It's a fun and pretty grueling game, which I suppose means that it successfully managed to bring the bullet-hell aspect of the mix through.
Feedback: + Nice minimalist art style overall, and the grid had just the right visual balance to remain subtly in the background but just visible enough to see clearly. + Sound effects were pretty limited, but what was there was good. The loudness on some needs tweaking badly, as they were too loud and kind of abrasive. + The "buttons" and UI overall work well once you get it all down, but many could be made a bit clearer (i.e. "onwards" did not seem like a button, etc.). + The cheeky humor that is the game's "voice" trying to deceive the player is a flavorful idea, but it needs to have some visual hints to indicate so. + Enemy behavior is solid but rudimentary. Slight variations in their behavior would feel more organic, and player actions would be less fixed into patterns. + Power-ups or coins are rather difficult to reach in many cases, causing the player to clear the level first before being able to reach them in many cases. + Aiming is a bit awkward because the player's bullets are spawned at the set angles "after" moving to the next position rather then before moving. + Color choices are distinct & intuitive, but the saturation/contrast levels could be lowered a bit to lessen eye-strain. I got a slight headache from it.
The core gameplay and exploration of the genre mixing is well done, but the game still needs some fine-tuning in select areas.
In all, good execution and solid mechanics here. Nice work.
Wow. This is very polished and quite fun. It's interesting how it becomes closer to a puzzle game once you understand the winning/losing scenarios. It might have been nice to have some kind of single-use lifeline skill, but maybe it would feel less arcade-y if there was one.
Feedback: + Everything feels very polished & coherent. + Visual cues are intuitive, but some subtleties escape notice due to placement/layout (i.e. action gauge below buttons gets obscured by cursor, etc.). + Gaining levels doesn't seem to lead to anything. It would be nice if there was some kind of payoff or at least slightly more palpable feedback cues to it. + The buttons panel sliding animation (to the other side) has a nice feel in terms of giving a sense of tactility but could probably move over a little faster. + The starting level of difficulty is rather high. It could probably benefit quite a lot from a smaller platoon at the start to give players room to experiment. + Gameplay mechanics are rock solid, but they don't seem to evolve or reveal added depth with progression. Minor mid-level growth/change would be nice. + The loop of gaining better comprehension of the game creating a desire to "try again" after losing is quite strong, though each run takes a bit long.
Other than those, there is the stalemate state that others have posted about already.
In all, this is a very tight game and a well-realized exploration of the genre mix chosen. Great stuff!
This was excellent. Since many people have already weighed in and praised it plenty, I'll just go into the feedback.
Feedback: + Very juicy and nice overall feel, especially the few audio effects, which make the step-wise movement feel like actual steps. + The art is great. Reads easily, minimal, and cute. It's even more impressive when considering the fixed 16-color constraint of PICO-8. + For balancing, the amount healed could stand to be a little higher and more varied in terms of how much they heal, given the health cost per step. + Amount healed could also be conveyed more clearly (i.e. via a "+amount" effect or something). I mistakenly assumed things about their effects for a while. + I never saw any of the sword icons shown in the screenshot. I'm guessing it was pared down to only 3 types to make it easier to find matches in each step. + Using the X button just to advance could be streamlined. If it were a "Press any button" (or LRUD) case instead, the game could be played with 1 hand. + Using the LRUD symbols in PICO-8 in the instructions was a nice touch and made things intuitive. + The background art really frames the context & setting well. The tiling is rather convincing, too. + While there could maybe be music during level transitions, personally I like how minimalist it is.
And I also ran into the bug someone else has post about already.
I played it over 5 times and got as far as Level 7 twice. It is a very juicy, very vibrant arcade-y game. I like it a lot and will be looking to add it to my Favorites in PICO-8's if I can find it via the "splore" command. Thanks for making this.
It's a very interesting mix. Like someone else mentioned, it reminds me of Frozen Synapse a bit, though it is less tactical in nature. I kind of wonder how it would be if it was just a CCG x Sh'mup without the turn-based element. I had a pretty good session playing it (455). Much of the feedback will probably be about juice, but the main mechanics are there and nicely done. I understand that polish comes afterwards and that it was developed in 15hrs, so the feedback is mainly for reference (not intended as criticism).
