Geojax

Feed the Machine by DeathStorm 2020-04-24T16:44:11Z

I agree with what a lot of other people have said here. I want to add that if you are going to randomize the environment every time, I think it has to be a lot easier to know where to go. Specifically, making the area smaller and the machines bigger would help a lot. I think the oxygen and health bars should be built into the UI and have labels on them, because I really couldn't tell what they were without dying.

The game looks really good though, and the putting stuff in the engine to burn was a satisfying loop. The sounds are fun, the story is fun, the engine is creepy in a cool way, great job!

MR YELLOW by p-r 2020-04-27T00:13:00Z

The gameplay loop was surprisingly addictive. Getting a dot felt rewarding, and I don't know if I attribute that to the sound effect or just the feeling of seeing the dot disappear and another one spawned. The movement was so random that getting hit felt unfair and getting the dot did not feel like a reward for skill. It's fun and you can certainly keep going with it, the fact that at least one person found the loop addictive means you could be on to something. Note: in reflection, the simplicity of just clicking around is probably what makes it so addicting -- it really is mindless to play. I'll only add that the clicks seem to register a little to the left of where you want them to.

Dying Flame by BauBau 2020-04-27T00:29:33Z

I really like the sound, graphics, and mood. Cool idea having the riddle to answer, but it conflicts with your main mechanic of the dying torch. A riddle should allow time to think, but you're racing to get to the end. It would be cool if there were ways to rekindle the torch so that you're not just hoping to beat the clock -- in fact, when I saw the candles, my initial thought was to stand over them and let the torch recharge (it didn't work). Walls looked a little too similar to the walkable tiles to me, and I tried to walk into the walls a few times before realizing they were walls. The camera-switching between rooms through me off a little and was a bit dizzying because it was a fast slide -- I think it either has to be a slow slide or an instantaneous switch.

I made it to the third room, in which I died to all the skeletons, and I didn't want to play through everything again because I already knew that I could. I already had fought the skeletons and answered the riddles and figured out the codes, why would I want to do it again to get to the same spot? If you had checkpoints at each room, that would make it a lot easier for me to finish the game.

In the secret code made of tiles on the floor, I think you should make the tiles a lot more obvious -- different colors maybe, or at least very obvious designs in them. The X and I were fine, but the other two I couldn't really tell apart, and I was lucky to get the code at all.

Lastly, I agree with all other comments above about combat.

Summary: good mood, smart ideas, some adjustments could lead to a fun short game that feels rewarding to play -- you're not far off the mark from that! Great job -- I really do think you're close to a more flushed out experience.

FL0W3R by oda 2020-04-21T20:40:14Z

It was just a little too slow for me, I think a speed-up button would have helped me. I think this really could benefit from soothing music, that would keep me playing longer. I also agree with others that an indication of how much water or fertilizer the plant needs would make the game more playable. I'll try putting it in the corner of my screen though; I think the concept and graphics are a real draw -- it is nice to look at and use. Good job!

Living Light by zubspace 2020-04-28T19:04:19Z

Cool game! The sound effect of getting the orbs was a little repetitive; the only other thing that bugged me, and I'm not sure if this is right, but can some enemies go through walls? I definitely saw one of the triangular enemies doing that. The problem if enemies can go through walls is that walls also block your light, so you can't really see it and they can end up getting really close to you despite your light being blocked.

That said, I really like the lighting effects. They're really cool. It's fun to navigate the levels and I like the controls and feel of the game. Great job!

Is anybody out there? by sansman01 2020-04-24T19:53:53Z

Really well done! I the graphics do a great job of setting the mood and so does the audio. You did a great job of communicating the right feelings.

I agree with @duke above about everything. Instead of the camera resetting when the character lands, it should be constantly following the character. Also I didn't feel like I was getting better at the game, I was just learning where triggers were so that I could get to them faster. I think a lose condition is unnecessary, since I'll just start over and play through the same things. Instead, just have the world go gray -- seeing color return is pretty rewarding.

