Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Dan McAlister
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | Deeper and deeper | Jelly Pacifist | compo | 451 | 3.46 | 3.08 | 3.40 | 3.78 | 3.46 | 3.47 | 4.00 |
I love the setting of this game! My main critique is that I would sometimes get a game over and it was unclear why I lost.
Loved this! Felt out of control in a good way, I was always scrambling to catch myself after a risky launch. Tough enough that I couldn't finish it (bailed after level 5) but I enjoyed my time with it. Great work!
Great job implementing level generation! That is so hard within the constraints of LD, and the constraints of the compo as well.
I'm going to echo @soarendev and say that the game can use more feedback. When the moles made contact with me, I was unaware if they were hurting me once, doing damage over time, etc. Some simple gnawing sounds or making the player flash when hurt could immensely help the game's communication with the player. Good effort!
Wonderful game! The mechanics around the sword are unique and fully realized. I loved, LOVED how going back through the same challenges with a different sword made them feel fresh again. Amazing work!
Also, SO HARD. But worth the effort to beat. deepest sword.png
Really intriguing! I like that it's not just about killing the zombies, there's an element of management to it. Where should you bury them, what's the most optimal way of making sure they stay down as long as they can?
I think if there was a more noticeable ramp-up of challenge (more zombies over time, faster zombies, etc) you'd have a solid arcade game on your hands. Good work!
Neat game! Dug the atmosphere, and Journey 1 felt like an interesting character. I liked that I was only getting messages, and not the whole story. It leaves space in the mind for speculation.
I get that you were going for a sparse, lonely experience, but I do wish there was more value in the other controls besides thrust and angle. Even just having the message command you to toggle some of those instruments could have made the experience feel less straightforward. But as it is, you've made a very unique experience. Good effort!
Really interesting, I dig the narrative and atmosphere! That last bubble puzzle felt especially frantic and effective, like trying to untie a knot on an unforgiving timer, really well done. Loved the sound effects on the bubbles.
My only piece of feedback is the controls. The dive/approach/resurface commands all prompt the player to use letter keys, so when the first bubble puzzle started I didn't realize I needed to use the mouse, which created some uncertainty. I think the mouse input options could be a little more clearly communicated to the player, but it's a nitpick in an interesting experience. Great work!
I love it! I thought the physics stuff would make the sorting feel diluted, but instead it just emphasized the clutter and chaos of the office. Great work!
Neat game! I really love the "digging" animation, watching the character pour acid(?) on tiles is a unique and cool way to convey that! My biggest critique is the lack of sound effects, which you've listed in your post-jam update backlog. I know you all started late, but even simple sounds you can record with your computer microphone can add a lot of character and valuable feedback for the player. Good work!
Love the art, the scenario, the music. It all feels like a goofy Warioware game in the best way. Well done!
Intriguing dodge-em-up! I think that the mix of having fuel and shield upgrades creates interesting questions for the player. If 2 are coming at you, which one is worth it? If I hit that asteroid on the way to the shield boost, will I come out ahead or behind? If this is a game you want to expand upon, I would put consideration into how you want to lay out these kinds of upgrades to create interesting challenges. Good work!
I like the idea of wandering through the woods! I also liked the shifting platforms, but I think their speed and large quantity made the game a little hard to read at times. Good work!
I love the atmosphere and art direction here! The combat feels like it could be more clearly communicated though, specifically with range on both the player's and enemies' attacks. Good effort!
I dig the art and environments, but ran into frustration with shooting the ball near the edges of the screen. At least in my browser (chrome), the shot meter automatically released when my mouse left the game's frame, even if I wanted to pull it further than that. This made me feel I didn't have full control when hitting the ball from certain positions. That said, I think you've got a strong central concept. Good work!
Very neat! I liked the interactions of the torches, liked how much the darkness concealed information. I wish there was a little more feedback though, like letting the player know if they've run into walls or not. Without that partial information, it becomes very hard to make decisions. Good work!
Really fun! Great arcade action, very impressive for a jam game. LOVE how the gun is used for both offense and movement. Awesome sense of humor and absurdity, loved the "9 lives" counter.
My main piece of feedback is to make the "speed up" mechanic more meaningful. There are edge cases where speeding up while you've swung to one side or the other will get you past obstacles, but for the most part I used it to get through the empty areas more quickly.
But honestly, that's a small nitpick for a great entry! Could definitely see this built out into something bigger, but even as a jam game, it's a big success.
Hey, who left all these bombs in the water?
I quite liked this! Solid idea, great pixel art. My favorite touch is how the water level stays at a consistent level, even when your ship is tilted.
My main critique is the bomb frequency/placement. I avoided most bombs for the first few hundred depth units without needing to steer; that can be good for onboarding new players, but I think that "safe" window can still be shorter than it is now.
Great work!
This is great, especially the presentation! Love the old school, low-poly control interface, especially the shaking speaker. Great work!
I LOVE THIS.
Wonderfully simple and well presented. The music and art are lovely, and the proximity of the goofy trash that people have left behind cuts against the beautiful aboveground nature in the best way. Drawing out new root systems is such a calm, interesting way to explore this space.
You mention that you'll be incorporating feedback into a post-submission build. I would ask yourself: what kind of experience do you want the player to have? The current build works well as a short experience. So for a more fleshed-out version: what more do you want to do with this concept? If you want it to feel more "game-like", maybe add in a limitation to growing new roots. Maybe think about what kinds of objects or creatures would actively disrupt your existing root system, like moles or parasites that damage the plant. Are there reasons to grow your roots in a particular direction? Are you always searching blind, or are there incentives to grow in one direction or the other?
Or maybe it's more of a story or atmospheric experience. When discovering objects, are they related to one another? Why and when were these objects left in this place? How do they relate to the goose?
There's a lot of places you can go with this concept, and you've already got a strong execution. I'm excited to see what comes next!
Very interesting! It feels like an internalized take on therapy dogs and puppies, which is an interesting space to explore. The controls felt slippery to me, but otherwise it's a neat, compact game. Good work!
Great work! This is a simple idea executed very well.
The swinging motion of the swimmer is very expressive, and really made me think ahead about what obstacles were coming up, and how best to avoid them.
My high score was 56.57. I had to work at it, but it was fun to do so!Screen Shot 2021-04-26 at 11.01.53 PM.png
Wow, great work! I love the character design and music, I'm so impressed you all made this in a jam! I was able to get through the fight with just a 3x Light Attack, 2x Heavy Attack combo, would love to see the other combat options made to feel more necessary. Otherwise, really impressive!
Great work! This is really ambitious for a jam project, and you've accomplished a lot! I liked the art and audio, and transitioning through emotional states is a really interesting mechanic.
At the same time, I felt that the fast moving enemies cut against the more somber mood of the piece. Things that move fast convey a high-energy feeling, but the rest of the atmosphere was more somber and melancholy, which feel low-energy to me. I think my entry had a similar issue; luckily, it's usually one that's not too difficult to tweak.
You've got a lot to be proud of here, keep up the good work!