TobiasW

Happy Little Murder Friends by farmergnome 2012-12-17T15:31:00

First impression: Half a second into the game, I get run over by a truck, haha. Strangely, I quite enjoyed that experience. Starting again.

I really like the polish you put into the game. It doesn't really look like a prototype! And the character selection doesn't just work, it also looks awesome to boot and sets the mood quite well. Oh, and the controls are so tight, I love it. (And you have different second skills and multiple weapons? If you discovered a time machine, I'd like to use it too please.)

Le Chasseur by Quarry 2012-12-17T04:29:00

I like the looks of your entry! I have a lot of trouble playing it though - I'm not used to WASD directional to the mouse pointer. I'd really prefer W always moving upwards on the screen...

Rive Gauche by lightspeedlucas 2012-12-28T23:07:00

First and foremost: It took me forever to figure out the most basic things: That I am the black/white particle system (and not the target marker), and that I have to get to the golden particle system. From there everything was clear, but to get there was hard. That could've been a bit clearer.

Apart from that: Stunning game! The visuals are very nice, and the audio works well. And to top if off, the gameplay is interesting!

The Good Doctor by Sestren 2012-12-17T05:05:00

Cute, enjoyable, interesting mood, and telling a story without too much exposition - I think I can forgive that there's not much gameplay. The little squeaks and the queue they are forming: Adorable!

(Tie One Woman to a Train Track and Suddenly) I'm the Badguy by handCraftedRadio 2012-12-17T17:13:00

Ahaha-*bmpf* (hit by a policeman).
Also: Tying a woman next to the tracks, than standing on the track, laughing. I think I did something wrong.

Awesome game! The small scope probably allowed for a lot of polishing, and it shows. The controls feel very good (although I don't know if I'd like it better to just hold a key). Oh, and the humor is great!

And the more I play, the more I appreciate the mechanics: Your indirect weapon, the train, that can kill yourself too, distracting the police with the damsels, and the possibility of targeting a policeman with the train.

I only miss two things: Music, and some kind of indicator when that a train will come soon.

Good job all around!

PS: Ahaha-*hit by a train*

(Tie One Woman to a Train Track and Suddenly) I'm the Badguy by handCraftedRadio 2012-12-17T17:14:00

PPS: I love the title

The Furry Fours vs. Goatie the EVIL Goat by sirGustav 2012-12-17T23:56:00

Works fine here: Win7 x64.

It's fun running around and killing bunnies, but I have no idea how to even beat the first hero. I don't think I'm a very good evil goat...

Slaughter by wccrawford 2012-12-23T19:57:00

Do you use Time.deltaTime on everything related to time? It runs way to fast on my machine. It's not very playable like that, so I will refrain from voting.

Thievery by schnerble 2012-12-17T18:39:00

I present to you, a dog with a flashlight in his... you know where: http://puu.sh/1C1wD
And now for something completely different:

I quite like this game! I mainly clicked the entry because it reminded me of my title, and the similarities don't end there. It seems we started out with similar concepts and then took them in different directions.

My favourite feature: Picking the pockets of guards. The more guards there are, the more extra money - I appreciate the irony.

The game was quite easy to understand, but still proved to be challenging afterwards - just how it should be.

The chatter is a nice touch. I just wish it would display where it was said - that would add a bit more to the immersion, and would also make it far easier to read. (I missed most of it just because I was looking at the playfield, not down, but I found the chatter.txt later.)

Good job overall!

Ludum Dare: The Musical by cageinabird 2012-12-28T01:20:00

(Aww, I was hoping the happy melody ending would be answered by an evil melody line.)

I love it! I didn't actually want to try any games right now, but this one looked interested, so I opened it to take a closer look, and here I am having the game finished!

The mechanic is nice. Is it inspired by the sword-fighting in Monkey Island? While it was easy at first, it actually grew harder and I made two mistakes.

My favourite part is the music! There is no timer and I think there should be one, but the urge to keep the music flowing works as a good initiative to choose swiftly. Not many games manage to make me decide fast: I tip my hat to you, sir or madam!

Certainly one of the most original games I have played here. Great job you did there!

The Unforgiven Wanderers by AlexFili 2012-12-22T15:29:00

Interesting! I like that the things you have are nowhere explained, but become quite apparent over the travel. The choices are also interesting.

I would've liked to get more feedback on what happened when I took an action! I scavenge for two hours and I'm informed that I took a medicine to ease my pain. What pain? And what did I find? I have to figure these out by comparing my stats to how I remember them.

The game gets a little repetetive after a while.

I'm not sure if it fits theme to well, even though you have morally questionable options - it's not at the core of the game, and you are only fighting for survival. Still I can see what you were thinking there.

All in all: A well-made game, all the more in 48 hours. And bonus points for the title, I like it!

Royal Reptile Rampage by dalbinblue 2012-12-18T01:22:00

Yep, dodging was very difficult for me too - as were the controls overall, I kept mixing up keys and totally forgot what the jump button was. Maybe "up" would've been easier?

I like the looks of the dragon - the art style is quite loveable in general.

It was fun to play, but the fact that every little arrow pushed me back made me feel a bit less than a mighty evil dragon.

The level seems incredibly big! I was quite surprised when I fell down and it didn't result in my death (or in a very small hole), but in an entirely different area - and then I jumped down *again* just for kicks, and there was more to see! I'm impressed!

Overall, a pretty cool game. Thanks!

Prison Break! by tnch4_ 2012-12-23T20:19:00

Nice idea. I especially like the stand back mechanic. I didn't need to use it though: There is no need to move through a level, and I can easily just stand at a safe spot, shoot everybody, and once I've shot enough, instantly collect all the caps I need to win the level.

The graphics are simple, but I quite like them. Regarding the audio: Good thing you've included at least the shooting sound effect! (I'm always amazed when somebody makes a shooter and doesn't include it.)

Good job all in all for 48 hours.

Gnome Alone by bitwise-constructs 2012-12-28T23:22:00

Interesting! The first two level very pretty easy, so I didn't expect too much from the game, but whew, the third level was a LOT harder. And then came the spiky road blocks...

Very cool what you pulled of with such a little amount of gameplay elements! The graphics work well, and the music is cool. The audio effects are funny and fit well.

All in all, a pretty good game. Thanks a lot!

CYBERQUEEN by Porpentine 2012-12-22T17:48:00

This was, by far, the most immersive text based game I ever played. Easily the best text-based LD entry (and there were quite a few good), and one of the games here which I enjoyed the most.

Excellent writing. The replacing is a very nice effect.

And the most impressive thing: Normally I think quite long about choices I make. Not here. Click read no time click read click read click read--
I can't remember a game that ever made me do that voluntarily, without any form of timer! It somehow conveyed the feeling of urgency and flow.

I'm very, very impressed. You did an amazing job there!

CYBERQUEEN by Porpentine 2012-12-22T17:51:00

Oh yeah, only thing to improve on: If you add text, only make the added text blink. As Maple said, you immediately jump up to the topleft and that's a bit annoying. I wouldn't cut that one out though as s/he suggests because I think that's what added the urgency for me!

Office Mischief by ThemsAllTook 2012-12-28T22:55:00

> "Somehow only my coworkers got evil and I was crying the whole time."

Yup, the same thing happened to me. I felt a bit sad and not really villain-like!

The art style is really cool, and the audio works fine. It's a pity you didn't get to finish it!

Good luck next time!

Decommissioner by Crowbeak 2012-12-18T00:30:00

Wow, this escalated quickly. Knowing there'll be a twist made it a bit less surprising and I kinda suspected what the reality is like when I heard what I'm doing for a job, but your writing delivered it superbly so I could still enjoy it! (If "enjoying" is the right word. So cruel.)

(Bonus points for the wordplays and little jokes sprinkled throughout the game.)

You Are The Virus by Ashkin 2012-12-17T17:24:00

This is quite hard for me. I only made it to stage 6!

I think I would've enjoyed it more with fluid motions. The jumping makes it really hard to process the level - which is obviously needed to navigate.

Bonus points for procedurally generated levels!

PS: What is this I don't even: http://puu.sh/1C0eN (I get this after I restart)

ECHO CHAMBER by Loren 2012-12-18T23:07:00

Audio/Visuals: Top! Especially the audio is marvellous! I loved the ambient loops for retribution.

Is the game getting any harder over time? I stopped at 100k points because I didn't have the feeling it did. If there isn't one, congratulations for having me repeating the same thing over and over on the same difficulty level!

I think I understood the message in the game, but I don't understand how it fits the theme "You are the villain".

It took me *very* long to figure out that you can direct the counterattack. The reason is just that at first it seems like a click-as-much-as-possible-in-a-short-time, so I clicked all over the place and my counterattack seemed random. Only after relaxing and not wanting to win anymore, I tried out directing the connecting lines. I'm not sure if there is any strategic value in this though, as you should probably distribute it evenly, but I won even without doing so.

Okay, long story short: A very cool game for the 48h limit! Good job!

ECHO CHAMBER by Loren 2012-12-18T23:10:00

Hurray for missing edit buttons:

*If it doesn't, congratulations for [...]
*[...] it seems like a click-as-much-as-possible-in-a-short-time, kind of game, so I clicked [...]

Castle of Doom by vivavolt 2012-12-17T16:59:00

5/5 Audio. Easily! Gosh, it's so much fun.

I really like the concept, and it is fun to play. And watch. The graphics are adorable.

I'd love to have a little bit more strategy instead of just reaction, but I dunno about any concrete mechanics there myself. Oh, and I'm not sure why I can't just click on them to trigger!

All in all, a really enjoyable game.

Tick! by purrpurr 2012-12-19T19:48:00

I... don't think i exactly followed the end of the story. Apart from that: Nice story with sprinkles of humor. The beginning was especially funny.

The minigame is nice, although I'm not sure what the best strategy is. Or if there is any. I mostly mashed buttons I have to admit.

The graphics are fun to watch - I like that style. I'm missing sound effects and music though!

A fun experience, thanks!

Bullet Hell Reversed by arch.jslin 2012-12-19T17:50:00

Boss wins! Yeah!

Is miss the audio (In a shooter! How could you!), but I like the idea and it's rather fun to watch your hordes decimate the hero and later on finish the slaughter. He's pretty evasive though! (I'm quite sure that's not his first time embarking on this mission.)

The graphics are decent - not pretty, but they serve their purpose.

I'd have loved to have a bit more control over the movements of my minions. Right now I feel like mashing the keys and hoping for the best works best. A few more attacks for the boss would've made that fight more entertaining, but I understand that there's only so much you can do in 48 hours.

Oh, and what does the "cost" in the boss battle mean? Does it cost my health?

All in all: Pretty fun game. Good job!

Crazy Evil Laptop by impulse9 2012-12-17T17:34:00

The controls felt very slippery indeed. The graphics are charming, and I like the DOS-feeling sound effects :)
Missing music though! Where are my chiptunes?

I ran into the same kind of trouble as VDZ with the switches. It took me a lot of time to figure that level out. And I gave up at the same level as him.

I really understand the balancing issues though - I barely had time to play my game myself!

Kroc Le Vilain by DrGeraud 2012-12-19T18:35:00

A *very* cool game! The background story is really funny, and that is only enhanced by the cool sound effects and graphics. I love it watching how the minions get shocked by their boss screaming at them, then turn around and are all "WHAT" :D

I think the levels should be shorter or with checkpoints - or the difficulty curve should be flatter. I stopped in the middle of level 2 because it was a bit frustrating always to start at the beginning, and I think that's a pity because I would've loved to see the end and if there are any new enemies introduced later on. Are there? Please make a video for all us non-hardcore-gamers!

Bonus points for the cool music and the all-around polish!

This is not just a solid game, but a really fun one on top of it. Good job you two!

Villain on a train by pinion 2012-12-18T23:25:00

"Chu-chu! Chugga chugga chugga chugga..."
Haha, so cool.

I like and dislike the choices at the same time. They are funny and interesting, but their randomness and unpredictability renders them mostly moot. It was still enjoyable for a few times. It's a bit hard to say whether I did particularily good or bad at the end of the game.

The art is not pretty, but serves it purpose in a minimalistic way.

All in all, an enjoyable experience. Thanks!

Sealed Evil by Neonlare 2012-12-22T17:16:00

Okay, this one is probably insider's tip of the competition - because of the high entry barrier, and the gem that follows if you have the patience to cross it!

Cons:
- VERY slow and grindy start. The first level is incredibly frustrating.
- I am not sure if it's intended that the game becomes easier the more souls you have. You get shot easily, but you can just as easily restart - and all the new enemies make formidable targets until you are killed. Soul collecting was never easier.
- The wall. THE GODDAMN WALL.
- And even worse, the wrapping screen without seemless wrapping. People run out and are seemingly gone. It took me a while to even figure out it wraps!
- I was kinda disappointed when I undid the first seals and I didn't transform at all ingame. I would've loved having a different appearence!
- I don't have the slightest idea what exorcists do? They are the black ones, right?

Pros:
- The slow start makes you feel all the mightier later! It's an acquired taste though: I don't know how many will go through with that, there are so many games to play.
- 10 maps with different tilesets, music and people? Wow.
- 20 power-ups.
- And INCREDIBLE amount of polish. Did you really do all that in 48 hours? It's so hard to believe!
- A cutscene. (Without music :( ) And end-scene, even though that one was kinda short.
- Humor! :D

Out of all the games I have played so far, this is easily the best. I urge you to rate more games to get more spotlight yourself! It's such a pity that a gem like this has only 15 ratings.

PS: What the heck is that? http://puu.sh/1DXHM
It happens once you beat the game and restart it.

Here be Dragn by doos 2012-12-22T23:11:00

Alright, I kinda like it! The graphics are nice, the sound effects work and the music is cool. The gameplay is a good idea, but to be honest, right now it feels a little boring.

What the game DOES show is a lot of promise though! I quite like the suggestions by Toadpud and blob. Maybe you'll implement them later for a spiced up version? I'd like to play that!

Despite its shortcomings, a solid piece of work! Good job!

PS: Oh, and it would help if the mouse would be locked in the window. If you don't know how to do that, I can supply code for that.

Burglary by TobiasW 2012-12-17T16:49:00

Thanks for all the feedback!

Some notes:

Ashkin, glad you enjoyed the light mechanics! I'd love to have inserted more of this sort, alas there was no time - the light was an afterthought and came in about 9 hours before the deadline and I didn't know how much fun it would prove to be by then. Thanks for the idea, I might use it later :)

bradleypollard, I consciously excluded changing the light while you picked a lock to simulate concentration and to make the risk/reward factor higher. It might have been a bad call though... I didn't have too much time to playtest. (Oh, and I'm really happy that you like the minigame. :) )

Tifu, you cannot imagine how glad your comment made me. I never had time to test all the levels - up until now I wasn't sure if the game was even beatable! (You weren't logged in to Kongregate though, right? Otherwise the highscore submission is broken.)

ananasblau, the guard chases you:
a) As long as he sees you. (=The line connects)
b) Afterwards he goes to the last place he saw you. (=The red rectangle)
c) Then he follows your trail slowly for 8 more seconds.
He can see you more easily when your light is bright! Dim it a lot, and run around corners as much as possible. Does that help you? If not, please ask again!

The Greatest Relic Identify Expert by Lancelot Gao 2012-12-17T23:48:00

I've read your blog entry earlier, so I bookmarked it - and boy, am I glad I did it. The gameplay is fun, but where the game really shines is polish - everything looks so neat and is well tied together. (And I like the story of the dragon who didn't want to be a villain. :D )

PS: Dragons are awesome!

The Greatest Relic Identify Expert by Lancelot Gao 2012-12-17T23:49:00

Oh, and I forgot: Please rate a few entries! The more you rate, the more people see your game - and I think it deserves to be seen!

Sleeping Dragon by ethankennerly 2012-12-22T15:20:00

First one button game I see in this compo! Oddly I find these hard to pull off, but this one works rather well.

A point I'd like to remark on: Especially at the beginning, there's so much pause between the peasents. I don't want them to MOVE faster (with Shift+2), just more frequently at the beginning.

Multiple attacks might be interesting? Or maybe actually multiple keys, if you are not too attached to the one-button approach. Right now, fireball is rather easy to use and seems to kill most attackers rather easily.

(The spiked food is a really nice touch! I only found out about it by reading the comments though, for I rarely use bite.)

All in all, a job well done.

Spawner by Digiraze 2012-12-22T16:02:00

Whew, your game has a tough difficulty curve. At first its very easy, and not far later even my button mashing skills can't kill the enem-- eh, player anymore.

I like the concept, and the fact that you have so many units at your disposal. Alas, I have no idea what those units actually do and when to use them! And the fact that the player moves erratically and has very good targeting makes it hard to plan anyway - it dissolves into button mashing very fast.

Still, I think with a little more strategy this concept has a lot of potential.

I would've liked a bit more introduction to the story for the theme to be stronger - right now that part is rather bland. That doesn't deter the gameplay from being fun though.

All in all: A job well done!

The World is Mine! by matthias_zarzecki 2012-12-17T04:18:00

I like the graphics, and the texts are very cool! Especially the named goons are a nice touch :)

The gameplay definitly has potential, but right now there is little to no challenge. Is there anything fighting back? (The slow resistence of the cities is easily overcome by sending goons quickly.)

I'm also quite unsure how the points are calculated.

Oh, and I like the music!

Apocolypse Virus by Tom Leonardsson 2012-12-17T15:21:00

Yeah, I destroyed the world! It's really not possible to lose though, I just stayed in fire line the whole time. It would be nice if it would be a little longer, but I guess that's a hard thing to ask for in only 48 hours!

Tips for next time:
- Check if the player can lose
- Maybe add a little bit of sound and music?

Amongst Shadows by BlackBulletIV 2012-12-17T04:46:00

Sweet - the best LD25 entry I've played so far. As epiplon said, the AI is quite cool. I love how they run left and right over their dead colleagues, it looks so agitated.

The controls feel good. Sometimes it's really hard to land a hit though, but I guess that's okay, because sometimes the enemy has a hard time hitting me too.

And don't get me started on the lighting and the ambient soundtrack. Very atmospheric!

Overall: A really good entry. I can't wait to read the code later on!

Horizon by spolvid 2012-12-23T20:04:00

Nice short story! Definitely on the shorter side though - I think it could've done with either a few more choices or being a little longer overall.

I love the description! It really made me want to play the game. Good job, all in all!

Wrong Love by Corné Dorrestijn 2012-12-30T22:40:00

Interesting - it seems we have started out with quite similar ideas, and after that, we've chosen different directions. I actually thought about the player getting heavier once he gets treasure too, and then scrapped it because I didn't have enough time left!

Quite a nice game, good job!

The Great Summoning by Jiyko 2012-12-19T20:03:00

Interesting use of the topic!

Some ideas how you could've made more of the concept:
- Show the effects of the summoning while the summoning is going on: Everything grows darker, light flickers, strange shadows etc.
- It would be more of an auditory experience if the drum sounds would abide to some sort of tact. Right now, it seems to be a bit random? Maybe my sense of hearing just isn't good enough.

Still a solid result for mere 48 hours! Keep going!

(PS: I think Rex Peppers meant that he has Linux or Mac OS and can't play windows games, and that it makes him sad that so many people made windows-only games.)

Hunter to Hunted by Jwatt 2012-12-23T20:48:00

Interesting. And confusing. Hmm!

Okay, first of: I like the graphics. And the sound effects are cool. And I love the music!

And before I write anything about the gameplay, I'll watch the YouTube video now, and write about my findings, so you can (maybe) figure out what wasn't clear for me.

- Oooh, you can catch the goblets in the air? I thought they have to unearth them to get them! (And I thought the ones in the air have to be blocked first.)
- Using towers that the creature cannot scale without building as inhibitors while dropping heroes at the other side? Clever! I totally forgot that the creature cannot scale everything and will build otherwise.
- Dropping spikes on a burrowing hunter to make a bridge over him while he burrows further down? Huh. Nice!
- I still have no idea when the spikes will pop up under my monster, or when they'll fall on my head.

Okay, interesting! The game has rather simple rules, but they result in a lot of emergent gameplay. A bit too complex for me to think about them in real-time though! (I wonder if the game would work turn-based. Or top-down. Or multiplayer. Hmmm...)

There's one thing I would've liked: Some sort of horizontal ray that beams down from the hatch so I can immediately see the where my creature is commanded to. I died a few times from letting the creature move on step to far just because of poor visual judgement.

I think the gameplay might be a bit clearer if the spikes would drop with the hero so that nothing just seems to pop out of thin air. (Well, except the trinkets I guess.) Although that might change the gameplay too much? It's hard for me to think about, and I don't know which bits you value the most.

All in all: Very interesting, good job!

Illegal Crime Game by angrygeometry 2012-12-29T00:09:00

(WARNING: The following comment is written with CRIMINAL INTENT. Please report it to the next police station.)

Wow, I love it! The graphics, the humor, the music, everything blends together so well. At first I was doubtful that I could steal anything at all (the skull family house barricaded, "not the right tools" for the car), but then I actually stole something! And some more! Commiting crimes is so addicting!

The best part of the game is obviously the humor. You did a really good job on exaggerating the whole crime thing without being annoying.

And whew, the world is big. I kept expecting it to end, but no sir, there is another screen after that one. Obviously a lot of areas that seemingly did nothing (or maybe I actually didn't figure them out?), but still - so much content.

You did a very good job there! Thanks for this cool game!

And now excuse me please, I need to commit more crimes.

Another Castle by RosyPenguin 2012-12-28T16:25:00

Fantasic art and music, a fitting theme, cool gameplay - good job overall!

Eaten by wzl 2012-12-22T14:56:00

23/30, and whew, that was hard! And happens when you get unlucky just two times...

I like how it doesn't just end with you killing and eating: You have to watch over the corpse too to kill people before they become on-lookers. And you also have to decide between when to kill/eat and when to just kill and eat later when you have a minute. These two mix in an unexpected element of strategy - well done!

The sound effects are really cute and clash with what you are doing - making it hard for me to feel like a villain. Still, the theme is there, and what it loses in Mood it makes up in Humor. The graphics work well.

All in all, a fun entry!

Eaten by wzl 2012-12-22T14:57:00

PS: I don't get why, plot-wise, you can't stab on-lookers though! Are you shy or something?

You Villain by CNIAngel 2012-12-19T00:46:00

Okay, you obviously nailed the theme. (Probably with real nails. Driven into the remains of a princess.) Apart from that, it's a bit short and well - every second move ends the game. When nearly every move is an ending, choice seems to be a bit arbitrary. The humor was nice though.

I think I would've enjoyed the game more if it featured a longer coherent story line. But then again, I just read the comments and found out that you made it in only 1 hour, and for that it's pretty good I guess!

THE BUTCHER by pythong 2012-12-19T17:58:00

Haha, I like it! And it definitely arouses villainy urges: I wanted to slash the dead chicken against just because I could! (Alas, I couldn't. Sadly.)

I loved the moment the first fruit came in and the game reminded me that this is NOT Fruit Ninja by awarding me an "X". I don't know if that was intended to be so funny, but it seriously cracked me up.

The graphics are cute and work well.

The sound fx is cool. The music is nothing outstanding, but it blends good into the background.

All in all: Well done, thanks for a few minutes of fun!

Conquering Oneself by VDZ 2012-12-17T18:06:00

A really really interesting concept. It's a pity I spoiled myself by reading the description, the twist would be so awesome otherwise. Also: Best use of the theme so far!