I'll also add that, were you to continue flushing out the game, I'd love to see a little more foreshadow of the ending. I think the problem is that the narrator is a completely reliable source of information throughout the game, and the player learns that what the narrator says is basically the way to navigate the world, yet the twist at the end asks you to question the narrator's reliability.

Really great work though! I'd return for updates.

Guardian Duty by robotabc773 2020-05-05T03:38:16Z

Dude this game was really cool! The art was really well done, I absolutely LOVED the music, the gameplay was satisfying, great job! Make sure you rate other people's games, because that will make sure that your game is recommended more often by the site's algorithms. You gotta get people playing your game!

If you were to keep working on the project, I would explaining the mana bar to the player -- I didn't even know it existed until I saw your comment. Maybe there is an explanation somewhere, but I missed it, so if it is there then just make it more obvious I think or even put it in the game, like a little tutorial before you start. I'd also recommend adding sound effects. For the sword swing and maybe for when you make contact with an enemy -- you don't have to go crazy with them because I feel like the music should be in the spotlight. Really great submission!

Keep Me Breathing by AstroLabe 2020-04-20T19:11:41Z

The music was gorgeous! The sound of the buttons switching and being pressed got a little mixed in with the music, but that wasn't too bothersome, it actually was kind of cool. Turning the temperature knob wasn't too intuitive, I didn't realize you had to click to the right or left of it, so maybe you could turn it into three buttons instead of a knob? I kept trying to drag the knob instead of just clicking it. As cool as all of it is-- the beauty of the graphics and the music -- there is very little variation, and it took a long time to finish the game; the same three mechanics got a little boring after a few minutes. But great job, it's really nice to listen to and look at!

Keep Him Alive by Bulent Altinay 2020-04-28T18:58:50Z

Sometimes the arrow rotates 90 degrees in desired direction, sometimes it goes 180 degrees. That's really difficult when you can't be on a tile for too long, tapping until you're facing the right direction. Is something wrong in your code maybe? I would definitely finish the game if he rotated where I wanted him too, but sometimes he didn't.

Lifeline by mlkvr 2020-04-20T20:15:56Z

Looks awesome and funny, but some crashing makes it very hard to play. The music is well done and writing is funny. Also, the graphics are cool, good job with those.

Space Bees by MrChippy 2021-10-09T05:18:31Z

Fun game! I really like jumping over gaps and dodging bees and whatnot. At one point I jumped on a bee and got carried out to the edge of the map, and then got stuck on the beehive and kept getting points. That was fun. I never understood exactly how I was getting points though. I love the movement and the tension of trying to remain on the blocks. Aesthetically it is well designed too.

Reef Gobbler by BoxedMeatRevolution 2021-10-05T03:17:38Z

Like others said, art was great. Sound made a really chill atmosphere as well, being mostly whispers and bubbles with a soft growl here and there. A panel explaining the relationships between all the bugs would be helpful, since it took me a while to figure out that the spiders eat the beetles, and I still don't know what the fish did. I can see that the flashlight makes the bugs run faster, but otherwise don't know what the point of it us -- you can just pick the bug up and put it near the spider. Also, the game is very long, especially when someone is just learning it. I think I spent about ten minutes in one round and then ended up with no beetles to feed the spiders and had to lost. Well done! It's a gorgeous and pleasant submission, and I'm happy I played it.

The Curse of the Un-stable by dikkop 2021-10-10T21:20:11Z

The art is really nice and smooth, and the aesthetic style of the game is pleasingly uniform. The moving background adds a fantastic feeling of motion while the action is happening despite the game being a slower strategy-type. Same goes for the sound of horses running -- makes the game feel much more active. And then same again for the percussion in the music. A longer music loop and a greater variety of instruments in the music would round off the game very nicely. You could literally repeat the same melody but with a different sound -- a guitar or flute or synth or whatever -- and that would go miles. Well done!

Haywire by Firebelley 2021-10-09T16:03:41Z

Fantastic pixel art, and I really like the music as well. I don't think the sound effects for the bats quite click with the rest of the soundscape -- I get that they are robotic, but everything else is much more mechanical or organic sounding -- clanking metal or just a wooshing sound might fit in better. Or not. I'm really no expert.

