Alida of Arx by jsmars 2018-04-25T19:22:59Z ♥ 3
Played this all the way through! (And lost, too.)
Saw your comment on our game, and I agree - it's tough to get story-based games off the ground in 72 hours, and it's harder to do that in a non-linear story. Yours is a pretty impressive example of when a story-based jam game works. I appreciate that you included voice acting consistently; I didn't notice any NPCs who didn't speak, which helps to keep the mood intact.
I'd also say that you did a good job with choosing the right scope. There are bits of the typical game-jam clunkiness - nothing happens when you click "castle" from the courtyard, and the main character occasionally walks around in an odd way - but there are far fewer issues in your game than most, especially given how much content there is. Well done!
LD46 — Keep it alive (8)
Carnivorous by James Greenleaf 2020-04-30T00:39:24Z ♥ 0
Hey! I haven't had a chance to play many Godot games and was excited to give yours a try. I dig it! Like @quinn-patrick mentioned, the enemies are too dense (and the firing too slow) for me to survive long, but the bass line kept egging me on (I had the pleasure of hearing the choral effects in your game over screen... many times!). I wasn't clear on what the color-coding meant (or what the benefit of immunity was). But a short description, here or on Itch, could definitely fix that. I hope you enjoyed working on it! It was fun.
Edit: If it's not too late -- and it wasn't intentional -- you might want to opt out of the "humor" category?
Flame Keeper by codexus 2020-04-23T17:39:32Z ♥ 2
Hey! I'm playing on the WebGL version. I was curious how it'd perform (ours was too sluggish as a web build so we stuck with Windows). The download speed here is pretty slow (several minutes' wait) but it runs well!
Anyway, I liked this! Your light puzzle got me thinking (had to get out pen and paper) and your torch-lighting tutorial was just difficult enough to be challenging with the controls/movement as they are now. The movement is a touch sluggish when it comes to the platforming/cannon-pusher-arounder elements, but the level design makes up for it. Pretty satisfying to light that final torch. Thanks for making this!
Why, Jeff by jeroenwimmers 2020-04-23T17:15:05Z ♥ 2
Hey! This has to be my favorite game so far. I haven't loved a title screen this much since... I don't know when. And there aren't many jam games that you get to learn so naturally; I loved figuring this out through trial and error. I'm not sure I ever understood why the brain had a battery slot, but it didn't seem to hinder my progress (or enjoyment) at all. If y'all have some games/art/music coming out elsewhere, I'd love to hear about it.
Keep Them Alive by Prototype Jon 2020-04-22T19:18:11Z ♥ 2
Hey! As someone who tried really hard to get through Level 2, but couldn't, I want to say how much I dig the core concept of this game. The ambient noise is creepy/somber, the gameplay is simple (and innovative!), and the first level does a good job of helping you get your bearings.
Some possible areas for improvement: * I'd like to see the rules more clearly established in-game; it was a while before I understood that the numbers at the end(?) represent the number of children who need saving. Making that goal clear at the beginning of the scene would be motivating and make things a little less confusing (and, sorry if I'm overlooking something obvious). * The impassable space surrounding the walls got me killed a few times * I found that the monster's bullet stream was really hard to pass through and would eventually corner me or a kid. I'd love to see them reload or vary their firing patterns somehow.
It's an unusual game with a lot of promise; thank you for making it!
Maintenance Bot 46 by Gurglesprain 2020-04-22T19:01:31Z ♥ 1
Hey, @gurglesprain ! You left us some really helpful feedback and I'm hoping I can do a bit of the same:
This is one of the tightest games I've played so far. Almost nothing feels clunky, unnecessary, or untethered to the theme. The visual style is simple and really telegraphs where players should be spending their time. The controls feel natural. The progress gauge does exactly what it needs to do. And while I would've loved some sound, I really appreciate that the focus was on gameplay first and aesthetics later.
The only thing that didn't feel quite there - and I think other folks mention it in some way or another - is the bot's speed. I found myself holding shift constantly, and I wasn't sure why I'd do anything else. But there's a million other approaches to try (discharging the boost all at once, making it unusuable until fully recharged, or just ditching it in favor of a higher speed).
This could easily be expanded on and, if you ever do, I'd love to play.
Tamagotchi Mastermind by Khud0 2020-04-21T20:49:32Z ♥ 1
Hey! You're my first five-star rating on theme and music so far -- really nice work. I dig your:
* Clear instructions regarding controls * Non-video-gamey music * Ability to complete an entire game once the mechanics are mastered * Sense of challenge, especially as food runs out * Small touches, like having the 2D fish flip over to turn
Like other folks, I struggled to figure out what to do initially. The arrow you added to indicate direction was super helpful, but only after I'd read the comments here. But it's the sort of thing that could easily be fixed with a couple of small tweaks. You're miles ahead of other entries in terms of your visual style: it's clear what can and can't be interacted with (and it's really easy on the eyes). Thanks for making this!
DataHunter by A_ColtZz 2020-04-21T20:25:04Z ♥ 1
Hey! There's a lot I like about this, including: * It's a small file and it's nicely hosted on itch.io (seriously, thank you!) * Your user interface is clean and super cool, and the tutorial/instructions clearly shown * The rain sounds and music loop nicely - and do a great job complementing the excellent visual work that's at play here.
The character does a good job of moving through platforms; the gun fires exactly as you'd expect. There's nothing janky about the basic mechanics (which are often neglected in these jams). I like the control scheme. And the audio clips you've added do a great job of rewarding the player for surviving and grabbing those chips. That said, if you ever revisit this, I hope you'll make some changes to the jump mechanic: the camera movements when you jump are a bit extreme (even a tiny bit nauseating, in my case) and I didn't find it particularly easy to jump and shoot (which would've been really fun!).
This has a solid mood and EVERYTHING WORKS! I'd be pretty proud if I made this.
Power Defense Game by SciDev 2020-04-21T20:10:47Z ♥ 0
Hey! Nice game. It has a super-clear connection to the theme and a couple of things that are typically needed (and often missing), like in-game instructions and a working UI. It's a basic game with straightforward mechanics that tie in nicely with the theme (and it's a web build!), which I dig.
A couple of basic things would make this better for me: * Make it so the D-battery (super important!) isn't greyed out - I didn't realize I could buy it. * Don't have the notifications lay on top of the Amazoon menu (makes it hard to click on stuff) * More ambient-ish/longer in-game music -- something that loops without being too repetitive * **Break up the menu into a few slides!** As-is, the rules are a touch overwhelming (even though the game itself is simple)
This is a really good example of a game where the mechanics are simple and complement each other well. While I didn't have a ton of fun playing it, I appreciate how clean it is, and the thoughtful touches (pausing while you're buying stuff) that make it feel like a real (non-jam) game.