I'm kinda missing an overview over the next attacks while playing. It feels a bit like a memory game this way. (Although reading the comments, yes, it really combines RPG with Simon - maybe this was intended?)

Ooooh, the "strange spells" that he casts is *very* clever. Just when I thought I had figures this completely out. Which attack does it target?

It comes a little bit too late for my taste too, because until then it's very easy, just use alternately:
2. Attack / Counterattack [repeat]
3. Counterattack / Defend [repeat]
1. Defend / Attack [repeat]
4. Start with #1

The only flaw is this strategy is that it's dreadfully boring, but still - it's a dominant strategy which is hardly a good thing.

I love the music, and I'm listening to the theme on tindeck while I write this review :D

Out of the LD25 games I played so far, this is the one I enjoyed the most! Good job!

PS: Half a bonus point for fullscreen. Only half because it doesn't keep the aspect ratio!

Conquering Oneself by VDZ 2012-12-17T18:08:00

PPS: What did you make the music with?

Conquering Oneself by VDZ 2012-12-17T18:10:00

I just realized the time loop you incorporated in the story. Clever.

(Triple-Post, aah. I really dislike the absence of an edit button.)

Conquering Oneself by VDZ 2012-12-17T19:30:00

Regarding the "strange spell": Cool, that's what I thought. Good thinking on your part, just a bit late in my opinion.

I just searched for a setting like that, but find none. From what I found, I think I can only decide between "centered" and "fullscreen". Can you make a screenshot of these options in your settings? I'd like to google for it.

(Why do you hate upscaling? How is 800x600 fullscreen different from setting a high resolution and upscaling graphics? In the latter one you could include letterboxing yourself, then it would work out of the box on any computer.)

I'll check out the FLP files, thanks!

Conquering Oneself by VDZ 2012-12-18T01:57:00

I agree that it doesn't work well for screenshots, but most time I'm just playing a game - and I'd like it to fill my screen, with the correct aspect ratio, and without having to try to dig down my graphics card control panel to find some scaling options.

Note that I'm not trying to convert you to liking something here, I'm just saying that I think that games are a lot more enjoyable in fullscreen and that I couldn't do that with your game because I'm really sensitive to stretched graphics.

Blight on Happy Land by Tifu 2012-12-17T16:05:00

The angle took a while to get to, but afterwards, this was quite an enjoyable experience. And I like the decorative animals!

There were a few bugs that kept me from finishing the game (because I got to frustrated):
- At stair passages: Sometimes blocks I touched didn't fall. Maybe I jumped over them?
- The jump-again-if-you-still-hold-the-key killed me more than one time, and I don't see anywhere in the game where you would WANT to jump again :(

Other than that, I quite like it!

Namcap: Reverse Pacman by caranha 2012-12-29T03:42:00

Interesting idea. I like the gameplay - it's surprising challenging. (Although sometimes it's very hard to catch him, and at other times he just runs right into you.)

I'm not sure if I agree with the choice of controls. It's hard to memorize the color-number-associations, and I'd like to control more than one ghost at the same time. Maybe you could try mouse-control, where you drag & drop to set directions or targets for individual ghosts?

I love the graphics. They are so neat, almost cute!

The audio works well. The missing music is barely noticable.

All in all quite a good entry. Good job!

Under the Bed by Logun 2012-12-17T18:22:00

The monster animation is lovely - and so are the graphics overall. It's really a pity you don't have sound effects (crying! wooshing!) or music to build more atmosphere!

The gameplay is cool, but sometimes I have problems figuring out if I will be spotted. I'm not sure if I play it wrong or if it's not too clear.

Overall: Good job!

PS: Good work with the title screen. Your post in the blog while you developed got me to try this game out.

PPS: Restart with F5 instead of an easily reachable key? :/

Monster Bros. by toaster 2012-12-19T18:19:00

Haha, nice! It took me a while to find out who the hero is - actually, I only did one page before the end of the first part. Reading on now...

Okay, I'm through! Barely any branching, but I don't think it's needed for this story. I love the new story layers each character brings - and especially the twist it gives to the inspirational origin you obviously had. Things are not as they seem, hu?

Well done, toaster, well done!

Puzzle Dash! by Fireblend 2013-08-31T00:02:00

4000 score? Haha, wow - I've got 858 and I am DAMN PROUD :D
The gameplay was fun and the controls are pretty smooth. The graphics are nice, clean and colorful - fits well.

I am partial to always having to scroll back to the big red block. It certainly had an exploration-y feeling, but it always felt so dissatisfying to find a combination in the last second - but not being able to use it to get more time. I think it would've been a smoother experience with automatic time upgrades.

May I suggest http://abundant-music.com as the music generator next time should you need one? The quality is much, much higher.

All in all, pretty well done - my Android tablet is looking forward to your post-compo version!

The First Odyssey by davisan 2013-09-15T16:33:00

Ahaha, the shot2.gif was definitely me sometimes. I really like how the arrows just stick where they are, that looked especially fun with the shielded enemies. Oh, and I like the title screen - well drawn! The ingame graphics look good too, but you should work on your animations - especially because the protagonist is so detailed, it looks strange that she always stares into the void in the same way.

The gameplay itself wasn't very challenging, but I liked the level layout and hey, that was big. More interesting enemies would've given the game a lot.

Good job on the music!

PS: I can't get over how unfriendly the comment from Croze is. Not the criticism (critisism is always fine), but the tone is extremely awful. Kudos to you for answering so nicely!

Timespunkers by BNeutral 2013-09-15T18:49:00

Thanks for your comment in Lost in the Darkness! Yeah, finding your first friend needs a bit of awareness or deduction - that's actually by design.

Pretty cool graphics! The gameplay is solid, but I think giving the player a few seconds to adjust to his new situation (or dropping him in a safezone) would've made the game feel more fair. Endless games need more sense of progression, such as power-ups or even better upgrades, or it gets repetitive pretty fast - but until then, I still had fun!

(I like the rest room, haha.)

6th Station by juaxix 2013-08-26T21:49:00

I like the graphics - especially the perspective change on stations and how the ghosts are spinning towards the camera. The mirroring lake is a nice touch!

The sounds are quite cool too! How did you make the sounds, did you have a train nearby? It sounds quite realistic :D

A bit of music wouldn't have hurt though. If you can't make it yourself, you could use a generator like http://abundant-music.com.

I think I found a bug - after the second station, the sound stopped for a few seconds for me. And then I am suddenly at station 6? Mysterious, mysterious.

tiny terrors by berkano 2013-08-31T22:17:00

Wow - this is a pretty cool and complex game. RTS-Horror-Survival - I don't know any other game like that, and if anybody does, he should tell me right away :D

What really hurt my playing experience were the controls. Jumpy scrolling by right-clicking? A keyboard shortcut just for moving? I think I would've enjoyed the game far more if I could:
- Right-click-drag to scroll
- Right click to make a selected unit move
- Ctrl+Click or Left-Click-and-Drag to open a building/command circle (depending on the target)

I only finished the first level because it became to cumbersome for me to control it like that - which is a pity, because apart from that, this looks like a really solid entry!

Duke Dashington by AdventureIslands 2013-08-31T14:28:00

Was Wario Land an inspiration? It feels a lot like it - which is a good thing in my book, because I loved this series back then! You did a pretty good job there capturing this feeling :)

I do wonder how the temple made it this long if the auto-destroy-trap trigger was in front of the door, haha.

Clonogram by epicSpeedTurtle 2013-08-31T22:18:00

The concept is pretty cool, but the pushing always seems to happen so fast. It feels less like getting pushed, more like getting instantly teleported back or something. More feedback and less instantaneousness would've probably been a good thing there.

The music is really nice, I like it a lot! I had to turn of the sound though - for some reason the 3-2-1 sound was extremely hard on my ears. Ugh.

Sprman! by Zerot 2013-09-15T19:35:00

Pretty nice expansion on the usually simple evade-games with the keyboard/mouse coordination! How did you get node.js to run with Unity?

CUTIE ADVENTURE WORLD X by Overkill 2013-08-26T21:08:00

I like the glitchy art style! Some of them make it pretty hard to read the text though. It's probably intentional, but, uh, I'd like to read the text. I mean exploring the world (good level design!) is nice and all, but the interactions are more interesting for me!

Arrow keys and Enter is a bit awkward. How about WASD/Space, or Arrows/X?

Missing music, minimal audio.

The changing window title as a timer (seemingly doubling as version counter) is nice touch :D

Is the end just a loop of "You made everyone feel better"?

Ludum Dare by Dir3kt 2013-09-03T02:26:00

Meta humor is the BEST kind of humor. It's pretty short, but I quite like it. The upgrading of the UI is a nice touch.

The only thing that I didn't like was that voting "No" on negative things didn't do anything at all. It makes sense, but you are really unlucky if you get a streak of negative things as it gives you no way to improve the result. Apart from that, it's a reaction game, but that introduces an unnecessary portion of luck.

PS: "#1 Innovation - at least you tried." Yeah, I'd be pretty sad too.

Detective Awesomepants by xel 2013-08-26T13:34:00

Oh my, were to begin! The amazing pixel art? The stylish choice of font in the funny titles? The dialogue? The humourous sitatutations? The riddle solving, sometimes just really funny and sometimes you have to think a little? I really don't know - I love everything.

All the riddles made perfect sense for me - except the beach. What's the reasoning there?

The only thing I'm not too sure about is the music. I'd suggest you give http://abundant-music.com a try - in my opionion, it's vastly superior to autotracker.

You did a really good job there, and I'm rooting for you to be in a top 3 list! Justice always wins!

Detective Awesomepants by xel 2013-08-26T17:59:00

@Ludipe: Oh! I just played it again, and it says "a bloody boot". I, erm, thought it said "a bloody boat". Like a toy boat or something. Please excuse me, I'll be busy sitting in the corner feeling stupid.

Pleading Rain by Brassawiking 2013-08-31T22:17:00

This is a really cool idea and awesome writing. It was frustratingly hard and I only got ending F by myself (and ending D/E/B/S/SSS with the walkthrough), but I still enjoyed it. Searching for clues while keeping an eye on the timer, going back fast to the talk menu, picking a tolerable option and click back fast to search for more clues - intense! The graphic style is awesome too and really fits the mood.

I'm missing music! If you don't have the time to do something yourself, a generator like http://abundant-music.com might help you out next time.

May I offer you some suggestions what would've made the game more enjoyable for me?
- More time. 10 seconds is far too short for me to really think about things. Right now I was mostly clicking on random things until I found out enough to figure things out.
- A way to display the pictures while I talk. More time to think, more time to think - it's hard enough as it is.
- White on grey? http://puu.sh/4fLfR/29714c2800.jpg In a game where I have to read fast? Really? In general: The fonts could've been a bit more readable. Italic was made for accentuation, not for whole passages.
- Bigger clue boxes. This is going on so fast, it's not like I have time to point exactly.

Also I didn't know that you can click on the pictures at all in the beginning - I thought they were just to look at and deduce which dialogue options to take. Then I found the money bag. Sweet! I used that option - and tried to find more afterwards. I found one of money bag in the station and looked for a new dialogue option. Didn't come - and I didn't know that sometimes dialogue options can be made out of different clues, I thought the option would just come later. Didn't happen though, obviously!

Looking back, everything in the game made sense - but back then not everything did. In the end that doesn't matter though, because this was still a VERY enjoyable experience, well written, visually pleasing and it had me on the edge while I tried to think think think because I wanted to live. Great stuff!

Legend of Troll by Christina Antoinette Neofotistou 2013-08-30T23:00:00

Woah, that's cool! The gameplay is pretty cool, but wow, I LOVE the character and environent design. Especially the little mushrooms on the trolls' backs and the super smooth transforming sequence. The music fits the relaxed mood pretty well. It's a pity it's so short, but it makes up for it in polish :D

I can't wait to play the post-compo version with more levels. All hail the queen!

PS: You seem to have the programming part down pretty well, but since you say you're no programmer: If you ever want to team up with one for a project, shoot me a message!

TimeStep by Jellycakes 2013-09-02T18:00:00

Thanks for the live review a few days ago! It took some time, but I finally have time to review your game. So - here we go:


I won! Yeah, there weren't a lot of levels, but it's enough to find out that the mechanics work well and are fun! When the time started flowing again, it was a cool feeling watching all those enemy agents suddenly fall over.

The graphics are simple but convey the feeling of walking through a complex. The ties are a nice touch!

The missing music is a shame though. If you can't make any yourself, I suggest you take a look at http://abundant-music.com - it's a generator with a surprisingly high quality. The sound effects work quite well though.

Two suggestions:
- Add a time limit or something else that is pressuring you. Normally I don't like that, but otherwise the 10-second-stopwatch-reloading turns into a waiting game: If you want to play the game perfectly, don't move and hide until it's reloaded.
- Make a mini map. It's really easy to get lost in complexes like that if you have no sense of orientation like me. It can be done in minutes by having a second camera that only sees the walls and the player with a really small viewport.
- Have the enemies follow you when they saw you. You don't even need pathfinding for that: Just let the player leave a trail with a time marker (http://dragonlab.de/projects/ld25/trail.png). Then you can let the enemy go where he last saw the player and follow his trail.

A fun and interesting entry, if a little bit short. If you make a post-compo version, let me know please!

TimeStep by Jellycakes 2013-09-02T18:02:00

Eh, make that "Three suggestions". I can't count anymore.

("Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.")

SliP by Sakuyan 2013-08-28T01:36:00

Thanks for playing? Thank YOU for making the game! Nice music, gorgeous pixel art, an interesting mechanic (if a little bit short, but hey, 48h is short too) - I like it a lot! There were some minor frustrations, but nothing that really detered me from having fun. Good job - I would definitely play a longer version of this game.

SliP by Sakuyan 2013-08-28T01:50:00

PS: If you ever need a programmer for anything - I'd love to work with you! I can't stop looking at those character designs and backgrounds.

Life Flash Before Your Eyes by ObscenelyTrue 2013-08-26T12:53:00

First off: I am really not sure whether I'm playing this game right. "To do this, you just click on the right word in the right place at the right time." is easier said then done - what makes a word be right, and when is the "right time"? Is there only one way to play the game? I am pretty confused.

The presentation is nice. I like the music (thanks for pointing me to a generator I didn't know!). I think it could benefit from new sound effects and better feedback in general, for example telling me whether my click was right or not and when a new sentence appears. A timer might've helped too!

Captain Pico and Ensign DeGaro in Ten Second Time Bomb by dalbinblue 2013-09-02T23:05:00

That was pretty cool. I was especially happy about the stack-boxes-to-form-a-ladder mechanic - I was waiting for that since I saw the first box hovering in mid-air. The puzzles weren't very hard, but still interesting. I liked the graphics a lot, and the sound effects work quite well.

It's a pity you didn't put any music in! If you don't have enough time to whip up something yourself, you could try a generator like http://abundant-music.com. Normally I don't like generators too much, but I used this one in my game too and I'm pretty content with how that turned out.

The intro sequence and the humorous bits of plot add a lot to the experience. Good job all around!

PS: Where's the good end where I make it to the party? :'(

Clockwork Cat by patrickgh3 2013-08-28T14:58:00

Now that's what I call perfect use of the theme: You took a simple premise and meshed multiple little mechanics around it. The checkpoints must be reached to turn back the clock, not just because they are checkpoints - and then you gradually introduced little puzzles around that too. When I saw the first blocks moving in and backwards in time, I was pleasently surprised :)

I love the pixel art, and the music sounds soothing and fits the game quite well. The sound effects work nicely.

I quite enjoyed this game - good job!

PS: http://puu.sh/4d3ds/2c3d569aa1.png I love you :3

Clockwork Cat by patrickgh3 2013-08-28T14:58:00

PPS: The cat is ADORABLE :D

The Ones You Love by zatyka 2013-09-03T14:54:00

I loved having these windows into time and seeing how changing those little things made the story unfold in a different way. Having the "result" scene unlock immediately, leaving me anxious how it would happen, was a pretty good choice.

Two things that bugged me a bit:
- The ingame "premonitions" when he referenced stuff happening in the future, like "I think this charger will be important later" or "I should heed the advice of a mother" before she could say it to him. Everything else could've been just done in order without any premonitions and those break the immersion a little.
- The 10 second limit. I know it was the LD theme and all, but I am not sure the game is better for it. It's always just a single action I need to take, and after 10 seconds I'll click back on the room anyway to search for that, so why the break and the extra click in there?

Apart from that I loved it. Great concept with a solid implementation, excellent writing and fitting music - good job!

(By the way, was it a conscious choice to leave the other parent, wherever they are, out of the picture in the end? Having them not included there makes me think they aren't loved. Just a curious note, it has nothing to do with the game per se.)

SoulReaver by CarmineGames 2013-08-31T15:23:00

The graphics pretty good! I like what you did there with the gameplay, but wow, this is hard - and was permadeath really necessary? I switched to just watching the Playthrough video pretty soon.

The Saddest Landscape by BradleySmith 2013-08-31T16:43:00

That's a really interesting visual style, I quite like it. Together with the music it adds a really nice mood. I'm not sure the jump-over-the-gaps gameplay fits this game. Maybe some choices instead? Or dialogue?

10 second test by echa 2013-08-27T17:08:00

Interesting - a platformer electronics game. I like the underlying concept a lot, and your implementation is flawless.

It is missing one critical thing though: Either queries (for example "What ground am I standing on?") or events ("Start when I hit the floor"). Without those it is just a timing game, and I it feels a bit cumbersome to say "go x seconds right, then x seconds left, then x second right, then left" with this: http://puu.sh/4cfLt/506065b1de.png

I didn't have to use anything but XORs (which you can also build out of an AND and 1 NOT, or an OR and 2 NOTS), and I am not sure how I could've made my solutions easier or more elegant using the other blocks?

Since timing is so essential, I would've liked a prediction mode where I can jump to any time to see where I would be at that point if I'd execute it.

The "advanced" tab should stay open if I open it once - XOR is *very* useful.

The art style is working well for this kind of game.

I missed having sound effects and music. Sound effects can be rather easily created with a microphone and things in the environment or your voice, and for music there are generators like http://abundant-music.com.

Concept and execution are pretty solid, and were it not for the missing queries/events, the game could be also pretty fun to play. Still a nice entry though - good job!

Royal Decree by darkshadow 2013-09-02T13:58:00

Thanks for your comment! Incidentally, those little monsters are actually named "Scurry" in my ToDo list, so it's quite pleasing to hear that you liked their movement! Now on to your entry:

Ooh, a Craft Studio entry - first one I see this LD.

The endings, I love them - funny consequences, and there is no "wrong" as far as the game goes (you are king after all!), just those consequences. And the comments under them. Especially the one about the kings weight. I'm missing an ending for getting those 10 seconds quite right (I got 10.13 once).

The music fits very well, I like it!

Clocked In by rylgh 2013-08-28T01:21:00

Wow, this game feels extremly smooth. Everything about it. Even losing a heart - it just feels like everything is factored into the normal flow of play. Part of it is probably the nice minimalistic soundtrack. The visual presentation is flawless. I REALLY like your choice to let obstacles hinder you, but that you can still break through, it just takes longer - that is not normal for this type of game in my experience, and after playing your game here, I think it should be. Good job there!

Flooded Dungeons by ripatti 2013-08-26T22:15:00

Woah, that's pretty cool! And pretty! It looks really polished - do you have a time machine or something similar? I really like the graphics and sound effects! The music is nice.

It was fun running madly through the dungeon, slashing crates and for once totally ignoring monsters because THE WATER IS COMING I CAN ALREADY HEAR IT AAAH.

At first I thought that you lose when you come in contact with water; that would've been a nice touch. You only lose when the whole level is flooded is fine too though.

The shop - I was never sure what to buy. Did I already have some of the items? Is that even possible? I don't know; I guess I'd have to delve deeper into the game for that. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)

By the way, Z/X/C is a pretty awful scheme for us with german keyboards. I wish that never became so popular.

Anyway - well done! Superb graphics and nice gameplay, there's not much more you could wish for in 48 hours.

RGBaY by Temich 2013-08-26T11:44:00

Interesting! I really like the interaction between the circles, making the order in which you click them more important than in other games of this kind. The timers do seem so to run faster for me though: The web version ends for me after roughly 6 seconds! A bit better feedback indicating which circles are about to end the game would've been nice. Also: Music! You can get pretty solid stuff done in no time with http://www.abundant-music.com, for example.

All in all: Good work! Congratulations for your first LD entry!

Don't sink by Doctor Broccoli 2013-09-13T21:04:00

Thanks for your comment on my game! To answer your implicit question: The game considers you to be in a dark area when you touch a dark area with any blue part. If you are in a dark area, your shield (the white circle around you) will start to be used up, and if you continue to touch the dark area, once the shield is used up the game is over. Now on to your game!


It's quite cool, I like it - although the feedback could be a bit clearer. It's probably quite easy for you to figure out what will happen, but for those reading the rules it isn't, so maybe mouse-over help and arrows where the ocean will move would've helped a lot.

Apart from that though I enjoyed playing it. I really like the colorful graphics.

I'm wondering a bit why there's no music and sound? Being a jam entry, you have plenty of resources for those, like Open Game Art, Incompetech, Freesound.org and the Newgrounds Audio Portal - it's fairly easy to find, and makes any game feel MUCH better.

Phase Warrior by CogComp 2013-08-26T19:47:00

Wow, that's a really interesting concept. I know quite a few games where you have to use your past self to help yourself, and others where you have to fight against your past self, but a game where you have to DEFEND your past self is a new one - I can't remember having seen anything like it before. Innovative and a good use of the theme!

Maybe it's just me, but the game is to fast for me to really think about protecting my past self though - I've my hands full with protecting my current self. I can't remember my past actions all that well either, at least not that fast. I think for me your concept would've lent itself better to a turn-based game or at least something slower. Or maybe that only my past self can take damage, and I have to catch the bullets?

The look of the game is quite unique; I like it! The music and sound effects go well with the general feeling.

All in all, pretty solid. Good job!

Speedungeon by Xaychru 2013-08-31T22:17:00

Win7 x64: The game is lagging a lot for me. I'll try to ignore that while I comment/rate - judging by the comments, I'm the only one.

The graphics are fine. I think you should really do something about this color scheme though - with a better one the game would be far more pleasing to look at.

I really like the urgency coming from the burning fuse!

Chronobender by XmmmX 2013-08-26T19:32:00

Neat platformer. I think the timebending mechanic could be better if you could control who fast the time flows instead of just switching it on or off - I had almost always switched it on until the moving enemies came in.

10 Second Tai by Teejay5 2013-09-03T14:10:00

The emergent humor is strong in this one! Well, and also the normal humor. Pretty strong too. And some meta humor. In other news, that was hilarious :D

I loved how you apologized in the menu for the lack of music. You should've commented the whole game like the alarm thing! I think your voice is perfect for that.

Why is there no beat box music the whole game, whyyyy? I was so much expecting that, and that would've earned you a pretty high audio score!

The graphics fit perfectly for this kind of game. Your character designs are awesome, especially the faces Tai makes.

The gameplay itself is pretty hilarious too. I love (ab)using physics for stuff like this.

Stay Alive by Jools64 2013-09-02T21:56:00

First survival game I've found in this LD - and it's a pretty good one on top of it! The tasks were diverse and interesting. I really like the graphics - they have this console feel to them. The music is great too, and the sound effects fit well.

The A/K minigame could've maybe been made with the Left/Right keys. It came very suddenly after I thought I just need the arrow keys and space. And it's pretty harsh to start again from the beginning if you fail. I mean, it kind of makes sense, but it's not fun - especially because the world is the same each time, so it's not like playing again up to this point is a challenge.

