Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Drachmor
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 46 | Keep it alive | Feeding Time! | compo | 71 | 4.00 | 3.94 | 3.65 | 3.31 | 4.05 | 3.86 | 3.51 | ||
| 2017 | 39 | Running out of Power | < Mr. Plug > | compo | 196 | 3.54 | 3.59 | 3.12 | 4.01 | 3.26 | 1.72 | 3.02 | 3.04 |
"Ships can clip through walls because the future is magical and beyond collisions" haha I'll have to use that someday. I really enjoyed playing this game, as I always have been a sucker for these kind of expand-your-empire things. The art gets the job done, and it would have been nice to have some sound. Nonetheless, I found myself playing this game for 20 minutes, simply watching my business expand - it was very satisfying. Good job!
This felt like a very... _complete_ game, if that makes any sense. The music was great, I liked the graphics, and the controls were pretty satisfying and responsive (although I couldn't really tell the difference between the attacks). The gameplay was engaging and fast-paced, but I felt it was a little too easy to dispatch the guards. Overall, you guys did an excellent job!
Neat little game! The art was nice, albeit a little rough around the edges. The sound design was also pretty well done. I enjoyed the combat, but I felt the player's ammo was a little too limited considering the massive amount of goblins that eventually accumulated on the screen. Nonetheless, you did a good job!
Very fun gameplay with a nice difficulty curve! A little unforgiving to restart to level 1, but I understand that it adds much more of a necessity to conserve power. I would have liked to be able to change directions while in the air, but besides that I found the controls to be fairly satisfying! (I'm a big fan of games in which the player has to manage a large amount of momentum like this). The visuals were nice and simple, and I really liked the audio. Overall, this is an excellent entry!
(I might just have to give you 5 stars after learning of your... difficult working environment. I experienced something a little similar during my compo)
I really like this entry! Not only are the visuals and sounds very well-executed, but the gameplay itself is pretty intriguing too! To echo some of the other comments, I would have to agree that the control scheme is a tad awkward, and maybe switching the movement controls to the arrow keys would make pressing x and space easier. Overall, you did a great job!
This was a very nice entry! I spent a lot more time than I thought I would playing it. At first I wasn't too sure what I was doing, but eventually I organized my robots more and started making some good progress. I really enjoyed this kind of gameplay, as I haven't seen many army management, turn based strategy type games in this competition yet. I must say though, I was a little unsure of how the combat worked, and a little guidance would have been appreciated. Overall, you did a great job!
I really liked this game! The visuals were decent, and I really liked how the music slowed down in accordance with your power! I liked how I would have to memorize where to go next immediately after getting a battery and seeing the whole maze. Good job!
This is definitely the funniest game I have yet seen! Not only that, but the core mechanic is well-executed, and the levels are just as difficult as they should be. The only problem I found were some minor performance issues when preparing the character for a jump. Maybe the lighting effect around the trajectory line is causing some lag? Besides that, this was a very enjoyable experience. Good job!
An interesting take on the theme that was fairly well executed! While the audio/visuals left something to be desired, the challenge of this game required me to alter my strategies several times before success, making this a very nice, thought invoking game! I would only suggest that RNG be made slightly less of a factor, as the success of my strategies was almost entirely based on chance, making victory a little less achievable than (I think) it should be. Challenge isn't a problem, but the mechanism for that challenge should be somewhat easier for the player to control. Anyway, overall I thought you did an excellent job!
Made it to level 6! This is a very polished entry to say the least. I liked the voice overs, the music was pretty catchy, and the graphics were really nice! The movement and shooting felt nice, but I would have to echo the comment above regarding the plasma pickup colliders. I also noticed a couple issues with the mouse upon entering fullscreen in the browser, where my mouse was not in the same location as the aiming cursor. Despite these little things, overall I really enjoyed playing this game - good job!
This game was extremely satisfying to play! The combat was very engaging, as I became more conscious of how to position myself around the room to both avoid enemies and stay near outlets. The boss fight, while very well designed, seemed a tad short. The sound design was effective and I liked the art style too, simple as it was. Overall, this was an excellent game, regardless of its brevity.
This game has by far the best music I have yet seen in this competition. The art is simple, but paired with the music, it makes for a really great mood. The controls took a little getting used to, as I would normally expect to press W to jump instead of space, but once I got used to it, movement was very responsive. Some parts were a little frustrating, as the batteries simply wouldn't line up in a way that the player could reach them all in time - I would have to collect a battery and die in an attempt to align them, and this trial and error slightly detracted from the gameplay. That being said, this was overall an excellent entry with amazing music.
Whoop whoop! I got third place! I liked the momentum that the ship had - it was almost like asteroids in that it could be your friend or foe depending on how you used it. It's impressive how you worked a tutorial and frequent dialogues into this too. Overall, great job!
