Danko by Pixel_Error 2019-05-03T11:38:21Z ♥ 0
The level of polish on art and music is amazing! I really love the lighting. It adds a lot to the atmosphere.
Gameplay is also very polished. The amount of screen shake and sfx is perfect. The combat is slow but satisfying. But controlling with the mouse is awkward. The enemies can shoot in any direction, so I think it's a bit unfair to make the player unable to do that.
The theme interpretation is also nice. But I'm not sure how death works, Does the altar get weaker on respawn or do the waves reset? I died a couple of times and then it showed me a game over screen.
Overall, this is a very polished entry. Your team has done a great job here.
LD54 — Limited Space (18)
Escape The Phantom Seascape! by Tao Yuanyue 2023-10-17T18:41:51Z ♥ 1
A really atmospheric point and click game. I like how you've integrated the theme with the rising water. It was cool to see it change the scene. It was also hilarious to see the baby crying loudly underwater.
Some suggestions: You have to click the base of the bulb/to trigger it. Before I figured that out, it was confusing how I made the room go black. Most people(including me)would find it more intuitive to click on the bulb itself.
An interactable highlight button would also be helpful. The game can turn into pixel hunting at times and it's hard to see stuff in submerged areas.
The art and music are great and really set the mood. Overall, a great entry.
Winds Of Pilgrimage by Medow 2023-10-15T17:26:44Z ♥ 1
Fun puzzle game that reminds me of the witness. I like how you've managed to teach the rules. Most jam puzzle games struggle with tutorialization(mine included).
The pixelated post processing effect creates a nice artstyle. Reminds me of a short hike but Zelda. The whole island had a relaxing vibe.
Only nitpick is that it's easy to move carelessly and mess up an already fixed puzzle.
Overall a solid entry.
Quantum Dungeon by Nestral 2023-10-15T15:12:11Z ♥ 2
Really interesting mechanic. Never saw the quantum stuff being applied on a grid, let alone an RPG.
The art is minimal but sufficient. I don't think it needs more animation but some screen shake effect and particles would go along way to sell the attacks.
For a jam game, it's impressive that you've managed to actually have builds and synergies. Would love to play a full fledged version of this.
Space Stitcher by kaliuresis 2023-10-15T14:56:07Z ♥ 1
I think this is a really cool mechanic. I've played the post-jam version and I still think that the difficulty curve has issues.
It was hard at first to understand the rotated stitched levels. I think that the levels were too large and lacked enough identifiable shapes. You could never see the entirety of the level either. So when the stitched levels were rotated, it was hard to understand. Smaller(both physically and difficulty) levels demonstrating how the rotated stitching works would make it easier to understand.
Another thing is the hub. You're sort of thrown in there after the first level and it's hard to know which level should be played next. I assume that the related levels are arranged in a stair pattern and higher ones are meant to be played after lower ones. But a node based level selection screen would convey level prerequisites better.
I totally understand that there isn't enough time to tutorialize levels in 48 hours. I struggle with that too. It's really impressive that you've managed to finish this for the compo. I hope you will continue developing this.
Alien Abduction Adventures and Astral Anomalies Abound by Flaterectomy 2023-10-15T12:09:48Z ♥ 0
Interesting take on the theme and hilarious title.
The text is funny and fitting. But I think the pure text based approach makes it hard to plan movement. You need to go to for space stations to sell but you don't have any info beyond the next jump. A node based map(like slay the spire) with fog of war would let you plan your path. I do understand that there wasn't time to implement all that. Just a suggestion in case you want to expand it.
Overall a minimal but very polished game. Great job!
Packed to the Gills by npckc 2023-10-15T11:46:37Z ♥ 2
This was simple but very polished and wholesome. I sat down and couldn't stop until I completed the entire game! It really left a smile in my face.
The underwater stations with trains packed like sardines reminded me a lot of Unreal Life. The cute sound and art really helped set the vibe. A perfect 5 on all of those aspects.
The only nitpick I'd give is that it was unclear how to move the jellyfish. I tried different things until I just gave up and clicked on him... and it worked. Obvious in hindsight but missed a couple of trains because of that.
The fish poses are mapped to the arrow keys. I think a cross shaped layout for the poses would immediate convey that better than a square. It became second nature after doing it a few times so not a big issue.
Overall an excellent entry. You guys seem to be participating as a team in a quite a few jams and I'm definitely interested to see what you'll be making next.
Hellevator by Snowdrama 2023-10-15T11:24:27Z ♥ 2
Fun take on the theme. There are a lot of design decisions that make this engaging to play. You have limited physical space to move. The bullet hell aspect goes well with the theme as the enemy bullet spray further limits your space. The perfect reload mechanic encourages you to take your eyes of the bullets to nail the timing. Sugestions:
I think that the pickup button is largely unnecessary. Heart containers could be used on collision as long as you have missing health. The guns are mostly upgrades so no need to manually pick them up either.