Feedback: + The card selection animations feel good and are also simple & streamlined. Handling them felt very smooth. + The Game-Boy-esque aesthetic gives it a nostalgic old school feel. If that was what you were going for, nicely done. + Player's bullet size & bullet speed could probably stand to be a bit bigger & faster. Easier measuring will allow execution to better mirror player intention. + The ease-in/out swaying in the player's movement should probably ramp up and down faster to give a better sense of control and responsiveness. + Enemy movement could be a bit more varied perhaps, with some stopping or coming straight down slowly. The randomized spawn points do help, though. + Card "types" could use more functional variety to give the tactical aspect some added dimension (i.e. defensive shield, speed buff, slow debuff, etc.). + The Bullet Hell card and a few felt more satisfying than the remaining cards, so it may be worth looking into how they feel juicier and/or more useful. + There is rather limited feedback in terms of damaging enemies & getting hit, though perhaps this was intended to feel retro when coupled with audio. + Perhaps I didn't get to them yet, but there didn't seem to be any way to level-up the cards with "Lv. 1" on them or collect new cards to enhance my arsenal. + Having some power-ups would be nice. Perhaps some could be simple boosts in movement/firing rate, while a few others could be new card types. + The HUD placement would probably be nicer if it were spread across the top rather than being in the left corner alone. + A few key audio effects would go a long way in enhancing the feedback loop for players.
In all, though, this was great. It's impressive how this was done in just 15hrs. Kudos on a solid first entry.
The view-ducking idea for how to obfuscate the hider's location is simple but quite clever. Also, allowing the player to still see a bit of the surrounding colors when the hider is ducking works well as a nuanced hint that can either help or confuse the seeker. Very nice touch. Reminds me a bit of Screencheat, but the mechanical contrast here is much stronger.
Note: I did not get to play test with another person, but the input scheme made it quite easy to play both sides on my own.
Feedback: + Needs a way for the hider to determine which tiles have been mapped vs. unmapped. Maybe greyscale tinting or coverage mini-map upon holding down a key. + Would benefit from progress tracking. Showing an approximation/percentage of how much of the map has been covered by the hider could raise tension. + Step-wise movements are mostly fine, but having no animations when turning can feel a bit disorienting since the entire view changes by a lot. + Turning vs. strafing input keys might feel swapped for some people. I'm torn on this since it felt odd as the hider but intuitive as the seeker somehow.
Overall, great execution, and very true-to-theme.
(I'd like to rate it, but unfortunately it seems to be participants-only.)
LD41 — Combine 2 Incompatible Genres (5)
Grid Gunner by SuperTibbles 2018-04-26T05:10:26Z ♥ 4
It's a fun and pretty grueling game, which I suppose means that it successfully managed to bring the bullet-hell aspect of the mix through.
Feedback: + Nice minimalist art style overall, and the grid had just the right visual balance to remain subtly in the background but just visible enough to see clearly. + Sound effects were pretty limited, but what was there was good. The loudness on some needs tweaking badly, as they were too loud and kind of abrasive. + The "buttons" and UI overall work well once you get it all down, but many could be made a bit clearer (i.e. "onwards" did not seem like a button, etc.). + The cheeky humor that is the game's "voice" trying to deceive the player is a flavorful idea, but it needs to have some visual hints to indicate so. + Enemy behavior is solid but rudimentary. Slight variations in their behavior would feel more organic, and player actions would be less fixed into patterns. + Power-ups or coins are rather difficult to reach in many cases, causing the player to clear the level first before being able to reach them in many cases. + Aiming is a bit awkward because the player's bullets are spawned at the set angles "after" moving to the next position rather then before moving. + Color choices are distinct & intuitive, but the saturation/contrast levels could be lowered a bit to lessen eye-strain. I got a slight headache from it.
The core gameplay and exploration of the genre mixing is well done, but the game still needs some fine-tuning in select areas.
In all, good execution and solid mechanics here. Nice work.
Turn-Based Invaders from Space! by HacksawUnit 2018-04-26T04:18:37Z ♥ 1
Wow. This is very polished and quite fun. It's interesting how it becomes closer to a puzzle game once you understand the winning/losing scenarios. It might have been nice to have some kind of single-use lifeline skill, but maybe it would feel less arcade-y if there was one.
Feedback: + Everything feels very polished & coherent. + Visual cues are intuitive, but some subtleties escape notice due to placement/layout (i.e. action gauge below buttons gets obscured by cursor, etc.). + Gaining levels doesn't seem to lead to anything. It would be nice if there was some kind of payoff or at least slightly more palpable feedback cues to it. + The buttons panel sliding animation (to the other side) has a nice feel in terms of giving a sense of tactility but could probably move over a little faster. + The starting level of difficulty is rather high. It could probably benefit quite a lot from a smaller platoon at the start to give players room to experiment. + Gameplay mechanics are rock solid, but they don't seem to evolve or reveal added depth with progression. Minor mid-level growth/change would be nice. + The loop of gaining better comprehension of the game creating a desire to "try again" after losing is quite strong, though each run takes a bit long.
Other than those, there is the stalemate state that others have posted about already.
