Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Marin Davys
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Category | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥉 | 2024 | 55 | Summoning | Amareica | jam | Mood | 4.62 |
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 55 | Summoning | Amareica | jam | 428 | 3.70 | 3.08 | 3.89 | 2.87 | 4.34 | 3.91 | 4.62 |
I really like the graphical style of this game and think that the central conjuring system works wonderfully. It might be nice to have a more finite objective for this kind of game, but it is an interesting simulation as it is.
It's mechanically simple but elevated by its consistent presentation; the game reminds me a bit of Bennett Foddy's work.
Hmm. I spent a few minutes with this but wasn't able to figure out how to play it exactly. The game is super laggy but I liked the visuals in spite of that.
Very solid old-school dungeon crawler. I think the combat animations could be a bit quicker, but I liked the core of the game and had a good time with it.
First off, the presentation is fantastic - the UI and art assets are super polished and the music fits the vibe well.
As to the gameplay. I think the core works well - the systems for gathering resources and building structures are super polished, but I didn't feel much of a sense of progression while playing the game. It took me a little while to realize what the 'summoning' theme had to do with things, and I think the idea of summoning resources with which to harvest is a fine idea, but I was left puzzled as to how the 'faith' meter grows - does it just grow automatically, or does it increase with certain factors?
Also, I thought that the jokes about the jam deadline were funny - I hope that you're able to finish those features in the future. Good work, and I look forward to seeing what you make next.
Wasn't really sure what to expect from a title like that but, damn, super addictive arcade action wasn't one of them. Fantastic job - great visuals, airtight concept, good sound design.
Good spin on the tower-defense formula! I really liked the timed spell-casting process, and I liked the idea of casting 'towers' with such rituals. The only thing I'd recommend is music - Bosca Ceoil is a great tool for making simple chiptunes, and I think that's all y'all would need to give it to bring the game up a notch. Good job, and I can't wait to see what you make next!
Absolutely loved it! Was genuinely disappointed when the game ended - I could play a few hours of this, especially if you were to nail a progression system. Fantastic job on all fronts - maybe my favorite game of the jam so far.
Fantastic visuals and good sound design. The game itself didn't work for me - I killed one enemy and then nothing happened after that. Weapons switching didn't work, and the player is unable to jump off of any surfaces besides the ground level. As stated before, it certainly looks the part, and I do hope you make the couple of small fixes required to make this more functional.
Extremely polished, but why? It is well made and impressive but I couldn't find a point to it. That being said, I'm still blown away by how functional and polished this is for a 72-hour game.
I like the accompanying song and the visuals; I think the narrative context is interesting, but the writing is a bit patchy. Combined, it's a pretty unique vibe, which I quite enjoyed in the grand scheme of things. That being said, the gameplay is simply too hard - the world is way too dark (which has a narrative explanation but is nevertheless frustrating), and the platforming is ridiculously hard - I must've fallen off the main 'stairway' more than 30 times in my 20 minutes of playing. I stopped at the bit about the stars - I acquired one of them and then wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with it. You clearly have a unique vision for this project and I appreciate the originality. Thank you for making this, and the best of luck.
I liked the movement system and the level design, although was kind of taken out of the experience by the edgelord audio tapes. The last area is cool but the material on it reflects a bit too much light, giving it a bit too much of a 'unity standard material' look. Otherwise, I think it's well done and accomplished for the time that it took to make.
Really good visuals - fantastic animation, at that. My gripes with the game are just that the bubbles spawn a bit too quickly and the collision detection is a bit sketchy, both with the bubbles and the player (I got stuck on corners a number of times). Overall, I think it's an enjoyable and surprisingly polished title that deserves more attention than it's getting.
The game is chaotic in the purest sense - frequently amusing, though a bit finicky. But I think it's a rollicking good time, my only suggestion being that you set the respawn point based on the player's progress, as opposed to just at the beginning of the game. Good job!
It seems to me that you have created quite an interesting assembly of mechanics, but at some point all of the enemies just disappeared and I couldn't quite figure out what to do after that. The cloning mechanic is fascinating and well implemented (creating and switching between clones works seamlessly) but I couldn't quite see the reason behind using it. Also, the enemies deal WAY too much damage - 2 hits kills the player, and they move way too fast to avoid. Nevertheless, I think that, with a bit more time in the oven, this could become quite a unique title, and I enjoyed what I played.
Really like the pixel art, but my enjoyment of the game was cut short by the lack of collider on the water fall; also, you might want to find a way for the enemies to find a path around the ground in the game, as they are currently able to just fly through solid parts of the level. Nevertheless, I think this is a solid entry to the jam - I like the idea of casting different spells with different keys, all of which do different things. Good work, and I can't wait to see what you make next!
Got a score of 730. It's criminal that you've received so few ratings by now - this game is polished to a shine and, even if it's not the most inventive use of the theme, it's still a classic concept executed with panache. One thing I'd change is the sound-effect for the cars - I wish it was a bit more obvious when they are about to cross the screen, as it can get pretty visually chaotic by the time their indicators show - perhaps you could implement a siren sound when they are present in the scene? Anyways, great job!
I like the pun and think the controls work well - the idea of oscillating mouse movements up-and-down to increase speed is a lot of fun. The sound design breaks a bit when you try to get above the water, but otherwise it sounded on point. Good job!