And yeah, it's too short, but what's there is really fun. If you do a post-compo version, please tell me! Good job there!

Tears of the Sorrow Beast by artmdk 2013-08-26T13:03:00

Gosh, I love the vibe of this game. Graphics, music and sounds create a really interesting mood where it's already fun to fly around and watch the Sorrowbeast.

I am rather confused what to do though. I wait a long time (Longer than 10 seconds, right? Where does the theme come in?), then the beast cries, I catch its tears and wait again. Is there anything I am supposed to do instead of waiting? Is there a score? Does it get harder over time?

GitGirl - Conflict Resolver by ddionisio 2013-08-28T15:10:00

BOMBS - my favourite way to solve conflicts, haha :D

The music is perfect, and the graphics are cute. A little bit too tiny on my screen though, but that's hardly your fault!

I liked your screen-turning mechanic; that could've been explored a little more than just being a visual effect. I really wish I could make my double-jump after I made a wall-jump - I can do jump & double-jump & wall-jump, why can't I jump & wall-jump & double-jump? That killed my on my first play-through: I wanted to double-jump, but I wall-jumped instead, and then time was up.

I'll never view git conflict resolutions the same way - cool game!

GitGirl - Conflict Resolver by ddionisio 2013-08-28T15:12:00

Oh, I just played the second level - disregard what I said about the screen-turning, you use if for puzzles there. Good job!

The Unbelievable Adventures of Kamil the Cat by blackcode 2013-08-31T17:12:00

It's a pity you only have 3 tries in total - it seems pretty glitchy to me sometimes (and I often fail 2 times right away on the "getting up" part...), but I really wanted to finish it. Luckily there are reviews on YouTube!

I love the humor. And the art style is extremly cute!

Ten Second Tournament by Ray_Mickelino 2013-09-15T17:36:00

Thanks for your comment on my game! Yeah, the friends require a bit of deduction and careful observation. Tip: They fell to the darkness, like you do when you touch the darkness too long.

Your game is rather simple, but I imagine it's fun with 2 players - sadly I'm alone here right now. The computer is pretty hard to beat! I think sound effects would've made this a lot better.

Tsuri by jcvsmc 2013-08-29T17:26:00

I really like the style of this game! Especially the trees at the end.

A little bit of music couldn't have hurt additionally to the rain - try a generator like http://abundant-music.com if you can't make it yourself. The only thing really annoying me is the collecting sound effect - it doesn't fit, and it stacks on top of each other because you collect so fast. A drop in the water or something similar would've fit better!

And now excuse me please, I'll have to grow a few more trees.

QuickSwitch by Noah Ratcliff 2013-08-26T20:16:00

Finally I get to play the other game with the space inverting mechanic! I've been looking forward to this :)

I still quite like the concept. Fits well with the theme and is pretty innovative. The graphics are appropriately abstract for this kind of game.

I have no idea what happens after 2:10. It just stops?

I liked that I can use my gamepad - more games should do that.

The music fits the game well - pity you had to enter the jam because of that though. It seems to change when I press B though? Oh, and it stopped at some point and never came back.

Apropos B - did you think about setting legetimate checkpoints in the level? Using B feels a bit cheap, but it's much to hard not to use it.

A few small gripes:
- Fullscreen please! I have a very high resolution and your game is tiny on my screen.
- Why do I have to use the mouse in the menu if the game is controlled by keyboard/gamepad?
- Why would I want to turn sprint off?
- A few more places where you need to chose where to jump would've been nice.

Pretty solid game all around. Good work!

PS: I'm glad that you still love me despite my poor performance :'(

Tetchy Mrs. Sheriff Saves The Day by Pol 2013-08-31T13:01:00

Superb graphics, especially the character design!

The music in the beginning is nice, but pretty short - it gets annoying over time, especially because you have to start again when you die.

Sadly, it's also a bit too hard for me. That combined with the restarting - I didn't get far :(
Could you make a gameplay video so that I (and maybe other inept folks) can see what comes further? I want to know what happens!

Hungry Fishers Dream Team by TijmenTio 2013-09-03T15:29:00

Hey Tij! Or Tio? I don't know, but it's finally time for me to play your game after seeing you in stream chats aaaaall the time.

I really like what you did there, basically intermeshing two smaller games seeminglessly into one bigger one. The son gameplay would be a little boring, but the text does a good job at making it interesting anyway and it carries meaning because he essentially holds his fathers life in his hands - and the fathers gameplay is a fun little hunting game with the added pressure of having to watch a timer. It's a bit hard for me to aim the harpoon - is that by design, or did I just not get it right?

Your pixel art is really cool! And I love the little touches you did graphics-wise, be it the lighting or the shaking of the upper screen when the son pumps. It's the little things that make a game feel polished, and yours certainly does!

The audio is pretty great too. The sound effects fit well and the music is fitting and good to listen to. (By the way - having the music become faster and more pressuring once the timer runs lower would've added further to the mood.)

Regarding the intro: You could've just made it skippable as a whole, that would've made replaying much easier.

Haraka by gikdew 2013-08-28T00:37:00

The wall jumping let me save myself in a few sticky situations - I like it. Overall the controls could snap a little bit more though.

Gosh, the game is hard. I mean, it's fun, but in some situations I wish there was a little bit more room for error. Ultimately I didn't finish the game because of that. I played MUCH further than I usually play those games though.

Might I interest you in some http://abundant-music.com instead of autotracker? The quality is MUCH higher.

I really like the visual presentation! It's super simple, but at the same time extremely clean. You have a hand for color choice - I wish more things were colored so I could see that more.

The XBox controller is... kind of working by the way. You used the shoulder buttons for walking though instead of the left stick, which is, eh, highly unconventional. And the movement speed of walking with the joystick is strangely somewhere between walking and sprinting with the keyboard. Curious!

All in all, a pretty cool game! Good job there - and congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

PS: I have a party hat! http://puu.sh/4cCet/10d295f7dc.jpg

Death Star by Nuclear_Hammer 2013-08-31T15:32:00

Great character design! The level is pretty hard and unforgiving, but I guess that's because there's only one?

For the download: Those 20MB took forever. I'd suggest you get a dropbox account. It's free, dead easy to use, doesn't limit your speed as far as I know, and has a ton of other usages apart from hosting stuff.

Rude Bear Radio by Alex Rose 2013-09-02T22:24:00

I've found surprisingly few wario-ware style games in this LD, but of the few, this one is definitely the best. I love how many mini games of totally different styles you managed to pump out - each with different music and totally fitting and great graphics. And then when I played further, I learnt that there are a lot of variations too in each game. Very cool!

Some suggestions:
- After each WASD game I try to use WASD for the next game too. Seldom works! A big reminder about what to use before each game starts couldn't have hurt.
- And, uh, a clear "YOU WIN" or "YOU LOSE" at the end of each game. Especially at the beginning I sometimes wasn't sure!

Video game references, lots of diversity and a solid implementation binding them all together - great stuff. Good job, you guys!

Bomb Squad by Levi D. Smith 2013-09-15T22:40:00

Thanks a lot for your comment on Lost in the Darkness! I'm sorry that you didn't find any friends - the hints were pretty subtle, but I guess that's what 48 hours without much time for playtesting do to you. Hope you still enjoyed it a bit!

A game that uses gamepads? Great! There aren't enough of those in my opinion, especially because Unity makes that so easy. It was super hard to match the buttons to the colors though - I mean they have the colors, sure, but my finger doesn't know that! After a while it got easier, but still, my best percentage was 60%. The voice over was a pretty nice touch!

The Burning War by MegaMasterX 2013-08-27T15:48:00

I like the concept, but I think it suffers a fair bit from the controls and missing/misplaced feedback. If you ever want to make a post-jam version, here are my suggestions:
- Control the game entirely with the mouse. Have the available options in a circle around the characters, and drag the one you want to take to the target you want to hit with it.
- Basic attack animations, with characters actually walking over to where they attack, and hit points and notifications how many hit points you lost over the corresponding characters.

These two things would probably make the game feel a lot tighter. Right now it's a little bit awkward to control, so I mostly did 1-F1-1-F1-1-F1 until I needed to heal, healed up and rinse and repeat.

The graphics are quite original, and the music works well. I like the character designs and descriptions a lot!

Congratulations on your first LD entry!

Goat Tower by klianc09 2013-09-15T19:30:00

That game has everything that I expect from a goat defense game: Making the sounds that goats make, shitting on enemies, muching delightful grass, holding down flying enemies with my weight and walking on clouds.

No seriously, the gameplay was good, but it was those fun touches that made the game great, haha. And it's super cool that you added a co-op mode, pity I don't have a friend near!

Routine decisions (in 10 seconds) by Yozz 2013-08-27T20:07:00

That was an interesting experience! For once, I kind of liked that there is no scoring - just different outcomes. The writing was pretty good!

The graphics are minimalistic, but pleasing, and work quite well. The sound effects were good, but I think it might've done with some music. If you can't make any, you might want to use a generator like http://abundant-music.com.

10 10 Second Game Design Lessons by douglasv 2013-08-28T02:25:00

Haha, I like it. There aren't enough meta-games in LD! The advice is great, and the presentation - well, it's not exactly flawless, but funny instead! Oh, and: Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

(Gosh, HTML5 can suck a lot. Firefox: Looks and sounds fine, but runs extremly choppy. Chrome: Runs and sounds fine, but the text is blurred. Internet Explorer: Looks and runs fine, but there is no music - curiously, the sound effects work though. Sorry for the rant, but uuurgh.)

10 10 Second Game Design Lessons by douglasv 2013-08-28T02:28:00

Eh, I just read your description - I really don't want to be the guy to call you out, but it might help you in further LD compos: The rules don't allow to take premade graphics/sounds. Everything you use must be created by you in the 48 hours. (Except fonts, drum loops/instruments and some exceptions for code - more detailed here: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/rules)

It would be a fine entry for the LD jam though!

Demon Infiltration by Zekyon 2013-08-27T20:57:00

Stealth? Check. Nice little puzzles? Check. Demons? Check. I like it!

I would've probably prefered if I could switch my invisibility on/off and had a certain total time on it, instead of a certain amount of charges.

The character design looks well, and so does the environment, even though it is a bit on the minimalistic side.

Overall, good job!

PS: DANCE PARTY!

Umbra Machina by TheMaster99 2013-09-15T20:00:00

At first, it was super hard to even discern when and how fast you're moving due to the parallax background, but having no other objects on the platforms. It's terribly nice of my enemies to not fight me if I win a race, but they must've known that I'm terrible at racing, haha. Nice music!

Slime Quest by drkrunk 2013-09-15T17:09:00

A pretty solid platformer! The controls feel good and everything is smooth. The mechanic itself is nice, but only applying it to holding buttons down got repetitive pretty fast.

The art is extremely well done! Cute, perfect color choices and minimal animations that still feel good - terrific job! Does scribbleninja have a website, more games or art somewhere?

Did one of you make the music yourself? If not, where did you take it from? It's pretty great!

Cheers, great job!

10013 milliseconds by mortus 2013-09-03T01:06:00

"Rescue team on its way" and I am grinning like mad. Now I'll look at the hint page if I've missed anything. Ah - most of it is the text that you've written above. I'm not sure why I would need help with the backup console, it's rather clear.

What would've improved the backup console for me would be a visual depication of how much power I'll use and how much I still have. Numbers, pfff.

I love that you chose to have the arm and hand visible instead of just having a mouse pointer. It adds so much to the game.

The super clean graphics. The sound effects. The music. The mood they create together so dense, I feel like I can touch it.

There are a lot of red herrings in the game - I guess some are to feign complexity or to make solutions non-obvious, and others seem like they just weren't completed. Fine with me though, I just was a bit disappointed that it was over so fast and I didn't have to use all the elements the game hinted at. Will you make a post-compo version? If you do, please notify me!

I liked the riddles a lot, and I get point&click adventure and Myst-vibes from this, which is a VERY good thing in my book. Amazing job, and while it's certainly not something for everyone, I enjoyed it tremendously!

PS: I wanted to click on my fox. Why can't I click on my fox!

Time Trapped by killerstarbunny 2013-09-15T23:09:00

The music is pretty great! The graphic is simple, but works. It's a pity you ran out of time - I would've liked to see where you'd take the concept! :)

Some things that could be clearer:
- You should not touch your past self. At all. Some paradox visualisation could've spawned from where I touched the past self to make that clear.
- The boxes at the beginning are sort of glued together. I thought I should make a stack and thought it was a bug that the boxes didn't start to fall.

Keg Quest by Crazi456 2013-09-02T14:42:00

Hey! Thanks for the comment on my game - now it's your turn!

I've seen a few games where you have to navigate something in 10 seconds - but this is the first where multiple elements have to fit together on a timeline. Nice!

The gameplay is pretty enjoyable, and the graphics, while simple, work well. The puzzles are interesting and tricky. Oh, and I like that you can also use the arrow keys, although that's pretty non-obvious, because you still have to press W, A or D to begin.

One suggestion that would've made it a far better experience for me: Have time only move as long as the active character moves or falls. I see this more as a puzzle game than a reaction game, and since I can't take back my actions (which should be possible, I think!) it can ruin everything I did correctly with the other dwarfs - and then I have to redo those too. Ugh. That would also solve another problem that I had: It sometimes autoselected the (in my eyes) wrong dwarf, and then I lost time on him without any intend to do so.

I'd also expect that if I press left towards a wall that later (with a later dwarf's actions) vanishes, that I still run beyond it. Or the same with floors that vanish: I didn't expect the dwarf to float in mid-air. I think I found a bug in that department too - in the 4th level, sometimes a dwarf throws a key, and sometimes later he doesn't.

And, now that I think about it, Dwarf selection with the mouse would be pretty cool.

Uh, I just realised that I've written more suggestions than other feedback. Note that that's not because the game is bad: It's not. I love the puzzle design and the concept in itself, and it was an enjoyable experience - and were it not for those things I mentioned above, I would've played much longer. Great game, thank you for making it! (And I'd totally play a post-compo version - notify me if you made one, please!)

The Aliens Came (10 seconds to choose) by porglezomp 2013-09-15T16:56:00

Thanks a lot for your comment on Lost in the Darkness! I understand what you mean - well, they were actually supposed to look small and helpless in the light and quickly scuttle out of there. But then I never came to make the more menancing enemies... :) (Post-compo version later!)

A choose-your-own-adventure game with simple, but great art? In 48 hours? Sweet! The mood's there (I especially love the meeting scenes), I just wish there were music and sound effects to underline it - but then again, 48 hours, right? The timer was a nice idea, but since there wasn't much text, I never felt really rushed.

Pretty good job overall!

Gone in 10 Seconds by panurge 2013-09-15T19:11:00

Thanks a lot for your kind comment at Lost in the Darkness! I'm glad you enjoyed the game.

That was a pretty fun and silly game about the ancient and noble art of car theft. I especially appreciate the plot bits in between - great humor. With my jumping capabilities, I'd probably participate in the olympics rather than stealing cars though!

PS: "Hi there, I was just taking a shower.", haha :D

Signal Delay by ChrisGaudino 2013-09-13T20:46:00

That's a really interesting concept. I got the hang of it pretty fast (despite being intimidated when I read the controls), but then again - I played at "easiest". For the harder modes you'd definitely need more feedback, especially on turning! It took me nearly 9 minutes, by the way - because I managed to drop the first rock on my back, and then proceeding to try to take it again until it fell down on the earth again, haha.

V229 by Inf 2013-08-26T12:40:00

I love the intro/outro (I cheated and watched the outro in the Unity source)!

It took me a while to understand those facts:
- The grid shows the energy of my robot. This was a bit counterintuitive for me, as it is on the floor of the complex, and I am piloting a hovercraft. Pretty intelligent floor, eh?
- Energy-wise it doesn't matter whether I shoot or not, and whether I move or not.
- The red blocks respawn enemies.

After I got that, the game was much more enjoyable. The sfx/music is pretty cool and the graphics work fine (The glow feels very satisfying! Are those particle?).

If I had one thing to change, I'd make arrows around the player showing when and where an enemy will appear. Considering I have only 10 seconds duration and a limited amount of batteries, I don't have time to walk around searching.

All in all, pretty good job! And it's good to see a fellow Unity developer in LD! :)

10 Seconds of Grey by Almax27 2013-09-02T15:50:00

Thanks a lot for the comment on my game! Yeah, I like the game over a lot too - somehow, it just made sense to do it like that :)
You probably didn't find any friends though, hm?


Your game is incredibly stylish. The backgrounds look super cool, the screen effect is nice, and I'm in love with those character designs. The music is superb too! The intro/menu/game flow was a very nice touch of polish.

The gameplay is fun, albeit it seems to be a little incalculatable sometimes as some characters seem to react differently to perfectly nice or awful comments - but then again, otherwise there wouldn't be any challenge, would there? Are the reactions consistent among the characters or is it randomized? It took me a little until I understood what the two meters up there were - at first I thought it was my mood versus the world mood. At my second playthrough, I finally figured it out.

Having the text to the right and the answers to the left was a bit awkward - not really a good reading direction. Questions over answers would've made it less awkward and easier on the eyes - right now I mostly look at the answers, but then again, I probably know most of the questions.

A really nice concept and a solid implementation - good job! And congratulations on finishing your first game jam, Zubrowka and Ezmeow!

Spark by fullmontis 2013-08-31T22:17:00

In the screen after you introduced the green stuff (named "shot2" in your screenshots up there) it took me a while to understand that it kills me. I just thought that my sense of time is a bit fuzzy. It would've probably been clearer to me if only some parts were made out of green like in the later levels.

I really like the persistent switches that extend the current screen. It felt a bit exploratory :)

MegaPunch by Nick Weihs 2013-08-31T22:18:00

So, you made an online multiplayer platforming fighting game. In a weekend. I am pretty impressed.

They keyboard controls aren't working out too well for me, but the gamepad controls are great.

Changing the world every 10 seconds is a nice idea, but it feels a bit meaningless since the game is mostly about fighting, not about getting anywhere. Maybe a running game, power-ups or other goals would've made that better.

The music is cool, and the sound effects work well.

Extremly impressive!

10 Second Maze by Bjeaurn 2013-08-31T22:18:00

So, a series of time challenges, combined with an (albeit pretty tiny) overworld and an upgrade shop? Pretty cool concept. I also liked that there are part of the levels that change other parts, like the triggers.

What I didn't like though was the penality for losing. You need upgrades to win, you need money to buy upgrades, and you need to win to get money. So - if you lose money, you can't buy upgrades anymore, and winning is highly unlikely if not impossible in certain passages. You can't go back to old levels either to get more money. So you are basically stranded: You can't go on, but you're not game over. Stalemate, and it's up to you to quit the game.

The graphics look nice - I like the little dude.

Why's there no music or sound effects though? If you're in the jam, you really have no excuses - there are so many pages to get those from. For sound effects, freesound.org is pretty good. For music, I love incompetech.com, and newgrounds.com/audio is superb too. Since you want participate in the compo next time: Try out abundant-music.com - it's a music generator with a surprisingly high quality.

Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry! I hope a lot more will follow :)

PROBE TEAM by Andrew Shouldice 2013-08-31T02:34:00

Okay, that might well be my favourite game so far.

The basic graphics are rather simple, but layered together with the visual effects and sound they deliver an incredible mood. Those drones feel CUTE just because of some sfx and simple animations. And then we have the wonderful plot bits woven inbetween the gameplay.

The gameplay is pretty simple in itself: Navigate the drone, use your fuel sparingly, try to get to the next goal or at least explore the perimeter. And that's where the game really shines: Exploration. You want to know what's around the next corner, what the probes discover next. The gameplay itself is fun too, but sometimes the game is a little bit too unforgiving in its challenge - that's the only thing I really wish would be different. (Oh, and maybe no probe-probe collision...)

The soundscape is great even without music. Normally I'd suggest a generator here, but I'm not sure a generator could've made something good enough to fit this game. Still, this with music... woah, dreamy.

And the ending is beautiful.

Have all my stars. All of them.

Film Leader by PixelArtM 2013-09-15T20:12:00

The film look with the title screen and the texts is pretty great - as is the highly visible and perfectly fitting timer. I also liked the ingame graphics a lot!

Bombun by DaggerHog 2013-09-15T18:55:00

Super smooth flow. I really like how the game shows you the room at the beginning of each turn, nice touch!

Dan Dynamite by loxo 2013-09-03T02:48:00

Haha, I like the idea - I guess a lava cave is not exactly the *best* place for a stick of dynamite. The sprite looks cute, and I like the lava and floor tiles.

You might want to switch over to the jam if you ever run out of time again. Sometimes finishing a game is more important than staying in the compo :)

Dan Dynamite by loxo 2013-09-03T02:50:00

PS: Check out http://abundant-music.com for the music!

10 Second Hero by Diogo Muller 2013-08-27T20:41:00

Wow - is there any way to do more than 4 at a time? I think I'd need real super-hero powers to do that, haha. Anyway - that's a pretty nice wario-ware type game, with each task sharing a common theme. The graphics are on the simple side, but work well. Good job! And congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Lion Racing by TammiLion 2013-08-27T17:35:00

I like the music a lot, and the little pictures look adorable! I also liked that my lion picture changed when it grew older - nice attention to detail.

There's not much to do there though, is there? Just alternate speed training and resting, and wait for a race. The timer stopping and skipping 2 seconds after I use an action makes the feel unresponsive - at first I thought that it was just lagging a lot. A progress bar or a separate timer there might've helped. And I don't even get a message when I win a race? My lion is pretty sad about that.

The concept is fun though, and with a bit more work, you could make a cool game out of it. Oh, and: Congratulations on your first LD entry!

GIMP the Tapedeck-Operated Robot by Zuige 2013-08-31T22:18:00

The title screen made me laugh :D

(Additional) Keyboard shortcuts really couldn't have hurt for that - it was a little bit awkward to control with the mouse. Apart from that it was fun though - and I liked the graphics and the music a lot!

Just 10 Seconds by ellipticaldoor 2013-08-27T19:47:00

I like the presentation - very good choice of colors and quite artistic. The gameplay fell a bit flat though, and there doesn't seem to be any record of how good you did - the smiley in the end is just where you've been at the end, right? It was still fun trying to stay in the right quadrant though.

The sound is pretty minimalistic, but works well. A bit of music wouldn't have hurt! Generators like http://abundant-music.com make it pretty easy and fast even for musically-challenged people like me, haha.

Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

PS: That's not what "picking a lock" means! :P

Guessing Game by 12323op 2013-09-15T19:01:00

Thanks a lot for the comment on my game! I'm really sorry that I cannot rate/review your game too: I don't like trivia games at all and I feel it would be unfair to judge you then. Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry though!

Step Out by bitserum 2013-09-13T21:42:00

Thanks a lot for the comment on Lost in the Darkness! And you say it's short - so you actually saved your friends? :)
Either way, time to return the favor and I've played your game.

First positive thing I saw: "Controls and how to play is all explained in the game." Well, that's a good start! The main character looks a bit dull, but the environment graphics are beautiful, especially the scene seen in the title screen. They create a great atmosphere together with the music, although the latter one could've been a bit more dense - the music is great, but it's so faint that it nearly vanishes. While the puzzles are good, they are a bit on the easy side.

I think the game would've been easier to control for me if there would be only one button: One press switch to astral mode, one press interact, and two fast presses go back to the body. I regularely mixed up which button did which. That's a bit annoying if you're really far away from your body.

All in all, great game - thanks for making it!