I really like this entry! The graphics are nicely stylized, and the sound design is pretty good too (although I'm not sure if the sound was added before or after submission time, because I notice there are two download options - one with sound, and one without). The gameplay is pretty fun, and I think it gets more challenging at an appropriate rate. I got to 400-something meters - overall, good job!
Wow. I haven't given 5 stars overall to a game so far, but I have to for this entry. I love the enemy design, not to mention the variety. The graphics as a whole were very good. The sound design was REALLY effective too - from the creepy breathing of the first room's monsters, to the deep giggle of that rolling head thing. The mood was great, the challenge was great, and it was really fun to try to overcome your obstacles with such a limited light mechanic. One thing to note - on the level with the little diglett-looking heads coming out of the ground, the player could leave the screen boundaries. Overall this was really, really good.
The movement is smooth and responsive, making the parkour very fun! That being said, I found some of the levels to be a bit unforgiving, especially considering the limited visibility (namely the level with many yellow lasers that are almost insta-kills). I think a slightly larger radius of light would be enough to balance the difficulty a tad. Anyway, this is overall a very fun platformer.
As I look through these games, they seem to just get better and better. Congratulations for continuing this trend! This was an excellent puzzle game through and through - I loved the environment, the aesthetic, and I loved having that "aha" moment when I finally completed a puzzle.
I lasted 12 rounds! Wow that got challenging. This is an excellent take on the theme - it's refreshing to see a game where there isn't some battery meter. That reverse skill tree is genius, and I love the art style. The sound design is good too! This truly was one of the better games I have yet seen.
I'm glad I stumbled upon this game again (I played it very early on and made it to round 12). Made it to round 14 this time! Unfortunately, it really is impossible to beat wave 14 without any skills + cooldown on on the main attack. Wow, you must really have done a good job for me to come back hehe
I had some trouble understanding exactly what it was that I was supposed to do. Regardless, I congratulate you on your atmosphere, as I enjoyed the graphics and sound very much!
This was incredibly entertaining! I failed miserably on my first attempt, but I became quite the sharpshooter my second time around. The visuals are simple, but effective. The sound design is good, although the song gets a tiny bit repetitive. Overall I enjoyed the combat, but I suggest giving the player some feedback when they hit an enemy (not just when they kill an enemy). Great job!
The art style is so cute - it certainly gets the job done. The sound design is also effective, but where this game really shines is gameplay. Seriously, this is so satisfying and challenging! I especially love the first level where the rocket launchers were introduced, as I had to be much more conscious of how I used my power. Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience.
I loved the environment and the audio/visuals in general, but I found the controls to feel a little unresponsive; to clarify, the character DOES accelerate up when I press the up arrow immediately, but the takeoff itself is so slow that it feels unresponsive. Despite this, I did actually have a pretty good time navigating these levels, and overall you did an excellent job!
This is a nice little game with decent gameplay and a really nice atmosphere! I loved the concept of shoveling coal, as nothing like this has yet been explored (as far as I have seen) in this competition. It's refreshing to see something other than "the player must refill their power meters or they die" kinda thing. The web link was a tad laggy, and the gameplay left something to be desired, but overall I really like what you have here - good job!
While the graphics were a little rough around the edges, and the sound... well, there was no sound, these things are secondary to any good game's most valuable asset: gameplay. In this area, your game excelled! The various actions took a little getting used to at first, but eventually I was capable of using them fairly effectively, and I greatly enjoyed the several runs I played.
While playing, my only criticisms are mainly focused around the RNG in the game; it seems to be weighted just a tad too much against the player. For example, when attempting to pass a barrier, the player can literally only attempt a single action (as far as I know of, this is the first action); thus, there is a fair amount of frustration when continually I lost great amounts of power, because that kind of loss is something that I felt I should have been able to (at least somewhat) avoid had I chosen a different action. But, I get it, with the ridiculous time constraints of this competition, many actions and choices are just impossible to implement (I didn't have enough time to add sound in my game; I should know).
Anyway, despite this criticism, I really was surprised at how long I tried to beat this game. Good job!
I'm a sucker for these addictive clicker games, and I really like what you have here! I enjoyed the simple art style, and the idea of multiple varying stands was interesting. However, a little more variety with actions would have been nice, but with 2 days to make a game, I can't really fault you for that. I collected all but one of those rewards... but then I kept getting fireflies -.- Overall, this was a nice game with cute graphics.
This game is extremely well done, especially considering it was a compo entry, not a jam! I really enjoyed the sound design as well as the art, and the gameplay had a good balance of skill and strategy while still requiring a level of spontaneity. Good job!
I really like the style that you were going for here - a retro feel was definitely achieved with the visuals and sounds! However, I did find the gameplay to be a little slow for my tastes, as every mistake sent me back to the beginning, a point from which it would take me another minute to leave. Despite that, this was a cute little game - good job!
My greatest complaint is that this projects seems very similar to some tutorial projects I have seen on YouTube... nonetheless, the game is pretty fun (although I suggest you reduce the respawn time).
