Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → mrjohnson22
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | Co | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 30 | Connected Worlds | Double Take | compo | 1141 | 2.42 | 2.77 | 2.52 | 2.90 | 2.40 | 2.21 | 53 | ||||
| 2014 | 29 | Beneath the Surface | Eat Champ | compo | 754 | 2.97 | 2.72 | 4.11 | 2.76 | 2.66 | 3.69 | 2.52 | 65 |
mrjohnson22 leaves an average of 23.7 feedback comments each event.
That was pretty hilarious! It was a bit awkward to move at times, and the little guide arrow was sometimes a bit wonky, but overall the instructions were clear enough, and the concept was disturbingly funny. Nice job! I wasn't able to beat the whole game but I'll give this game another go when I can.
This is definitely the most beautiful game I've played this LD. The visuals were breathtaking, resembling the also-breathtaking Cave Story in many ways; the ambient sounds were fantastic & fit the setting perfectly; the controls & game progression were fine-tuned and felt great. Also, it's not often I see a climbing mechanic in platformers, and the one you put in this game was a lot of fun! And it wasn't overpowered either; good job on designing the levels to avoid that. Great stuff!
Yeah, this game barely (if at all) implements the theme, but man is it fun! I can see this working really well as a tabletop game, even. The strategy needed to play it feels just right, movement & expansion is very balanced, and even the AI is pretty darn good! The visual style is especially appealing, as not only does it look good, but makes everything easy to look at / to keep track of, and the camera control is just a joy (as well as being extremely useful). I hope you consider making a multiplayer version of this some time in the near future!
Woah, that was really creepy! I know some people have said this game would have worked better as a straight-up visual novel, but I felt that the surreal, warped audio/visual affects did a great job at creating a tense & unsettling atmosphere. Without them, the story wouldn't have felt nearly as significant as it did.
Not only that, but it looks like there are a ton of different memories & dialog options to go through. I'll definitely be giving this game a few more spins to see what else I can find, as well as to see the rest of the endings (I think I got the "bittersweet" one). Nice job on making such a fleshed-out experience!
This was a good game that got held back by poor execution. For every good thing about it, there's something bad to match. For instance, the hand-drawn artwork is very nice, but it gives rise to inconsistencies between screens that make it hard to tell where you are relative to your surroundings. The puzzles are cool, but they're far too cryptic to be solved without a helping hand (thanks for helping people out, by the way!). The mood and setting were charming, but as soon as things start to get interesting, the game ends!
With that said, you still gave a very good effort, and it's clear that this could have been a lot better had you been given a bit more time. So keep at it!
Nice variation on walljumping! It felt a bit strange at first to get a game over when touching a wall, but it made for a pretty fun experience. The risk/reward of getting a better jump the closer you are to the wall without touching it is a lot of fun! The only problem is the presence of overhangs that nearly trap you in some situations, but they happen rarely enough for it to not be a big problem. Also, such is the case with randomly-generated levels; it could have been a lot worse, I'm sure.
I also want to mention that having the same key for mid-air double jumps and walljumping actually works pretty well. While reading the instructions I was afraid the controls would get cluttered, but the "walljump zone" is so narrow that I never got an air jump when I wanted a walljump, or vice versa. Keeping controls down to one button was a good call, especially since it makes the game a lot more playable on smartphones. You should consider beefing up this game & making it into a full mobile game! I think it's accessible & fun enough to work as one.
I would have loved to have seen more of this! The concept is really good and the levels you have utilize it very well. I really expected to see more levels, though, and there is so much more that you could have done with the concept. But I'll blame that on the concussion. :P
There's also a weird bug that lets the top character double jump sometimes. Plus, the fact that some buttons in the final level stay pressed while all other buttons need you to be standing on them to stay pressed is kind of weird, and something should have marked those sticky buttons as being different. But other than that (and the length), I have no complaints. Nice work!
The atmosphere of this is really nice. It's impressive how much mood you managed to build without sound, but then again the creepy art style is really good and works wonders on this game.
However, I would have liked to have seen more on the puzzle/gameplay side of things. There are really only two "puzzles" in this game and neither are very difficult, but it looks like you were going for more of a storybook experience, which you succeeded at.
Speaking of story, reading through the scrolls & books was a bit too verbose for my tastes, and wasn't terribly engaging because of that. There was a lot of telling rather than showing. On the other hand, the setting and especially the ending do a great job of keeping things mysterious and subtle. I would have liked to have seen that degree of subtlety in the reading material, too, as I always prefer to be asking questions about a mysterious setting than having things told to me.
Still, great job overall! And nice job on the the post-compo version, too! The music and streamlined/improved graphics really do help.
That was delightfully silly. Hilarious dialog, silly background music, funny fetch quests...this game has it all.
I only have beef with the giant hitboxes around some characters that triggers a conversation when I don't want one, and how I can't hold Space to skip through parts of the dialog. But that's just a minor nitpick. As for the game itself, the fetch quest is actually pretty fun and even thought-provoking at times, especially with that "twist ending" (wink wink).