In all, this is a very tight game and a well-realized exploration of the genre mix chosen. Great stuff!
Pretty Crowded Dungeon by sprvrn 2018-04-24T08:45:28Z ♥ 1
This was excellent. Since many people have already weighed in and praised it plenty, I'll just go into the feedback.
Feedback: + Very juicy and nice overall feel, especially the few audio effects, which make the step-wise movement feel like actual steps. + The art is great. Reads easily, minimal, and cute. It's even more impressive when considering the fixed 16-color constraint of PICO-8. + For balancing, the amount healed could stand to be a little higher and more varied in terms of how much they heal, given the health cost per step. + Amount healed could also be conveyed more clearly (i.e. via a "+amount" effect or something). I mistakenly assumed things about their effects for a while. + I never saw any of the sword icons shown in the screenshot. I'm guessing it was pared down to only 3 types to make it easier to find matches in each step. + Using the X button just to advance could be streamlined. If it were a "Press any button" (or LRUD) case instead, the game could be played with 1 hand. + Using the LRUD symbols in PICO-8 in the instructions was a nice touch and made things intuitive. + The background art really frames the context & setting well. The tiling is rather convincing, too. + While there could maybe be music during level transitions, personally I like how minimalist it is.
And I also ran into the bug someone else has post about already.
I played it over 5 times and got as far as Level 7 twice. It is a very juicy, very vibrant arcade-y game. I like it a lot and will be looking to add it to my Favorites in PICO-8's if I can find it via the "splore" command. Thanks for making this.
CCG Shoot 'em Up by Moczan 2018-04-24T08:07:45Z ♥ 1
It's a very interesting mix. Like someone else mentioned, it reminds me of Frozen Synapse a bit, though it is less tactical in nature. I kind of wonder how it would be if it was just a CCG x Sh'mup without the turn-based element. I had a pretty good session playing it (455). Much of the feedback will probably be about juice, but the main mechanics are there and nicely done. I understand that polish comes afterwards and that it was developed in 15hrs, so the feedback is mainly for reference (not intended as criticism).
Feedback: + The card selection animations feel good and are also simple & streamlined. Handling them felt very smooth. + The Game-Boy-esque aesthetic gives it a nostalgic old school feel. If that was what you were going for, nicely done. + Player's bullet size & bullet speed could probably stand to be a bit bigger & faster. Easier measuring will allow execution to better mirror player intention. + The ease-in/out swaying in the player's movement should probably ramp up and down faster to give a better sense of control and responsiveness. + Enemy movement could be a bit more varied perhaps, with some stopping or coming straight down slowly. The randomized spawn points do help, though. + Card "types" could use more functional variety to give the tactical aspect some added dimension (i.e. defensive shield, speed buff, slow debuff, etc.). + The Bullet Hell card and a few felt more satisfying than the remaining cards, so it may be worth looking into how they feel juicier and/or more useful. + There is rather limited feedback in terms of damaging enemies & getting hit, though perhaps this was intended to feel retro when coupled with audio. + Perhaps I didn't get to them yet, but there didn't seem to be any way to level-up the cards with "Lv. 1" on them or collect new cards to enhance my arsenal. + Having some power-ups would be nice. Perhaps some could be simple boosts in movement/firing rate, while a few others could be new card types. + The HUD placement would probably be nicer if it were spread across the top rather than being in the left corner alone. + A few key audio effects would go a long way in enhancing the feedback loop for players.
In all, though, this was great. It's impressive how this was done in just 15hrs. Kudos on a solid first entry.
Splitscreen Hide N Seek by PackNSlash 2018-04-24T03:30:06Z ♥ 1
The view-ducking idea for how to obfuscate the hider's location is simple but quite clever. Also, allowing the player to still see a bit of the surrounding colors when the hider is ducking works well as a nuanced hint that can either help or confuse the seeker. Very nice touch. Reminds me a bit of Screencheat, but the mechanical contrast here is much stronger.
Note: I did not get to play test with another person, but the input scheme made it quite easy to play both sides on my own.
Feedback: + Needs a way for the hider to determine which tiles have been mapped vs. unmapped. Maybe greyscale tinting or coverage mini-map upon holding down a key. + Would benefit from progress tracking. Showing an approximation/percentage of how much of the map has been covered by the hider could raise tension. + Step-wise movements are mostly fine, but having no animations when turning can feel a bit disorienting since the entire view changes by a lot. + Turning vs. strafing input keys might feel swapped for some people. I'm torn on this since it felt odd as the hider but intuitive as the seeker somehow.
Overall, great execution, and very true-to-theme.
(I'd like to rate it, but unfortunately it seems to be participants-only.)