But... how... in 72 hours.... ?? The amount of work you have done here is incredible. I love the music and sound design, the art is very well stylized, and the gameplay was pretty satisfying. That being said, the difficulty may have been a little high. Overall, this was a very impressive entry!
A very clever game with an impressive amount of mechanics! The platformer itself was fun, the added challenge of reaching the next checkpoint in time before losing battery was interesting, and the audio/visuals were great too! It's a shame that the player can't really enjoy the game's music or visuals however, as doing so eats up power so fast that reaching the next save point is sometimes non achievable. The concept of music and better visuals requiring power is interesting, but I'm not sure it was the best way to handle the theme (the music and visuals were so appealing; I wanted to enjoy them without being penalized!) Also: after the "somebody is stalking me" part, the game was maybe a tad too unforgiving. Despite these criticisms, I really, really am impressed with the entry - great job!
Wow that was intense! The gameplay was very exciting and the controls / movement were responsive. I loved all the enemy variety, and I'm also a sucker for procedural dungeons! The music was a great touch, and I love how you incorporated the music as another means of player feedback. Good job!
This is amazing. Honestly, this is the best game I have seen so far. It just seems so... polished. Everything is nice and stylized, the controls are satisfying, and I kept playing because of all the variety. Good job, seriously.
This was simple, but fun nonetheless! I really love the concept of a pogo-jumping granny, and the execution of the jump mechanic was excellent - holy sh*t the granny just got hit by a car.
I loved everything that was here - the controls, movement, art and music. However, I would have loved to see this game expanded further than what it is currently - with some levels to complete or objective to reach, this game would be really amazing (but I understand how hard it is to add a ton of content within such a limited time frame). Anyway, good job!
My theme was construction/ destruction (sheep). My game title? "Shear Madness" - I'm so proud of that. This is a cute little entry with effective visuals and even more effective sound design! I really liked the take on the theme - many developers made a similar joke "I'm starting to run out of power" - but I haven't yet seen that concept realized in game-form. Good job!
Oh my god, where did the time go? I think I literally just spent an hour playing this game. Honestly, I have played many, many games in this competition so far and... I think this one may have been my favorite. I seriously did not give 5 stars overall to many games - maybe one or two. None have been more deserving than this.
In my opinion, the most important thing a game should have is satisfying, engaging gameplay - check. The shooting is fun, the movement is nice and responsive, the enemies are appropriately difficult (save for the boss - a little time in between shooting waves would be nice, as currently the player is always trapped in a corner).
Additionally, a good game must create an interesting atmosphere, either by the use of effective visuals or sounds - check. I love the art style; simple as it is, it still feels so polished, and I love the design of every enemy, tile, projectile, and upgrade in this game. The lighting effect looks really neat when the power goes out too! The sound design is great too; the sounds were sharp and subtle, almost melodic (my sister heard the sound of continual shooting at a high fire-rate and thought that it was actually a song).
I don't know why such a simple game captured my attention for so long... Maybe it was the feeling of progression as I earned more upgrades, or the variety of situations and rooms I would have to survive. Seriously, great job.
Honestly this is easily one of the best entries I have yet seen. The art and animations are AMAZING - simple, but so fluid and stylistic. The gameplay is REALLY fun - albeit maybe a tad too difficult - and the shooting and movement are very satisfying. Even the sound design is impressive, especially for how limited your time was. Overall, you did a really, really good job!
Procedural dungeon? An inventory system? How did you do this in 48 hours???? This is awesome.
The only thing I notice is a problem with the window size - this may be a feature, but I was confused to see such a seemingly infinitely large window.
I really love the art style of this game (especially the fairy boss) - I can tell you spent a lot of time on it! The sound effects suited the music well, and in general you have established a nice mood. It played pretty well, but I felt the first boss fight did go on a little too long. Overall, you did a great job.
This was by far one of the most unique entries I have seen so far! Definitely going to need to rate you well for innovation, and the punny spin on the theme was just great. The game itself was funny, albeit a little short. Overall I like what you have here!
I spent more time than I thought I would on this entry. I didn't think the graphics were as "garish" as everybody claimed they were, but admittedly, they were a little rough around the edges. Regardless, I enjoyed progressing through the various story lines, and overall I had fun exploring this entry - good job! (also I'm going to have that damn soundtrack stuck in my head all day hehe)
An interesting deviation from typical rhythm games; I don't think I have yet seen the main mechanic of switching tracks in any other rhythm game. The gameplay was simple yet fairly satisfying, however I would have to echo a comment above stating the very beginning should have a little more room for error, as dying straight away gives a new player little time to understand the mechanics (without looking at the controls on the LD page, that is). My main complaint is something for which you aren't to be blamed - for some reason, the game plays absolutely no sound when I run it (this issue is almost certainly something wrong on my part, so I won't take any points off or anything). Still, I feel I haven't really experienced the game as it should be played because of this issue, which is a bummer. Nevertheless, what I have experienced was pretty well-done. Good job!