PS: I could still switch to Astral mode after the outro, haha.

Cheese It! by sebasRez 2013-08-26T23:18:00

I like the graphics! Especially the background graffiti and the speech balloons are nices touches.

The simple tutorial is cool. You only have 4 keys in total which could be easily explained with static text, but you guys decided to walk the extra mile :)

The gameplay is fun, but gets repetitive pretty fast - especially because you are just running the same way over and over again! Or am I missing something?

The ingame music is nice and fits the general mood quite well.

The game over screen music doesn't fit at all, but I like the quite visual depication of how much cheese I stole! :D

Is there any specific reason why you deactivated fullscreen? If I play a game, I want it to fill my screen, and that's usually so easy with Unity.

I think your main "screenshot" could benefit from a better picture - maybe a clipping of an ingame screenshot? Right now it doesn't live up to the ingame quality.

All in all a pretty nice game! Good job!

PS: I exploded right in their den! Joke's on them!

10Secs by g_o 2013-08-27T23:03:00

See - I told you that you can do it! Good job with the music. The gameplay is a little lacking, but then again, plot and mood is more important with these kind of games. Oh, and: Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry! Happy Ludum Dare, mate!

10Secs by g_o 2013-08-27T23:06:00

Oh, I forgot to mention: The game closed silently after Checkpoint 7. I read the rest of the story in the text files, but that's obviously not the same :/

Fast delivery by stenol 2013-08-31T14:41:00

Nice racing game - I won on my third try :)

Infiltrators by lambda_express 2013-09-15T19:49:00

I like the clean look. Pretty good work!

The Potion Girl by Conker534 2013-08-26T13:21:00

I am not sure whether I'm playing the game right. What is "TNL"? Why would I throw away a potion after I made it? (I suppose that's what "DLT" means?) Is there stuff that I shouldn't put in my potion? (Not that I have time to think about that, mind you.) Apart from that, it's enjoyable, but gets pretty repetitive fast.

I like the graphics! The music does get a bit repetitive too over time, but it's a lot better than without any music at all like many entries. No sound effects though?

Royal Defenestrator by BasmanovDaniil 2013-08-31T16:26:00

"It is called a table, my queen." Welp, that didn't work out too well.

I THREW EVERYTHING OUT. What do I win?
Oh, "Good ending!"? I guess I'll take it!
(...and throw it out of the window!)

Is there any way to circumvent the "Where is my cat?" ending without throwing her out of the window? I tried hiding the cat, but she still called it out despite it being quite far away at that time. Hu.

Anyway: That was a super fun experience, and I like that you could really throw nearly anything! Well, except the throne. I was pretty disappointed. I LOVE the humor. The music was pretty well chosen. Superb job!

PS: So, apparently I am a rock star now. Crowdsurfing! http://puu.sh/4fAyz/48a98d9f16.jpg

Tachyon Rupture by Sascha 2013-08-27T17:53:00

Whew - I won the game on my second attempt in the (nearly) last second of the universe!

The graphics are cool! The concept is interesting, but it seems to be a bit too dependant on luck - finding keys in the right moment. Otherwise it seemed to be wise to just ignore all chests and not waste valuable time. (What is gold used for?)

Congratulations on your first LD entry!

PS: Have a good trip!

Tachyon Rupture by Sascha 2013-09-02T15:55:00

Thanks for the comment on my game! And yeah, it's less about touching the light - more about NOT touching the darkness once your shield is gone. If the darkness has found a way to touch you, it doesn't matter how little it is, it'll flow inside you.

10 Seconds Before the World Ends by Lustdante 2013-08-28T00:02:00

The intro is funny! Clever entrance of the title too.

Lots of checkpoints and restarting there without any hassle: Check. I wish everybody would do it this way. When the time is up, it restarts at the beginning - that's understandable I guess, but why is time unpaused then? I'd also rather have an option to restart at the last checkpoint instead.

The characters and backgrounds look superb. His walking animation is hilarious though, I hope that was intentional :D

I really like how things happen at exact the same times, whether you are there or not. On my second playthrough, I arrived earlier and saw four more cars explode. Nice! (What's not so nice is that I was standing on one of them when it started to explode, haha.)

The gameplay is cool. I loved to walk in those frozen environments, jumping and walking an debris, promenading under falling obstacles like a silent observer not the least bit concerned by the danger this object poses normally. I don't know, it just feels strangly good.

The music fits well, as to the sound effects.

Also damn it, I wanted to start writing shorter comments to be able to rate more games, but I guess I just like this game too much.

By the way, how did you do the checkpoints? Save every position/rotation/velocity? Are those Unity physics?

Cheers mate! Good job - and congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

PS: Some people just want to watch the world burn.

Time Loopy by DaleP 2013-08-26T13:47:00

I see you've solved the time paradox of "What happens if I interfere with my past?" with "I don't give a damn, you just push yourself away", haha :D

Interesting game! I just wish my past selves would cooperate better with me - more often than not they'd use me as stepstones instead of being stepstones themselves. The sometimes wonky physics doesn't help either - they provide for some humor though.

Short game, but while it lasts it's fun. Good job! And congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Time Loopy by DaleP 2013-08-26T13:48:00

Oh yeah, now that I read the other comments: I really like the character art too!

Hackfield by Katamori 2013-08-26T16:33:00

Hum - the gameplay is hard to get into. It took me a while to figure out the different tiles at the beginning (and I still don't have any idea what it means for me to be logged). I finally learnt how to go to the next level, but terminals later on were a problem - any time I accessed one, it just says that my log is cleared, but the number of needed terminals doesn't go up?

It might be just a bit buggy though; sometimes I had "2 of 0 terminals needed" or "-x seconds left before the modification".

I really wish the login sequence wouldn't take so long or could be skipped.

I like the graphics and idea though - and making a game in 26 hours is always impressive. Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Hurry UP! by Sense 2013-08-28T14:46:00

Your character and environment design is beautiful! (And checking your second image, I like all of those too.)

The music sounds good, but doesn't carry enough sense of urgency. That's how the game feels to me too at the moment: I run, but I don't feel like I'm in a hurry.

Not being able to go backwards feels forced right now. Having missed a time power up that just barely, but not being able to go back these five pixels is frustrating and I'm thinking: The girl got legs and can work foward perfectly fine, why can't she walk back? I hope you understand what I mean.

You've got something fun here, but it's still missing something to make it special and URGENT and RUN FASTER I WANT TO LIVE! I don't know exactly what that is, but I have a few suggestions you could try:
- Auto-running like in Canabalt. That would explain the no-backwards-thing too.
- Every block you touch dissolves.
- Something is chasing you - that feels a bit more urgent than just a camera scrolling. That's a good thing to think about in general: WHY is the heroine running? How can I communicate this to the player ingame?

(I hope it doesn't come across as if I didn't like the game - I did! I only wrote so much because you asked for feedback :) )

Game of Throttles by Moosefly 2013-08-27T14:26:00

The intro... oh god, wow, it's hilarious. Narration- and plotwise, mind you. I LOVE the reason why I want to get in second. And the vehicle customization is a pretty nice touch. As are the moose, haha.

I love the graphics!

The placeholder music is hilarious. Please leave it in! :D

I am not too content with the gameplay. It never seem to be in the right lane, and I see those raspberry jam spots too late to evade them.

The ten-second timer seems pretty meaningless. Why does it matter; I have to come in second above all, don't I?

Why doesn't a race end when I can't place second anymore? I don't want to finish it if it I have no chance of winning.

The gameplay isn't too hot, but everything else about the game is extremly funny, and so I still enjoyed it a lot! Good job there! And congratulations on your first LD entry!

Rebound Recon by TheHermit 2013-08-26T17:43:00

I wish I could click messages away instead of waiting for them to close slooowly. And for a bigger screen. And for a button to stop again after I clicked "GO!". (Also the "motion detectors" announced in one of the early levels aren't really motion detectors, but just gates that open and close in frequent intervals, aren't they?) And the controls are sluggish and hard to figure out at first.

Okay, that's out of the way now. So: That being said, this game is amazing! I LOVE the way you've made time AND force/fuel a limited resource and then let me plan how to use both in detail. I don't know why, but something about that feels just great. The puzzles got really hard over time - some a little bit too hard for my taste. I stopped at level 13 - might try it again later, after you've been so kind to save where I was.

I'm really partial about the music. At the beginning I loved it, but after more than half an hour of playing it starts to get a bit annoying. It's far from bad, it's just a bit too powerful I think.

The rest fits too: The graphics have a nice retro touch and strangely the absence of sounds didn't affect me at all - normally I am extremly fussy about that.

All in all, a superb entry that doesn't feel like it was developed in a mere 2 days. Also congratulations to finishing your first LD game!

When The Sun Sets by Ravetcofx 2013-08-26T14:38:00

I can totally sign what dalinblue said: "Some symbols just disappear, the wife/daughter mourns (which does make sense), and you turn into a pulsating cloud when you are over the woman on the top, and even though the sun set you can still move around. I'm not quite getting what the game is trying to tell me."

That's my experience too. And I'm not sure what's up with the hunchback angel? And yes, the jumping needs a lot of work.

I like the graphics and the music though! It looks rough, but still pleasing, and the minimal animations work well.

Congratulations on finishing your first LD! I hope you'll be back for more later :)

You have 10 seconds by parDal 2013-08-26T21:32:00

I didn't shoot him. I feel like such a rebel/pacifist now.

(Then I clicked on "replay" and shot him just to see what happens. Okay, maybe I actually feel like a hypocrite.)

Ultimate Survival Lab by Reaperguy 2013-08-31T12:51:00

I really like the interpretation of the theme and the concept you came up with! The game is fun and provides a nice difficulty curve. The music fits well!

Two things that would make the game better in my opinion:
- Instant-death instead of 10 lives. Being hit carries not much meaning right now in the beginning.
- Interesting events that change the environment of the lab. Maybe I was just unlucky, but everything I got was more of the things that were already there: Spikes and Rockets.

That's a pretty great "first game ever"! Congratulations!

Crazy Genetist by ratalaika 2013-08-27T15:19:00

The gameplay feels like it depends a lot on luck (more pieces to choose from would've been nice!), but I still played pretty long! The music is nice, and so are the sound effects. I love the little creature depictations in the upper left - I just wish they were bigger. Nonetheless - a pretty fun game that you want to try and try again. Good job! And congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Candelabra by DuFF 2013-09-15T21:44:00

Thanks a lot for your comment on Lost in the Darkness! Yeah - the friends actually blend in on purpose to give the player a sense of discovery. I'm not sure how good that idea was in hindsight (and yes, the hints weren't obvious enough), but I've got great reactions from some test players. It's a matter of taste and patience, I guess!

In the beginning, it was a bit hard to understand how fast I can move the matchsticks (maybe I just don't understand the feedback?). After a while it got easier, but I still had problems with it. I really liked the atmospheric change when you lighted the candle!

QuickHunt by MvdLaar 2013-08-31T14:57:00

That visual style is amazing - I love it. The soundscape works quite well in getting the right mood across.

I like the gameplay a lot, although sometimes it seems to be a bit unbalanced. Hunting 4 boars in a row when I already had problems finding the second? Hum hum. I REALLY like your choice about just throwing stones at the animals instead of shooting them.

Some music couldn't have hurt! If you can't make it yourself or you just don't have enough time, try out a generator like http://abundant-music.com. It has pretty good results.

Press Kit? Wallpapers? In Ludum Dare? Somebody took polish to the next level :D

Congratulations on finishing your first (and super-polished) LD entry!

10 Seconds to leave by Caracole 2013-09-13T23:09:00

Thanks a lot for the comment on Lost in the Darkness! So, if it was easy, I suppose you rescued your friends? Then again, judging by your entry, I guess you are familiar with not being explained everything, haha. Higher difficulty with what I currently had wasn't really possible, and I had ideas for new enemies but just ran out of time. That'll be in the post-compo version! What do you mean by "[...] music) would benefit the game" though - it does have music, doesn't it?

---------------------------


You have a really interesting game, and while I'm not sure I entirely understand it, it seems I still came to THE end. And I like what you did there with the soft cage lesson. Going against the games rules was enjoyable (although I never knew exactly when there won't be more reactions), and the portal/antichamber atmosphere works well.

One thing really annoyed me though: First person jumping puzzles without a body? Really? And I have to start it again if I die? Argh. That was especially frustrating with the flashing platforms.

And every level has two ways to solve it? Really? Huh.

Confusing, interesting and a bit informative - I like it. Great entry, and congratulations on finishing your first LD game!

PS: I think the game would work well on the Rift. Try to get one! (Sadly you're not likely to be near Berlin, Germany...)

PPS: Have you played "The Stanley Parable"? I think you'd enjoy it. It's a Half Life 2 mod - if you don't own HL2, at least watch a Let's Play on YouTube.

Lost in the Darkness by TobiasW 2013-08-28T14:02:00

Thanks for all the comments! I appreciate it :D


@Bekokstover:
Thanks! And: Really? It might be just me, but I think the eyes and the little plot there is (which needs the fairies and magic) give it a bit of charm that I'd miss otherwise. Abstract it would've been too dry for me.


@Zelun:
Thanks! And yeah, it's a bit repetitive, but well, also pretty short. I had other enemies planned that would've come in later, but then I ran out of time.

The map generator is mostly just:
- If a tile is visible, create all neighboring tiles if they aren't already there.
- With a certain chance it's a white tile.
- Every set of 80 light tiles contains exactly one fairy.
- Every created dark tile contains 1 (or later 2) Scurries (the black critters)
- One of dark tiles in the outer rim of the starting tiles contains one of your friends.
- As soon as your friend is found, a new one is created on the current outer rim within a certain maximal distance.

I might write more about it in a post-mortem, but that's it in essence.


@Bjeaurn:
Thanks a lot! Which mechanics did you need the description for? I tried to put most of it in the starting screen and thought that the remainder might just as well be explored - so I'm interested in what I've missed there!

I don't have a twitter, no; I use Facebook for communication. I have a blog/YouTube for new games though!
- http://blog.dragonlab.de
- https://www.youtube.com/user/TobiasWehrum


@Brassawiking:
Thanks for the praise! And sorry - the fairies said they were too shy for me to implement any searching mechanism. They said they wanted to be found via exploration. If you keep walking in one direction, you are sure to find one though; there are enough for everyone.


@juaxix:
There's isn't any flocking actually: They just like the tile they are currently on, and switch position every 1.5 to 2 seconds. And if they find out they are on a light tile, they search the nearest dark one. It does LOOK like flocking though, and I'm glad you like it :)


@senseidav:
Thanks! It DOES have an end though - remember, you're here to find your friends, not just collect fairies. Find a fairy and lead it to the place where the music is the loudest. Look out for somebody who looks like you when you're game over - and touch him. Congratulations, then you've saved your first of three friends!


@TammiLion:
Well - your friends went game over before you, so that's how they look like! The music gets louder the nearer you get to one. (And I'm glad the Game Over text has the intended effect, haha. It even gives ME the chills :D)

Lost in the Darkness by TobiasW 2013-08-28T15:52:00

Caranha! You're video review is AWESOME, and I didn't "enjoy" it, I LOVE it! This is a really cool way to review a game and it was immensely satisfying to watch. Thanks a lot!

For the music, I used http://abundant-music.com by the way - the same generator I suggested to you in my comment.

I am really unsure about how to make the direction clearer without giving it away. It's still about searching, and I wanted the player to "feel" that he's getting nearer to a friend - I thought music would be the best medium for it. I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you! Do you have an idea how I could do it?

What you might want to try though: Walk only in one axis. Walk left, see if it's getting louder or quieter. If it's louder, continue for a bit, otherwise turn around. Then do the same with up and down. Once you've got a the general direction, start walking there. Repeat as necessary.

Hunger Clock, Literally by Vaughn 2013-08-31T00:16:00

Snappy controls and nice graphics. I like the dithering!

The gameplay itself works well, but I am bit confused about what the goal is. Is it really eating all the apples? I think that might be nearly impossible with gravity and sometimes multiple huge gaps in the level. Is it living as long as possible? I see no timer.

The sound and the face the character makes when touching a spike is possible the cutest thing ever! (Well, except kittens of course.)

I'm missing music! If you want to generate chiptunes, I think you'd go well with:
- Generating a midi with http://abundant-music.com
- Rendering the midi with http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-SanJose/8700/P/GsorigE.htm

So, all in all, I felt a bit aimless, but I had fun. Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

DemoPhobia by xndr 2013-08-31T22:18:00

Ooh, an HGE game. That was one of the first engines I used. Sweet. I played until level 20. That was a really interesting mechanic - finding out who you control. And boy, I sure hope I'll never explode when I feel uncomfortable...

Lost in the Dark by KristinnEs 2013-08-27T19:34:00

I came because your game has nearly the same name as mine and I stayed because of the gameplay. Sweet - maze games usually aren't my cup of tea, but combined with the light mechanic, a minimalistic but compelling plot and all the nice little touches like the monsters speaking made this quite fun to play. Good job - and congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

PS: After playing I realised that the similarity to my game doesn't end at the name - there's another thing actually :D

EcoStar vs Aeronox by DreamTeam 2013-09-02T21:13:00

Only 38 votes? That's a damn shame - that means so far a lot of people have missed out on this. Well, at least I won't, thanks to Jellycake's stream and your comment on my game!

This game has a lot going: Wonderful graphics, satisfying sounds, cool music - and most importantly (at least for me) an interesting mechanic! I really like how the shields, enemies and projectiles have elements they are strong against. At first I thought you could change your element at will, but having to wait for the right season while defending is compelling too. I enjoyed playing the game, and I don't normally play Shoot'em ups!

I have a few suggestions for a post-compo version:
- Less (or less visible) debris when something explodes. I've died more than once near to an exploding enemy ship because I couldn't see the bullets anymore.
- Clearer elemental affilation. I know, I know, the enemies look different, but I am easily confused, and a symbol on them or hovering next to them or anything similar would help me a lot.
- Having a not-fully-charged elemental projectile release a weaker version of said projectile. It was extremely frustrating each time I released it to early. Or at least clearer feedback when it's ready.

Apart from that - great game with a very innovative mechanic. I'm looking forward to the post-compo version!

Oxy by hbocao 2013-09-15T16:05:00

Thanks a lot for the comment on Lost in the Darkness! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

For "not being able to draw" and "having no talent for music" this looks and sounds pretty well - it still creates this special underwater mood, although it doesn't convey much urgency. I like the gameplay, and the second time I nearly finished the game and died right before the airlock, unable to open the 3 doors. I like your level design, I would've wished for checkpoints though!

All in all, great job, and congratulations on finishing your first game!

Back for Seconds by RobotParking 2013-08-28T15:31:00

Yo RobotParking. Your game feels like somebody just barged into my house, threw up on my floor and I LIKED IT. Word.

I definitely see Porpentine influence there.


@madk: Your comment made me laugh.

Legend of Epikouros by Erhune 2013-08-31T13:57:00

I love you. The basic concept ("Each player session lasts for only 10 seconds, but the game lasts much longer") was on my list of ideas, but I opted for something easier instead. You didn't. And now you made this game and I can still play it, and that makes me pretty happy! :D

I really like that you opted for the adventure-style genre - it makes sense to watch what previously happened so that you can get hints and know what was already explored and where players stopped.

Summer Death Olympics by bufbot 2013-08-31T15:10:00

Interesting take on the theme! You might've implemented some computer enemies - like most people here, I play and rate the games alone.

LEGACY by DanHayesGamer 2013-08-31T20:36:00

That was an interesting experience. It's visually pleasing and the soundscape creates an interesting mood - I like it.

At first, I was utterly confused, but after some generations, I picked up what was happening myself. I'm not sure whether I would make anything clearer - I think games like this should have some exploration. I would've liked an ending screen. though, and the controls could've been a bit less soft.

Really interesting experience, thank you! And congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Antarctic-Toc by Meep 2013-08-31T22:17:00

The animation of the little penguins getting fed is so cute! In fact, all the graphics are pretty cool.

I really like the gameplay! The snowball seems strangely satisfying, and I think not using hitpoints but just stunning the player was a pretty good decision. It's also cool that the "events" are taking up the whole 10 seconds - I was expecting just momentary events, which wouldn't have been as cool. The events bring a lot of variety which games like this really need. The difficulty balance is fine until a certain point.

Regarding the music: Check out http://abundant-music.com next time! It's a generator with a surprising high quality.

Really charming game!

The Duellists by jay griffin 2013-08-27T20:27:00

Wow, this looks astoundingly good. Gorgous pixel art and a lot of polish - at first I thought this was a jam entry, no kidding. And the attention to detail - I just shot of somebodies hat. There are gravestones from the past rounds in the background. I love it.

The sounds are perfect. It's a pity there's no music though! If you can't make some yourself or if you're in a hurry, you could use a generator like http://abundant-music.com. It's super-easy to use (after a few minutes of reading the tutorial) and has a surprisingly high quality.

The gameplay is fun too! It took me a while to understand that my aim gets steadier over time, but then I won a lot more - I was wondering why I shot the ground when I was aiming perfectly.

I love it that you actually made a "Round tied - both duelists fallen" condition. I was like WHAT HAPPENED there, haha :D

Superb job! And: Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

The Choice by matthewvermaak 2013-08-31T22:17:00

Damn it. I want to save them both, but I guess some things just aren't meant to be. Pretty good writing. I like your interpretation of the theme: Not 10 seconds in game time, but 10 seconds in real life. It would seem lazy, but executed so well it doesn't.

Also, a lot of: :(

In ten seconds can you...? by SumGato 2013-08-26T21:16:00

It's a pity that I can't try the higher levels without repeating all the old ones if I fail. That goes especially for the first level, which is frankly a bit annoying :/

I liked the rotation and the maze level though! Since I failed the maze level and don't want to do the clicking thing again, I can't say anything about the levels afterwards.

The graphics a bit on the simple side, but they work, as do the sound effects. No music though? Next time you might want to try a generator like http://abundant-music.com - music helps a lot!

Congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Usain Bolt's Super Shopping Sprint by Bekokstover 2013-08-27T19:18:00

This is a lot of fun actually, despite being so short! (Well, but otherwise they'd go bankrupt, I guess!) The graphics are charming, and the cheering fits the game so well that the absence of music is hardly noticeable. The sound effects work well.

Why are there three different screen switch buttons? From Restart Screen to starting the race, I have to press: R, Space and X. Since there's never really a choice between two options, all of these might've been Space.

My top score so far: 8068. There were a LOT of time bonuses in this level :D

Cheers mate, superb game! And congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Usain Bolt's Super Shopping Sprint by Bekokstover 2013-08-27T19:21:00

PS: I found two "secret" passages! Not that they did me any good...

Usain Bolt's Super Shopping Sprint by Bekokstover 2013-08-27T23:11:00

It's fine to have a restart button, but it should be used to restart the game while playing - not to restart it from the restart screen. That's what I mean: One button to advance between the screens. An additional button to force a restart from the game is obviously fine.

I might try using the passages later to check how good they are. The first one seems rather useless though, there is no way you're gonna have enough items at that point to make use of the time bonus.

Granny Death - The 10 second buff game by Fluffy Tigers in the Sky 2013-08-28T14:22:00

The comments and texts in the Almanac are funny! I thought about the 10-second-powerup-mechanic too, but discarded it because I thought it would be too short - you solved that nicely by stacking them. It's really confusing to have 10+ of them though - I stopped caring what I have pretty early and just ran in, feeling like the badass granny I am. The graphics look pretty cool!

Good job - and congratulations on your first LD entry!

PS: I like your username.