Feels good to play almost the whole time except for the instability of the gun. I understand that's the point of the game, but you really just have to stop playing and let the gun do its thing when it gets unstable, unless your in the air already in which case you hope for the best. As it is, the instability is a penalty to the player with no good reason. A small fix you could make is adding a bar or some other indicator that shows the player that the gun is close to becoming unstable. Maybe when you stop shooting, it cools down and doesn't become unstable? On the other side of the spectrum, you could balance the instability with a reward: A more powerful gun. In fact, combining both ideas: When there are enemies nearby, the player can cause the gun to become unstable, then while it's going off point it at enemies to kill them with the more powerful unstable shot.

Just some ideas. Really great job, lots of polish and time have gone into this game. -geojax

Fire Orb by Wargon 2021-10-21T14:49:30Z

That was fun! Graphics are cool and it feels good to blow up baddies. I would recommend adding a little more challenge to the game, or more feedback when the player gets hit. I did not really notice when I lost hp, and it didn't affect the gameplay for me. Very fun and well done.

UNSTABLE OSCILLOSCOPE by guine 2021-10-09T05:15:38Z

Feels really nice to play! It is very satisfying to run and knock some blocks off and then get back into the middle. A longer music loop might help a lot in keeping the game engaging. Also differently weighted blocks, or blocks falling in different positions. Mostly just consider some ways you could add more variety and less predictability to the game. The mechanics and visuals and audio all work very well together and I really enjoyed playing it, it just feels right. Great job!

Lucky Lefty Loves Landslides by TheBookSnail 2021-10-12T02:50:36Z

Loved playing this game! Racking up speed feels great. Sometimes there's not much you can do but lose speed since you don't have too much control over landings -- some air control, even just a double jump, might make it more satisfying to play. That's also a major improvement since, without air control, it is hard to really hit any pickups and I just relied on randomness to complete the game. Solid and fun implementation, and a cool bit of story too.

Unsteady by guimoliveira 2021-10-06T00:55:44Z

Well done! Very difficult but also enjoyable and funny. Varying the pitch on the injury sound would -- well, add variety, which could be nice. It was easy to learn the controls and fun to use them.

Unstable "AI" by uboretsky 2021-10-05T00:40:31Z

Cool game! Once I realized how to play I made it through a few days. Always fun to see numbers going up. If you were going to improve it, I'd recommend putting more player feedback than just changing numbers, so that it's more obvious when the player is doing the right thing. For example, you could change the color of the numbers to red when they are going down, or green when going up; or you could play a sound when the player clicks on the correct button, and another sound for the incorrect button. Well done!

MANIC MELTDOWN! by David Bohan 2021-10-07T03:54:01Z

Well done! The art and visuals seem really polished. Some of the collisions were a little wacky -- like in the electric room, I always got stuck for a second behind the lever after jumping on it. You did a good job with the theme, as the game play certainly feels unstable, jumping back and forth between all the areas. The physics is very slippery, which was a little punishing while I was getting used to it, and also made climbing ladders a bit of a pain since you maintained horizontal velocity. Maybe you could cancel horizontal velocity when the player starts climbing a ladder. Great submission!

Cake on the run! by GameDevTraum 2021-10-08T20:34:32Z

That was a really fun mechanic! I like the animation of the cake and the runner. Since it is always fun to go fast, maybe you could find a way that the player could speed up? If the cake was always falling backward, or fell backward more often than forward, maybe the player could have a chance to speed up, which would be fun. Great job!

Unstable: Lilly's Revenge by PenguinMunch 2021-10-15T01:22:57Z

Is there a reason you chose to make the jump linear? It feels weird for Lilly to suddenly change direction at the peak of the jump. I really like the main character's art. The instability mechanic is not very prominent as you can mostly run straight through without any problems, but when I realized it was there I deliberately went all the way unstable to see what happened. It was actually pretty cool and kind of meta for the character to become unstable and launch through the map. That was done really well, it's just not very prominent until you get really unstable. Also the map is designed very intuitively -- I didn't get lost or anything like that, and you give the player space to master the mechanics before getting into the more vertical area. Some more prominent sound effects could go a long way, and a few more sounds or melodies in the music for variety. Well done!