This really brought a smile to my face. Nice job! :)
This was fun, but I almost always spawned in a room without an exit! I tried playing this a couple of times and I haven't been able to get any further than level 2 for this reason. Sometimes I'm even spawned in just a tiny square (exitless) room, which is a shame considering how elaborate the generated levels in this game can be.
Ignoring those issues, it's still fun to play this game. It keeps things simple, which makes it enjoyable to just blast through. And the fog-of-war effect is excellent. I'm a bit confused by the controls for exiting a room, though; as long as the action still takes one turn, why isn't it just one key press? :P
But overall, this game does hit all the marks of a roguelike and is a cool experience, so nice work!
That was certainly interesting! It too reminded me of Tetrisphere, even though it's a completely different game. :P This one's got a really cool idea, and is a fantastic take on the theme. The way each layer rotates independently is a great idea, too, as it prevents the game from being too easy/predictable. Maybe level 5 is a bit too hard, though...those inner tiles get really strong!
This had kind of a Game & Watch feel, as it has a clear, and fun concept with simple controls, and gets faster and faster the more you play. ...Okay, a lot of games are like that, but this is the first one I've played here so far that really gave me that vibe. And that's a good thing!
The game may have been a bit too simple, though; it would have been nice to see some other types of items/hazards appear later on. Nevertheless, this game is still good fun.
Argh, I only found 29 worms!! I'm mad at you now. :P
Seriously though, this game is a blast! (Yes, pun.) Outrunning an exploding cave is a deliciously exhilarating experience, and the worm collectables (and by extension, the achievements) gave this game great replay value & depth (and also let you showcase the level design), making the game so much more than just an "escape" game. And of course, wall-jumping is great fun, so thanks for making that a central part of the game.
The controls get the job done, but it would have been helpful if jump height could be controlled by how long the jump key is held down. I also have a pet-peeve against randomized hazards like the lava balls, but that's a personal preference so I won't complain too much about that.
And needless to say, your soundtracks never disappoint, and this game's is no exception! And keeping everything shaking all the time & seeing everything explode really got me pumped, and fit the music perfectly. Overall, great stuff!
This was pretty fun! You can't go wrong with Mario, and the two levels you had were good & of reasonable challenge. There are plenty of things that are missing, though, like a score counter (what's the point of the coins without one?) and a "level complete" screen. Thankfully the AMAZING soundtrack makes this game really worth playing!
Oh, and the floor-falling bug is only ever a problem for me in Firefox (even in the post-jam version); in Chrome it rarely happens. Nonetheless, nice job, especially for an HTML5 platformer.
Sorry to hear that your initial idea didn't pan out, but congratulations on getting something out at least! It's a fun little game :)
Let me start by saying I'm reviewing this as game as if it were made by a person, not a computer, like you asked. If I were to rate the ANGELINA project itself I'd certainly be a lot less critical! :P
So, about the game itself. There isn't really much to it, and it's pretty much the same game as To That Sect from the last LD. With that said, even though all you do in the game is find some items and then an exit, it manages to be EXTREMELY creepy once again, and actually ups the ante since last time. Maybe ANGLELINA should start focusing on horror games!
These games are always very interesting. I'm curious to see what lies in the future of this project!
I did have a lot of fun with this, but it was brought to my attention that most of it was made with premade RPG Maker assets...which I suppose explains the massive difference in quality between the character portraits between dialog and fight scenes. :P But the soundtrack is original, and very good, so high Audio score for you!
It's also a shame that you didn't expand the gameplay beyond the most basic RPG battle system, as there really isn't a lot of interaction or choice that goes into battles aside from choosing to attack/defend/stat boost. The fact that the entirety of gameplay is limited to only battle sequences is a letdown as well.
Nonetheless, the silly, quirky story certainly makes this game a memorable experience, as well as the hilariously elaborate names & descriptions to the attacks (if only I could see a guy jump between two surfboards while attacking a sea creature, I would die happy). As for the dialogue, it's clear that you're not native English speakers, given how many grammar & spelling errors are sprinkled throughout it. Nonetheless, it's clear that you tried your best, and the important thing is that the story is perfectly understandable despite being a bit awkward to read at times. Perhaps consider finding someone to proofread it next time (I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to offer).
What an interesting concept! A platformer that displays its code as you play is such a charming and quirky idea, I'm surprised I haven't seen it done before. I would have loved to have seen this concept fleshed out further, though, as without the code shown on the screen, this game is just a basic platformer. But what you've done is more than enough for just three hours, so nice work!
I'm blown away by this. Never have I played a 3D isometric game that did such a fantastic job at clarifying where everything is at all times. It's clear you were aware of how hard it is to perceive 3D space in games like this, and everything you did to address that problem (the lighting on blocks, the movement grid, and the lines above/below enemies) works flawlessly and makes this game a joy to play.
More than that, this game really is a full-3D game executed in 2D! It's a good thing you made navigation so clear, because it really lets the gameplay reach its full potential. Multitasking between attacking enemies and dodging them is a lot of fun and just the right amount of challenge, too.
The navigational puzzles were also great, and leaving the more tricky ones as optional with health upgrade rewards was a good call, as it kept them rewarding without forcibly slowing down the action (unless the player chooses to tackle them, of course). The level design also escalates at a steady pace and showcases the gameplay step-by-step, giving the player a chance to familiarize themselves with the controls and visual cues in a risk-free environment before presenting the real challenge. Nice job on that!
I'm ecstatic to hear that you plan to expand on this game! I can't wait to see what you have in store.
I couldn't get very far in this game, as much as I wanted to see the ending. It's one thing if you wanted to make a difficult, combat-free maze game, but having it restart on a game over is just too much! It's especially unforgiving since the levels are largely dependent on trial & error, since there are plenty of dead-end paths and randomly-moving (or just plain fast) enemies that require you to know the level layout beforehand to avoid. And only giving the player 3 measly hit points (that even don't get replenished between levels) is plain mean. So in the end, I don't have much motivation to try again after losing.
Despite that, this game is still quite charming. The driving force behind making me want to play this game was the lighthearted dialog/story. The graphics are cute through their simplicity and complement the mood you were going for. I'll probably give this game another go later on just so I can experience the rest of the story!
This game has a very good concept, but it does feel it was held back a bit. Most notably, even though it looks like there's a lot going on in this game, it's actually very hard to lose, since the only game-over condition is when all your units die. The units are also a tad too strong against the enemies and have way too much oxygen when underwater (rendering the drowning hazard harmless), so the fact that I always felt well-equipped to deal with whatever the game threw at me was probably a bad thing.
With that said, there's a lot to like about this game. Even without instructions, the game does a good job of explaining its mechanics by having your units act automatically in certain situations; for instance, I learned about repairing broken walls when units moved in front of one of whatever room I sent them to (some visual progress on repair would have been nice, but the tone made when fixing a wall did the job well enough). Also, the red + in the med bay made it easy to recognize it as a heal room, despite how small it was. In regards to gameplay, managing between combat, survival, and upkeep among several units & locations is a great idea and a lot of fun, and the RTS-style point & click controls did a great job of keeping all this action manageable.
All in all, this game is a great proof-of-concept. I know you're already aware of its shortcomings & working on a post-jam version, so I'm eager to see what will come of it!
Okay, this game *really* creeped me out. It's a shame there wasn't much gameplay to this, but the atmosphere was absolutely perfect. The colour-blurring effect you used was top-notch, too, as it somehow added a lot to the game's aura of fear/paranoia.
Even there was no was no actual difficulty to this game, it's clear you were going for a mood-heavy game rather than a gameplay-heavy one, and you definitely accomplished that. I would have appreciated a better payoff in the end, though, since nothing happens after reaching the end of the game...those heart-stopping tremors really brought my hopes up for a confrontation of some sort!
Nice job on this! It's refreshing to see a new take on the "memory" genre, and this game pulls it off in a very focused, simple, and fun way. I'm also fairly impressed at how balanced the game is; the number of player units, computer units, and hidden targets (as well as all units' movement ranges) feels *just* right, so the game never gets neither too overwhelming nor too easy. I don't really have much else to say since the game speaks for itself just fine--nice work!
Although a bit crude, this is still a fun game. And even though it's a straightforward DDR-like rhythm game, the odd style of the "songs" certainly gave the game a unique charm. The added challenge of non-linear patterns to the "note" icons was a nice touch and makes one rely more on beat (using the in-game metronome, which is a great feature) than visual queues, which is pretty cool. The beat patterns also got a bit tricky later on; nice job on that!
My biggest complaint is the fact that the target slots around the main character are the same colour as the notes, so it's really hard to tell when notes are right over the targets (which is when you press a key). That wouldn't be a problem if the metronome did a good job of indicating the beat, but it felt a bit off the mark once the levels got faster.
Even though this game is pretty simple, it's still a nice all-around package. The lighting effects you used were VERY spiffy, and the having it serve as the primary factor of challenge was cool. The auto-generated music was quirkily eerie and set a nice underground mood pretty well. It was also fun to play through for the silly story (I have a soft spot for potatoes myself). It's a shame this wasn't fleshed out a bit more, but it was a fun romp nonetheless. :)
Even though the game eventually becomes unwinnable, it's still a nice dose of fun. It's nice to see a new take on the "eat the bigger fish" game. The way all bubbles, not just the player, absorb each other is pretty cool, and it's a shame it results in the impossible endgame scenario of giant, unbeatable bubbles in the end. It's obvious you originally wanted to have multiple levels, because then levels could have ended before this scenario could happen. Still, you did a very good job for only a few hours of development time!
PS: As much as I'd like to give you a high Audio score for the fantastic song you picked, Compo entries aren't allowed to use 3rd-party music. :(
This was pretty fun! I'm surprised you managed to make this game work, actually; the triangles always seem to just fit into the slots, and not once have I found myself blaming the game for giving me a "bad set" of triangles. So nice job on that!
The quirky music was certainly interesting...almost haunting, even. But it fit the mood of the game, strangely enough, and complimented the minimalist graphics quite nicely.
This game is a nice quick burst of fun. It's also darn hard (but in a good way)! Nice job!
You got the feeling of an old-school vector arcade game down perfectly with this game. It's a ton of fun, and adds enough variety & mixups to avoid feeling like just another 360-degree shooter game. The fact that bullets can only travel through the water's surface one time compliments very well with the kinds of enemies in the game (and with the fact that you have to ride on the wave in the middle of the screen), and having bullets arc in the air and travel straight in the water is fantastic (allowing you to bypass hitting the surface too many times by just shooting upwards, but with the added challenge of having to aim! Such good design!).
I'm also blown away by the fact that you were able to make this game so quickly. You made a pretty smart choice with your presentation, as having simple sounds & visuals serve the game rather than hamper it. Overall, great job!
This is amazing! This game has such a simple concept, but it does so much with it and really makes it click (and makes great use of the theme, might I add). The levels are incredibly inventive, and employ an impressive mix of twitch reactions and puzzle-solving. It's rare to find a puzzle platformer that relies so well on the kind of momentum one would usually find in an action game.
Also, the visuals do a very good job at pointing out hazards, and making a distinction between ground & air, and between being inside either area; it was always easy to keep track of where you are, which is very important for a game like this. The background graphics are also pretty without being obtrusive. The music does get a bit repetitive, though.
I really hope this game ranks high in the end, because it certainly deserves it. Great stuff!
Other than the fact that there isn't any usage of the theme (aside from the setting that's touched upon in this synopsis page), I don't have any complaints about this game. It's a fun take on the reflection puzzle game, having added extra features like bombs and portals to keep things interesting. It would have been nice if the levels got harder near the end, but having a sizable amount of well-paced ones instead was just fine.
The only gameplay-related quibble is the way mirrors are rotated. It would have been nicer if clicking on one would just rotate it in increments, rather than having to click on a corner to position it in a certain way. The way it works in the game is kind of wonky, and I often found myself clicking mindlessly until I got the rotation I wanted.
Other than that, the game was self-explanatory and approachable, especially since the graphics did a great job of communicating the gameplay goals. The background music was also catchy & fun. Nice work!
Funny game! That's some truly horrid acne. :P
This is a fun little game. It doesn't break any barriers, but it's a run romp I can come back to now and then. And I must admit that the controls & speeds of everything feel just right, as does the rate at which the sharks get bigger and bigger. Good work!
This game certainly has a creative concept. The idea of a texture gun for giving objects different properties based on their appearance is one I don't think anyone has ever seen, let alone thought of. And it's a relief to see that you explored this concept thoroughly enough to craft some fairly engaging and unconventional puzzles (especially the one with buttons and doors, you clever devil). The intro video & background music also set a very engaging mood, and played a big role in making me want to play through the game.
Unfortunately, this game has a few problems that bring down the experience. For instance, like any physics-based game, it's hard to maneuver items while carrying them, which is a big problem in this game given the importance of dropping items in certain spots or stacking them on top of each other. Having items cast a shadow directly above where they will fall would have been a useful feature to make perception a bit easier.
Also, the limited size of the texture inventory gets in the way, as I often found myself having to revisit a previous room to deposit my textures somewhere just so i could swap textures with items in the next room. If you made each room's puzzles completely independent on items & textures of the previous room, this could have been addressed by clearing the inventory every time you enter a new room.
And then there's The Wall. For those who haven't played this game yet, there's a room about 10 minutes into the game that has a giant wall that has to be scaled by placing items & climbing on them to progress. This is WAY too hard of a challenge to put so early into the game! It takes an incredible amount of patience to get past this section, and it happens pretty early on so as to be a barrier to the rest of the game for those who give up on it. And when I finally cleared it, I somehow lost one of the items in the next room, rendering all my hard work useless. :(
Despite my complaints, I do think this is a very good game. I only went hard on it in this review because I feel it deserves to be analyzed in detail. :) Great job!
Nice concept! It's a lot of fun and to the point. Some of the levels are bit too difficult, though (there are WAY too many single-pixel floors), but that wouldn't have been a problem had it not been for the rather out-of-place slipperiness. Keeping everything slippery made things much harder than they had to be, and the levels were inventive & tricky enough to not need that extra layer of challenge. That didn't stop the game from being a lot of fun, though. Good work!
This is a really good idea for a puzzle game. It seems easy enough at first, but it utilizes its mechanics for some fun puzzles. With that said, the game never really got too difficult, which is a shame since there could have been some really devilish puzzles here if the mechanics were explored a bit further.
Also, other than the story (which didn't have much to do with the game), there wasn't really any utilization of the theme. (Now that I know it's a fictional story, I can say these things without feeling too bad about it. ;)) And I'll add myself to the growing list of people who couldn't tell the difference between red & blue points.
Despite those issues, I enjoyed this game. I hope you consider revisiting it some time down the line for bigger & better levels, because there's certainly potential for that.
You're a crafty one, aren't you? ;)
It took me a while to understand what was going on, but once I did the game turned out to be a blast to play. The crawling mechanic bent my brain at just the right angle, and was responsive, unique, and fun enough to carry the entire game. Also, the fact that there's only one level isn't that much of a problem, given how easy it is to jump right back in for another round (which I've been finding myself doing a lot lately). And it was QUITE satisfying to win, too. ;) Great job!
I had fun with this one, even if it was a bit frustrating at times. For instance, it's a bit tricky to control which direction you're facing (which is important for using weapons), and the monster is probably a bit too fast (and maybe even follows the screen? It felt like it when going through the final corridor).
Despite that, this is a fun submission. And let me say that the sound used for the monster was perfect, as it did a great job of both building tension and indicating when you're in danger (I'm giving you a high Audio score just for this).
This is clearly going to be one of the top-ranking Jam games this LD. It has a ton of polish, from graphics and sound to powerups and features. There are even multiple levels! I really wasn't expecting there to be so much more from a game that already looked so good, but there you go.
Although it's not the most innovative game, it blends top-down shooting with tower defense--a mix I haven't seen before, or at least not very often--in a streamlined & fun manner, and provides enough varied items from the shop to keep things interesting all the way through. I don't have much else to say but "great job"! Good luck in the rankings! :)
First of all, let me congratulate you on utilizing what was quite possibly one of the best interpretations of the theme.
Now, with that out of the way, I must say that this one really impressed me. The graphics are marvelous; watching the rippling wave crest & the rotating surfer almost had me mesmerized. The music was upbeat and catchy. The gameplay was exciting, satisfying, and had just the right amount of risk vs reward. Controls were responsive & introduced at an understandable pace (good call on only announcing keys once their function becomes available).
However, I didn't see much of a point to the RPS minigame in between rounds. In fact, I feel that it really breaks up the action, and it takes me right out of the game. It's clear that it was used as a way to get new items/abilities, but I think it would have been better if items were awarded based on your surfing score.
Overall, fantastic job! I'll be coming back to play this one now and then. :)
I love these kinds of games. My only complaint (as others have mentioned) is towards having to click on a sticky note to reveal what item it is; since they can just be memorized after a few botched attempts (and how their positions aren't randomized), keeping the items hidden doesn't really add anything to the game.
Other than that, the levels were well-designed, the items were fun, and even if collision was a bit wonky at times, everything worked the way I expected it to for the most part. Nice job!
This a fun, relaxing game. Thanks for not putting in a time limit! It's nice to have time to think about what moves to make.
Once the concept becomes clear, the game is quite fun. With that said, the way the tiles instantly shift when being rotated/slid makes it hard to tell what's happening, and hard to keep track of where tiles are going. Even having something like an icon over the mouse indicating a slide or rotate action would have been helpful. Having cleared tiles fade away rather than instantly disappear would have been helpful in this regard too, as well as maybe a height counter over the black pentagons for giving the player a better idea when they're in danger.
LD30 — Connected Worlds (28)
Space Transport Tycoon by BMacIntosh 2014-09-14T05:36:00
Wow, you designed all this in 48h? Nice! I do have to admit that a lot of this game is going over my head at the moment, but it's clear that a lot of effort & thought went into it, especially the informative UI. The main thing holding this game back for me is a lack of concise instructions (the provided ones are much appreciated but it's hard to use them as quick referrals), given how many controls there are, but that's not too much of an issue for a 48h game. It would be cool to see an expanded version of this to see where you can take it!
Intergalactic Call Center by Troy 2014-09-14T05:15:00
Cool concept & interpretation of the theme, but it is a bit on the slow side. Despite that, it's a good thing there aren't any time limits or anything, because the game's hard enough as it is! It also took me a while to realize that the other languages were letter-by-letter "translations" of Earth letters, so I was thankful to have had the time to make that link. :P
It was also nice to see that there are quite a few responses for every call, so it's never in the player's best interest to guess an answer. It's also great that the four direct responses change per call, so the experience remains fresh for the whole game. Well done! (And yes, it was a good CALL (hahaha) to make the change to show the last message on the Phrase Book screen, just for convenience.)
Bipolar World by havana24 2014-09-14T04:57:00
Nice implementation of the theme, through both the story and the gameplay! The gravity mechanic was a lot of fun and used to its potential, and was strong enough to have driven the entire game. The levels were varied enough to keep the game interesting all the way through, and the added challenge of getting the pill in each stage was a nice touch that let the level design really shine.
The art style is cute & conveys the right emotions, and the happy/angry music (although a tad annoying after a while due to the MIDI keyboard sound used) was fitting, especially since both halves of the song were synced! Nice! The story was a great way to emphasize the theme, too (plus, I love happy endings <3). Great stuff!
Balance by miwuc 2014-09-14T04:40:00
Interesting concept! Even though there isn't much of a goal it's still fun to tinker around with this. It's also pretty unique & intriguing; there's something that draws me to maintaining the balance of life on a flat, two-sided micro-planet. :P
I really hope you do expand on this because there is so much that could be done with this concept... More items? Better interaction between sides? Multiple worlds at once? Stages of development--plains to forest, village to city? Sky's the limit, especially since the game has an identity of its own already. Nice work!
Lucy's Journey by ajopart 2014-09-14T04:17:00
You got some great level design here! Other than that little crush-trap near the middle of the stage (you know which one I'm talking about :P) the navigation challenges had just the right amount of difficulty: not easy by any stretch, but not so hard that they made me want to give up. I also liked how every piece of the stage felt like its own little trial; each part of the stage had a unique challenge to it. There was also a very nice mix of twitch platforming with think-two-steps-ahead puzzles. Controls were fine, graphics did their job (except maybe using a dark background was a bad idea, as I can image the black platforms being hard to see on some screens) (and nice intro screen!), checkpoints were laid out fairly, the game's length was just right...overall, this game is a lot of fun!
Pulley Planet by Patacorow 2014-09-12T03:17:00
The production values on this game are through the roof--great job on that! Unfortunately, the game starts out way too easy and progresses way too slowly to be engaging for very long. (It also runs significantly slower in Firefox for some reason. I'm glad I tried it in Chrome too, so I could know that the slowness wasn't a design choice!)
To me it seems like this game has everything ready presentation-wise: the art style, animation, effects, and visual coherence/communication are all top-notch; the controls & mechanics work great; the background music, sound effects and voice acting are perfect; and even nifty extras like combo counters are present. And despite being a green blob guy, the animations on the main character gave him a great deal of, well, character!
Nonetheless, the gameplay itself feels as though it's missing a few things, since it isn't much more than running back & forth and pressing the punch keys while at either end of the screen. As is, there isn't much strategy required to progress, as there's not much of a risk/reward factor in the world-swapping mechanic. Enemies move slowly enough that they can usually be dispatched without being exposed to their weakness, and even if you (as the player) decide to flee to the pulley, there's still plenty of time to run back to the enemies as if you never left. If there were other challenges to be dealt with, like enemy attacks, stage hazards, or even just faster enemies, the game could have been much more engaging. I hope you expand on this game, since it oozes so much style, personality, and potential that it would be a shame to see it stop here!
Fluid Perspectives by Jezzamon 2014-09-09T03:24:00
That was a lot of fun! I'm impressed by how many levels you were able to put in here, and by the variety of the game's puzzles. You did a very good job of introducing mechanics with simple challenges to prepare the player for the more complex puzzles ahead, especially given the level of experimentation involved in using all of the moving parts (blocks/characters as shields/platforms) provided in every level.
I also can't forget to mention the waterfall effect, which was really cool! It also served as a significant gameplay mechanic, so kudos for making a nifty graphic effect that has a direct impact on level design. The music was also a great way to emphasize the different mood of each character, although the "happy" song was way better than the "angry" one. The level of all-around polish is also very impressive. Overall, nice work! You can definitely beef this up into an even bigger game.
Divided We Fail by ninjascript 2014-09-06T16:48:00
Fun game! It's simple & intuitive enough to just hop in and play. And it's actually a lot trickier than it looks! My only complaint is that horizontal movement in the air is a bit too slow, so it's harder than it should be to jump over obstacles. But overall, nice work! Also, nice touch with the watering can / laser cannon symmetry. ;)
Space Vikings by sharpcoder 2014-09-06T16:36:00
This is pretty fun! There's a good deal of strategy and forward-thinking necessary to advance in this game, and it does get pretty tricky once level 2 begins. I do have to mention, though, that the game would have been a lot easier if action costs were shown. Since the crew size (and maybe even other things) changes how much actions cost in food/metal, it's not possible to know costs in advance and managing resources becomes a series of gambles. If that were fixed there'd be no problem.
The calming music did a nice job of setting up a "floating in space" mood, which was strangely fitting despite the game's objective of PLANETARY ANNIHILATION. The silly sound effects (chickens!) supported this style, and frankly I'm glad you went the silly route since it made the game more inviting to play.
Sinister by Joe Williamson 2014-09-06T16:02:00
Breathtaking! This is hands down the most beautiful game I've seen this LD so far, and the most atmospheric one too. That introduction sequence was very well done, and feels as if its the start of a grand, classic adventure. The background music was also amazing and didn't just fit the mood, it strengthened it. Don't let LD be the end of this game! You clearly put a lot into it and it's just begging to be made into a full game. A proof-of-concept with this caliber of production quality is more than enough to get people excited.
HopSlide by managore 2014-09-06T07:10:00
Oh wow my head really hurts. What a fantastic usage of the theme! I didn't even know it was possible for games to interact with each other like this. It was also great to see this mechanic be used to craft such amazing puzzles and wasn't just a spiffy gimmick. The puzzles here actually involve a great deal of thought, and are a good mix of both spatial puzzles and abstract problem-solving. The fact that nothing at all is explained was also a great decision, since it makes the game so much more rewarding once everything is figured out.
Best yet, as cryptic as the game is, everything ultimately makes sense in the context of everything that's presented, since the game explains itself by being played with. Experimentation is key here, and that's what leads to the best kinds of puzzles! The only puzzle I disagree with on a fundamental level is the one in the yellow room, since it follows different rules than the rest of the game. Other than that, everything is indeed solvable...but maybe not immediately. :P Great job!