Juu Byo by Zelun 2013-08-31T21:18:00

The music. It's beautiful. Please give me an mp3 of that! Do you have other songs?

The gameplay is, like every bullet hell shooter, too hard fo me. I'm super proud that I won this one time, haha. The Morgan Freeman-based humor is cool, and the game's pleasing to look at.

Knight's Temper by madruse 2013-08-26T20:44:00

Wow, this is shiny. I love the graphics! (And I'm a bit jelous that there are people who can code AND are awesome artists.)

The start music is a bit annoying, the ingame music is okay. The rage sound is - I don't know, I guess it expresses rage, but it's kind of hard on the ears. A war cry or something similar would've been more appropriate, I think.

The gameplay is fun, but gets repetitive pretty fast. Some new elements introduced over time couldn't have hurt, but then again, 48h is pretty short after all. Maybe a way to win instead? (Or is there? I figured it's about survival.)

It's hard to guess how far your rage explosion hits, and how far the ghost hitbox extends - sometimes I was caught by them while I was waiting for the explosion, thinking that I'd be too far away for them to grasp me.

Anyway, pretty good job - and congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

Daring Discourse by Back to Browse Entries 2013-08-27T13:56:00

Interesting idea: I like it! And I like how you represented the ideas coming in as planes attacking you, and you have to remember which kind of arguments the sender is receptive to.

(See the PS to the following paragraph! I still left it in so you can understand my confusion:)
It seems I am missing some part of explaination though. When do you lose an argument? When you miss too many planes? When the planes throw to many Xs at you? I had nearly everyone at my side, then suddenly the game ends and says I have lost this argument. (Again.) I am really not sure what happens there.

I think the game might've worked better with less people, so you can actually memorize it - or maybe a few rounds, each with more people in? Additionally, not everyone is good at using colors as associations; names, numbers, letters in a certain color could've been used as additional identifier. It works well for me in the first two rounds where they come in order, but after that I just give up and simply shoot planes.

The graphics are simple, but they work out well! I like the little shooting thing that tells you that your shot is fully loaded. The sound effects are perfect. The music is nothing too special, but fits and doesn't annoy.

Is the theme anywhere in the game, or is it just this "You get 10 seconds from the crowd" plot thing? If so, that's, uh, pretty weak theme-wise. (What does it even mean to get "10 seconds" from he crowd?

All in all, pretty solid game with a pleasing look and an interesting concept. Good job, and congratulations on finishing your first LD entry!

PS: Is just played the game again, and now I get it! I thought the planes drop the Xs at me, but they drop it at this... thorn thingy in the middle, which probably represents my argument. I finally won: 4811.

Reach by BerdiNerdi 2013-08-31T22:18:00

The dimming torch is pretty cool! I also liked the movement patterns of the monsters a lot. And the passing from one area to the other: Extremly smooth.

If you need music for a later compo game, you should check out generators like http://abundant-music.com! Most generators make music extremly fast, and I am super content with the Abundant Music quality - its how I made the music for my game. Sound effects wouldn't have hurt either - feedback is super important.

Breathe by Fede3751 2013-08-29T17:50:00

The controls are really smooth, and it looks nice! A little bit of music couldn't have hurt; you can use generators like http://abundant-music.com if you need some fast. The sound effects work well though! The background didn't distract me at all. Good work!

Time Slime Arena by TomCooper3D 2013-08-31T16:57:00

I absolutely love the way you're giving me the choice of what to use and to try it out at the same time. And with which mouse button. And fully ingame. Seriously, that's some great integration there that I've never quite seen like this before.

The gameplay itself is fun, but after a few days it degraded (at least for me) mostly to running away - which is a pity!

The graphics are great - I like the dark/night lighting. The character design for the main hero is really cool, and the attack animations (especially the sword) works out really well. Walking animations would've been great, but I guess that's really hard to do if you can walk in any direction while facing any direction...

The controls are perfect. The music is okay, but it think it could fit better. The sound effects work.

All in all, a pretty solid game!

Distraction by andwhatnot 2013-08-31T22:17:00

Did I just play a platformer game with moving platforms? That worked surprisingly well. Are the positions of the blocks scripted? They seemed so random, but at the same time really helpful.

And I am really confused. Did I win? Did I lose? Does it matter? The game seems to be over though.

Defuse in 10 seconds by archaeometrician 2013-08-31T15:15:00

Haha - apparently I saved the princess, pardon, defused the bomb in my first try. Pretty nice game - finally the years of coding where I trained to type fast were of use, haha :D

Six Beats Per Minute by Tortche 2013-08-25T00:19:00

Check the win screen, there's a broken material on the particles!

(Longer feedback comment when the compo is over :) Work, work.)

Six Beats Per Minute by Tortche 2013-08-26T13:57:00

124! A valiant effort indeed.

The gameplay is nice. The wisp feels a little bit hard to control at first, but that gets better after playing a little - and I guess it might've been to easy if you had really crisp controls.

The presentation looks good, everything from the environment to lights and the wisp itself fits well together.

A bit of music wouldn't have hurt; if you can't do it yourself, have a look at generators like http://abundant-music.com!

All in all, a pretty good job! And congratulations on finishing your first LD! (Even more so in such a short timeframe.)

Six Beats Per Minute by Tortche 2013-08-26T13:58:00

Oh, and yeah, it would've been nice to know how many you can still miss.

10 Second Thinking by dmastergames 2013-08-26T12:13:00

Whew, it's a bit hard to get into this. Made it to level 7 so far - I might try it again later. I like the puzzle solving under stress, but I'm not sure if permadeath was a good choice. It's extremly easy to die, and I don't want to do the exactly same 6 puzzles again just to get to the 7th one. How many levels are there?

The game would've also benefitted from better feedback, for example a selection cursor around the current block or a sound effect when you click a block.

All in all pretty solid though. Good job! And congratulations on getting your first LD entry done!

10 seconds to LAUNCH!! by senseidav 2013-08-26T21:39:00

The sound effects are quite funny. The game itself is a bit on the simplistic side, but hey - everyone starts small.

A restart button when you fail would've been nice.

Congratulations on your first Ludum Dare game!

Antidote by Antidote 2013-09-02T15:14:00

Thank you very much for the comment on my game! It's a pity you didn't find any friends though - would you be interested in playing a post-compo version of my game? I think I've improved the hot/cold mechanics (and some other stuff) there and I especially want to know whether people that didn't find the friends in the original version can find it there.

Now on to your game, though - I hope it was worth your wait:


Wow, this is great - a perfect example of what you can achieve with a team of dedicated people. Everything fits together.

The gameplay works really well. Shooting vases and enemies, running, planning your route over timed traps and collecting riches until you should really go on - everything feels so smooth. I barely used the dynamite though until frantically right at the end out of pure desperation (and mostly still dying afterwards). I might've used it more often if it recharged or could be picked up - having only 3 of those made me think I should only use them when I really need them, and of course, that time only comes once.

The visual style is awesome. Shiny, clean and cartoony - it perfectly fits the gameplay. Good job at the lighting too! And the jewels - they just look so rewarding. And they FEEL rewarding, which is due to good feedback - and that's because of the great sounds, and not only there. The music is the cherry on the cake, creating a frantic yet enjoyable mood.

Great, great game. Good work, all of you!

ChronoCards by alfie275 2013-08-31T14:37:00

A game with time as a resource? That's a very intriguing concept. I am not sure if a card game was a good choice though - I have no time to read my cards, so I mostly just mash all the numbers and then space.

BeautyIsTheBeast by Valandre 2013-08-27T15:01:00

The character and environment design is fantastic! I like the background story and the images explaining it at the beginning.

The music is pretty cool! The sound effects were fine, though sometimes they didn't fit entirely or were a bit hard on the ears.

I like the mechanic, but I am not too sure about the current gameplay. I like the basic idea, but I think it's there were three things that made it not too much fun for me:
- Searching for your counterpart sometimes takes forever at the beginning.
- Your counterpart sometimes seems awfully dumb. I mean, I see him, why doesn't he seem to see me? Ugh. It's pretty hard to get him to get to run into my castle without nearly touching him.
- There aren't enough book shelves/rose bushes for my taste. They are territorial advantages that should be used to trap your enemy, right? I found the few ones that are there often lacking the right positioning to do that.

Apart from that, your game is really polished, well made and as such enjoyable. Good job!

BLAM BLAM PLANET by ratking 2013-09-16T00:25:00

Thanks a lot for the kind comment over at Lost in the Darkness! You really meant it when you said that you played every game from my list, haha - I thought you only meant the top games. Pleasent surprise for me! And yeah, even *I* got goosebumps from the game over screen. Glad you enjoyed the game!

Your game is super-shiny. I love the visual presentation, especially the colors and the enemy designs! The sounds and the music fit pretty well too.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm not a shooter player at all (probably the reason!), but the game was super hard for me. Maybe it was a biiiit because of the weapons too though. I mean, they are fun, but they aren't exactly easy to use, are they? Especially against flying enemies! Some of them are still pretty fun though: I like the glitcher, and the black hole gun is just downright evil.

So yeah, I didn't get far, but it still was a pleasing and fun experience!

Way of the Gun by vrld 2013-08-26T15:27:00

Wow, that's cool - and totally not what I expected. (Which is a good thing!) I'm not sure how to gauge which options are right (and often they are so fickle, like "manipulate" - you don't have the slighest idea what's gonna happen), but that didn't deter my fun. I only wish I didn't have to start over each time - it kind of makes sense, I guess, but despite wanting to see what happens later, I got tired of starting again.

The music, sounds and graphics together complement the gameplay really well and create an interesting mood. And I love the atmosphere while the duel happens.

Regarding the theme though, what do you mean by "banter with 10 seconds"? Is there a limit?

I really like your entry - you did an amazing job there. Rooting for you to be in a top list!

PS: More like a "Master of the way of the money" :D

Way of the Gun by vrld 2013-08-26T15:34:00

And you just got your last star in the "Humor" category. The Xavier Xalbrain dialogue is priceless!

Oh god, and then Yeoman happened. And the credits.

Maze of Torment by shard123 2013-08-31T15:05:00

Interesting take on the maze genre!

Every Ten Seconds A Kitten Drowns by matthias_zarzecki 2013-08-27T18:34:00

Patch and Socks love mines: They both spawned exactly on one. Right after each other. Uuurgh.

I wish the restart would work properly. I'd probably play this game until the end of my days.

So, uh, in case you didn't already know: Your game is superb and a lot of fun. I think might have a winner here!

Atomic Time Raiders by Colapsydo 2013-09-15T20:33:00

Thanks for your kind comment on my game! I'm glad that the hot/cold music mechanic worked well for you and that you found at least one friend!

As others already remarked, you have a really cool intro there - and I also like the flow between levels a lot. Without the violet circle transition it would be even smoother. The gameplay is clear and still pretty challenging. Great job!

I finished all the levels, although it some was a bit more luck/trying stuff out than actually thinking everything through. Yippie!

Atomic Time Raiders by Colapsydo 2013-09-15T20:34:00

*although some of it was a bit

(Seems I can't write anymore.)

Crappydoodle by superjoebob 2013-08-29T17:34:00

Wow. WOW. This is extremly cool - and it only has 50 ratings? Everybody should know this :D

Sound effects could make this a bit better, and the theme interpretation is not THAT original, but it is extremely fun and playable super fast. And addictive.

I'll stop this review now because I have to continue playing.

The Lonely Sentry by namrog84 2013-08-26T14:56:00

So let me get this straight: The sentry has a jetpack like thing, powered by burning love, and all the love it needs is readily available in small heart-shaped packets lying around? Yep, I guess that's a thing now. Anyway:

Looks cool and plays well! The difficulty curve is nice: It starts out really easy and gets infuriatingly hard when you have to hover.

Now that I listen to the music consciously, it's a really short loop, right? It should get annoying, but oddly, it doesn't - it sets a nice mood instead. The sound effects work well too.

I'm not sure why the levels are all "Go for it!!" and the last level is like "NO GO BACK PLEASE", haha :D

All in all, pretty solid! Good job!

PS: Na-na-na-naaa. Na-na-na-naaa ~ (I like the end song!)

MY ASS by DrunkenOrc 2013-08-26T11:58:00

Haha, this is pretty great! Everything fits well together, creating this... it's hard to describe, but it is kind of fun. I just wish the controls where a little bit sharper (I think not walking automatically would help) - I feel like that is the main reason for my deaths.

I hope some YouTuber uploads a Let's Play of it later, I want to see "a great cutscene about my ass, followed by a few minutes of me crying" but I can't stand falling down anymore :D

Good job! Make a crappy entry next time too!

Barricade by AdamHarte 2013-08-31T13:40:00

The graphics and animations are great! The sound effects work really well too. The gameplay is fun, but gets repetitive pretty fast.

I'm missing music! If you can't make any yourself, http://abundant-music.com does the generating job pretty well - and GXSCC can make the resulting MIDIs sound pretty chiptune.

10 Sec Hero by StabAlarash 2013-08-28T02:09:00

It was hard, but not impossible - I like it. The visual presentation is pleasing. I'm wondering why the text is blurred though? Sound feedback would've helped a lot with those battles, and music could've improved the mood - might I suggest some generator like http://abundant-music.com? All in all, good job!

Orction House Panic by Dry Tree 2013-09-02T13:36:00

Thanks for the comment on my game! Now on to yours:

"high-fantasy high-speed auction simulator"? Sold!

It took a while to get accustomed to how fast I can move, but then I could soon hear that "Victory is mine". I really love the concept. The gameplay is works well too, although I was never fast enough to really use the distractions of the auctioneer - I just touched the people from side to side while moving cautiously. What's really cool is the risk/reward you got going there: The more people you prod, the more you can get from them - but the more you could lose if you move to quickly. Happened to me once, never again.

Where the game really shines is the visuals, and, obviously, the music and voice acting! Everything looks right like an adventure game, and I can't be the only one who still loves those. And the humor. Great puns!

Pretty awesome entry!

The only one by JaJ 2013-08-31T14:17:00

Now that's the best writing I've seen so far on the whole LD, ever. The story is compelling and well-delivered. Mary's parents are so sweet. Everyone is so sweet. I actually feel sad and touched right now - it's been really, really long since a game did that to me.

Everything else fits too: The graphics, the music, the sounds - together with the story it creates an incredible mood.

You did an awesome, awesome job there.

Maximilian Lambda Caster by Jwatt 2013-09-17T00:21:00

Yo Jiggawatt! Sorry for taking so long after promising you that I'd play your game. Life happened, and then I answered to everybody who rated me, and that, uh, took some time.

The graphics are great (although I'm not too sure about the color palette) and the music is awesome and fits perfectly!

The gameplay is super clever and it took me forever to even understand half of it, and a lot of switching between the game and the documentation. That moment when stuff you read again finally starts to make sense, haha.

Why is the displayed ingame name "set_shot", but at the parameter list it's "shottype"? Same with "defense" and "neutralize" - I think. (Everything is happening a bit to fast, and I'm not good at mapping colors to functions.) It took me a bit to understand the parameter list because of those inconsistencies and well, because it's hard to observe and understand the changes in the parameter list while everything is shooting at me.

I think I could've enjoyed the game a lot more if
a) the blocks were distinct symbols symbolizing its function (my brain is better at mapping symbols than colors) and
b) everything was a lot slower with more space to navigate.

And maybe some test stage where I can experiment and learn without pressure. Bear in mind though that I'm already bad at normal sidescrolling shooters, I'm probably not the intended audience anyway.

So in conclusion, it's clever and innovative, but much too hard for me.

Maximilian Lambda Caster by Jwatt 2013-09-17T00:26:00

Oh, what I really like though is how (and I hope I'm not wrong) the parameters double as hit points, timer and active functions that you can change by letting it time out. Much too hard for me to think about strategically in the alotted time, but pretty cool!

(I'm probably wrong with something, am I? Aargh.)

Timed Strategy by Zelosfan 2013-08-26T19:30:00

The game just quit on me two times (Windows 7 64bit), and I don't want to do the tutorials again :(

From what I've seen so far it's a nice tactics game with an interesting twist. I always forgot to buy more seconds though when I was pressured, because I was busy with commanding units!

"It also looks pretty cheap but hey it's just dirt :D"
Oh, you!

Project: "Explosion" by Simple Ghost 2013-08-31T16:03:00

The clean graphics, the slow motion, the lights and the slooowly flying debris is really a sight to behold - I am not getting tired watching it. The time limit is a little bit to hard for me - in fact, I didn't finish a single non-tutorial level (well, except the tower one, but that doesn't count because it was super easy). Thanks for letting me access all of them though, I still wanted to watch the explosion unfold!

This game would be absolutely perfect on the Oculus Rift. It's a pity you're not living in Berlin, Germany - I'd lend you one so you can port and try it. Guess it's up to me to try it out on a Rift then!

PS: "NOOOOOOOOOO", haha :D

KunoNoOni's Magical Star Saga by KunoNoOni 2013-09-15T21:32:00

I think you could've put the info that you can jump while falling a little more prominently in the description - for example where the controls are. It's easily overread where it is right now!

After I understood that, I could actually manage the second jump, haha. The controls are pretty tight, but the game was is still too hard for me.

The intro was pretty cool!

Hyper Furball by DDRKirby(ISQ) 2013-08-31T13:26:00

The gameplay is pretty simple, but music, graphics and sfx make up for that. And then exactly I thought - okay, but that is a bit repetitive, I level up and up pops a skill upgrade menu! It still got a little bit repetitive, but really only a bit - I had a lot of fun!

I love the intro. And the ending. And the last boss, haha. That one was really unexpected and clever.

The graphics - woah, I can't get over how adorable those character designs are! And the backgrounds are super great too. And the music - the music! I've downloaded the soundtrack and I'm listening to it while I write this comment.

This is an amazing entry!

Low Battery by RHY3756547 2013-08-29T18:03:00

I started the game. I didn't read the description. Fast and hyping music started playing. I stared at the screen for two seconds. I moved. I died in half a second. The game asked me "come on what was that". I cannot imagine a better start! :D

Super frantic gameplay. AWESOME music. Over the top particle effects. EVERYTHING FITS TOGETHER. A little bit too hard though, but I had fun anyway!

It's not a super original interpretation of the theme and apart from being extremely frantic there isn't that much innovation there, but really, every single other category (and that hasn't happened before for me) gets 5/5. Woah!

PS: "game!!!" is the best title for a game webpage, haha :D

The 10-Second Murder by Rose 2013-08-30T23:29:00

That's the best story-based game I've found here so far. Great dialogues, and I like how you could take every option alone or in connection with somebody else. It was fun learning about the relationships between the characters. In the end I needed the walkthrough though - I guess it was too subtle for me. Now that I think about it afterwards though, [SPOILER OMITTED] the only with with motive AND a way to do it - I guess I should've thought more about the line of motives :)

Dango Rush by ghRibacki 2013-09-15T17:26:00

Thanks a lot for the comment on my game! Did you ever find your friends?

At first, the enemies seemed pretty hard, but after a while, you get used to them and learn there patterns - and then the combination rooms with more than one enemy get more interesting. I really like how you added variety with only 4 different enemies!

I wish there was a way to regain health. Maybe a health fountain in a few rooms after you killed everything there? It would actually add another challenge: Do I go back and lose time, or do I try to fight my way with the little health I have left? Oh, and a mini map. When you have to go back at a certain point, it's a bit hard to find your way back to where you haven't already been.

You did a pretty good job with everything, actually: The graphics are simple, but pleasing to look at, the music fits the game well and the game flows smoothly. Great job, and congratulations on finishing your first jam entry!

Samurai Cafe by caranha 2013-08-26T22:39:00

Those are some pretty undercooked pizzas probably, haha :D

It is a bit hard to see the pizza toppings in the small order images - that might be due to my high resolution on a small laptop monitor though. Apart from that, I quite like the look of the game!

Like others remarked, the pacing is so sloooow. I would've liked to get multiple toppings, but I didn't have the patience to play so far.

The autotracker music fits rather well. Still: You should give http://abundant-music.com a try! Similar to autotracker in that it generates the music for you, but it has MUCH higher quality.

All in all, pretty cool game! Good job!

PS: I love your avatar.

Samurai Cafe by caranha 2013-08-26T23:21:00

PPS: Were you thinking of Samurai Pizza Cats when choosing the filename / the theme of your game?

You Only Get 1! by Danman9914 2013-12-16T04:01:00

Haha - that's great! The simple comic-like graphics fit rather well (although I am not totally sure about your choice of color everywhere), and I really like the animations - be it of the moderator, the reactions scenes and or the text.

What's really cool about this game is the humor and the interpretation of the theme though. It's funny and it works perfectly. I was extremely discontent with the theme, so I am doubly happy that others got creative results with it.

So - you might be short on content, but that's fine: What you have there is fun, original and on the point. Great job!

PS: The game show music was a great choice, but - uh, it's not really allowed in the competition. You are only allowed to include content you produced yourself in the 48 hours.

PPS: What did you use to make the vector art? And I guess the animations are made with Unitys animation system?

Generic Adventure Game by Jezzamon 2014-05-02T20:18:00

Okay, the criticism first:
- The music is nice - for the first few loops. It was getting on my nerves soon, because the loop is so short.
- Sloooooow dialog without the option to skip it? Ugh.
- Why do I have to HOLD the Shift key?

Apart from that: Charming and witty, with lovely art - I enjoyed it a lot!

I Contemplated the Sun of Limbo by Evilion 2014-04-29T18:50:00

This was astonishingly beautiful - even better than I expected after your pictures on Twitter! The soundscape is also pretty great, although a bit spare at times - but man, those shaders. The colors!

(I'm not sure I did everything I could ingame though.)

PS: I am not sure I'm supposed to be here, but I like the ocean: https://i.imgur.com/W3ijVGH.jpg

Sprites.CSV: Cute,Snuggly,Versatile by awppy 2014-05-02T18:49:00

I had two problems:
- The number keys change the window size, but with the instant mouse lock I couldn't move the window properly. The mouse lock acted up sometimes ingame too.
- You know what people sometimes use to close ingame menues? Right, Escape - the same key that closes your game without confirmation :(

Apart from that (and those weren't big problems) it was quite enjoyable and a very cool concept! And I really like games that allow for user-created creative humor - there are never enough of those. Great job!

our god lives underground by Andrew Shouldice 2014-05-02T00:26:00

Oh, cool! I was hoping you'd make another entry this time :)

There isn't much (or any) gameplay, but the atmosphere definitely makes up for that. I could've done without those big grains, but the perspective (I don't think I've seen any 3d game with that much perspective in top down yet) and the shadows were really awesome! My favourite part were those little critters and how they shyly retreated from my light.

The Valley Rule by Raiyumi 2014-05-02T00:14:00

Thoughts while playing:
- The music is BEAUTIFUL. I want the OST, pretty please?
- The sounds are cool, but the jumping sounds more like paper ripping than jumping.
- The pixel art and the colors are perfect.
- The first box puzzle on the left where you have to use a box as a jumping platform is clever. Deceptively easy!
- Oh god, the climbing is adorable.
- Everything looks so polished. Those little dust particles! And I just realized she's blinking :D
- I'm getting such a Knytt Stories vibe from this. That's a VERY good thing!
- This vertical climbing level. I take back everything I said. I hate you guys. It also seems that the double jumping sometimes doesn't work there. (Okay, it only doesn't work when I continue holding direction keys. If I always let go of them and press them at the same time as the jumping, it works.)

