redoplus

Billy's Band by picross 2024-05-01T07:26:32Z ♥ 1

I mean it in all honesty when I say that this game feels genuinely inspired. I had a real visceral sort of personal progression with it... I wasn't immediately understanding what to do next after using the first summoning circle (I'm stupid), but I wanted to stick with it because I was enjoying the look of the level that you put together, and it all clicked the moment I realized that the cultists at each of the other circles were making noises indicating where they are. I got the band back together and felt uniquely accomplished for doing so.

For whatever prompted you to make this game in the first place, it feels to me like you had a vision and successfully brought it to life in the 10 hours you spent developing the game. Whether big or small, my favorite jam games are the ones that manage to be complete, memorable experiences, which is to say that I'm very happy I played this game (enough to feel inspired to write a 1000-character post about it, certainly).

A Wizard's Spring Hike by treefds 2024-04-25T09:48:57Z ♥ 1

I had fun with this game! I thought it was really cute. All things considered, for as much as you say you struggled with the deadline, I think you did a great job with harnessing the stress to your advantage; the dialogue does a lot to make the game feel livelier, and I felt like the ending was pretty elegant, too (really, a lot of submissions don't even have endings). Would love to see more work from you in the future!

Spectral Fingers by boddiul 2024-04-20T11:07:56Z ♥ 2

The gameplay here was surprisingly novel; I can't think of a lot of other contexts off the top of my head where you're "fighting" the game for precise placement of a cursor like this, and it's a pretty fun implementation of mouse controls for what's otherwise a narrative-focused game. I ended up developing some pretty dramatic strategies for swinging the planchette around to ensure it ended up where I wanted it to; anybody using a Ouija board in real life would probably have been scared stiff by how furiously it was moving around, but it made for a fun experience. Nice work!

Scattered Seeds by tetrapteryx 2023-01-10T09:15:45Z ♥ 1

I had a good time! I have a definite soft spot for alien sci-fi with sunny blue skies. The player character's bobbing and blinking were really pleasant, I think; it's some nice extra fidelity that you don't see all too much at this resolution. The concepts your game explores are really interesting, too; they feel pretty natural for a modern game. They'd make for a great basis for expanding on in the future if you ever had the desire to, I think... I do really like the concept of tying the equipment you use to defeat enemies with the enemies themselves, and the hub area where you plant them would make a great place to introduce some give-and-take. Limiting the number of planters the player has access to and giving the player some sort of picture of what loadouts they should be planning on growing down the line would make for some uniquely methodical gameplay as they hunt for certain flora and clear up the space to grow everything they need. It was a pleasant game to play in more ways than one; great work!

CORPSE HARVEST: Zenith Agent Berpac and the Sporbot Invasion by Samuel Fine 2023-01-10T08:44:47Z ♥ 1

I've got nothing but respect for any game that lets you choose a tie. It was nice to chill and blast Sporbots for a while, I think; listening to the laser gun firing in rhythm felt a bit like meditation. There were a few times when enemies spawned on top of me at the beginning of a level, but that was really the only issue I found; the game worked like a charm otherwise. I'd maybe consider allowing weapon upgrades to carry forward between stages instead of resetting at the end of each stage since I think stacking higher multipliers could've been pretty fun (the highest I could ever stack was 2.05x), but I had a good time overall.

Barvest: The Iconic Bug Harvest of 2005 by picross 2023-01-10T04:56:59Z ♥ 5

Incredible game! I absolutely love how you designed and animated the spider... the legs are a great fit for the inverse kinematics. I'm happy to see any games about bugs in general when most people will exaggerate how frightening they can be, I think. The game feels really smooth for a platformer, too. I ran into some manner of glitch when playing on more than one occasion where the spider's legs would lock up and I would be unable to move with WASD unless I jumped into the air (seemed to have something to do with swinging?), but I was enamored enough with the game that I was willing to restart the couple of times I needed to to complete the game. It looks great and is just an all-around solid entry for a game developed in just three days. Really nice work!

Haymaker by Bobbo 2023-01-10T04:16:53Z ♥ 6

I went looking for this game immediately as soon as the jam ended because I remembered seeing your blog post showing off the adorable tractor robot... it's such a lovely game! It didn't take too long to get used to moving the pieces around, and the tutorial certainly helped with that (a lot of entries to game jams in general don't have tutorials!). I own a few physical puzzles that are similar to this; not being able to see all of the pieces at the same time makes it more difficult, but there's something about the relaxed atmosphere of the game (cute robot, gentle music, farm scenery) that made me want to stick with it; even though you didn't have time to turn the blocks to hay bales, the game still has strong aesthetic legs to stand on that make it a more enjoyable experience. Really nice work!

last summit by kindly 2022-04-19T04:47:45Z ♥ 0

There are a lot of good ideas in this one; I had a lot of fun with it. It takes time to get the hang of the controls and objective because it's a little rough around the edges (I had to read the description again to internalize what was going on with the limited number of moves, and the sound effects are a bit loud/aggressive), but that's what I'd expect for a Compo game, I think. Nice work!