Mega Golf by Jedi 2014-09-06T05:03:00
Golfing + explosives is a pretty cool/fun idea. It would have been really nice if there were obstacles or terrain that could get blown up too, since the game is pretty simple as it is right now. But that's all the more reason for me to be glad you plan on expanding on this!
PitBall by dcampos 2014-09-06T04:48:00
There's potential for this to be something really cool! As is, though, obviously it could have used a few more levels & varied challenges, and it's a shame its "connected world" mechanic didn't really get utilized. But I would love to see what more you could do with this idea, as it can definitely lead to some delicious world-navigation puzzles.
As for the rest of the game: the graphics get the job done, and the little ball guy is so cute! The bouncing sound is appropriate, but gets too loud if you bounce a lot. Controls are a bit wonky; the height gained by pressing "up" feels almost like a double-jump, but not quite, so it's a bit jarring at first. The left/right movement is also a bit weird since you keep moving after letting go of a key, but pressing either key puts you at max speed in that direction right away. If you accelerated to a max speed instead I think it would have felt more consistent & appropriate for the kind of platforming involved in the game.
Star Fuel by riv_roy 2014-09-06T04:34:00
What a gorgeous little world you made! Nice work! This game is a joy to play, especially given how open it is; between using the buildings scattered about for target practice and boosting around the large and varied landscape, there's plenty of fun to be had here even before starting to tackle the game's main objective. Other than the non-sticky mouse controls, maneuvering the ship is a breeze and just flying around is quite enjoyable, especially with the perspective-warping boost ability! Nice usage of that camera effect there. The only big problem I had with movement is the camera's tendency to remain tilted after the ship turns for a while, but that's something I'm willing to forgive given how well everything else works.
The visuals are *very* nice, and the one piece of UI there is--the 3D crosshairs--do a great job of letting the player know exactly where the ship & its bullets are headed. Most importantly, the sound design in this game is incredible! I played it with headphones on and I was impressed by the attention to stereo sound, and how well it made me aware of the direction of oncoming fire. Speaking of fire, the little warning alarm that sounds right before a laser is shot is just great, as it's timed just right so as to actually be a good warning. The fact that lasers are also always aimed a tiny bit ahead of the ship is also great, they provide a threat while providing ample time to be avoided by pure reaction.
Some other minor issues, though, are 1) that targets probably need a bit too much fire before being destroyed, and 2) once a few turrets are destroyed there isn't much of a challenge left. Maybe if the turrets were easier to destroy but respawned after a while, the game would feel a bit more balanced. But overall, nice job! I had fun with this one.
Connect and Conquer: Emperors by Moosefly 2014-08-30T20:19:00
Wow, what a blast! Free-for-all strategy games are always a ton of hectic fun, and this game doesn't disappoint. In a 4-player match, there's always a fair bit going on, and the multitasking that's required to stay alive is exhilarating. I started out playing a 2-player game, though, and was felt that many of the game's mechanics (ship caps on planets, being able to send less than 100% of ships over a bridge) didn't have much of an effect, but these fears evaporated once I booted up some 4-player mayhem & upped the planet count. There is indeed a lot of strategy involved in this game!
Also, great work on the very appealing menus, the minimal yet informative UI, the fitting soundtrack, and *especially* the breadth of gameplay customization options. They really give this game a ton of depth & replayability.
Connector by TeamEagle 2014-08-30T19:36:00
This is a lot of fun! It's one of those games that you can really play with, if you know what I mean. The mechanics were simple enough to be quickly understood but open-ended enough to feel fun. And the on-screen reminder that enemy ships can be hijacked is a great help; as soon as I saw a ship, I immediately thought, "Uh oh! What do I do?" followed by "Oh, okay, I better do that". It was a good decision to keep that bit of info out of the main tutorial text near the home planet.
If I have to complain about something, it'd be the difficulty: there's not much challenge to be found here. The enemy ships aren't enough of a threat due to the abundance of asteroids to repair connections with, and the time limit is so large that the game can be beaten 4-5 times in the same session.
So great concept, great execution, and great game!
Galactic Tollway Authority by AdricZero 2014-08-30T18:59:00
This is a fun game, but it was hurt by cryptic UI. It took me a few tries before I could tell what was going on and what I was supposed to do, but that wouldn't have happened if the the game's visuals did a better job of explaining things.
For instance, entry & exit wormholes are coloured differently from each other, but that doesn't inherently indicate which is which until the player sees how ships interact with them (the chosen colours are also hard to tell apart). If they each had a different icon, like an O for an entry and an X for an exit, there would have been no problem. It's also not possible to know which wormholes are paired until they're clicked on or when a "repair/offline" message pops up on them; maybe each wormhole could have a little number beside it that's the same as the one it's paired with.
Also, it looks like the only indicator of a ship's destination is the direction in which it travels. It would have been nice to have colour-coded the ships the same as their destination planets, to make it easier to set up efficient wormhole paths without having to wait & see where ships are trying to get to.
The game itself is enjoyable, though! If you fixed those UI issues and maybe added some new features, like roadblocks or something, this could shape up to be pretty interesting.