...and this is where I'll stop for now. Damn, what a pity. I really could've done without the section. Maybe I'll come back later... :(

Apart from that, before that section: Magnificent game! It's been a while since I've seen such a polished and beautiful entry - you've done so much in 48 hours that it looks more like a week! I had a lot of fun playing it. Thanks! :)

PS: I know I really can't complain about difficulty after what I've done in my entry, haha.

Space to go by geekdrums 2014-05-04T02:04:00

Dom dom DOOOM DOOOOOM!

This was absolutely stellar. The text together with the music really created a special feeling for the text that I've never quite seen/heard like this before. And the writing fit perfectly. Clever, really well done!

Orlok's Ordeal by Daveloper 2014-05-04T00:28:00

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! The music, the sound design, the intro, the writing, the ingame art, everything is perfect! The gameplay itself is a little bit bland, but the puzzly aspect is still interesting and the audio hotspots make the world come alive. (I love the paintings.)

Great job, all of you!

Dig Hard by petey123567 2014-05-04T01:02:00

Is it innovative? Hmm. Does it fit the theme? Well, it's beneath the surface I guess? Does it feel freaking amazing to play and is incredibly fun? HELL YES IT IS!

Seriously, guys, I think that was the most fun I've had this LD with any game so far. It's so juicy, fruits can't compare! Everything works so well and every weapon feels so good to use, especially the laser (WOOOOOOSH) and the grenade launcher (peng peng peng peng peng go back and watch the explosions!). And I love how he enters the scene, like he was beamed there :D

Fantastic job, you guys! (And with only two people on top of it, woah.)

Dig Hard by petey123567 2014-05-04T01:39:00

PS: Also it has snakes. All the best games have snakes!

Ripple Runner by DDRKirby(ISQ) 2014-05-04T01:35:00

Wow. Wow! I was prepared for the awesome music - after all, I'm still sometimes listening to the Hyper Furball soundtrack. I was NOT prepared for this perfect blend of gameplay and music. The endless runner genre is sometimes a bit stale, but your mirroring mechanics work well, and the additional mechanic in level 3 adds a lot more difficulty. Oh, and regarding difficulty: Well paced, I liked the steady increase, although some some parts could've had more checkpoints in my opinion. Add to this: Stellar sound design and simple graphics with an adorable main character, and you get this game. Amazing job, really well done!

Please Come Back by PapyPilgrim 2014-05-06T00:15:00

This was amazing. I love what you did there with the controls - clicking with the finger you'd need to stay afloat, and not only does the mouse wheel scrolling relate to swimming up, it's something you ACTUALLY get tired of in a short timeframe. Often people do that with button mashing games which are just about speed (because people can mash buttons so fast) and I get annoyed of it extremely quickly - but not here, I actually struggled, but sank before the boat game back. Great mood and relationship between player and avatar with such simple means.

Helevenium by alvivar 2014-05-01T23:28:00

Ha! I live, and you die! Where are your gods now, stupid boss monsters?
https://i.imgur.com/ZXhGsgx.jpg

Okay, negative sides first:
- Your game is really hard.
- Your game is really, really, really hard!
- The "sword ready again" sound effect doesn't communicate "sword is ready again" to me. I know that it's probably a sword being drawn, but to me it sounds more like an attack.
- The sword attack feels slightly delayed. (I wish you had uploaded the source, I would've loved to check.)
- The enemy movements are hard to predict.
- Your main screenshot up there looks really boring. Make a screenshot with trails and action, your game looks MUCH better ingame.

Now for the positive!
- Restart is really fast.
- Your enemies are interesting to fight.
- The sounds except "sword ready again" feel really satisfying.
- Chain-killing enemies is awesome!
- The minimalistic graphics work extremely well.
- ...as does the atmospheric ambiance.

It might seem like there's more negative up there than positive, but I've just played your game for 45 minutes, so - it was super hard, yeah, but it was also fun!

PS: But seriously, as a penance for making such a hard game, you have to beat the 4th level in mine. No buts!

The Sea Has No Claim by dukope 2014-05-02T21:57:00

It's quite cool - and not at all confusing. I had no problems at all, as the descriptions and sample screens were extremely helpful.

I'm doubly excited by the game play. Years ago, I made a prototype similar to your Sonic Buoys (http://dragonlab.de/projects/ghosthunter). I intended to make a game out of it, but it just didn't click for me - and now I see a game with a similar core idea and it actually works and is fun! And that makes me very happy :D

I haven't played the post-compo version, but there were a few things that bugged me:
- The equipment placement minigame seemed a bit superfluous and disconnected from the main gameplay - and I always had to do it again when I restart.
- Even when I placed everything, I still had to wait for time to run out if I didn't find all the wrecks.
- For the bigger maps, the allowed error is so tiny - but I can't zoom in to be more accurate.

Apart from those, I quite enjoyed the experience and the ever expanding inventory. Great job!

Seven Souls by BrothersT 2014-05-05T22:12:00

Observations while playing, might be out of any kind of order:
- It took me a while to understand that I am the little character down there and I can actually move! It looked so much like it was just part of the scene, and I thought I could play this game just by clicking at people - and then I only noticed there were dialog options down there a few minutes later.
- It might help to have some sort of gui element indicating that I can talk to somebody.
- The sounds accompanying the dialogue are absolutely wonderful. Especially the kid!
- The "accent" of the creature is great, haha.
- Pressed Escape to close the current dialog menu. It closed the game instead without confirmation. Great. Restarting :/ (Also there doesn't seem to be a way to close the dialog menu.)
- So, I got it down to the three people on the left, but now I don't know how to go on anymore - no new dialogue options. Did I miss something earlier than I can't do anymore now? Reading the description it's probably just the current end?

That was just great! Interesting dialogue with good writing, a very clean art style that's incredibly pleasing to look at and great sound effects/music. Great job! I'm looking forward to the post compo version!

(An nau, if ya jus cam daun into the watr, I'd giff ya a gud rating fer shure!)

Heaving of the Depths by Christina Antoinette Neofotistou 2014-04-29T17:09:00

A pity that you couldn't finish it - the graphics and the minimal animations look super nice!

Heaving of the Depths by Christina Antoinette Neofotistou 2014-05-12T00:10:00

Oh, so the previous build was broken? I'm glad I checked the page again! The story was fun to follow, and I hope you plan more after that cliffhanger! (And why did leaving the place mean leaving Sunny there? Can't they go together?)

0x1D by bitnenfer 2014-05-08T16:33:00

I finished it! I like the concept a lot - probably also because I did something similar in the past. I think you might enjoy this: http://blog.dragonlab.de/2013/06/starcoder

Drilling Enthusiast by Jellycakes 2014-05-05T18:36:00

After all those 2d mining games, this was very welcome - because wow, does it feel different to be in the mining device yourself. And I like that you went one step further there, not "controlling the drill" but "controlling a person inside the drill". Some monitors might be a bit hard to reach, but overall, the controls worked out well. The sounds and ambience is cool too - a little bit of music would've been great, though. Still, a lot of atmosphere. The graphics are nice and simple, and visual effects like the shaking help a lot to feel like you're inside the drill.

Currently I find the gameplay a bit lacking - for one side inside the drill where I can't control enough (maybe different directions and a map?), on the other side the caverns, that feel nice, but kind of empty. I also like the night vision effect a lot, but I feel like the caverns would look more interesting with more diverse ligt sources - algea, maybe an electric torch that you are holding, stuff like that.

All in all, despite the simple gameplay, an interesting atmospheric experience. Thanks a lot!

Down by SonnyBone 2014-05-09T20:08:00

The art and color choices are great - everything looks so clean and crisp! And the moody music and the flickering light effects create a heavy atmosphere. I don't think I understand the meaning completely, but I still enjoyed the experience.

PS: Congratulations on beating SnakeFormer! There aren't many who did :D

Animal Party by hirsch 2014-05-19T21:31:00

My favourite animal in the game was the lesser mouse-deer. Seriously, not enough games feature one!

ReD by Sakuyan 2014-05-08T16:04:00

Secrets in Ludum Dare games a pretty cool - and especially fit this theme well! In the end, I found 6 memory cores, but the end boss took too long for me too finish and I gave up after a few tries. (Then I read the comments and used the exploit. Still took me a while!)

The art was lovely as always! I just wish it was a bit bigger on my 15.6" TrueHD laptop screen: http://puu.sh/8E9yR/abf79d7fee.jpg - maybe think about allowing bigger resolutions next time.

All in all, great work - and secrets are always a bold thing to do in the LD compo, haha.

PS: While closing the game, I realized I started the game again with full cubes. There isn't a second different playthrough I just missed, is there? :|

You Don't Want That by Dark Arts and Sciences 2014-05-02T01:13:00

A Ludum Dare creepypasta as a game? Neat - and pretty well written on top of it! Sadly it's a bit hard to me: I found out the first cheat code by reading the comments here, and I found out why death is useful, but now I just feel like a failure. And I don't want that.

I also found out how to restart the game without deleting my cookies, but I don't want that.

Manliest Man : Manly Fishing by omgnoseat 2014-04-29T18:19:00

Great variety in the fish art - and while I kind of like the tricks, they didn't feel to pay of enough. Maybe a bit more score feedback would've been nice there, and audio! The swimming feels super nice until you crash into something though, and jumps felt very satisfying to pull off. Good job all around!

Behind Mirror by SaintHeiser 2014-05-10T11:26:00

I have to admit that I didn't get very far because I had problems doing the low jump. Is it intended that controlling low jumps is so hard? If not - this might be a good way to do it: http://meyermike.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/SuperMeatBoyJumpGraph.png

Apart from the difficulty (which I really can't complain about with my game, haha) - this game looks absoutely gorgeous with that pixel neon vector style. The music and sound effects work well enough, especially knowing that you only spent 1 1/2 hours on it! And the cutscene in the beginning was great to set the mood.

All in all, disregarding my low jump issues, everything felt really polished and works well. Great job!

PS: I'm not sure if that was intended, but I thought the intro cutscene was hilarious. For some reason, I imagined the characters to be totally deadpan-dramatic about it. :D

Inside Look Activity Book by rylgh 2014-04-30T02:58:00

Haha - I like it. It's certainly not very fun to play on a computer, but I have no idea how I'd do it otherwise, so who am I to criticize that? The child-book like look and feel is well executed either way.

While it wasn't fun to *play*, it certainly was a lot fun to see all the different unexpected images and the things that happened.

I'd love to have the same with music (maybe something inappropriately upbeat?) - and in a non-random order. Especially not with things repeating before I've seen everything.

Apart from that: I quite enjoyed it. Thanks a lot!

Mini Metro Subway Tycoon by ripatti 2014-05-01T02:33:00

In the end, I played 4 rounds:
- 1st time: Lost with 14 average load. I blame the city design!
- 2nd time: Won with 2 stations and ~$3000 to spare.
- 3rd time: Barely won with ~$300 and 1 station to spare :D
- 4th time: Lost with 13 average load :(

...and now I'll stop because I want to play other games too, haha. Now let's start with the mini-review though!

I watched your tutorial video before I started playing, so I don't know how self-explainatory it would've been - but I had no problems with the controls after a few seconds of trying. At first I thought "If you have to do a tutorial video, I wonder if the complexity of learning it is worth playing - after all, this was made in only 48 hours, right?" - but soon I was drawn in. Take my doubts as a compliment: You've made a polished and complete game that is complex AND works well!

The graphics are cute to servicable/nice to look at. Definitely getting a Sim City vibe from this, which might've been what you went for. After the tutorial video, the UI was really easy to understand too.

Also a good use of the theme with all those mining and ocean games around.

All in all: Great, great job, especially considering the time frame!

Fragment by rxi 2014-04-29T15:13:00

Metal Atrophy's comment fits my experience pretty well: "I don't get it. I've played four times seeing if I missed something, but after the initial text fades away nothing else happens until the timer runs out and the screen reds out. On my first play, I managed to locate another small paragraph, but that's the only time."

Then I checked the source code, and, uh, I have to admit that the story is too cryptic for me to understand. I do know how short 6 hours are, though, and for that it's pretty well done.

PS: I miss your lovely pixels!

Beneath the Surface / Warm by finefin 2014-04-29T23:31:00

Well, that was a great experience! It sounds like you've taken a lot from the original story, but converting it into interactive fiction format probably still took a lot of work. It felt a bit too much guided though - I guess that's the price you pay when you take a linear story as a source.

Thanks a lot for sharing this!

The Surface. by Teejay5 2014-05-01T19:31:00

Yo, Teejay! Cool to see another game of yours, I missed you in the LD 28! And yeah, graphics and humor up to the usual level! The gameplay was a bit hard to control this time though - even playing alone against an unmoving enemy, it took me forever to kill it...

PS: Please, beat box sound effects oder music in the next entry, haha. I like that opening!

Read Between the Tropes by Crowbeak 2014-05-04T15:31:00

" But beware! The TV Tropes web site is quite possibly the biggest time sink in the history of the internet. You are warned."

Yeah, I know, and I'm not going there. Luckily you haven't linked the tropes at the end, some would've been really hard to resist clicking :D

So, two games in one? I like it. Tropes are a interesting nice use of the theme (although I feel there could've been done more than just using them in the story and naming them in the end), and the stories itself were well written and fun to read.

Great job!

DIG! DIG! DIG! by Harsay 2014-05-10T12:11:00

Simple but fun gameplay with nice graphics - and I really like the digging sound effect. I don't know why, but it gives the game a humorous touch.

The rotating zoom at the end is golden, haha. Also your game has lava, which is pretty much a hallmark of all the best games!

June 20th by Pierrec 2014-05-01T15:58:00

Oh wow, that was cool. I don't think I ever rated any game mood 5 without any sound, but the writing in your game nailed it! Interesting monolog and dialog sprinkled with lots of little bits of humor and a sense of discovery - I like it.

The only thing I could really criticize is that I've clicked away auto-appearing dialog once I enter a screen MULTIPLE times by accident.

Also, you're a monster.

PS: Is http://oujevipo.fr yours? If so, you left a really cool review for Catcher there - thanks a lot! Google Translate had problems with some of the more poetic phrasings, but I think I understood most of it :D

Kalahari Babysitter by TijmenTio 2014-05-08T14:28:00

The description and intro is priceless, haha. And I love the look and feel of the gameplay! And with a game like mine I'm probably not allowed to complain about difficulty, but damn, this game is hard considering that you don't only have to be exactly under a vulture, but that position also has to be under a tunnel.

I lose pretty quickly, but it's still fun for me and feels great. Good job!

PS: I love how he's still active in the ending sequence, getting points for everything that hits him, haha.

Deep Dome by pansapiens 2014-05-09T20:24:00

And interesting combination of genres, but it doesn't work too well for me - on my first try I got 1 1/2 laps by just racing, and on my second try I tried shooting, but got killed pretty quickly. The art and sound on the other hand are pretty good!

Greed for Gems by mortus 2014-05-01T01:25:00

The good parts first! The art is lovely (the beard flying when the dwarf jumps is just adorable). The lighting is awesome and the GUI looks good too. The sfx works really and fit the character. The random generation (I assume it is randomly generated?) produces really interesting results. And the gameplay is pretty solid and would probably be fun, but...

...the economy and the feedback loops are so punishing. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I've got the impression that when you die:
- You lose half of your equipment
- You lose half of your money
- All gems collected are still gone

So when you die, you have less resources and less resources are available in the world, which will make you more likely to die and less likely to succeed - a pretty negative feedback loop. Considering that you need ladders to reach most gems, it's really really easy for a beginner (like myself) to get into a situation where you can't do anything anymore and you have to restart the whole game to get a new map. This might not have been a problem if the game wasn't so slow at the same time.

The controls could've been easier too. Instead of having:
- One button switching what do build
- One button build, buy, collect
- One button attack

...this would've been much easier (less doing the wrong thing by accident, less keystrokes in total):
- One button building latters
- One button building torches
- One button attack, buy
- Gems are automatically collected

I'm sorry if my criticism sounds harsh! I don't blame you, it's super easy to lose track of difficulty in such a short timeframe. I fell for a similar trap with my game and you did a lot more there than me in 48 hours. But since I've read that you wanted to do expand this prototype, I thought it would be only fair if I tell you my unfiltered thoughts about it :)

Colony 31 by Crazi456 2014-05-04T18:12:00

Hey Crazi! Finally I got to play your game myself after seeing it on so many streams :)

I've seen the puzzles being solved a few times obviously by now, but I still like the level design a lot - and I really like how you mixed in the bits of storytelling inbetween the levels. With voice over on top of it! Neat! Also the music was pretty great. The tiles could've needed a bit more variety, but apart from that, the graphics are sweet too, espacially the character/mech design!

Pressure by Nezzhil 2014-05-12T02:40:00

I did manage to finish the game with 2 crew members barely alive - but I didn't have any idea what I was doing the whole time. Seriously. I kind of like the complexity and I'm sure I'd have fun with it once I figure out how everything works, but I don't know how.

What I did gather from it though: The mood is intense, and I really like the log terminal and how my team members tried to give me tips. The art and sound fits well too - all this creaking and tearing got me really anxious once I was near the end (of either my crew or my trip, haha).

A tip for future jams: If you make a game that is too complicated to be easily understood ingame, make a tutorial video after the jam and link it next to the "Web" link! It's not hard to do and it'll make the game much more accessible.

Rosa Neurosa by Wertle 2014-05-01T20:33:00

Oh wow. Since you can't watch me play your game like you did, here's a list of my unordered observations:
- That title screen. "A digging psycho-analytical improv game." What? Haha :D
- The sounds are great! The only thing that's a little bit off for me is the jumping sound, but everything else, great! My favourite: Drilling on stone.
- I love how she casually strolls through the memories, wielding this ridiculous drill.
- At first I thought that those lamp enemies weren't a good idea because they don't contribute to the core idea, but after a few minutes I changed my mind: They are fun to outsmart and add a sense of urgency.
- I thought that at the end I'd just get a text of the things I wrote, but I actually get a link for the whole ending to share? Awesome!
- The art is really great all around! The minimal animations in the opening add to the feel, and everything ingame looks really pleasent.
- Visual effects are nice! The screen shake, the dirt particles and the lights - yeah, polish!
- I liked the music a lot too. It underlined everything well.

I'm most impressed with how you pulled of a digital one player improv game though! It was a very fun experience. Here, have ALL my stars!

My endings:
- http://tinyurl.com/kfmmhnb
- http://tinyurl.com/kr4759q (This was hard. I clicked accidentally on the telephone, haha. Also this patient must've really enjoyed his experience with me, a doctor.)

Project Isla by Dualhammers 2014-05-05T21:28:00

Haha. Well, that was unexpected after my initial impression upon entering the island, but then again - the theme IS "Beneath the surface" after all!

The sound effects were generelly good, but the sound effect for the appearing arrows - it didn't fit, is hard on the ears and it was too loud at the same time. I like the ambiance the waves generate! A little bit of ambiant music would've been nice.

And now excuse me please, I have to consume some more art.

Order of the Mind by Crefossus 2014-05-10T11:57:00

> "No give command (sorry girl)"
Aww. I was wondering about that.

Also, why doesn't the spaceship have any exits? I did't have any cuerlium fuel, but I don't see why I can't leave it anymore.

> END OF GAME: Reaching the spaceship room (you cannot get the fuel).
Oh. Okay. Gotcha. That's why.

It's a pity that this is unfinished! It looks promising to me. I liked the little map showing the exits, and the delve/reveal past commands seem to be interesting, albeit at the moment a little limited.

A tip for future texture adventures: Shortcuts make everything more bearable. "r 1" would've been much nicer to type repeatedly instead of "reveal past 1"...

Extinction by loxo 2014-05-12T02:01:00

Your texts are nearly impossible to read in chrome (center) and hard in Firefox (left). Guess I'll actually use Internet Explorer (right) for this one... http://puu.sh/8ISri/486d121e4d.png

I have to admit that I'm not really sure what I was doing. I started digging and mining stuff, but there is no indicator of how much I have or need, and I just build some of everything, and for a while that worked out until it didn't. I'm sure you had a lot of cool stuff planned there, it's a pity you didn't finish it!

I also like your setting a lot! I wish there was actually a separate panel where I have to vote on things! :D

Glassie by rincewind_cz 2014-05-11T19:44:00

Unusual and interesting gameplay - and I like the glowy neon visuals!

SnakeFormer - Half Snake, Half Platformer by TobiasW 2014-04-29T17:47:00

@caranha: I think you need to set the executable bits with chmod. I'm on a windows computer, so I can't do that :/

SnakeFormer - Half Snake, Half Platformer by TobiasW 2014-04-29T19:52:00

@caranha: I uploaded a .tar.gz version with hopefully correct rights! Maybe you can try again?

They Lurk Beneath by Nega Drive 2014-05-10T10:57:00

I really like the graphics, and the music and sound effects work well enough (although I would've liked them a bit darker for such a game). I'm not sure if the game played on the right speed for me! If it did, it was a LOT too fast - the red things didn't even take two seconds to appear and completely pull a ship under, and I have to get in position first to protect it and hit two of those puny missles.

Amongst the Sand & Spice by ghostmaple 2014-05-05T23:52:00

The double view is a really interesting idea - the upper being more useful to hunt down, the lower more useful to locate and evade. Good job!

Thought Police by GrooveMan 2014-05-02T18:15:00

Great art and an enjoyable story with interesting twists! And I really like your choice of music - often music from Kevin MacLeod is easily recognizable, but in this case I even had to look up where it's from. All in all, good job!

Thought Police by GrooveMan 2014-05-02T18:52:00

(And in case you're interested, I got all the endings.)

Cemetery Secretary by Bekokstover 2014-04-29T19:34:00

I like it a lot! It took me a while to get the proper behaviour when a ghoul spawns right on me (run back, don't dig!), but once I did, it wasn't that hard to finish anymore.

The graphics are great, especially with the neat little animations. Good choice of color.

Oh, and the messages are a lovely humorous touch! :D

PS: Uh, thanks for the skeleton. I have a present for you too: http://lackadaisy.foxprints.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=368

The Sadness of Rocky Barbato by PaperBlurt 2014-04-29T23:56:00

Well, that was pretty cool! Well-written and humorous, with a few really surprising scenes (especially heaven and hell). And the best thing: Great execution! I don't think I've ever seen a Twine game that had so many changes in style - and all of them fit well here. Really good job!

The Money Beneath Our Ground by João Kucera 2014-05-08T14:49:00

I played until two chickens and a piggy. I like how you're getting a flow over time there, constantly using the tools to process the ground. It feels a bit samey over time though, especially considering that only tomatoes are worth your time and the cauldron is to slow to warrant the second irrigator. It was fun while it lasted though, and I like the art a lot!

PS: A tip for the "tutorial" screen! It was great to choose colors to differentate - maybe the text lines could have the same colors as their element too instead of being white.

It Came from Beneath the Surface of the Sea! by JavadocMD 2014-05-12T02:12:00

Ha! Take that, Zungo Corp! RAWR! I'm a freakin' underwater dinosaur! My favourite part of this game is probably its adorable slapping motion, demonstrating that he doesn't even need FORCE to destroy those buildings, haha.

Landmine Wars by BruceDoh 2014-05-05T23:41:00

I didn't get an opponent - which probably doesn't surprise anybody at this point in the voting phase. Should've probably played on the first day, damn :(

I'm not too sure I like the gameplay too much - what I've seen in practice mode seemed a bit clunky and too much micro-management to me, especially concerning the harvesters. What I might've worked better is setting paths/area for automatic harvesting and minesweeping. But then again, 48 hours and all, and like I said, I didn't get to play the actual game versus a human.

