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aCactus

Games

YearLDThemeGameDivisionRankOvFuInThGrHuMo
201944Your life is currencyEarn Your Lifejam9812.932.602.983.622.263.113.09

Performance over time

overall score (left axis) percentile (right axis)

Scatterplots

Fun vs Overall

Innovation vs Overall

Theme vs Overall

Graphics vs Overall

Humor vs Overall

Mood vs Overall

Comments by aCactus

LD44 — Your life is currency

Is it a drag? by harark 2019-05-04T19:50:55Z

I like that you can choose to let life take you where it wants to go.

Daybreak Inn by Joror 2019-05-05T20:44:01Z

tavern questgiving games are fun, and I like the twist on that formula you used to incorporate the theme.

A Deal on the Moon by FisherGoodwin 2019-05-03T23:56:13Z

Very flavorful. I feel bad for all the moon frogs I killed. Kind of wish it had been longer, but it's understandable given the time constraints, and what you have really works well.

Last Hope by pndaa 2019-05-07T01:12:07Z

Love the UI and art. It was a nice bit of detail that the houses got crushed slowly if i tried to commit property damage.

Unpredictable dungeon by Pete 2019-04-29T22:26:20Z

The melee cube enemies are very fast and incredibly difficult to deal with, and it's hard to tell where the doorways are. The guns feel unwieldy too- the lasergun can burn through its magazine in less than 5 seconds, and a missed shot with the sniper rifle makes it hard to handle the deathcubes attacking your kneecaps.

It's a great concept for a game though. the random floor layouts work well (although sometimes the exit portal is only one room away from the start), and the pillar enemies are very fun to fight. getting to the end of a dungeon floor feels good.

BULLDOZERS! FROM OUTER SPACE by auxC 2019-05-05T20:26:47Z

Took a while to figure out how to play, but it was fun. simple mechanics that allow for complex gameplay.

Life in the Fast Vein by Dorblin7z7 2019-05-04T19:39:07Z

WOAH..... BURNOUT.

THis game is quirky and i like it. blood fuel was a clever mechanic.

Earth External Station 4 by frozenfire92 2019-05-01T00:29:07Z

Wonderful little text game.

Love how everyone seems sleep deprived when you talk to them.

I can't seem to figure out what a lot of the game is? I encountered the Akkari and their friend, but beyond that I can't figure out if there's much more to do.

Hajime no Botto by nihilaleph 2019-05-04T01:48:58Z

short, yet complicated. and yet entertaining still. Sometimes the opposing robot acted faster than i could react, which is not something i expected in a button clicking game, and i thought that was pretty interesting.

Heartaker by lukbebalduke 2019-05-06T20:04:53Z

This was a very well designed game. much smoother than most LD games I've run into. great job on the graphics!

Space Rescue by LogFlames 2019-05-02T04:23:16Z

I love the mechanics. placing traps and guns everywhere was fun. love the soul icon.

It was very difficult to place traps without them immedately catching me, though, and i kind of wish i could rotate the camera when the gun is not selected.

Life is Money, Captain! by Luis J. Benitez 2019-05-07T00:07:52Z

the ship textures are low poly, but consistently themed, and feel like 3d galaga. nice work on them.

Nein Lifes by Quivscor 2019-05-01T00:13:28Z

Its very cool how you changed the sprite with the body parts you lose. Cant seem to get past giant spike pit on 2nd level.

Mutual Exchange by ViNMH 2019-05-04T02:26:36Z

An interesting mechanic, although it took a while to figure out some of the early levels. The frames for exchanging life force were a good touch.

DEADline by SecretPocketCat 2019-05-06T23:04:57Z

Interesting game. inclusion of a leaderboard was a nice touch. it's a bit difficult to type and move at the same time. maybe let the up arrow also act as a jump button, ala Smash Bros default controls?

(edit) Also, the option to skip leaderboard uploads. I LOVE that this has a leaderboard, but if my internet is slow, i have to wait for it to send in a new score.

Gaming for Life by J_C - One Bit Studio 2019-05-04T00:26:15Z

I can't seem to find the gamestop. :p

Also there are some spots where you can get in loops of being punched by bullies? They are escapable, but quite annoying.

Aside from those two things I LOVE THE MECHANICS. This game does a good job of trying to make me manage my resources. do i buy candy, or hope i can avoid bullies? do i go the long way and drop some money, or do i go through enemies who will steal it?

The Legend of the Peixaralho by ShadowKitsune 2019-05-05T03:56:12Z

I asked one of my siblings to play this with me. He won by disabling my ability to USE GUN.

The graphics were adorable, and I loved the fish floating around in the background. Sometimes the physics did weird things, like repeatedly launching me off a cliff, but it was pretty funny.