Made it to level three. I really liked the art in the opening sequence and think that the movement system is a cool idea. It seems to me, however, that the player gets too easily stuck on corners, which makes said movement system a bit hard to use. Nevertheless, it's a good use of the jam theme and a well-made game overall. I might also recommend that you find a way of differentiating the levels beyond just the quantity of enemies and layout of the map.
First off, this has some of the best 2D art that I've seen in the jam yet. It's expressive and eccentric at once, elevated by a clever implementation of Unity's post-processing system that gives this a slightly off-worldly feel.
The idea of summoning gods from different components is interesting, but I was able to beat each of the three enemies by just using the cards with the highest values, which seems to be perhaps unintentional (in the sense that I think that the card race is supposed to be crucial to the player's strategy). All that said, I enjoyed my time with the game and think that you could do something with this concept.
Very well-done for the timeframe in which it was created. Only had one problem with the game - I got stuck once a bat flew out of the level boundaries and wasn't able to progress past that screen because of this.
An unexpectedly complex game, which is a pleasant surprise. I think the combat is a bit difficult, considering that the player has no means of defending themselves, but the magic system is cool.
Thanks for playing! I have some ideas for what to do with the eyes/lips in the future but, for now, it's just for the look.
@adam-konig thanks for playing! I'm glad the vibe you perceived was as you stated it. The winning strategy is in the statistics, although this would make a bit more sense if the game was longer and involved more than just three races.
@mark-swinimer I'm glad you enjoyed the game. The 'summoning' element of the game is maybe a bit too subtle, and I don't fault you for missing it; my team had initially planned on a narrative that used that theme a bit more, but time ran out before we were able to implement said narrative.
@ironax Thanks for playing! I'm glad the presentation struck your fancy.
@blaster391 That's high praise! Thank you so much for playing and for your detailed review. We're planning on expanding the game in the future (in a manner that gives the ending a bit more oomph, and gives a meaning to the player's bets).
@bittripbrit this is the highest praise I’ve ever gotten for anything I’ve ever made. Thank you so freaking much!
@sodagummy Glad the game gave you an old-timey vibe - we wanted the presentation to reflect the 50s setting while also using some overtly digital effects (like the ending of the black-and-white sequence). Thanks for playing!
@lachlan-james Thank you so much! I have no intentions of stopping my game-development spree yet - one of the projects in the works is an expansion of this game that is a bit more, uh, game-y, probably a bit disturbing, and certainly unlike both this game and also any other game you’ve ever played before.
@drgcandle Glad this struck your fancy!
@fhgaha Thank you! I’ve played a couple games so far from this jam that I think are better, but I hope the game places high. I’m going to release a post-mortem about this on my blog soon - the development of this game was BONKERS; see ripping a piano apart for sound effects, disassembling and reassembling a desktop 6 different times, getting maybe 12 hours of sleep during the jam and churning out a game that only includes about half of the visual and audio assets we produced. But I’m glad it’s finished and glad that it’s (I guess) found an audience.
@drgcandle Sure! I'll play it en uno momento.
@drgcandle Just played the game. It was pretty good!
@maimai Thank you so much for playin!. The money doesn't really matter, and you can progress to the end with no money (and without making bets), so perhaps you could play to the end eventually? The second race is intentionally that way - I liked the idea of mixing super digital effects with a more old-timey aesthetic scheme. Whatever the case, I'm glad it struck you as 'interesting' - my team intends to expand on this concept soon.
@tapehead No - thank you! It’s pleasing to hear that this has appeared as something ‘new’ to you. Have a most excellent weekend!
@kanity thank you so much for this detailed review! Off of your input, I will make an updated version game right after the voting period ends that switched the highlighted color for the dialogue and includes a screen that explains the different betting options. It’s music to my ears that the game struck you as unsettling and satisfying while also not being the type of thing to deprive one of sleep - this is precisely the kind of horror that I’m wanting to continue make in the future. My team intends to drop a feature-length version of this title in the summer, so hopefully we’re able to sustain the same flavor of eeriness.
@hawkin Thank you so much for these detailed and astute observations! I'd never even considered your points about the betting screen before but I think you're spot on - there's too much information and it seems that it's presented in a way that makes it less legible and 'meaningful' than it should be. Same goes for the races - I feel like people are watching the effects and camerawork more than the horses due to the indistinguishability of the horse models. I plan to make a 2.0/expansion in a little bit and will include many of your suggested revisions in this future draft. Once again, thanks for playing, and good luck (having played your game, I hope it places well!).
Cool idea! I think there's plenty of room to expand on this but I think it's a strong concept and the execution is solid enough.
Really strong concept here, where you're basically creating your own platforms; the movement is a bit floaty and my character got stuck on a few of the edges, but I think you've created something very interesting with the theme that could very easily be expanded into a larger game.
Very solid gameplay loop! It's a bit too easy to just summon as many monsters as one can, a strategy that works a bit too well and is far superior to a more thought-out approach, but the presentation is strong and it's enjoyable on the whole.
I generally like the look of the game - it's clean and polished. I made it to level 4 before quitting, and quit then for one reason - the rock created by the rain/lava disappears to quickly, and the puzzles end up just being about rushing a simple solution along, rather than having to piece anything together. Nevertheless, I think it's a cool idea and I can see a larger game in this.
Congratulations on completing this game! I think the theme is a bit iffy and I couldn't quite tell how summoning fit in, but it's polished enough for what it is and was never boring.