It's not too hard if you mash like mad. The "plan out your moves carefully" constraint didn't work out, unfortunately.
Straightforward concept, pretty well implemented for jam constraints!
I absolutely adore the way tracks get added to the music as you ascend. 5 stars for audio because it's amazing to see that technique under the constraints of a jam.
This is a great start, but it's not yet in a playable state. You can't die, enemies don't move, and unless I'm just impatient, there's only one wave. I hope you turn this into a playable game - I would love to play it!
This is an amazingly excellent first two-thirds of a game, but either there's a key instruction I'm missing, or it's not finished. No matter what items I get, the timer sticks at 00:01 and I don't know how to exit the level.
Minor bugs: - what does the compass/map icon do? The one below the backpack. I couldn't figure out how to use it. - The grabby arm leaves a couple of teal pixels behind when it retracts
Despite this, I love the music, I love the concept, and I love what you've got so far!
Cool, you and I had similar takes on the theme! It's interesting to see how you took a very similar idea and did something very different with it! I notice that we also faced similar challenges: the player getting confused about what the heck is going on up top while we're keeping them busy managing their inventory!
Why does my score go down sometimes?
Bugs: - your HP continues to decrease, going negative, after you die - sometimes you can't let go of an item, and it becomes a permanent part of your cursor (my cursor is above my HP count)
I love how you avoid the powerup-hoarding problem by making unused powerups turn to stone (immovable stone, no less!) and by only allowing you to hold one at a time. However, I wish they all acted consistently, i.e. all took 1 left-trigger press to use instead of some of them being push-to-activate and some of them being hold-to-activate.
Bugs (other than the obvious bugs that are crawling all over the place: - sometimes a stone bug will move, I think it happens when a red one teleports in and I immediately shoot it - when I'm standing on a powerup and my current powerup runs out, I should pick up the one I'm standing on instead of having to walk away from it and come back
This is one of the most fun LD42 games I've played - it has a lot of potential! I hope you come up with a clever way to transform it from a "you will eventually die" 10-minute game into a bigger and longer experience!
Ohhh! For all of you who gave up before reaching the ending: try again! It's worth it! My tip as the same as one of the in-game tips: Take your time.
This is a well made game, and it's quite fun! If you want to turn this into a full commercial game, you could do it! All you need, other than polish and bug fixes, is a bunch of levels and something like bronze/silver/gold times for each level. You've got something great here - I hope you continue developing it!
A solid platformer! I love that it has an introduction and an ending, and sticks to a coherent theme throughout. You could totally extend this into a great game!
Here are some specific suggestions:
* If you make the top of your lava sprite transparent instead of black, it will rise cleanly and smoothly * On the first level where the lava doesn't rise, there's a tile in the bottom-right here
it looks like you can stand on, but you can't. Unless it's an intentional troll, it's good to be visually clear what tiles are load-bearing and which aren't.
which is generally considered unfair/unkind level design. Later in the same level, there's a similar situation except you get a glimpse of the lower platform ahead of time, so that's fair - you just have to remember.
Very well done! This is one of the best LD42 games I've played! I was also confused about how to aim. Perhaps the tutorial screen could make sure you can place a word in some orientation other than left-to-right before it lets you get to the main game?
I'm winner! The concept is good but the execution is poor (e.g. you can pretty much fly) and the level design is uninspired. If you polished this, you could have a game as awesome as .S!
A good start at a game! Things that would need to be improved include: * smoother movement controls, the current version doesn't do well with switching directions * understanding what's going on in the final room with the spiral
Congratulations on your first finished game! I really enjoyed the gameplay - unfortunately I ran into a crash when entering the first room that's only accessible via triplejump, so I wasn't able to finish. I also enjoyed the self-referential humor. Get Danny Wallace to do your voice acting and you've got Thomas Was Alone 2: The Forgetting (;
Nicely done! After getting the hang of it, I didn't even need the X option, I was able to just swoop back and forth along the bottom and stutter at the right times.
I would enjoy a steeper difficulty curve - after about 12 levels, it wasn't getting noticeably harder - it seemed like the iris was moving around but not shrinking. After that point the game froze right before an iris transition.
What a clever take on the theme! It reminds me of real life, where my happiness goes down each time I disappoint these people that I hardly know...
I played twice, and both times the game softlocked after I had about 20 friends. I could click on people and it would tell me their likes and dislikes, but no new acquaintances came down the conveyor and time stopped flowing.
I won! Excellent level design, introduces mechanics and teaches them to you at a good pace. Great take on the theme. The only two things I would improve are (1) Make it less easy to surround yourself in ways that feel unfair. If I make an error of judgment, please punish me, but if I'm one pixel off and I get stuck just from moving around normally, I don't want to have to restart the level. (2) distinguish solids, make it visually obvious when I'm trying to warp into a wall.!