The fish powerups were interesting, although I couldn't figure out how to activate them? (my brother did, somehow.) Watching him fly across the stage while i am helpless and unable to shoot was terrifying.

Gacha by zchen 2019-05-05T04:28:04Z

i left the music on this running in the background. Really liked the art and the mechanics used for this. nice and relaxing.

Maeko's Memories by Carraka 2019-05-01T03:56:05Z

I've enjoyed this game so far. The artstyle combined with the music give it the odd combination of being both moody and colorful, and everything looks really beautiful.

I say "so far" because I can't seem to progress past this point, as choosing dialogue options will only reload the same set of options.Screenshot (845).png

this is on the downloadable windows version- i couldn't get the HTML version to load in my browser. if this is something y'all have already fixed, sorry for redundant report. :P

(Post edit): i like the game so far! It was mysterious trying to figure out who i am without memories, and it was nice having at least a little bit of identity left. Avi is a good bean and im sorry for forgetting them. I havent looked at all the lost memories yet, but the ones ive seen so far have filled in lots of holes in my backstory while still leaving enough mystery.

Maeko's Memories by Carraka 2019-05-01T14:09:07Z

@carraka thank you very much for the bugfix version! one thing i noticed is that I seem unable to repurchase my memories in the bugfix, although it was possible in the earlier version.

Citrine by SamsStuff 2019-05-04T20:51:02Z

I love RPGmaker games with surreal, overly casual dialogue.

Long live the king! by PixelSplash 2019-05-04T20:20:00Z

I dont feel comfortable rating this based on the features it didn't have on release, but I love the art. and it's really goofy to watch my soldiers crumple into flesh blobs after being attacked by other soldiers.

Battin' Bats by DigiGee 2019-05-04T01:09:40Z

I love the speedometer!

Didn't really see much need for the powerups, but it's a clever way to include the theme.

Teller Me More by hollowspecter 2019-05-05T03:26:14Z

I made the raccoon vomit cash onto the floor.Screenshot (848).png

This was a good use of my banking skills.

Loved some of the dialogue. Wish the main menu was a bit cleaner, but the UI for the rest of the game was beautiful.

Treasure Hunt! by Bartosz 2019-05-01T01:01:42Z

A bit tedious to nab the coins, but it looks beautiful, and it's satisfying to pick apart the world.

Placeholder_Game_1 by NeitherNathan 2019-05-01T01:07:44Z

The controls seem messed up for me. left clicking around launches me in a random direction, which is (maybe) tied to where im clicking but i can't figure it out. there is nothing that happens when i click the right mouse button. i lasted 7 seconds.

Placeholder_Game_1 by NeitherNathan 2019-05-01T01:22:12Z

@neithernathan understandable, good luck fixing it!

Life Death + Lemons by Random Thoughts 2019-05-04T02:44:32Z

interesting game, love the sfx. i will quench the thirst of angels. I wish it was possible to clear the slots i accidentally shoved the wrong items into.

Plant-iverse by coatline 2019-05-04T01:34:38Z

I like the descriptions of the plants, and i liked that the condition of the earth improved as you played.

Tanemaki by Wyatt 2019-05-05T16:04:02Z

feels like reverse katamari. I wish the seeds were easier to grab, and i wish it had been more clear when starting the game where the planting spots are.

GEMiNiD S484 by PopDaddyGames 2019-05-05T23:17:03Z

Hi, what are the controls? I can't seem to get past the start screen.

GEMiNiD S484 by PopDaddyGames 2019-05-05T23:53:03Z

@popdaddygames ahh, thanks. I'll try to dig up some controllers.

GEMiNiD S484 by PopDaddyGames 2019-05-06T00:32:24Z

While noone was available to play it with me, I did test it out a bit by running around alone. The graphics are very nice for a ld game, and I liked the level design.

Welcome To The Machine by smuhlaci 2019-05-04T00:02:08Z

it's difficult to figure out whats going on (at first). I accidentally killed a man because i didn't know how else to progress? which was alright i guess. and then i accidentally revolted because i wanted to explore. There's a lot of good stuff here, but it shows up when it's not expected.

The graphics are really intresting though! i liked seeing the little mysterious tents and bridges.

ShrekUnknown's BattleSwamps by scottyseus 2019-05-08T17:39:53Z

I wish there was a way to get more health, although SWAMP BUBBLE helped a lot.

Sweat Shop by dimlight 2019-05-01T22:13:56Z

Love the graphics, and the mechanics seem pretty creative.

Minor, non-gamebreaking glitch:Screenshot (846).png Stretching the block to cover your legs prevents you from moving, but you can just shrink it back down.