I also think that the wave progression is a bit slow. The first level is too easy has many waves with same enemy and boss. I think condensing the waves and introducing different enemies sooner would be better. That would also help with the difficulty spike at level 2.
If the quick reload benefit is only time then I think that the timing window should be a bit earlier. Or simply increasing ammo/damage/fire rate would work as well.
Overall, Solid top-down shooter.
Please Sign Here by Ampo 2023-10-15T11:06:43Z ♥ 2
Got a good laugh out of these ones. The escalation of the mechanics reminds me of Papers please. When I started the game I didn't think the game would be able to get such milage from the signing mechanic.
I really liked how the forms told the story. And the endless amount of butt jokes.
The graphics and sound are minimal but are very much on point.
Overall an excellent entry. Definitely deserves a lot more ratings.
Bit Golf by badcop 2023-10-15T10:53:01Z ♥ 1
Really cool take on the theme. I never though I would get to play an algorithm but you made it work! And it's surprisingly fun to find repeated substrings to compress.
The story was also well done and expressed really well through the gameplay.
Also, I recognize that color theme! I also used Monokai in my game as well.
Overall an excellent entry.
BLOCKIES by Ayxs 2023-10-15T10:38:14Z ♥ 2
Really relaxing. I'm surprised by how long I kept playing. I dig the neon look. Suggestions: Maybe have some way to see lower floors by making the top ones transparent(like when hover mouse over a lower floor). Some more juice would be great too. Tetris effect is a good example of how much far polish can take tetris. Overall, a very solid entry.
Space Bar ☆ Porter q(≧▽≦q) by Kuchinashi 2023-10-08T07:19:13Z ♥ 2
This is a cool take on the theme. Limited spaces where you can press space for a limited amount of time. The puzzles are simple but enjoyable. My only complaint is that the character can get stuck on ledge corners sometimes. But it's understandable that it might have been a low priority bug for a game jam game. The art is cute and story is quite funny. Overall a very fun entry.
Inside OUT - Mind Maze by DrinkWhD 2023-10-07T18:20:57Z ♥ 2
Yume nikki vibes with the art and sound creating a really immersive mood. I also found the attack animation and knockback inconsistent. I seemed to get off attacks consistently if I tapped forward button slightly before attacking. Not sure if that was a bug. I think you did a great job capturing the theme through mental illness. Great job!
Quetzals & Ladders by jkyd 2023-10-07T18:12:59Z ♥ 2
Great puzzle game and interesting take on the theme!
What to leave behind? by Owinmowe 2023-10-07T17:32:53Z ♥ 2
Nice! I was also planning on making a reverse-unpacking style game at first(plans changed) and this does almost exactly what I wanted to make. The art is beautiful. Combined with the BGM it creates a really comfy vibe. I don't really have any complaints. I think a more detailed moving out sequence would be great. Or if you want to expand it, you could have the same person's room in multiple stages of their life. Things the player chooses to bring will change their life stories and the next version of the room. Overall a very solid entry.
Stretchmancer by Choo 2023-10-07T12:03:35Z ♥ 1
Really cool mechanic and the puzzle design is very polished for a jam. My only complaint is that due to the color palette/low res, the ledges can blend in with the walls. On one of the levels, I had solved the puzzle but I didn't understand where to go since I couldn't see the ledge. Sound is great and fits the retro vibes. Story is hilarious. Overall a very polished entry.
Don't Touch The Pylon. by Ezard94 2023-10-06T04:39:28Z ♥ 2
Simple but fun, Reminds me of disk room. I like how it uses the limited space and boredom to make the player choose when to to risks.
The main feedback would be that sometimes the spikes spawn in such a way that you can't easily avoid them. But of course it's hard to balance things properly in a game jam.
10/10 would touch the pylon again.
Clockwork Tower by chompdev 2023-10-04T18:21:53Z ♥ 2
The atmosphere is amazing. Right from the moment I booted it up the sound design grabbed me. The footstep sounds were a nice touch(or a figment of my imagination perhaps). I haven't been as enraptured by a jam game's mood since Sacrifices Must Be Made(og ver. of inscryption). It's a really good interpretation of the theme too. With you being trapped in small space and things gradually appearing and invading it. There were a lot of cool moments(the person on the surface, the "wall", the entire mechanic reversal). Using your thought process/notebook to make choices is really cool. The only feedback I'd give is that sometimes it turns into a pixel hunting game. I think you have something really promising here. I'd like to see this expanded even more.
Crowded Mind by rsheepdv 2023-10-04T17:41:24Z ♥ 1
The art is very nice and gives off that cute yet horror vibes.
I probably have no right to say this given my own game has limited audio due to time constraints, But I think sfx(ex: breathing, muffled voices when the anxiety builds up) and BGM would really elevate the mood of the game. You did a great job capturing the feeling of anxiety and panic attacks while utilizing the theme.