I really like this game's visuals and general style, although I seem to have some problems with the controls. I understand the concept of space ships having a lot of momentum that is hard to tame but... the movement is just a little too unresponsive for my taste. It was a little frustrating not being able to correct even the smallest amount of motion, even after holding a button for 5 seconds. I failed to get past the first few stars, because I would always seem to drift out of bounds, regardless of how little force I applied to the ship in any direction.
Tight controls, decent visuals, and good music! I also really like your take on the theme - I haven't seen static electricity used yet - good job!
Unfortunately I didn't encounter any other players while playing, but that doesn't change how impressed I am that you managed to create AN ONLINE MULTIPLAYER GAME IN JAVA in 48 hours. I also made my game using java (no frameworks), and just the thought of this feat astonishes me. As for the game itself, I liked the controls as they felt fairly responsive - however I feel the player's rotation should change solely in reaction to player input (A and D); at its current state, rotating automatically while jumping makes it a little too difficult to orient the player. Seriously though, this is insanely impressive. Excellent job!
The controls took a little getting used to, but once they clicked, I found myself really enjoying the game! As short as this game was (as these games typically are), I liked the mood that the simple graphics and story created.
The controls were a little hard to work with, especially combined with some buggy floor collisions. The player had a little too much momentum, so paired with the control issues, the gameplay suffered a little for me. That being said, I think you did an excellent job with this entry - the music is excellent, the mood is great, the visuals are interesting, the theme was met pretty well. Despite my criticism with the controls, you did a really great job overall!
Controls a little buggy, sometimes I will be stuck incapable of moving in one direction for a few seconds. The gameplay is pretty satisfying, and I really like the art.
Neat little game! Took some time to get used to the aiming, but once I did the combat was actually pretty satisfying - good job!
It was fun to make a field of solar panels and watch that income flow. Also, I'm digging that harmonica
The atmosphere, art, and sound are all amazing! I also love that lighting effect. However, I found the movement to be a little lacking... I can't describe it too well, but it seemed a little clumsy and difficult to work with almost. I'm sure that's not helpful... anyway, despite that, you did a good job!
Oh man, once you get above 40 levels, it becomes really intense! I'm a sucker for these reflex, twitch-skill, arcade-y games, and I really enjoyed what you produced here! While the audio/visuals were fairly nice, the gameplay (conceptually simple as it was) is where this entry really did well. This would make a great mobile game that I could really see myself sinking time into. My only criticism is regarding the battery pickups that spawn in the game - it wasn't made very clear to me why I should bother seeking them out, as I faced no consequences by merely letting them pass me. Maybe I was missing some "power meter" type thing (because the window extended beyond my screen slightly). Anyway, all things considered, you did a great job in such a limited time frame!
Edit: After intentionally avoiding collecting batteries, I died and saw the message that explained the importance of collecting batteries. Still, I think it would be nice if the player was provided some sort of visual feedback regarding their power level.
My god is this a nice looking game. It sounds great too! Unfortunately, the issues outweighed the beauty of this game, and I couldn't enjoy myself because of them. Mainly, the glitch effects of the screen - they are just too much. The wall jumping was also a little painful, but I actually didn't have as much of a problem with the controls as others seemed to. Overall, you did an excellent job creating an amazing environment with decent controls, but yeah - those screen effects.
Situation 17! Whoop! This was a really humorous and engaging game, well done!
This is easily one of the most innovative entries I have yet seen. You have produced such a unique take on the theme, and executed that idea so flawlessly as well. The audio/visuals are amazing, the gameplay is interesting and required my to change my strategy several times before becoming somewhat comfortable. I loved then being challenged by an unexpected event that would force me to change my strategy altogether. Excellent job.
This was a very fun, albeit slightly stressful game! I enjoyed the meta joke of a developer needing coffee to survive, and the idea of the developer's mom being the enemy was also really funny. The controls felt fairly responsive, and I liked how many objects I could interact with in the rooms. After playing a few times, I got a decent feel for which spots I should return to if I needed to hide, when it was safe to enter new rooms, and I was fairly satisfied with a score of around 150 (I died before I could see the final count). The sound design was minimal, but what was there was well done. The art style, while simple, was also very effective. Overall this was a great entry!
Oh man that gets really intense at 10 miles in endless mode! This is such a cute game that really tested my twitch skills and reaction time. I also loved the character's various exclamations when running into things. I only suggest that you show the player how many miles he traveled after death - this makes for an incentive to keep playing.
You did an excellent job with this game! The art is pretty good, and I especially love how the caterpillars look. The music suits the game well enough, but it gets a little repetitive. This game had a pretty good balance of difficulty, but I don't see the point of the day/ night mechanic - it only makes the player wait longer to complete a level, as attempting to move during the night is useless. Overall I liked what you have here - especially because of your unique take on the theme.