Inner Demon by Shaymin 2021-10-06T03:10:48Z

You executed the gravity flip really well! I also like the dialogue -- kind of meta when the character asks how long it will take and the shadow version says there will only be a couple more rooms. Music also sets a nice mood, so good choice. Well done!

Status (LD 49) by Cloud Studios 2021-10-21T18:00:43Z

Pretty cool! I like how the different mini-games make the game-play itself feel "unstable". I would recommend adding some difficulty to the game by making longer levels or a shorter timer.

Escape From DIABOLACORP by xmagpie42 2021-10-10T06:24:33Z

Well done on the 3D! The camera movement is very natural and smooth. I didn't know at first that I couldn't walk in the z-direction, maybe you could communicate that by making the background darker, foggier, or changing the assets in some way.

BLOP by ooyjian 2021-10-05T21:28:03Z

I like the physics and the unique take on Tetris. It is pretty difficult, actually! After a few tries, I just spammed the drop button and made it to level 5, but that stopped working because the tower became unstable. Maybe different block shapes would be easier to balance. Also, the blocks move back and forth too long when the player is waiting for them to get in position. This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that there is a timer! That leads to me losing a lot to the timer. Well done on your submission!

Ember's Climb by dprings7 2021-10-05T21:42:08Z

Nice lighting and aesthetic. Some way to make the game more challenging as it progresses would be nice. For example, having more point collectibles as you progress. Maybe they aren't all over platforms, so you have to curve your jump to hit them?

It's Super Slippery by topquark 2021-10-07T20:09:10Z

I like the drawings on paper and aesthetic! The game play needs a lot more variety as it is. It's very predictable right now because you know exactly when you will be pressing what key and are just waiting for that time to roll around. If it was random keys popping up, this would involve a lot more skill and be much more fun.

A Spelling Error by Naymsayk 2021-10-06T00:40:41Z

That was really fun! Although it was slightly difficult to figure out, I managed to understand by the end. I think the difficulty of understanding comes from how many instructions there were -- this may have just been an issue with overscoping in the beginning, though, since you may have prepared for there to be more mechanics than you wound up with (for example, the number of mantra never mattered to me -- I only focused on picking the words up in the right order). Having fewer mechanics worked in your favor since the current mechanics are simpler to understand. The length was perfect for a game jam game, except that the only level that takes full advantage of your mechanics is the final one. It was very fun and I am happy to have played it. Great job!

Breakfast Time in Dream Land by rjhelms 2022-04-12T04:08:12Z

Cute game! I liked the art and concept of cats invading your dreams. For me, the lead synth in the music got a bit tedious, and the percussion and harmony did not feel dreamy. I think getting rid of the drums might be a good step in that direction, as well as going for a more ambient feel. Having a melody made the music seem a bit invasive as I focused on getting the cats to quiet down. Nice entry!

Flooded Caves by nusan 2022-04-04T20:22:37Z

Great game! The playful music was a little weird with the context of saving people from drowning. Mechanic felt great and responsive, and the water and bubbles both looked really nice.

Warming up! by notnasiul 2022-04-04T20:31:37Z

Well done! The flames and snow looked very good. A little bit of music would have gone a long way toward developing a theme or vibe. Mechanics were satisfying to use and I enjoy your take on the theme!

Newton's Law by HomineLudens 2022-04-05T03:37:45Z

Very fun! I played this on mobile which was very smooth. High score 193! The main synth sound got a bit annoying after a while — varying it up or adding other instruments would help. I also think there should be a sound when you hit the apple. Really liked the mechanic. I think a mode with unlimited time slow would be nice since it runs out very fast. Also it is hard to get your finger on the rock when you are flinging it especially if it has ended up near the top of the screen, so it was actually a bit difficult to use the time slow. In any case I had a lot of fun. Great entry!

Inevitable Greenery by Apandso 2022-04-14T12:18:26Z

I love this! The music and aesthetics mesh together perfectly for a relaxing playthrough. Watering plants is such a soothing mechanic. A footstep sound effect would have emphasized the simplicity of the tasks and gameplay, making an even more relaxing experience, I think. The 3D models and particle effects are all fantastic. Well done animating the panda.