Listening to Rama by ycb21 2022-04-08T05:41:39Z ♥ 3

I like it. The game sets out to accomplish something and accomplishes it; straightforward in concept and execution, it made for a good experience. I think the game's atmosphere was held back a little by the sound effects in the game; sound is important to this game, and there were only a handful of sounds that would play when the different parts of the machine broke off or were set back into place, making the process of watching the machine break down and struggling to keep it intact feel less organic and more orchestrated (that is, it feels more like you're playing a game rather than experiencing an alternative moment in time). Slightly shifting the pitch of sound effects when they're played would have been one potential solution to this in lieu of adding more sounds or completely revamping how the game presents them. Nonetheless, as mentioned before, the game does its job well, and it made for a pleasant and atmospheric experience.

JUNKER by BackwardsCap 2022-04-08T05:17:44Z ♥ 0

I'm a big fan of games that force you to juggle a ton of different problems all at the same time; trying to keep an arcane spaceship afloat I think is a good sandbox for ideas in this vein. It definitely could have been smoothed out more if you had more time, I imagine, as moving around and manipulating the various contraptions throughout the ship feels a bit clunky. The difficulty also seems to need fine-tuning if the scores being posted in this comments section are any indication; you can score 9,000 by standing still and not doing anything. You don't seem to get much altitude from cycling given how quickly it depletes your stamina (unless I'm misunderstanding the mechanics here a bit) and, by the time you get back upstairs to eat, you've lost whatever altitude you gained by going down to the bike and have been given several other tasks to contend with on top of that; altitude becomes a sort of single point of failure on the ship that controls when your run ends. It's an extremely good concept, though, and I felt like it made for a positive experience. The game gets bonus points as well because of how viscerally satisfying it feels to slam a door with your mouse; the sound effect there is really nice.

MARCHINE by Freeb 2022-04-08T04:52:27Z ♥ 3

I played the version that's currently available on itch.io and believe that it might (still) be bugged; some of the holes seem to jump from a 0.25x multiplier to a 0x multiplier when they reach the second or third stages. It's strangely relaxing for being a game about bailing water out of a sinking ship, though. The artwork is very easy on the eyes and the ambience is comforting. Part of me wishes there were a few more sound effects so that you're not hearing the exact same sound when you're, for instance, pouring water into the Marchine, but I think that having it be only one sound effect could have been just as easily contributing to the sort of meditative trance I felt while playing this game. I enjoyed it... the game didn't seem to be getting any harder because the aforementioned bug, so I let it go at 15 minutes. The game over graphic is cute as well, poor Phish.

Recycle This! by Raphiell 2022-04-08T04:00:03Z ♥ 2

I liked this! It's nice to play something that requires some twitch reflexes. High-speed sorting makes for some therapeutic gameplay... I imagine it could be made more engaging with additional upgrades or mechanics that allow you (or force you) to change up your approach to the core gameplay of identifying objects, clicking, and dragging. The magnet is a bit too unreliable in my experience to have much of an impact, but I think it's the most creative of the three in that it allows you to potentially filter out an entire classification of items at opportune moments if you're paying enough attention. The combined glass bin and the brake lever are a bit more straightforward, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Foundations by 0x746564 2022-04-08T03:34:41Z ♥ 1

For as long as it's been bundled with Windows computers, solitaire in general has been a way of putting off other work you're supposed to be doing; it's a nice game to see for this Ludum Dare. There's not much to it, but it makes for a fun little diversion. Audio and some quality-of-life additions like card dragging as others have mentioned already definitely would improve the experience (especially in terms of speeding up the build phase a bit and making it feel less aesthetically "empty"), I think.

leaky robotic arm by inert_aesthetic 2022-04-07T06:45:02Z ♥ 1

I have a lot of respect for any game that isn't afraid to implement complex, arcane controls like this one does. Managing the joints is therapeutic in a way; it reminds me of the philosophy that drove the development of games like QWOP many years ago. It feels like this game essentially accomplished what it set out to do; there isn't much to it, but I can't help but enjoy it.

Electro Rush by Giardi 2022-04-07T04:22:42Z ♥ 1

The robot character is very cute! I love their animations and how their lights react to the remaining battery power. There were a surprising amount of movement mechanics for such a small game - double jumping, diving, rolling out, hanging, and wall jumping - that go a long way in making it more interesting to play; I was able to figure it out from re-reading the description, but I feel a controls button in the menu would have been helpful as players might not otherwise realize that there is a dive button in the game. Some ambient sound and some additional textures would have gone a long way in making the game livelier and more vibrant to match the protagonist, I think, and a drop shadow underneath the player I feel could have helped eliminate some of the guesswork in the platforming. Lovely game!

Mr. Final Boss by Oroshibu 2022-04-07T02:30:41Z ♥ 1

Wonderful game! It looks really pretty! The different boss phases are a charming way of giving players a chance to play around with different abilities; it takes a few playthroughs to get a feel for which abilities benefit your playstyle the most, but I was willing to give it those playthroughs because the game is a fun one.