I really enjoyed the movement of the character in this game - I always love managing momentum in a thoughtful way. That being said, I felt like most of the gameplay was more "trial and error" than it should have been. I can't really criticize the lack of audio, as I didn't include audio in my game as well (also, there's no sound in space, so it's even logically excusable!) Overall though, I thought you did a pretty good job!
The atmosphere and audio/visuals were AMAZING. The controls felt very responsive as well, but there were some points at which I felt the player could have used just a little more time to figure out what it is that they needed to do; still, I understand why the player's time is so limited, and I like that challenge. Overall, good job!
201.45 whoop! I really liked this game! Took me a while to realize the mechanics, and at first it was a little difficult to both match colors and decide which colors to execute depending on the situation. After I got a hang of this mechanic though, it was really satisfying to see how long I could survive. I really like the simple art style, and the sound design is very effective. Overall, good job!
Best score 725! This was a very entertaining game with crisp, responsive controls. I enjoyed the combat, until the spawn rate became a little absurd. The sound design was effective, the art was pretty good, and combat was really exceptional. Good job!
@good-enough it sounds like you clicked on the source code link - the game itself is all contained in a .jar, so there should be no .class files or images.
@sumgamstudio
Thank you for your feedback! Somebody noticed this bug before as well, and it's because of how the purple blocks work:
The purple blocks will push you up if you are in them. What's really happening when you skate on top of a purple block is you fall a pixel, and the purple block pushes you up a pixel, making it seem as if you are just standing on top of the purple block. Since they are more like air than a solid block, you can't jump on them - to the player it isn't obvious what's happening, so I could see how this is confusing... I'll keep this kinda thing in mind for my next game. Thanks again!
@somnium Thank you for the thoughtful feedback. More importantly, *did you just write a haiku about this game?* That's awesome.
This game has a really nice aesthetic, really nice sounds, and overall makes for a great mood. That being said the controls weren't the most responsive in the world, but that is understandable considering the space setting. I didn't find the gameplay to be particularly rewarding, but you have made a really interesting environment nonetheless.
My god this is impressive... Such a well-developed world with great visuals and voice acting. I don't think I have yet come across a game that has established such a mood as this has. Not to mention that ending! Despite the room for improvement in the combat system, this was amazing.
This game really impressed me! The environment was surprisingly large and complex, and at times my navigational skills were really tested. The music and sound design were both great as well. The Entity was an intimidating force indeed, and I liked the welding mechanic to contain it. I couldn't beat the game, but I think the challenge is still pretty well balanced (if not a tiny bit too difficult). Good job!
This game has by far some of the best graphics I have yet seen in either the compo or jam! I love the grainy style. The movement is pretty good, and I generally enjoyed playing, although I found myself at a loss for what to do when falling into lava.... I didn't die, I was just sitting there. Despite that, this was very well done - good job!
I really liked the art style, and the audio was decent too. I didn't really see the theme represented all too well or originally, but it was pretty fun nonetheless! The gameplay was simple, yet fairly addicting. Maybe some more mechanic variety would help the game along (but you made this in 2 days - I get it). Overall you did a great job!
In my experience, I have learned that space is NOT fun... it's scary.
This is simple, but entertaining! (and the dialogue is genius)
Even though at first the game felt far too challenging, I came to really like the idea of having to remember the location of a light switch and activate it in the dark. I like the visuals, and the music was pretty good too. The only problem I seemed to have with it were the controls - I felt the character had too much momentum (especially when in the air), and it made the movement feel less responsive... clunky almost. Regardless, I played this longer than I expected to - good job!
I like the graphics. You should change "source code" to something like "web."
edit: I really, really liked the floor.
The sheer amount of enemy and weapon variety that you managed to create in 2 days is INSANE. The controls are responsive, the combat is very exciting, but my god is it challenging! I think the challenge is well balanced, but the penalty for death is not... maybe after death, the player restarts the last trial with very low health? Anyway, what you have here is very impressive, and very fun.
My sister and I had a really fun time playing this! Our mutual complaint however seems to be that the controls are too difficult. Maybe the ship's controls could be more immediate, or the beam could have a significantly longer range. Still, this entertained us for several rounds (all of which I won hehe).
Graphics are amazing, catchy song, and a great balance of difficulty. I just had some window size issues (the window was taller than my screen)
I love the soundtrack, and the combat was fairly satisfying (albeit maybe a little too easy). Would have been nice to see some more enemy variety, but overall I had fun with this entry - good job!
I like the art, simple as it may be, and the sound design is pretty good too. The combat is really entertaining, but I found the ammunition to be a little too limited - punching can only go so far in certain situations, especially when the enemies get "balled up" in one location. Despite this added challenge, I enjoyed this little game!
Wow, I really liked this game! The visuals and sounds were very nice, but where this game really did well is the gameplay. I have played many space games so far in this competition, and all of them seemed to try to have a "high-inertia" type movement, but this is the first game that has pulled it off so well. Really, it was just fun to move around. Not only did this game require skill, but it required patience and strategy; I really like that too. I also some of the little details, like some asteroids exploding upon colliding with each other. Overall, this was a very good entry!
I'm afraid I couldn't get my overreacting virus-control to let me play this game... From what I've seen in the trailer video though, it looks interesting; I'm bummed that I couldn't try it out for myself. I just wanted to comment to let you know that you might want to refrain from certain commenting practices that I have noticed. For example, you reviewed "shattered," although you didn't download the game (according to the developer). Additionally, your review of "The Liberation of Liberatia" was almost an identical copy of an existing comment. Just a heads up; continuing these practices might remove your ratings advantage altogether, as they kinda ruin the fun for everyone.
A short entry with fairly minimal gameplay, but very creative and funny nonetheless! I really liked all of the text boxes (especially the Game of Thrones reference hehe), and that ending was an extremely clever surprise! I also appreciated the pink trail as a nice aesthetic touch. My one criticism would have to be that the player doesn't need to activate the light in order to traverse the level, which renders the sole gameplay mechanic useless. Despite this, you did a great job for your first game without using tutorials!
High score 40 seconds... I feel like that's good... right?
The movement and shooting were both satisfying, but the music got a tiny bit repetitive... of course, I have absolutely no music in my game, so I shouldn't be talking! Anyway, good job
A little unforgiving, but fun! I liked the graphics, sounds, and music, and the controls were very satisfying. I also liked how you did the "help" menu. I think the lighting comes a little fast, and I didn't quite understand the concept of the lightning being larger when you have more power... but even if you left that challenge intact, it would have at least been nice to restart a specific level rather than restarting the entire game. Despite that, this was a very good entry!
The art is amazing, the story is touching, the ending is depressing. This was a wonderful experience (short as it was) and a very interesting take on the theme! In all areas this was an excellent game... except for actual gameplay. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE what you have here, but it wasn't something that I would play for fun (which it doesn't have to be). Overall, you did a great job.
This was a very cute entry! I sounds were minimal but effective, and the art was pretty nice too. The movement was far to difficult. Overall though, good job!
SUPER snappy, delicious combat. The subtle screenshake, the smoothness of the movement and shooting, the fact that the enemy health is proportional to their red size... the fact that they drop their life essence so literally, as if you're watching some bacterium die under a microscope... everything comes together to make a simple, but extremely SATISFYING combat experience!
I would definitely be interested in seeing this concept expanded upon. Bonus points for apparent controller support!
Edit: Just reading now that you made all the graphics using canvas calls! No wonder it felt so dynamic; that's super impressive.
Edit edit: I am for real still playing this. Super engaging. The boss explosion is heckin glorious.
Alright this is insane. Ridiculously polished, cute, and mechanically satisfying. Absolutely one of the most solid submissions of this jam. The fact that you crafted this much character in 72 hours amazes me! (The lil' chicken hops were VERY, very important). I'm interested in what you come up with for a full release.
In the way of constructive criticism, I would say that the difficulty scaling may be challenging to balance in a full release. The hardest level for me was definitely when the number of burglars increased WITHOUT the number of cats increasing (I think level 3). By the last level, the scarcity of your a"mew"nition was no longer a factor, and I found it easier to defeat the horde of enemies than in earlier levels where I had to be more considerate of my time and aim. (That being said, I'm glad the last level was created the way that it was, as it really stretches this concept to its fullest for a game jam). It does feel like adding more burglars, or decreasing your amewnition, are currently the only ways of incrementing difficulty, which would probably not be the most expandable in its own.
But this game is clearly in good hands!
This is definitely one of the most polished submissions I've played so far, in terms of visuals and graphics. The story was fairly engaging, and the mood was very well developed. My mother works in a nursing home where there are new Covid cases daily, and I appreciate the attempt to illustrate the frustration and helplessness regarding care for the disease.
Upon checking your profile, I've discovered you were the same person who made You're Winding Me Up Harvey so long ago! I absolutely loved that game, and with this one you've made me a veritable fan. Another refreshingly unique entry with some very interesting mechanics. Bonus points for snappy card sound design!
Edit: I've now played this longer than any other submission so far >.> Really nice work.
Edit edit: I 'won'!
Wow, "adrenaline" is right. This may have been the most fun game I've played so far - the mechanics are so INSTANTLY understandable, the time limit equally so. Adrenaline right to 100. I'm digging the simple art style, and the sound works very well in service to the oomph of the movement collisions. The gameplay is also surprisingly repeatable, and the fact that levels are procedurally generated (but are still, I think, necessarily winnable?) is really impressive.
Edit: Playing a bit more, it's cool to think that the "winning" path has presumably been established during the level creation, and you're more or less tracing it as you play. I have discovered a few tile formations during play that are inescapable (generally in the form of a loop with no accessible exits once inside), which isn't to say the level is unbeatable, but that one wrong initial movement is dooming. This isn't necessarily a fault of the level generation, but a "level reset" key may be something to consider in a full mobile release or something.