Gameplay critism apart though - you finished a working RTS online multiplayer game in 48 hours though, and that's no easy feat! And looking at the other comments, I seem to be pretty alone with my complaints, but maybe they could still help you if you ever want to improve on this game.

Daisy's dog is dead by alvarop 2014-05-09T22:31:00

I... won, I guess? :D

Sweet game, although *coping* might've been a less dubious goal, haha. I love the hand-drawn minimal animations. My favourite part are the restart/level won transitions though - they fit so well and are a really nice touch of polish!

Baum by Waterman7 2014-04-29T23:00:00

"You are a tree. Use your roots to grab as many bones as possible without touching the spiders."
*looks at the image below*
*looks at the description again*
Hu.

Weird, creepy, slightly funny and stylish at the same time - I like it! The silent film (well, actually silent - pity there is no music!) look is pretty well executed.

The gameplay is fun, but I think a goal or fail condition would've enhanced it - like a timer, for example.

All in all, pretty cool and well done!

Under a rock sky by Cash 2014-05-06T01:02:00

I'm not really sure why you didn't make running standard if I can run all the time - I never stopped holding the S key. Apart from that: Pretty cool game. I liked the scripted boulders - especially the one in level 2 that came out of the wall behind me was great!

The fight beneath the surface by Caridorc 2014-05-12T03:32:00

That voice acting. I am not sure what to say. It's terrible, but extremely funny at the same time. Some parts sound like you made them up while you're drunken :P

The only problem that I had with it is that sometimes you were rambling on a *bit* too long.

PS: I'm content with my role in fire and destruction and war.

Planet Corp. by Maschinen-Mensch 2014-05-01T19:09:00

Well, that was a lot of fun. Mercury was hard and I stopped after a few tries of Venus, but with an entry like mine, I can hardly complain about difficulty level, can I?

The audio effects are perfect (although some a little bit jarring) and the opening title music is great, so - why is there no music ingame? :(

Some notes:
- Should be able to skip sections of the cutscenes with a click instead of the whole thing. Sometimes people just want th hear things FASTER instead of skipping totally.
- I'd have loved to have some feedback when the explosions happened: How many points? How much of this did I collect? And also: Do I still have a chance of winning this level?

All in all, fantastic entry with an amazing level of polish!

IO - Reflection/Puzzler by oranebeast 2014-05-04T14:50:00

Oh. The timer vanishes when I finish the game :(
I *think* it was something around 280 though, but then again, I accidently restarted the game once by pressing R.

As I already told you in Crefossus' stream: Pretty cool level design, and even though I still remember some of the solutions, it was fun to play. And at first I thought your music was a bit repetitive, but then I came to like it more and more. There is really no need for that dubstep version. The graphics work well too. I especially like the bomb explosion!

Good job, both of you!

PS: A "red herring" is something that is placed to distract instead of having a "real" function. In this case, it means that there are level elements that aren't needed in the solution at all, and Scruffylooking liked that. I like it too!

PPS: Are you sure that http://orane.tk is your website? It always redirects me to a different advertisement/scam.

Pool Party in Hell by EricTheCoolDude 2014-04-29T16:54:00

Just saved from drowning, right back in the pool, haha. That's how I like it.

Cute graphics! And I especially love the little dance the demons do - and how it changes from two demons to three demons.

It's a pity you didn't manage to finish it (especially audio-wise!), but it's playable and once can see in which direction you were going there. Good job on what you have so far!

PS: The biker demons seem pretty harmless to me. I almost feel sorry for punching them!

Any ship can be a MINESWEEPER... Once. by tehryanx 2014-05-01T16:28:00

Hahaha, the smile when you win... C:

The sound and visual effects are awesome! Also, that probably wasn't intended, but after I first lost, the "In the Navy" song carried over to the game. And that was PERFECT. I don't care if it was accidential, you get five humor stars for this. (Is that you singing?)

All in all, pretty cool if somewhat hard game. Good job!

C=AVERUNNER by MrShortee 2014-05-06T00:49:00

I read the description, but I'm a man with short memory - when the game started and a lot of mushrooms came, I thought I had to jump over them, haha. I was very confused that they made a sound (that I believed to be "crashing") even when I clearly jumped over them - and then I suddenly died without any mushroom in sight! Once I finally concentrated on the stalactites/stalagmites, everything got a lot easier. Good job on combining visual and audio elements!

NOPE by shadow64 2014-05-04T14:17:00

I think this video describes the game pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGK8IC-bGnU

Gosh, that was funny. And while everybody keeps saying how "random" it is, the transitions are extremely well made and that's something you seldom see for this kind of game.

Great job! If I make one of my "best of" lists this time (and I plan to), this'll definitely get a place there :D

Ramen Master by RowdyGhosts 2014-05-11T19:23:00

Was it intended that it's hard to grab/drop things at the right position? I often had the feeling that it should've been put into the pot, but missed it anyway.

Apart from that, the gameplay was easy enough to understand and fun. The graphics work fine and the sounds are great.

A bit more feedback would've been nice - I was suddenly game over, which came as a surprise to me.

Here, have some votiness and commentings!

PS: We are not a fast food restaurant! Damn youngsters always in a hurry!

Escape to the Surface by Zephyr 2014-05-06T01:23:00

Oh, a grappling hook! There aren't enough games of those, I tell ya. And I like how it feels too and would love to experiment a bit, but...

With a game like mine I probably lost any right to complain about a game being to difficult - but MAN, your game is hard! An easy way to make it more beginner-friendly would be to make the lava rise slowly in the beginning and to get faster over time. Tweaked correctly, that would make *finishing* the game just as hard as it is now, but *beginning* the game would be a lot easier.

Another suggestion: If you use the mouse to aim, you might also want to use the mouse to "shoot" - or in this case, grapple.

I've watched your gameplay video now - that looks incredibly elegant!

So in the end your game is far too hard for me, but I really like what you have going on. All in all, good job!

PS: Also your game has lava. All the best games have lava obviously.

The Westport Independent by Double Zero One Zero 2014-05-03T00:20:00

Running text commentary:

First try - government side!
- Ingame tutorial actually as ingame text? Very cool. Took me a while to drop it back, though.
- The art and the music are absolutely wonderful, and the sound effects fit well.
- The dragging was kind of hard sometimes. Like: Where can I start to drag this? Oh, I have to click again now?
- Sometimes I didn't understand why one or the other meter went up, but I guess that's to be expected.
- Aw, I was dismantled anyway? I hoped that they'd like me so much that they'd let me stay. Okay, another try!

Second try - publish ALL THE THINGS without looking, just for the sake of it!
- Well, that went well for week one!
- Not as good for week two though...
- Pretty great in week three!
- As in week four! Status: Rebel meter nearly maxed out, suspicion meter a bit over half.
- Uuuh, week five was bad. Rebel maxed out, but suspicion nearly too.
- Week six: Oh, that went surprisingly well. Rebel plus, suspicion minus? I'll take it :D
- Hu. I "won". I didn't expect that to go so well.

Third try - let's see what happens if I lose.
- Hum. I am not sure I *was* terminated in the end or if it was only planned, but I still feel like a hero! Ha! :)

So, uh, apart from "winning" (yeah, I know that I can decide my affiliation myself, but doing good sounds more like winning to me) when just publishing all, this was a fantastic game! Great atmosphere, good writing and it was on a serious topic while still being fun. You guys did a great job there!

The Westport Independent by Double Zero One Zero 2014-05-03T00:26:00

Okay, reading the other comments:

Yeah, I wasn't sure how to just gain rebel score without suspicion score either. I mean, the rest are clear:
- Government-articles only: Nothing rises
- Rebel-articles only: Both rise, with the suspicion faster
...but how they are disconnected, I don't have any clue.

"Innovation and humour are not that good"
...haha. Yeah no innovation AT ALL. Just the same as all of those other newspaper censorship games, right? :D

Kill or Kill by GreatBigJerk 2014-05-01T17:18:00

Lovely black humor! I especially liked how it seems that he doesn't want to kill anything, but he just wants to carry out the wills of all those everyday things.

PS: No, YOU'RE a monster! :'(

Focus Shift by ForeignGuyMike 2014-05-02T22:11:00

I didn't get very far myself, but I watched Wertle play it much more easily than me - and I really love the concept and level design!

Three pointers how the game would've been more accessible for me:
- Being allowed to still jump if I pressed the shift buttons a few milliseconds before the jump key.
- No inertia.
- Using for example Space or X to jump - it's not really "up" in the opposite world. I can grasp the concept of jumping/falling in mirrored directions, but pressing up to go down is of a discrepancy.

Save Us by philip_sinclair 2014-05-04T17:52:00

Criticism first: It's a pity I have to use the mouse to restart and the keyboard to move, as I had to restart quite a lot at the beginning. I would've also loved to play this on my Android tablet (or at least with the mouse) - I think that would've been more intutive.

It's a really interesting concept and quite a unique take on timing puzzles. I like how blocks are obstacles and helping tools, sometimes at the same time. Oh, and the explosion at the end is really cool!

Underworld Evolution by StudioWolfox 2014-05-04T03:26:00

So - I just played this almost for an hour. This is officially the longest time I ever played ANY Ludum Dare entry EVER. The first time I won, it was with 10 mutations, the second time with 6.

The game explained itself rather well, which is surprising, considering its inherit complexity. Apart from a few roadbumps (mainly "Welp, they like each other, but they don't like digging too much." and "Oh right, I don't want the interval to be HIGHER, guess it's time for a restart..."), this was a really smooth experience.

And what an experience it was! It was fun watching the little critters dig, the music is perfectly fitting and relaxing, the sound effects sound pleasent as are the minimalistic graphics. The symbols are a nice (and useful) touch. And haha, I like the mail in the beginning - it totally breaks with the style of the game, but since I wasn't immersed yet anyway, it was fun to read.

Things on my wish list:
- I want to whitelist/blacklist Evos while they are digging so I have an easier time sorting them later.
- I want to be able to few the evos in a table, remove some, switch them around, sort them etc.

This is really, really well done, *especially* for the short compo timeframe!

PS: I found a bug. When I tried the game a second time after winning, anybody who enters heaven will vanish, but not get counted.

PPS: I just checked the source and found out that you used music by Kevin MacLeod. That's only allowed in the jam, not in the compo, so I can't give you a high audio score. The music was really well chosen though!

PPPS: Heat Resistant? Ice Resistant? Poison? Seems like you planned a lot more fun stuff that never made it inside!

Alien Lobotomy by Soup With Bits 2014-05-01T18:38:00

It took me a few seconds to figure the game out, but after that, it was rather easy. (I don't think it should let you continue until you beat the tutorial though - and more feedback there what you are doing wrong!)

While I think the gameplay idea is really innovative, it was far too easy for me: I just connected everything to the highest/lowest number until I was in the right area, and then balanced. I'm not sure how you could fix that though.

The abstract graphics work well, and the sound effects and the ambience are great.

All in all, pretty cool entry! Good job!

Infection by InfectionTeam 2014-05-05T20:55:00

Great graphics - and I adore the lighting and the color choice! The shooting gameplay was fun, although it sometimes felt like the aim was off which made it a bit more frustrating. I like that you added the tower defense aspect there, but aaah - why can't the time stop when I place towers? Sometimes I just died when I tried to place one, haha. Also for some reason (probably because everything is so glowy) I totally forgot to collect the little cells at the beginning! Apart from those troubles though, I had a lot of fun playing this game. Great job!

FoxyTank by matthias_zarzecki 2014-05-11T19:15:00

Ah, the 24 hours explain a lot, your games are usually much bigger. Where is the upgrade screen, haha :D

The gameplay works nicely, but I think that something is missing. Maybe a bit of progression?

PS: Now, where did I leave my ship again...
PPS: I was promised foxes!

Drowning in Problems by Notch 2014-04-29T15:19:00

As a game, this one is not very interesting to me, but it works well as a persiflage of our metrics-driven world. I like the "ending" a lot!

Dig for Unobtanium by Rialgar 2014-04-29T22:36:00

Okay, lets get the criticism out of the way first:
- The first upgrade screen took me really by surprise. After a few rounds, you see that the fading light works like a timer, but in the first round you are too busy digging all those sweet materials to see that.
- The unobtanium looks nearly like a freakin' diamond. Seriously? >( (I even checked the source code to see if there even IS any unobtanium or if this was a prank.)

That said: Solid and fun! The minimalistic graphics left me a bit unimpressed at first, but they work well (except for that damn unobtanium) - and once the upgrading started, I was totally drawn in. And boy, did it feel good to upgrade the drill and the light! And the bombs in the end - yeah, I have no idea how the drill still works after that explosion, haha.

The drilling sound effect is perfect. The explosion annoyed me at first, but that lessened after a while. The music gives the whole thing an unexpectedly solemn atmosphere.

All in all, pretty well made!

The Stanley Enigma by nddrylliog 2014-05-01T18:11:00

I came for the title and stayed for the writing. Woah. This is a great, great entry, and even though I don't feel like I'm any closer to solving the Stanley Enigma, I enjoyed my three runs so far a lot. (Or was it four? Might be four. I lost track a bit.)

At first I thought that the map with its lack of landmarks and labels and houses which are all in the same grey would confuse me, but I got the hang of the layout surprisingly quickly. Moving this way gets old after a while though when you know where you want to go - quick movement between the houses you can reach would've been awesome!

The ambience sounds are a great way of setting the mood. My favourite so far are the wolves in the forst!

All in all, this is a superb entry!

PS: Your game reminds me of another one I've played once - sadly I don't remember the name. You're dying and getting weaker each day, but you can still walk around and talk to people, which will lead to different outcomes. Maybe you know which game I'm talking about?

Quantum Tunnelling by Toby Pinder 2014-04-29T14:48:00

Hey other Toby! So, uh, I probably just played this for far too long. It's sort of addictive because you want to know what happens next: Are there any more upgrades? Is there an end? I found a drill upgrade and I mined into the ruby section (which took me more than half an hour), but ultimately, I ran out of fuel and stopped playing. (Also, nobody ever wanted my coal :P)

I think the progression is a fair bit too slow. I really could've done with more drill speed and/or more of those drill speed upgrades. Is there an end to the game?

The graphics are simple, but servicable and everything was easily recognizable. I would've loved to have sound effects to make the drilling get a bit more tangible feel to it.

All in all, a pretty interesting game, especially with the random generation - in 48 hours. Good job!

Mind your Body by Meedoc 2014-05-09T20:54:00

I'll be frank: This was a bit frustrating for me. The text vanishes so fast, and especially at the beginning I was missing clear feedback about whether what I did worked or not. It would've probably helped a lot if you had different levels of difficulty for people who don't have your typing speed - or, well, who are just beginners in your game.

Wyrmery by Jonathan Whiting 2014-04-29T15:47:00

On the first run, when Comodo Firewall was running, it opened a black window instantly and nothing reacted anymore (probably because Comodo wanted confirmation for something and I couldn't switch back). I thought my computer died :|

Now after a restart Comodo is in "game mode" though, so it run smoothly. Just as smooth as a wyrm eating through soil and humans. Which in this case is very smooth! The controls felt a little bit TOO responsive to me, but apart from that, digging and jumping felt great.

The sound effects fit well, and the music is a bit minimalistic for my taste, but works.

I didn't read the description at first, so the first egg was a really nice surprise - as was the child roaming alongside me.

I'm really missing either a lose condition - or better yet, a goal. The exploding drillers aren't working for me: After I got bored, I tried to seek death, but I failed. Also it would've been more interesting if there is either a) bit more to do on the surface or b) more reason to dig underground.

All in all, a pretty cool game though! I came after seeing your GIF and I wasn't disappointed.

PS: Your GIF sort of inspired the initial idea for my own game - before I took it in a *completely* different direction. Thanks for that!

Beneath the well by JaJ 2014-04-30T01:19:00

Your pixel art is lovely as always, and the music and sound effects are great! The navigating in darkness after you walked with a light through a part once was pretty clever the first time I encountered it - it got a bit old after a while though. In the end, I managed to finish the game.

PS: I miss your writing in this one. You write so well!

The Leeway Brothers' Bohemian Debut Of A Lifetime by Jwatt 2014-05-19T23:38:00

Hm! Being entirely unmusical (I couldn't even play on a triangle to save my life), it was a bit hard for me to enjoy the game. I'm not very good at finding and holding tact, so it kind of became a typing game for me.

I like the characters a lot and sadly I missed some parts that they said because I was concentrating on my, uh, audience. (That is the people that have yet to flee in disgust.)

A hint for the signs over the audience members: Those should probably be higher/lower when two become to near so they don't obscure each other. Also it might be helpful to be able to switch to a QWERTZ/AZERTY layout, but hey, that's obviously nothing you think of while jamming.

Pity you didn't get to finish it. I'll check out the post-compo version if you finish it! Sorry I couldn't provide any hints on how to make it a better musical game, it's something I have absolutely no knowledge about...

Yellow Submarine Treasure Hunt by Danvil 2014-05-10T12:48:00

The hook mechanics are pretty cool, although I often grabbed a stone that was lying right next to the chests/crates. Great atmosphere!

In Hiding by Sheepolution 2014-05-02T19:46:00

After watching this game a few times on streams, I had to try it myself. And wow - this was an incredibly tense experience, and after that, the words of my husband actually filled me with relief.

The minimalistic audio worked really well to convoy what was happening, although I could've done with a bit more. On the other hand, the visual audio cues were PERFECT. I've never quite seen anything like that.

I also quite like the serious topic the game is alluding too - something that's really hard to tackle in 48 hours.

Gameplay-wise, it was a bit too simple for me (maybe because I've seen people play it before, although I never watched anyone beat it), but as an experience it still worked out really well.

So, all in all: Fantastic job!

PS: I love your logo.

PlanetoLution by stigmawall 2014-05-08T14:18:00

Like others said, it was impossible to manage multiple planets even for a short while. An idea for improving this: Have planets lava grow at different rates, and change that over time (maybe only in short bursts), so that people have to pay attention to different planets at different times.

I liked the intro a lot!

FishCopter by minism 2014-05-09T22:16:00

Interesting controls - I feel like games like this are usually controlled by keyboard, but the mouse worked really well! The whole thing felt strangely physical, I like it. Great job!

Bunker 29 by Rose 2014-04-29T16:43:00

A number balancing game - nice, been a while since I've seen one here. It took me a few tries to win the game (running out of atmosphere was my favourite apparently). There was a fair bit of waiting involved sometimes, but mostly I was busy and had fun.

The art is really cute, and the GUI looks nice!

The music was good at first, but got old after a while. The tick sound effects should've felt far more repetitive, but for some reason they didn't - well chosen! :)

Easy to understand, a challenge and nice to look at - good work all around!

Room Cleaning Simulator 2014 by lokijki 2014-05-01T02:58:00

Haha, wow - I had to watch the video for the full experience. Well hidden! Apart from being one of the few entries with a 5 star theme (and now I wish there were 6 stars, 'cause this is really above and beyond): Great art style and a lovely sense of humor. I especially liked the description. I always wanted to roll around the floor like an idiot.

(Also: Super secret bonus points for braveness, as you deliberately made something that most people won't get!)

Layers by caranha 2014-04-29T16:12:00

Hey caranha! Another LD compo, and how could I pass up on your game :)

At first I was a bit unimpressed by the straigt up QiX game mechanic clone, but then I figured out how you worked the theme into the game - super clever and surprising, I love it! The last levels with the code of the game and the credits were especially nice. And the gameplay works, so nothing to complain there.

The art on the title screen looks a bit rough, but on the ingame pictures it works charmingly well - and the effect when your scissor die and respawn is very cool!

All in all, great work as always.

PS: While the autotracker music fits the game acceptably, you might want to give Abundant Music (a midi generator) and GXSCC (a midi to sort-of-chiptunes renderer: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-SanJose/8700/P/GXSCCB236/AcceptE.htm) a try. It's just so much better than autotracker!

Drill18: The Mars Project by quill18 2014-05-02T23:44:00

Since this game seemed cool and I wanted to provide a running commentary (which is hard to do in text with only one monitor, haha) I decided to record myself playing your game! I'm not used to do that, hence the crappy commentary, but maybe you'll still enjoy watching somebody play your game. (I also accidentally didn't record system audio, which is why you can't hear your music/sfx. Grr.)

http://youtu.be/glfwk6FkTGE

I don't sound very passionate when I'm concentrating, but I really liked your game! It feels extremely polished. The graphics are a bit on the simple side, but work well and are still pleasent to look at. The music is fantasic, as are the sound effects! And multiple difficulty levels are really perfect for the LD.

You did a great job there, and all that in 48 hours! :D

Connected Cultures by Mapboy 2014-09-15T00:09:00

A cool concept - I'm not sure that it needs much challenge, but maybe more plot instead? Nonviolence and rude people changing their opinions, just what I needed at the moment :)

(Except that brown guard. One moment he thanks me for helping his grandfather, then I help another brown person with the newspaper, and suddenly he doesn't "talk to people like me" anymore. Tsk!)

The graphics are simple, but work well (and the colors are well chosen), and the music is great!

A Galaxy United by MarekkPie 2014-09-15T15:44:00

I have to echo ZYXer - lower world doesn't work and the controls are a bit off. And my poor Foo got stuck in the brown center area in the last level :(

I like the idea and the robot designs though!

Warp Paint by zatyka 2014-09-15T03:13:00

No, thank YOU for making the game. And yes, I enjoyed it a LOT. The minimalistic pixel graphic works well, the music is cool (gotta look into cgMusic) and the sound effects work well too. But the real meat is in the gameplay, and damn, there's a lot of it. Every time I thought that you'd be done, a new unexpected mechanic pops up that nevertheless fits well into what you already know. There was only one moment where I was really stuck for a minute (where I had to figure out that I can throw balls into portals - and they can fly into other portals in turn), but apart from that, it was really smooth, but never boring. Near-perfect pacing, innovative mechanics and a lot of fun!

Hanspaul Holes by Lokiman 2014-09-15T00:22:00

Interesting mechanic! It looks like you ran out of time making levels though? I like how you slowly introduce new mechanics, but I would've wished for more levels that use them. And fluid movement and a little bit of sfx/music would've gone a long way too. Either way, it might be short, but it's fun. Well done!

They Took Ghost Cat's Donut by Teejay5 2014-09-15T00:43:00

Aw, that ghost cat is ADORABLE! I like how she just has sort of a veil that comes off sometimes, haha. The gameplay is a bit on the simple side, but it's still fun. I can't believe you made the laser look amazing, but less effective though :P

Oh, and I really like the graphics - the stylized low-poly look works really well. I'm still waiting for you to make a game with beatboxing music though! And I'm sorry: By the time you are reading this sentence, I have stolen and eaten your donut. It was delicious.

ConnectTheWorlds by mrexcessive 2014-09-14T22:27:00

The gameplay is a bit on the simple side, but still fun - and I really like that the highest setting isn't always best, but you have to mix and match a bit! The graphics (especially the color choices) feel a bit retro for some reason. The flavor texts are great! I wish I could've seen more of it, but the gameplay got really frustrating after picking up the virus - which was an interesting idea (a negative power-up, so to speak), but I feel that it ramps the difficulty up too much.

Afterlife Dance Party by Wertle 2014-09-14T20:39:00

Just when I praised your comic-making skills on Twitter, I finally get to play your game and get more of that comic style :D

Awesome intro, great use of theme - and above all, fun gameplay! I don't like the situations that pop up where it seems I cannot evade, but until then it's fun and I see why this is hard to avoid algorithmicly.

And yup, good choice on switching to jam - the music fits perfectly.