The gameplay does get tedious, going back and forth between water and flowers. The game is obviously divided up into areas, so what if, after finding the well in an area, you immediately have enough water for all the plants in that area? It might be slightly difficult to communicate that mechanic, but would make the gameplay so much more enjoyable. Another option might be to add a river so that a water supply is always close by, or increase the amount of water you can hold in the watering can every time you water a flower.

As far as theme goes, "Delay the inevitable" (or, as it appears in game, "don't delay the inevitable") is not very central to the game. You see the message on a few walls, but the urgency in the warnings clashes with the otherwise serene gameplay, and I think it falls flat due to that conflict. You might have leaned into the serenity, and then you'd be making me, who doesn't want to leave the beautiful panda garden, delay the inevitable of returning back to reality!

World Birth by epeachyband 2022-04-12T20:10:46Z

I really liked the thoughtful atmosphere. The glassy ground materials and low-gravity jumping felt so nice in first-person. Adding some sort of ethereal or synthesizer effect to the voice acting would have helped capitalize on that feeling. Levels were a bit long -- you definitely need a shortcut for restarting and maybe some faster movement. Great job!

Happy Piggy Farm by TomatoOmelet 2022-04-14T00:32:37Z

I have never thought about balance like this in a game before. Pretty cool how a strategy emerges of finding a pig with low weight and just trying to stay slightly above it so you don't get too big. Only in the very last round did I feel like there was a chance I would lose, since there were only two other pigs. Adding a little more pressure earlier on in the game would make it more engaging. Maybe it's more difficult to avoid apples? Or maybe there are some different foods that give more mass? Maybe a sprint that burns mass faster? I think just adding a few more decisions to make would create a more dynamic minute-to-minute. I appreciate the amount of art and animation. Having different types of pigs is really nice, and I like the alien creature. I few more sounds could create a bit more engagement -- some oinking and footsteps, perhaps. Very good entry!

Extinguished by elimarable 2022-04-12T17:08:05Z

I agree with the comment above that a quicker pace would add a lot to this game. There is not much variation within a level, and levels generally require some backtracking across the map since you spawn pretty close to the portal. The problem is that if you go off to the left and collect all the gems, you still have to wander back to the portal along an empty path where all the gems are collected. If you spawned the player on one side of the map and the portal on the other you would fix that issue, I think. Also, since the ground is shades of gray, the walls should be red or something instead of black.

I love the animation of the character's eyes, it adds a LOT to the game. The solid color tiles do an alright job communicating but a few sprites would give a lot of character to the world: a spiral for the portal, some trees here and there, some dots in the moss -- these are all pretty small additions that would go a long way, I think.

I played this for a good while, until the tiles didn't spawn and I died by accidentally wandering onto some goo! It is really good, and just a few small changes would make it a lot better. This is a fun entry!

Penguin Snoir by Sarah Alexa 2022-04-12T16:53:49Z

I don't quite understand the controls. I like the look of the game, especially the snow is a nice touch. This would be very playable if it were just WASD move, click to shoot in the direction of the cursor, but the character seems to just fire at regular intervals. At one point I just stopped even touching the game and the player just kept gaining XP and HP from enemies that were piling up near it. That got me to Level 11 in 148 seconds, and then I died pretty soon after I started moving again. If you fix the input and shooting, you will have a really fun and addicting how-long-can-you-last game. This is a very nice entry, congrats on completing it! Haven't seen much in Construct 3 yet.

Digital Pet by the3rdHunter 2022-04-13T00:33:03Z

A few small adjustments would make this much more enjoyable -- having the pet evolve a bit faster, or at least giving some idea of when it will evolve, would be nice so that you know you are making progress. A bit of music would go a long way in reducing the feeling of tedium that arises from clicking and clicking. I like the art for the pet and the outdoors background. An indoor background, like music, would give the player something else to think about while spam clicking. This is a nice little game and I don't think it is far from a very fun and addictive pet sim. Well done!