Wow this one needs more attention. Beautiful palette, interesting sprites, and a totally different take on the theme than anything I've seen so far. Points for originality, visuals, sound design - creepiness. Excellent work!
Ah, I almost forgot: points for "holyshitwhatthefuckwasthat!" You really went the extra mile :P
Wow. The mechanics are unique, and extremely well-executed. Fits the theme well, graphics are pretty cute, music is very catchy. This was definitely one of the more memorable submissions so far, and I agree with others calling for a full mobile release! Great stuff
Not sure if "much smaller in scale" was the joke, but the linked download and source folders are empty!
Haha I enjoyed "spaghetti" source code. Well spaghetti or not, it compiled to form a very nice compo submission! The gameplay was very unique - in fact I've never seen a tower defense game, Ludum Dare or not, that also has you place the walls themselves. While the graphics were minimal, the depth of gameplay you created was pretty impressive with this limited toolset. The ability to zoom, pan, clear all, etc was quite thoughtful. Bonus points for "aw man" lol.
Haha YES I was waiting to see this interpretation of the theme. Stayin' alive, keep the groove going.... hell yeah. Good stuff 👍
Thank you for all the helpful feedback! Admittedly, the difficulty may be a touch high, as I've become quite used to the controls over the past 48 hours >.>
For those having trouble running .jar submissions, make sure you have a recent Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version installed. .Jar files are executables that do not require extraction! I will try to bundle a JRE with the .jar into an .exe if I can!
@bradcode Thank you for the feedback! On your comment regarding the milk-propulsion, I think I would have to agree. I imagine I was so excited to have gotten it working, I became accustomed to the yOffset before I could objectively question it. I plan to revisit this project, and this feedback does not fall on deaf ears :)
@psychic-ash I have uploaded another link containing a packaged .exe of the game, if you'd still like to check it out! I'm curious to know if it works on your end.
@collin-thompson Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad the .exe worked. I swear I was going to add sound at the start of the jam... but everything's a lesson in time management >.>
@blipbloop The last .exe link is packaged with the JRE (jre1.8.0_201) required to run the game. Hope this helps
@fiakaiera Thank you for the very thorough feedback!
@rialgar Thanks for the feedback, and well done! This is the first time I've actually seen someone else play my game, that was a blast.
I'm starting to think I made the first part a little too difficult :P
Woop, I beat it! Wow. The game is simple, but incredibly mechanically polished! The pairing of movement / frantic clicking was so tactically engaging that this instantly felt like it could be another "Osu!" type game. Very satisfying, with a lot of room for skill development.
As one critique to that end, I would say there is currently too little a penalty for being very reckless with your mouse inputs, as I found being twitchy and inaccurate was far more effective towards the end than making sure to enter the sequences perfectly each time.
The sound design works very well in service to the tactile feel, and the graphics (while simple) are well-suited to a kind of game that requires such immediate visual understanding.
There were some elements that weren't immediately very clear to me - the upper HUD elements for example - but I seemed to complete it fine without paying as much attention to them as maybe I should have... All in all, a very nice submission!
This is extremely well done! Polished, super pleasant to the senses. While the gameplay can be expanded upon, what you have done here has been done VERY well. Definitely one of the more memorable submissions I've yet encountered!
.jar repreSENT! And look at that beautiful raycasting! I also experimented with raycasting (slightly) for the first time with my game, always cool to see.
Movement and shooting felt very snappy, and the game difficulty REALLY ramped up at the end there, holy cow. The sound design was subtle but pleasant, working well in service to the soft lighting. Overall a very nice submission!
Yeah, .jar repreSENT! This is an awesome little submission, very impressive given the timeframe. The door teleportation mechanic added some nice complexity (and became very useful when things ramped up, as things seem to ramp UP). Satisfying to play once you get the hang of it, surprisingly hard to master!
I played this one for a long time. Very unique gameplay, genuinely strategic and quite difficult. Visuals were cute, and I reeeeally loved the music. Awesome job!
Very solid platforming, with an impressive amount of visual / particle effects. Upon replaying, it seems both your level and your upgrade progression is different each time - very cool! One of the best-feeling platformers I've encountered so far.
Edit: Also wanted to point out how much I enjoyed "Sounds good!" to every garbage upgrade lol
Lol this is brilliant. Love the theme interpretation, and the gameplay is surprisingly engaging. Very nice stuff.
I'm not sure how contested the throne, but you are, so far, the king of parallax...
Really adorable game. The gameplay is extremely simple, but surprisingly somewhat satisfying. I also like the idea of not only keeping your dragon alive, but evolving him - a concept which I have not elsewhere seen explored.
That was incredibly well-done. The mood, graphics, story, and writing were excellent. The length was perfect, the gameplay was fairly engaging. This has definitely been the most emotional submission I've yet seen. So much character, so memorable. Truly excellent work.