Rat King by noisemaker 2022-04-07T01:53:44Z ♥ 3

Every little element of this game just works together harmoniously. All of the goofy sound effects when you run, jump, and throw - and the abruptly cut-off screams of your victims - set a real nervous and frenzied tone that matches the look of the player character, and the level-ending bitcrushed WOO! is like a cherry on top of the game's oozing personality. Interplay between different gameplay elements is what I think separates a good game from a great game, and the weight system particularly does a lot to increase the nuance of the puzzle design and really put the game over the top. Issues were few and minor in nature; the game is so short that they're easy to overcome, but tweaking (1) how you're boosted by hydrants and (2) the odd collisions on corners when you're weighed down would have improved how the gameplay feels, I think. Though, struggling to ride a gushing hydrant when you're low on time really makes you feel real panic, which loops back around to enhancing the gameplay experience a bit. All in all, very nice work!

Soak 'Em Out by Cruise Elroy 2022-04-06T10:49:15Z ♥ 1

I'm beyond impressed! This is so solid! I got to 710 in a couple of runs, and I would play a lot more if I didn't want to give other games a chance as well. The interplay of the droplets, cars, and waterfalls really changes how you play the game as the game goes on in a way that I think builds upon the foundation that old Game & Watch games laid out. The only complaints I really have about the game I think are beyond the scope of a Ludum Dare... the game suffers from the same pacing issues that many Game & Watch titles do, which could either be seen as staying true to the source material or maintaining an ugly vestige of the time: it takes a painfully long time for the game to really pour it on (pun intended) and become exciting, so you're stuck blocking single droplets for quite a while whenever you want to replay the game. The game speed seems to reset whenever you take a miss as well; it's probably nice to have some breathing room, but it disappoints the inner adrenaline junkie that wants the game to maintain its speed. I think Game & Watch Gallery games would typically include an extra hard difficulty that alleviates the pacing issues a bit; something in this vein would be nice to see if you ever decide to expand upon this project in the future. That's looking at the game through the lens of a tribute to G&W titles, though -- as a Ludum Dare compo entry, it's just a really beautiful and fantastic game. Nice work!

ORANGE ROLL 🍊 by Yokin 2022-04-06T09:49:11Z ♥ 1

I didn't actually notice the shield mechanic until I was reading through the comments here. Regardless, the raw thrill of piloting an orange at mach speeds alone makes this game a good time, I think. Gliding along curves is satisfying beyond words; you can't mass-produce that kind of enjoyment in a factory.

UPS-ify by david055 2022-04-06T09:25:20Z ♥ 1

I do like the concept here. I don't think it was too difficult to avoid turning left, though; increasing the truck's turn radius and adding a penalty for running into walls would help make the game more challenging in this regard. I appreciate the little things in games, and I feel that committing the street names to memory was gratifying in its own way (even though it's not necessary because of the in-game map).

Hearts Ablaze by Jon Topielski 2022-04-06T05:22:09Z ♥ 0

Incredible! Really impressive presentation and enjoyable all around. I think a lot of arcade-style games fit pretty naturally underneath the umbrella of "delaying the inevitable," but this game integrates it better than the average arcade game submission might, though I suppose there is that there isn't a lot you can actually do to delay your death other than not getting hit and not missing shots, and maybe getting lucky with pickups on top of that.

Snøball by Thooom 2022-04-06T03:32:52Z ♥ 0

Falling down the first hole/chaining fans to stay airborne in general seems to be a winning strategy as my snowball will last quite a bit longer compared to when I attempt to play conservatively with items. The game as a whole makes a good basis for a survival game in the same vein as pioneers like SkiFree, I think, though you're at the mercy of where patches of snow may appear in order to extend your run. A reset button would have been a nice addition to avoid long waiting times on bad runs, and I would have liked to see boards play a more active role in the game's strategy beyond patching up holes here and there.

The Death of Time by OminusGalaxy44 2022-04-06T03:10:17Z ♥ 1

I'm thinking that the deadline got to this one a bit, but there were a lot of planks that could have been a pretty nice foundation to build on if you had had the time to build on them. I think the level of camera zoom hampered the experience the most as it made navigation and understanding where the current level boundaries are a bit difficult. On the other hand, there's some dark humor in the premise that makes the experience appropriately nihilistic nonetheless; I appreciate the cute commercialist-dystopian posters you drew.

The End Of Days by Anson Rutherford 2022-04-05T07:03:46Z ♥ 2

I enjoyed this one! There was more content than I was initially expecting, and the premise was adorable and wrapped itself up very nicely, if not a bit abruptly (which is hardly points against a game made by one person in 3 days). I feel like there was a lot of room for additional mechanics that the game never got a chance to explore, too... the only thing you have to do to win is collect all of the pickups, but I had a lot of fun toppling the wizards and townspeople manually with my limited abilities. All things considered, very nice work!