Ian Sync by kidando 2014-08-30T04:40:00
This turned out to be a lot better than the first few levels suggested it would be! Mainly since each level brings a new kind of challenge. The fact that some levels have 3 separate worlds instead of just 2 was really cool & unexpected! I just wish you didn't make that one really long level...one mistake sends you aaaaall the way back, and it's a sharp contrast with the quick levels that precede it. Other than that, this game is a ton of fun! Nice work!
Bi-Bob by Donar 2014-08-30T04:22:00
Nice job, this was tricky! It never got too difficult or cryptic, though (the only time I got stumped was when I didn't know that the purple block can be pushed). There was a nice mix of puzzles & platforming (the white platform section was great!) and there was always some new challenge ahead to keep things fresh all the way through. The little story was a nice touch, too!
Sun God Star Bridge by Ted Brown 2014-08-30T04:06:00
Wow, this game's soundtrack is amazing! It really shows the whimsical side of flying through space blasting meteors. And that ending cinematic...the music was WAY happier than it had any right to be. :P
As for the game itself, it's a ton of fun! It felt a lot like a simple Mode-7 shooter, which is cool. Speaking of Mode-7, you really nailed the look down! The camera tilting sealed the deal. It's a shame there wasn't more variety, though; every single planet & star bridge had the exact same enemies over and over, but the game was still enjoyable despite this thanks to the fair difficulty curve. Overall, nice stuff!
The Bacon Uprising by Tigro 2014-08-29T20:27:00
That was certainly...an experience. :P I don't know what I would have done without the walkthrough, haha! Funny stuff, and the overwhelming sensory overload was a blast.
VENN by OFF 2014-08-29T16:34:00
Very cool concept! I see what you mean when you say this game would work best for smartphones, because having a multi-touch interface would make a lot of the puzzles in this game much easier/intuitive. Playing it with just a mouse is difficult, but then again, it adds a timing aspect to the game, which is enjoyable.
The minimal graphics really support this game's simplicity, and the sounds do a great job of creating a calm atmosphere that helps combat getting frustrated by the puzzles. The puzzles themselves are fun too, but to me it feels that there could be a bit more variety in hazards & "circle" types, since a lot of the puzzles felt similar to each other. Still, very good job, and I hope to see more of this!
John and the Arbitrary Gem Hunt by SteveSalmond 2014-08-29T16:27:00
Wow, that was really something! Playing with an open-world concept like this is a lot of fun, and it was pulled off very well (climbing beanstalks is easy, planets' gravity pulls you in from a decent range, etc). And even though there was no real goal/challenge other than "explore", planet-jumping is satisfying enough to be the game's main draw. The silly dialogue was a nice touch too, and made me want to keep playing. My only complaint is that beanstalk leaves acts as walls and can screw up a climb, but it feels as though the stalks have their own gravity so you don't end up falling. Nice work!
Worlds Collide by Rage Paint 2014-08-29T07:06:00
Wow, this is a lot of fun! It's immediately accessible, quick to pick up, and pretty addictive thanks to the just-too-short time limit. I started off not liking the time limit but I soon realized it made it so much easier to play the game again and again to shoot for a high score. Also, big thanks for marking the planets when they're too big! So many "eat-em-up" games don't do that and it's frustrating not knowing whether or not a pickup is actually a hazard. Great game!
Parallel Horizons by kebabskal 2014-08-29T06:51:00
Great job on the breathtaking visuals! They really add a lot of personality to this game. The levels' puzzles were fun for the most part, but the slippery controls detracted from the experience for me. Much of the game requires precision jumps from high places to build up fall speed, but hitting a wall slows you down and ruins your jump. Given how easy it is to keep moving left/right in the air after letting go of a key makes it very difficult to complete a full jump without hitting a wall & slowing down. But overall the concept is sound, and a lot of fun!
Azuroj by Buttsteam 2014-08-29T05:38:00
This was an interesting execution of a "world-swapping" mechanic, because it has a pretty heavy emphasis on motor/platforming skills rather than just puzzle skills. And it works very well! It sometimes even feels like a Mega Man block puzzle, except the player controls the blocks. The level design is doubly impressive, then, since it implements a great mix of mental and physical challenges that mesh together beautifully. The visual style is pretty cool, too...I love how each world's moon is different.
Complaints: having the swap key right next to the movement keys is really uncomfortable, and floors are a bit too slippery for a game that demands precision jumps. But neither of those are major issues. Nice job!
BOND by ConflictiveLabs 2014-08-29T05:31:00
It's a shame you couldn't get the levels ready in time for the deadline, but releasing the post-compo version so soon was a GREAT idea, because this game rocks! It's a really unique & especially mind-bending concept that really makes you think twice about your actions. I hope you plan on making this game even bigger and better in the near future, because there is still so much room for more!
Heart Star by AdventureIslands 2014-08-27T22:47:00
Great use of the theme on this one! Having both characters exist on the same plane while each is in a parallel stage layout is a really clever idea, and this concept was explored pretty in-depth despite there being only ten levels. And I loved the visuals! The adorable idle animations really added a lot to the experience. I'm excited to see what's in store for the post-compo version!