Fun! The design/theme flaw, though, is that running out of space isn't a bad thing! You can just camp in a corner and shoot everything that comes at you, unless it spawns on your nose which is pretty unfair. If you could figure out a fix for this, this would be fun to play!
With reliable controls and some bug fixes, this could be a fun "beat-the-challenge" platformer! I love how it tells you the levels will start trying to kill you AFTER I've been boiled alive by lava twice. (: I made it to level 7, but technically I won by selecting level 13 from level select.
Nice! My first couple of tries I got crushed, my third I got Time: 228, Height:28. I tried to jump to a taller island, but apparently it was too steep? I'm not exactly sure why I fell off. If you keep working on this game, I suggest nerfing the crushing mechanic. I spent lots of time looking up and waiting in fear, which is not the most fun (:
LD42 — Running out of space (23)
Arcane Ascension by Lloyd 2018-08-15T20:01:26Z ♥ 0
Screenshot 2018-08-15 15.56.43.png
It's not too hard if you mash like mad. The "plan out your moves carefully" constraint didn't work out, unfortunately.
Straightforward concept, pretty well implemented for jam constraints!
I absolutely adore the way tracks get added to the music as you ascend. 5 stars for audio because it's amazing to see that technique under the constraints of a jam.
Bug: You can run away, and then things get wacky.
No Name Murder Game by Ethan C 2018-08-15T12:30:29Z ♥ 0
All I get is an empty .zip file.
Eskista by Kiwimanjaro 2018-08-15T12:26:03Z ♥ 1
404 error
Escapaouf 3 by frnknstn 2018-08-15T12:25:28Z ♥ 0
Where's the game?
Idel - Arena Bullet Hell by ishi 2018-08-15T12:23:08Z ♥ 0
This is a great start, but it's not yet in a playable state. You can't die, enemies don't move, and unless I'm just impatient, there's only one wave. I hope you turn this into a playable game - I would love to play it!
The legend of the looter and the incredible backpack that never runs out of spac by agar3s 2018-08-15T12:13:15Z ♥ 2
This is an amazingly excellent first two-thirds of a game, but either there's a key instruction I'm missing, or it's not finished. No matter what items I get, the timer sticks at 00:01 and I don't know how to exit the level.
Minor bugs: - what does the compass/map icon do? The one below the backpack. I couldn't figure out how to use it. - The grabby arm leaves a couple of teal pixels behind when it retracts
Despite this, I love the music, I love the concept, and I love what you've got so far!
Outrunning Space! by drludos 2018-08-15T01:17:34Z ♥ 1
I love the creativity of your take on the theme!
The Backpacker by digitaldude555 2018-08-15T00:50:47Z ♥ 1
Cool, you and I had similar takes on the theme! It's interesting to see how you took a very similar idea and did something very different with it! I notice that we also faced similar challenges: the player getting confused about what the heck is going on up top while we're keeping them busy managing their inventory!
Why does my score go down sometimes?
Bugs: - your HP continues to decrease, going negative, after you die - sometimes you can't let go of an item, and it becomes a permanent part of your cursor (my cursor is above my HP count)
Screenshot 2018-08-14 20.44.42.png
Shblow by zblah 2018-08-14T23:37:20Z ♥ 2
I love how you avoid the powerup-hoarding problem by making unused powerups turn to stone (immovable stone, no less!) and by only allowing you to hold one at a time. However, I wish they all acted consistently, i.e. all took 1 left-trigger press to use instead of some of them being push-to-activate and some of them being hold-to-activate.
Bugs (other than the obvious bugs that are crawling all over the place: - sometimes a stone bug will move, I think it happens when a red one teleports in and I immediately shoot it - when I'm standing on a powerup and my current powerup runs out, I should pick up the one I'm standing on instead of having to walk away from it and come back
This is one of the most fun LD42 games I've played - it has a lot of potential! I hope you come up with a clever way to transform it from a "you will eventually die" 10-minute game into a bigger and longer experience!
My high score: 53350 Screenshot 2018-08-14 20.14.05.png
Crumble by anstabo 2018-08-14T21:38:32Z ♥ 2
Ohhh! For all of you who gave up before reaching the ending: try again! It's worth it! My tip as the same as one of the in-game tips: Take your time.
This is a well made game, and it's quite fun! If you want to turn this into a full commercial game, you could do it! All you need, other than polish and bug fixes, is a bunch of levels and something like bronze/silver/gold times for each level. You've got something great here - I hope you continue developing it!
Here's a screenshot of me getting squashed between two platforms: Screenshot 2018-08-14 17.24.30.png
My high score: -1:-22
The Fall of Arcology ONE by amkingTRP 2018-08-14T21:19:46Z ♥ 1
A solid platformer! I love that it has an introduction and an ending, and sticks to a coherent theme throughout. You could totally extend this into a great game!