Also can't seem to get past the ATM tutorial puzzle. I'm too old, and it won't make me young again.

Don't burgle my BOX by MrBlue 2019-05-07T01:48:56Z

while the gameplay in it's current state is completely unbalanced and very unplayable, there's good potential for the mechanics once it IS cleaned up a bit. and the UI is lovely.

Wu-Wei by luckyDaisy 2019-05-06T15:45:55Z

Very fun platformer. Can't seem to beat the last level, though that's likely due to my own lack of skill.

Speaking of the last level, I glitched through the floor by walking over the first row of jump squares.

Arrow of Light by sylvie 2019-05-04T00:54:09Z

There's a lot to say about this game. I'm a big fan of the music, its the right mix of campy and unnerving and is really fitting for the game.

Also i can shoot fireballs. As in, i cannot launch them, but i can kill them with my arrows. thank you for letting me be stronger than the flames.

Bear of symph by Tolga 2019-05-01T01:23:41Z

you know this does have to do with the theme if you think about it hard enough.

for a game with absolutely no instruction beyond "press buttons youll figure it out", bear of symph does a great job of teaching you how to play without telling you. I enjoyed it a lot.

The audio does not seem to loop.

Parkour De La Death by Codesity 2019-05-05T04:01:11Z

I can't get past the first area. where is BUTTON to destroy TREE'S?

I like the graphics a lot.

Just a Dungeon by Link 2019-05-05T16:10:39Z

enemies deal a LOT of damage. you don't gain anything if they take a few hits out of you early game before you kill them.

Aside from that, I love the game. interesting mechanic design, good tiles, and vampire shopkeeper.

Rich Robots by OnePolygon 2019-05-05T16:36:13Z

would have been a lot easier if it had a crosshair, or something to help me aim. the robots are SMOL and had difficult hitboxes to hit.

Overall very fun, simple zombie game.

A life in Far-West by WhoMakeWorse 2019-05-06T19:24:55Z

I fear the archers. they are very strong and made the game interesting. never ran into difficulty with the spearthrowers, though.

Annabelle & Annabelle Otherworldly Meats by snowdozer 2019-05-05T22:11:38Z

sort of zoned out in the intro cutscene, but the game itself was really fun. It was difficult trying to actually grab the MEATS rather than shoot them again.

Keep Dem' Sick ! by VuvuzuellaInc 2019-05-07T00:20:23Z

It was really difficult to keep track of patients 2 and 3, and really easy to keep track of patient 1 somehow? nice commentary on corrupt medical practices. exceptionally good animation for a LD. and the music was short, but catchy.

Cyborg Highway by Pyrian 2019-05-04T01:40:31Z

I love the concept for this. Ironically, it's much easier than frogger, and that's a good thing- i appreciate it letting me hone in on cars when i jump to them.

Heart and Soul by devbat8712 2019-05-08T16:42:52Z

self care mechanic was an interesting and logical addition. I wish some of the art had been more consistent - the MSPaint instructions give this game an odd sort of charm, but the mayor is a pixely person wearing a dress? He pulls off the dress well too though, it just sorta, doesn't mix well.

Mahou Shoujo Monster: Promised Fate by jadedResearcher 2019-04-30T23:52:56Z

I like how the deaths in this are handled so lightly. The music grows darker, you vanish suddenly with a splatting noise, and :hatched_chick: dances on.

Earn Your Life by aCactus 2019-05-01T14:17:30Z

@carraka If i make an updated version of this in the future, probably the first thing it’d have is the option to play without the text filters. I wanted it to look like a digital alarm clock in this version- im sorry if that design makes it difficult to follow the text.

While many options can only happen if you take other options first (you cannot go to mars unless you build a spaceship, for example) it’s a very simplified system, and the random blurbs about other things going on in your life are completely unrelated. I’ll try to come up with ways to add more depth to both of those in the future.

Thank you all very much for the feedback so far!

Earn Your Life by aCactus 2019-05-06T14:46:42Z

@cubicode 6DFC9598-B2B3-4E44-B088-CF7A449D9E8B.jpeg :p

For real though, i just assumed the option to join the military would be drowned out by other options at that time. This is more evidence that i did not have a very good implementation of “the things you do unlock other things” mechanic, along with the fact that other folk keep telling me to include that feature when it is already there.

Earn Your Life by aCactus 2019-05-08T01:04:57Z

@enderswype I figured having the music in it's own player would be an okay thing, since the game itself isn't in a format that usually has music attached to it. (It IS supposed to start playing on it's own though, so I'll take a look at that.)

Earn Your Life by aCactus 2019-05-08T01:07:20Z

@peachtreeoath I did not have any particular game in mind when I made this, though I did know that other games (Bitlife for example) do a similar thing. I tried to differentiate mine a little by giving it a system which is, relative to those games (and befitting the rushed jam nature) more simplified and random.

Mr. Lootbox by John Snyder 2019-05-04T00:14:03Z

Hard, but fun. having the eyes of mr lootbox face the direction i move in was a nice touch.

Money Heist by dmdmdmdm 2019-04-29T22:00:01Z

This is a wonderful game, the obstacle course seems quite well designed. only complaint is that it is a bit difficult to tell whats going on when you take a lot of damage at once- your "blood" looks just like your "body" and the center of the screen is a big green blob (although it DOES make reckless heists feel incredibly messy relative to more careful maneouvers, which is cool).

Dont Drop The Bass! by TaqoShaq 2019-05-05T23:10:37Z

Love the soundcloud aesthetic. Doesn't really fit well with the theme, but that's okay. It's a good game about MUSIC.

Kill The Money by Copper_Aardvark_Games 2019-05-05T15:37:36Z

wonderful little game. It feels like enemies don't drop enough change for me to have a net gain after killing them, especially early on. I love the graphics and music.

U Wouldn't Shoot a Ship by NotSoEpicGames 2019-05-05T21:01:03Z

this was an incredibly fun game! felt like a good arcade shooter. The graphics fit well with it. I liked that the upgrade stations were planets.

-putting all the different versions of the same file in one .ZIP was a bit odd, though it's not a very large game, so i guess it works out?

-including a splash screen intro was hillarious and good.

-i didn't really see how the theme was incorporated into this.

My Life is Cactus by Aqshay 2019-05-06T17:18:44Z

finally, someone with good taste in plants.

This game is pretty interesting. I expected it to play like a tower defense at first, but it quickly became "spread my cacti out very far and run between them so i can DRINK."

Deterring Delinquents from a Dragon's Dwelling by Jomiak 2019-05-02T04:29:50Z

Oh No.

The ui was difficult to read, but endearing. handdrawing everything was unique. The sound effects were the same way- I love that the dragon just says "oh no" when people steal his stuff.

BDE LLC by Slayzar 2019-05-06T19:16:12Z

Not too many games with voice acting. for that matter, not too many games based on sound. pretty creative.

RogueLife by FedorL 2019-05-01T02:18:15Z

"Green eyeball" is mispelled as "gren eyeball", and trading things besides my own life doesn't seem to remove them from my inventory? Love the games aesthetic, it's beautiful. Humanity is for the weak.

Hearts for Coins by Cubicode 2019-05-06T16:14:09Z

Very interesting concept. how reasonable would it be for one character to be controlled by arrow keys, and another by WASD?

Perfect Date by limbo 2019-05-01T02:37:13Z

short, but funny. the art is good. The menus were a laugh to read through.

Bet on it by Ydoc124 2019-04-30T01:46:44Z

I don't know how to play poker, but the dialogue and music are great.

KNIFE=LIFE by QuadApe 2019-05-05T22:20:14Z

Mike Wazowski Has A Knife.

I love this game! really funky music, simplistic undertale-battle-esque graphics, difficult gameplay. I like exploding into bones.

The upside(down) by Youpeoples 2019-05-01T01:44:45Z

Enjoyable game. short, but full of clever bits. Was a bit difficult to understand the skin purchase page.

Escape from the Bank by KreGames 2019-05-04T01:23:45Z

really fun. I liked that you could conserve your COINFRIENDS by letting your momentum carry you through longer passages instead of keeping the arrows held down.

BIOFUEL by Antoine Cuvilliez 2019-05-05T20:48:25Z

a wonderful way to incorporate the theme. yes/no games work really well with space themes. I wish I found more ways to get biofuel, it seemed the only event that would net me any was from selling my crew.

The life you have... probably by pixelcrustpunk 2019-05-04T02:09:01Z

quirky little game. wish there was a bit more explanation of the mechanics somewhere.

Sand and Blood by Pedro137BR 2019-05-06T19:29:33Z

the side walking animation seemed broken, but the other animations seemed well put together. having a stamina bar for my attacks made me think about when i swiped at foes.

Super Time Boy by Thony 2019-05-07T01:42:10Z

wonderful graphics. felt polished, aside from the UI. I like how the difficulty slowly creeps up.

bblloodd by keternal 2019-05-01T00:52:10Z

Screenshot (843).png

Oh god i love the dialogue. you are the pronce of the word pond. HP as everything is a very literal take on the theme, and is easy enough to understand.

downsides would be how grindy the game seems? it's fun though.