I like the concept; I was engaged from start to finish! Maybe I am a sucker for reverse psychology... and a twist!
That was actually amazing! The visuals were cute, the audio was super nice, and I was impressed to see that cutscene at the end! The yarn mechanic was interesting, and I truly felt like a cat as I batted around the very first yarn ball for no reason at all... I think there should be a small difficulty adjustment, as some of the yarn-button combos felt a little unforgiving, but overall this was a fun and unique submission.
Comically intense interpretation of the theme, I love it! Definitely one of the most unique games I've yet tried.
Well I'll first say - it took a LOT of effort to get this game to run. Downloading the .exe by itself did not open due to an openGL bug. Downloading the data AND the .exe didn't work due to the same bug. I had to download the .exe and the data folder (for both versions) before realizing I needed to place the .exe within the data folder for it to run.
That being said, once I did open the .exe, the combat was incredibly satisfying! The smooth-movement, physics-y, knockback-y, weighty feel to it was very effective. I also loved the fact that they spawned two more upon death, hydra-style. While the graphics were minimal and the gameplay simple, what is here is REALLY nice. I just recommend adding some installation instruction to your page above!
Haha this one was very unique to say the least. Interesting visuals and (screeching) audio, gameplay equally bizarre and memorable. I'll admit obeying fish commands is a first as far as theme interpretation goes - as far as I know - so definite points for that. Quite a humorous and well-executed take on the memory game genre!
YES, another milk game! I have also made a milk game! I really really like your interpretation of the jam theme :) The gameplay is also solid, and the visuals are really nice. The baby's scream sound effect... I can still hear it in my head lol. The cutscenes were a cool touch. Really nice stuff
This is amazing! Visuals and audio are well fleshed-out, and I love the concept. The gameplay was a bit cryptic at first, but there's a surprising complexity to it once you figure things out. I've yet to beat the highest challenge, but I'm getting there(?)!
I've seen a few submissions about "keeping plants alive", but all have taken the theme in a surprisingly different direction. This is no exception; I love the idea that keeping the trees alive equates to keeping the economy alive. Or, your wallet. Whichever. Cool stuff!
Haha I really like the sound design. The music loop is short (and a bit choppy when it repeats), but is extremely catchy. Those water sounds are my favorite though.
Hell yeah, it feels great just to publish something. And I actually like it! It's hilariously hard, but really fun nonetheless. Definitely far, far from the "worst" game in this event. I'll admit I also was unable to beat the second stage >.>
Still a very promising concept; I could definitely see something like this stand among "World's Hardest Game" and the like for high-skill showoff playthroughs.
A really solid submission! I was especially impressed by the sprite change, and MUSIC change for the following stages. I actually think you could have been a little less forgiving with the player hp values in the levels leading up to the boss, as surviving those levels was fairly easy with constant movement. The boss fight was some nice contrast to this though, and reaching the end was genuinely challenging. Really nice stuff!
Controls felt natural, it almost felt like I was watching someone else play at first. Cool stuff!
I really like how you created structure out of the procedural (noise?) environment! The destructible tiles and move / shoot / retrieve gameloop is very well-suited for this kind of a world. A nice balance between organized objectives and exploration. I'm not sure I reached the true "ending" (and I think the hardest difficulty is near impossible), but I enjoyed what I did play.
The one character who likes milkshakes, I like them.
Hell yeah, this is awesome! This is really impressive to create in 48 hours. I've always loved this art style / raycast 3D perspective, and you pulled it off very well. The little nested game is a really cool touch.
Graphics, audio, mood. This is a super nice submission!
Yessss, I'm a sucker for raycasting! I struggled a little initially figuring out what I was supposed to be doing, but once those (robot squids?) started threatening MY generator, I kicked into action.
Didn't think much of it until I tried the windows version - you were definitely right! Now seeing the game fully, the main gameplay mechanic is very interesting. It dawned on me a little late my first go through that I had to both place boxes and be conscious that I wasn't thereby trapping the character. The aesthetics also served the mood very nicely.
First thing that jumps out - I really love your squishy text system. Beat's frickin catchy, art's frickin cute, gameplay falls in the highest percentile of addicting.
I really liked this one! The gameplay was pretty addicting, and the water sound design was TOP. Don't mean to brag, but uh, ~cough~ 2913 was my first run's high score...
This is some quality stuff.
This was really cute! I had a little trouble clicking and holding onto the objects (and they would frequently get lost out-of-frame very quickly), but these mechanics were very interesting once I got the hang of them. I sort of formed a little snail-phalanx, jam in front, stick in front of that. Snail was adorable too. Cool stuff!
I had a pair of Teddy Bears when I was little, and I'm now positive they protected me from nightmares. This may be my favorite interpretation of the theme yet! Also mad respect for the voice acting.
LOVED the writing!! (Most important aspect of a game like this, imo!) And the art was spectacular. Impressive you guys were able to make this while taking care of a little one, and kudos for your programming debut!