Here are some specific suggestions:
* If you make the top of your lava sprite transparent instead of black, it will rise cleanly and smoothly * On the first level where the lava doesn't rise, there's a tile in the bottom-right here
Screenshot 2018-08-14 17.11.28.png
it looks like you can stand on, but you can't. Unless it's an intentional troll, it's good to be visually clear what tiles are load-bearing and which aren't.
* There's a blind jump here
Screenshot 2018-08-14 17.14.03.png
which is generally considered unfair/unkind level design. Later in the same level, there's a similar situation except you get a glimpse of the lower platform ahead of time, so that's fair - you just have to remember.
CLAUSTRO by Blinkenlights 2018-08-14T18:44:34Z ♥ 1
Very well done! This is one of the best LD42 games I've played! I was also confused about how to aim. Perhaps the tutorial screen could make sure you can place a word in some orientation other than left-to-right before it lets you get to the main game?
Closed Trail by saturn007 2018-08-14T17:15:55Z ♥ 0
I'm winner! The concept is good but the execution is poor (e.g. you can pretty much fly) and the level design is uninspired. If you polished this, you could have a game as awesome as .S!
The crushing room by Gaminantions 12 2018-08-14T17:06:56Z ♥ 1
A good start at a game! Things that would need to be improved include: * smoother movement controls, the current version doesn't do well with switching directions * understanding what's going on in the final room with the spiral
The Forgetful Cube by wrimo 2018-08-13T20:27:35Z ♥ 1
Congratulations on your first finished game! I really enjoyed the gameplay - unfortunately I ran into a crash when entering the first room that's only accessible via triplejump, so I wasn't able to finish. I also enjoyed the self-referential humor. Get Danny Wallace to do your voice acting and you've got Thomas Was Alone 2: The Forgetting (;
Ransack by Stillnotsure 2018-08-13T20:06:57Z ♥ 0
I loved this game! I love the frantic feeling of rummaging through your inventory while ghosts inexorably hover toward you from all sides.
I also like how the different colored ghosts have different personalities.
Giant Cleaver is OP!
Iris by Galan 2018-08-13T20:01:28Z ♥ 2
Nicely done! After getting the hang of it, I didn't even need the X option, I was able to just swoop back and forth along the bottom and stutter at the right times.
I would enjoy a steeper difficulty curve - after about 12 levels, it wasn't getting noticeably harder - it seemed like the iris was moving around but not shrinking. After that point the game froze right before an iris transition.
SocialCapacity by BeardMancer 2018-08-13T19:20:40Z ♥ 0
What a clever take on the theme! It reminds me of real life, where my happiness goes down each time I disappoint these people that I hardly know...
I played twice, and both times the game softlocked after I had about 20 friends. I could click on people and it would tell me their likes and dislikes, but no new acquaintances came down the conveyor and time stopped flowing.
Rocket Girls by tcmxx 2018-08-13T16:52:52Z ♥ 0
Well done! It's fun to play! I made it to the third segment. I like the different powerups and their effects.
.S by torcado 2018-08-13T13:11:00Z ♥ 4
I won! Excellent level design, introduces mechanics and teaches them to you at a good pace. Great take on the theme. The only two things I would improve are (1) Make it less easy to surround yourself in ways that feel unfair. If I make an error of judgment, please punish me, but if I'm one pixel off and I get stuck just from moving around normally, I don't want to have to restart the level. (2) distinguish solids, make it visually obvious when I'm trying to warp into a wall.!
Examples of losses that felt unfair to me: Screenshot 2018-08-13 08.31.07.png Screenshot 2018-08-13 08.31.54.png Screenshot 2018-08-13 08.34.56.png
Also it's possible to smush yourself inside the wall: Screenshot 2018-08-13 08.54.01.png
SPACETROIDS by newtinn 2018-08-13T12:21:22Z ♥ 2
Fun! The design/theme flaw, though, is that running out of space isn't a bad thing! You can just camp in a corner and shoot everything that comes at you, unless it spawns on your nose which is pretty unfair. If you could figure out a fix for this, this would be fun to play!
A blob with a destination - LD42 by Dries Vuylsteke 2018-08-13T12:11:38Z ♥ 1
With reliable controls and some bug fixes, this could be a fun "beat-the-challenge" platformer! I love how it tells you the levels will start trying to kill you AFTER I've been boiled alive by lava twice. (: I made it to level 7, but technically I won by selecting level 13 from level select.
Downfall by HungryHedgehog 2018-08-13T11:55:11Z ♥ 1
Nice! My first couple of tries I got crushed, my third I got Time: 228, Height:28. I tried to jump to a taller island, but apparently it was too steep? I'm not exactly sure why I fell off. If you keep working on this game, I suggest nerfing the crushing mechanic. I spent lots of time looking up and waiting in fear, which is not the most fun (: