sort of a different loop.
A short cutesy mini-game game. Could use a bit of variety and the movement speed felt a bit slow. Graphics were well done for a short game like this, but felt like shadows and lighting could've added a lot to the atmosphere.
The doohickey corp appears to be doing well with their latest invention. Had some weird physics interactions as the character seemed to warp around, the buttons sometimes didn't trigger and the entire craft felt like it wanted to not exist and just explode. Very unique, without a doubt, and all of the issues just felt like they belonged to the game. Job well done.
Very well done graphics on the robot. The scanned area imo could've been a bit larger and the boxes(?) had some weird physics to them as some of them felt like air and others felt like they were constantly stuck on something. Didn't get all the way to the end but well done regardless.
Well done on the atmosphere and graphics. The only real complaint I have is that the automatically activating spells should really stay in the hotbar and they should instead just have some indicator they are active. Shop could be easily expanded in the future if development was to continue. Overall a good jam game.
Interesting take on the theme and the classic platformer genre. A bit on the simpler side in the gameplay department but there is enough in the story and environment to get through the game. Personally I would've kept the "collectibles" after resetting and then hidden a bunch out in some weird place just to see who got them. Overall a nice jam game.