PS: I love how they call each other to dance independently, but together. So cute!

Planet Wanderer by StuffBySpencer 2014-09-14T22:38:00

Well-done graphics and sfx and cool music! I like the fact that it had boss battles - not many LD games do that. I wish it had a bit more variety of enemies - everything before the boss is really easy. Those little critters latching to you are unintendedly adorable though, haha.

Ludum Galaxy 64 by AtomicVikings 2014-09-14T23:45:00

You made a space trader with a shooter component in 72 hours? Not bad! :D

The art looks great and sound and music are cool too. As it is, the trading is a bit basic, but like the fighting it works well - and shows a lot of promise. I think with more variety in the trading (not necessarily more goods - just not always 100% profit or 50% loss) and upgrades it would be even more fun!

PS: Why would I want to buy a planet if I can have a POTATO_SALAD that looks like a cherry? :D

Song of Elements by Sascha 2014-09-14T21:14:00

Great story! I really liked that we get to explore both sides of it :)

Solar War by Reyn 2014-08-27T21:15:00

I couldn't join your server ("Connecting to server… if this is taking too long..." etc), but opening my own server worked well!

The gameplay itself was nice, but there I think there was something missing in the trading - maybe extra score for connecting certain planets or combinations? Right now it seems just, as wolfmother put it, "bump into as many planets as possible" - or did I miss something there? And is there an end where one player wins?

Combat worked well, albeit a little basic, and the controls worked extremely well. The graphics are simple but pleasent to look at, and the audio is well chosen.

Oh yeah, and good job on the online multiplayer! Apart from being able to start playing alone and no way to reset it but to let yourself be killed, it worked quite well. (I've noticed quite a bit games with online features this time, and I intend to play them all, one by one.)

Solar War by Reyn 2014-08-27T23:01:00

Well, changing gameplay is not allowed under the LD rules, so yeah - maybe change it back to how it was before, and maybe upload the new one as a post-compo version?

Mushroom connects by fcpfoof 2014-09-14T21:46:00

I have to admit that I wasn't too much into the "puzzle" section in the weird world. The flat character is cool though!

Interstellar, Inc. by JavadocMD 2014-09-15T03:45:00

It took me a bit to figure out that this is not a turn-based game - I *was* wondering why it took so long until a turn finishes, haha. I like the concept! It was fun, but it felt a bit lonesome - apart from the connections, I had no idea what (and how well) the computer was doing.

I think what could really improve the game:
- Show what the computer is doing.
- Be able to queue actions.

...and obviously balancing, more actions and something for my ears, but I guess that's self-explanatory.

PS: Oooh, now that I've clicked at the lower screenshots, there's text on them! It's so tiny that you can barely see it in the thumbnail. And I was wondering what you meant by "explanatory images" when you didn't link any, haha. Well, in the end I figured everything out myself!

Dominions'n'dominoes by Benjamin 2014-09-15T02:44:00

Damn, I'm really impressed. You wrote that you entered the jam because you were missing time - so you still did all of this alone? Everything looks gorgeous, and as a fan of board games I can say: This is fun and works really well! It obviously doesn't feel the same when you're playing alone like I'm doing right now, but I can still appreciate and enjoy the mechanics. I think I played for nearly an hour :)

There's only one thing I don't like: That I have to point at planets to see what they produce/need. That's such a vital information, there's really no need to hide it.

Galactic Bonding by alvarop 2014-09-14T20:18:00

While the gameplay is indeed a bit lacking (and I've done better with buttonmashing than with concentrating), the cute art and the sound effects make up for it. I like the children-drawn style!

Inverted | Endless Runner by oranebeast 2014-09-14T20:29:00

Best (and luckiest) run: 41, and then a glitch killed me. Aww. I really like the pixel graphics!

Enduring Atlas by dickpoelen 2014-09-15T04:21:00

Strong mood, great (if somewhat heavy and depressing, but hey, that fits!) music/sfx and the art fits well too! I'm a bit partial about the gameplay: There is a first-move advantage even if there would be stacking OR tearing inside, and you have both. Is that a statement about the power of darkness? :P

Apart from that, I'm not sure what the optimal strategy is - it isn't as clear cut as I thought it would be, but I'm pretty sure it's related to stacking a single node. Not sure how to get constantly the best tearing though?

Currently I'm considering 5-1 to be the best first black move: It stacks and tears light connections - 75% chance for at least one, 25% chance for a second one. I don't see how light is coming back from that. Sure, light can go 5-1 too and possibly do the same, but even if at best case (dark teared nothing, light teared all) it's only darkness 46%, light 54% - and darkness has the next move. Note that that's the best move with a 12.5% chance, and ALL other cases are bad for light.

> Continue by ratking 2014-09-14T21:36:00

That's really cool idea you have here - I like how the theme spawned increasingly more games with online content than normal LDs. Your concept even accounts for the asynchronous nature of LD voting participation.

While I understand why showing the score of entry is a good thing, it feels a bit too guiding to me - and I always wondered how deep each path will go because I wanted to explore what's already there!

I feel like this game would've worked better with some sort of creative limits like the boardgame storytelling games - words that you have to use, locations etc. But well, either I'm a bit late with voting; whatever I'd write now is unlikely to spawn many new paths, so my motivation is low there. Wish I would've had time to play this earlier!

Galaxy Conquest 3000 by talecrafter 2014-09-14T21:03:00

It took me a while to get into the game because I always tried to press Space to get rid of the "Navigate with..." help message - and then I lost immediately for soooooome reason. I really like that you implemented different forms of control though! (Tip for mouse-controls: Left click action, right drag movement.)

Afterwards it still took me a while to understand that the enemy is playing by the same rules as I am and what works well strategy-wise, but look at me now: Ruler of all known (and unknown) space!

The graphics are a bit on the simple side, but really pleasent to look at, and the sound effects work well. Pity there is no music!

Spacecat Marines by matthias_zarzecki 2014-09-14T20:12:00

I was a bit disappointed when there wasn't any Tower Defense to be done like the description promised - and the gameplay is a bit monotonous. If you could actually place the other cats (and maybe they'd have different abilities), this would probably work out better - but yeah, 48 hours, I know.

Sounds und music work well though, and I liked the different levels, especially with the light changes. Also, cats! :3

Connected Worlds: The Game. A Morality Play by Partially Exciting 2014-09-15T01:36:00

And here I thought that the puzzles in my last LD game were hard... phew. This is a really cool and innovative take on Sokoban! And I also like the self-deprecated writing :P

Jet Runner by Pavel 2014-09-15T18:31:00

Yours is a nice idea too! Pretty hard though.

Fuga by Colapsydo 2014-09-15T00:55:00

Woah, I really like the polish that you've put into the moving planets. The art is a bit on the simple side, but works well and I like the music. The gameplay - well, it works, but you're quickly doing the same things over and over. I think it might've worked better if there was less micromanagment, but hey, 48 hours and all, not everything can be perfect. Overall, good job!

This Way! by Accidental Rebel 2014-09-14T23:15:00

The graphics, sound and music are awesome! It just looks and feels good - and really polished on top of it. While I like the idea of the gameplay, currently it feels too random to me: The tiles I get are mostly useless to me, but I still must place them; and I have nowhere productive to go, but I still must move. I feel like the concept has more potential if you manage to tackle that.

PS: The player characters are super cute.

Killbot's Last Adventure by udo 2014-09-15T01:22:00

"It's a Riven/Myst-type of deal" <3
It didn't feel tooo much like that though - more like a point&click adventure than an exploration/puzzle game. Not that that's a bad thing, I quite enjoyed it! The graphics and music are cool and I like the characters.

PS: I don't remember Myst/Riven featuring a killbot, but they sure were missing out!
PPS: I killed all the right things!

Trappy Tomb by jimmypaulin 2014-09-15T19:28:00

Okay, so, this type of punishing gameplay is totally not my thing and I suck at it. I still love your game though - because it's the game I would've loved to make for this Ludum Dare. It's just a perfect use of an online feature in a contest where people rate and play asynchronously, and very amusing too. Extremely well done! :D

Guns are Gas are Life are Score by Josh Riley 2020-05-12T17:23:25Z

I like the concept, the art style and the audio! Unfortunately I absolutely suck at playing the game. I already have trouble picking up weapon crates and wouldn't dare to dream of actually competently killing enemies.

HEAL ME PLZ by Pietro Ferrantelli 2020-05-10T02:54:44Z

Like others here I haven't been able to finish the game, but I had a lot of fun dying multiple times!

Here's a list of unordered feedback: - I adore the graphics. The animations, the colors, the glowy effects - everything is super well done. - Same for the music! It's very fun to listen to and fits the game perfectly! - The concept, the mechanics and the resulting gameplay are really cool. And fun! - Big props to your programmers. Having a fully featured player character with movement and main and secondary skills that works well, pickups and multiple different monsters is already an accomplishment, but adding to that multiple autonomic characters with their own skills and behaviour is super impressive! - The game feels super polished, what's with the multi-stage entry cutscene, short tutorial and having animations for everything. - I really like the throwing mechanic, both for triggering the skill and also for repositioning! - What I don't like about the throwing is that it always triggers automatically when I'm close to a hero. Sometimes I just want to, you know, walk near or by them. Or heal them. - I wish there would've been health bars (or maybe some other indicator?) beyond "I'm dying" next to the characters. - I love the unhelpful messages from the characters - funny and very on point. I wish the "heals plz" would only come when they actually would need a heal though! Ungratefulness aside, it seems unrealistic that someone takes the time to write "heals plz" when they're on 95% health? (At least I hope so. Poor healers :( ) - I wonder if a different movement mechanic would've been good. WASD? Or running in the direction as long as the mouse is pressed, but then stopping once I release? (I'm at least glad that I *can* continuously press the mouse.) - I don't know what this extra character is that sometimes pops up? I don't mean the one that explodes, but the one that barely does anything?

It's probably clear from that list already, but I love the game. It's fantastic, and it's hard to believe that you made this in 72 hours. You are incredibly talented, and this is the first game this LD that I'm giving 5/5 all across the board.

PS: I continued playing and defeated the dark lord after all! :D

Lord of the Packets by Zennith 2020-05-12T14:38:00Z

Unsurprisingly, most of the things I have as feedback were already mentioned. But hey, here we go again: - Autocomplete (and shorter commands). You know, you know ;) - I'm not sure why the slots need to be named *input*0..3. Wouldn't 0 to 3 have done the job as well? - The gameplay is extremely repetitive, and many of the steps seem unnecessary as is. I'm looking at you, resolve-repack-send sequence. I think this could've been mitigated a bit by requiring different things to be done to different packages? - A visual state of what each package is currently in would've been nice. - Right now, having multiple input slots feels unneeded, since I can only actively process one anyway. Maybe some commands don't complete immediately and will be run in the background until they come back? (That could also enable a "limited memory" mechanic if you ever feel like adding more mechanics.)

As is, this seems like a game with potential, but it's really repetitive and not much fun *yet*. I'm sure you could get it there though!

Oops, He's Dead! by Renrith 2020-04-22T11:49:54Z

Alright, this was cute. The art and music also work together really well and create a relaxed atmosphere. (Which might be a bit at odds with the goal of keeping our firey kitten alive, haha.) And I love the handdrawn texts!

I'd like to echo @thedashdude's idea of changing tools in a different way. I also think the camera should be a little lower. In multiple parts of the early level I couldn't see what was coming up next - was it a long hole, or was the ground just below the camera? And I think the first fire I meet doesn't hurt me at all, the cat just climbs it and continues merrily on it's way.

All in all though, pretty nice. Good job!

PS: Is the cat jumping in the winning screen? So it *can* jump, and is just too lazy to jump over holes and wants me to put a cushion there?? You get extra points for realism, very catlike behaviour!

Displacement by ryannielson 2020-05-11T18:21:10Z

I have a soft spot for LD puzzle games, especially because there are so few good ones - and yours definitely fits. I don't think I've seen this mechanic anywhere else yet. I liked the design of the levels, even though some felt a bit fillery and more "try to *push* your way through" instead of "try to *think* your way through". And it looks good as well. Great job!

Stoker by disperse 2020-05-11T23:23:57Z

Nice idea! Unfortunately I was quite terrible at the game as well. I wonder if multiple levels, or maybe the train stopping at stations and getting longer there, would've been a good idea for newbies like me? It felt really long right now, especially considering the player's movement speed. And sometimes the bombs just seem impossible to get. Great art and music!

PS: Nice avatar ;)

Birdie Burglars by DDRKirbyISQ 2020-04-28T14:53:12Z

I knew I'd love the game once I saw the GIF and read the name DDRKirbyISQ.

And it didn't let me down. I love everything about this game. Let me recount the ways I love it: - I love its theme. - I almost have to stop playing every time I throw a cat at a burglar because the animation is so heart-wrenchingly cute and fierce at the same time. - The sfx/voices. Tiptoe, tiptoe ~ - The mechanics are superb. Moving, hiding, looking up - it's both engaging and sort of predictable. - I know that having the cats return is just a fancy cooldown, but it makes *sense* and is much more immersive than a UI element could be. - I love the little chick. Especially in the "you win" screen, for obvious reasons ;) - I love that you made four different seasons, and how much that adds to the mood.

Needless to say, this feels like a finished product and not like a jam game. And it's pure sugar. Fantastic job, you two!

Keep the Keep by firellon 2020-05-11T15:47:20Z

Some feedback: - It's super nice that the game explains itself both with the short tutorial and with good level progression. - I think the bow range indicator looks more like an arrow than a stopped line. Took me a few tries to understand how that worked. It also should probably stop in the middle of the last tile it affects, not the end of it, to make crystal clear that it's not *hitting* the next tile before stopping. - Level 10 and 11 were extremely easy. E.g. the latter, 1 reactor, 2 bows and 1 cannon next to my castle, done. - I wish there was some kind of thing to tell me how well I did. Did I manage minimal turns? Minimal buildings? Maybe even minimal damage to my buildings? - Adding undo and level skip buttons was \*chef kiss\*. Excellent decisions! The undo doesn't just allow you to correct mistakes, but also leaves room to experiment and experience the game through observation instead of reading. - I think I should be able to cancel by right-clicking. And maybe I could select with shortcuts, e.g. the number keys? - I think if you are in the process of positioning something, "undo" should cancel that, instead of actually undoing the last thing you built. - In the web version, there is a bug that produces additional knights out of barracks when undoing. To reproduce: Build a barrack. Let it produce a knight. Continue until the space in front of the barrack is empty while the knight is still alive. Press Undo. Finish turn. Marvel at the second knight produced by the barrack.

That's it. That's all I have to complain about. The game is fun, looks amazing, is extremely polished and absolutely fantastic in general, and I really enjoyed puzzling my way through. Excellent work!

Keep the Keep by firellon 2020-05-11T16:13:55Z

Phew. That last level took a loooong time to figure out, but in the end I had my knights to clean up because I ran out of arrow towers. Didn't help that I couldn't use Undo at all due to the bug that messes up the barracks state!

Here is my end state: https://static.jam.vg/raw/830/1/z/33ff2.png

Nekotchi by Devastus 2020-04-21T10:52:33Z

Aw, this is very cute! And the graphics and sounds work very well too. Really, the only thing I could ask for would be some more idle actions to make it more engaging to keep the app open for a long time! But even without that the little guy keeps me busy for a good while.

PS: Post photos of the real Dee, please! Because... uh, because we need to be able to judge how realistic this is! It's very important!!

PPS: "Keeping him healthy and happy will earn you LOVE points." - oh no, LOVE spelled in uppercase letters gives me Undertale flashbacks... :s

Nekotchi by Devastus 2020-04-21T22:32:14Z

Aw, you did post pictures of Dee. And he's cute and magnificent, just like in the game! :sparkles:

ADRENA-LINE by managore 2020-04-20T14:25:03Z

Damn, what a game. Again. I still remember you from your games 5+ years ago when I participated last, and every one of them is such a pleasure to play.

The art is simple, but very pleasing and easy to look at. Love the screen shake and the general level of polish. But my favourite part is easily the gameplay. It's been a while since I saw a realtime puzzle game, and it works pretty well! In the beginning I actually planned a bit how to get to the goal, and very quickly that was replaced by trying to get to the goal more by frantic intuition than by planning. It makes for an interesting experience.

And on top of all that, procedural generation. Wow. Great job!

(Ah, and I really like that the start screen is also the first level and the tutorial. Gives it a very rounded feel.)

ADRENA-LINE by managore 2020-04-23T13:40:48Z

@managore Aw, it makes me happy that you remember my little game!

Btw, I've played lots of other games now, and ADRENA-LINE is still among my favourites. I'll include it in my roundup post(s) in a week or two :D

The Ludum Dare Flame 🔥 by tobiasw 2020-04-20T01:13:37Z

The server kept truncating my full description, so I used this comment for the last part of it. It seems to work now.

\*holds up a Man in Black Neuralyzer\*

You never saw this comment.

The Ludum Dare Flame 🔥 by tobiasw 2020-04-20T12:17:16Z

Thank you very much, @louis-hong and @matt-d-parker! The main reason I almost gave up on the game was because I thought the mechanics wouldn't be fun and the game wouldn't have much value apart from the achievement of being massively online cooperative, so seeing that you actual enjoy playing it feels great!

@lectvs, thanks! Don't worry, I don't consider it cheese since it's more work for that one player and I see the game more as a coop marathon than a sprint. And one of my core values in LD multiplayer games is that while they should shine when played with a crowd, they should also be possible to be played alone.

(And what I'm really hoping for is a bunch of *consecutive* players to keep the flame alive for a long time :D)

Iguanathon by Cord Gamedev 2020-05-01T14:04:14Z

I rewatched the documentary to prepare while this game downloaded. It didn't help. I'm not a very good iguanodon.

I really like the concept, and the art is nice! The mechanics are a bit lacking though. And I'm not really sure how to win the game to be honest. Is it just finding a path without any snakes near? I can't seem to escape from them like in an action game, they don't seem to move along paths (or at all) like in stealth games.

PS: Love the game name, haha.

Gaia by Rodrigo Denúbila 2020-04-23T20:46:06Z

I like the art, music and sound effects, and the gameplay kept me engaged for quite a while. It's cool that the objectives effectively function as a tutorial.

There are two things that I tripped me up: - When entering the second phase, I briefly had no idea what makes the earth more or less healthy. I'm still not *exactly* sure, but I assume getting rid of lots of humans helps. (I wonder if there is a lesson there :P) - I had no idea that there was a timer until it ran out.

The controls work pretty well in general. The earth rotates a bit too fast, yes, but I got used to it after a few seconds. What I didn't like so much was that I always had to click twice to place something. I'd have preferred to have a UI where I can select what I want to build, and then every time I click on the planet afterwards I can build it. Even better if pressing e.g. 1-5 would've selected the next thing I do. But that's stuff you only learn after players test the game, and it worked as is too.

All in all, good job!

Birb Island by ursagames 2020-05-10T17:10:57Z

Some unordered feedback: - The graphics are a bit too patterned, making it really clear how repetetive they are. - ...but they work well in communicating what everything is. - I have no idea what the campfire does? - Is the stone axe what is enabling me to get infinite branches just by clicking on them? - I wish I wouldn't have to always close each message before being able to move again. Ugh. - Why does it show me the "Eat" option even though I can't effectively eat most of these things? I wonder if it would've been better to have an "Eat" menu item that only shows me edible stuff afterwards, especially considering I can't seem to do other things with the items (expect feeding them to the bird, which could've been a menu option too.) - Having proc gen in a jam game is always impressive. - It wasn't really clear that there was another island than the tiny one I started on. I had to walk in water for a fair time to reach the bird, and maybe wouldn't even have done that if I didn't know that there was one.

10/10 would recommend getting killed by a demon bird again.

PS: "but once I made the baby bird I realized I didn’t want to anime it dying" ...awww.

Shadow of the Elm by Plasmonic 2020-05-12T14:23:29Z

Well, that was short and sweet. I especially liked the atmosphere!

And thanks for including a super short-ranged respawn. The only change I'd suggest there is that you might want to take away any gem the player collected in the meantime. I feel like leaving the room with the gem should be part of the challenge too.

You could also consider making the jump height dependent on how long the jump key is pressed, enabling smaller and bigger jumps. Always helpful in a precision platformer!

A Cold Walk Home by Stefanie Leitch 2020-05-11T23:13:52Z

This was great, thanks! I'm especially impressed by the sheer amount of work that must've gone into making all of this inside the 48 hours - simple but very pleasing pixel graphics, sound effects and music, all the writing, multiple stages, and on top of that all the game systems you had to program.

I like your decision to let me just respawn without many consequences when the creature didn't have any food anymore. It would've been great if that also made more sense in-world, but I'm mainly glad that I didn't have to e.g. restart the game multiple times. And it's not like I stopped feeding the creature afterwards. (Although that might actually be the most *effective* route, I guess? It didn't even occur to me while playing. I wanted to feed it.)

I think there should've been a sound effect and/or another indicator for new messages. Even just looking at the GIF, I realize that I missed two from there. I wonder how many others I missed.

Telling the story while the game was going on, in flashbacks with context, was nice.

Fantastic work!

Keeping Your Fire Alive by Louis Hong 2020-05-01T13:06:01Z

Well, that was interesting.

I wish I could click text to continue. Especially in the last dialogue, the duration between texts got REALLY, REALLY long. Like, half a minute between texts. And then sometimes 5 lines drop so fast that it's impossible to read them properly.

And I wonder if there is more to do in further iterations of the loop? I: - Let the fire die down and went up an iteration. - Went exploring. - Refused to go exploring once, got chided for it and went exploring. - Refused to go exploring twice, died, got an ending and went up an iteration.

It seems a bit inconsequential to not be able to change the outcome if this is a simulation to prepare me for something.

Atmosphere-wise, I really like how everything works together with rather simple graphics and sfx to create a scary, desolated mood. I especially like the eyes! Although I am a bit sad that they don't seem to play any other role and they don't change anymore, and seem to have nothing to do with the simulation aspect.

Still, very interesting, if a bit unfinished. Good job, especially after pivoting from another idea!

Morphology by Shess 2020-04-22T00:03:45Z

Wow, this is incredibly polished. The art, the UI, the sounds, the music - everything works really well together, and with the writing it creates a lot of atmosphere! And it doesn't just have different evolutions, but I've also seen at least two different failstates - very nice.

I have gotten to all 10 states, but to be honest, I still don't know how exactly - sometimes it was intuition, sometimes it was pure luck and trial and error. Is it what I give to it? Is it how I reacts and what I give it afterwards? What do the little speech bubbles mean? And why are they also next to the evolutions in the database? I know what items influence what stats, but what does that have to do with anything? Are the end stats important for how it evolves?

I have no idea, and I'd actually love to get a bit more insight into it, if a dev would like to answer here!

It would've been really nice if the game got less confusing during my playtime, as the scientist (?) discovers more and more about what the creature wants. But even if I often wasn't sure what to do, I enjoyed the experience and the mood that was created. I think this might've been the game with the most interesting atmosphere I played so far. Well done, folks!

Tiny Fragments by Daniel Moreno 2020-04-21T12:55:00Z

Very nice - I haven't seen a game like this since Where Is My Heart, so top points in Innovation! And such a high level of polish in a compo game is always great to see.

Apart from being a bit shortish it doesn't feel like a game made in 48 hours at all. My only two gripes are that the music gets repetitive rather quickly, and that I would've appreciated some time to think before each level starts.

But that doesn't take away much from the enjoyable experience. Well done!

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-26T12:40:49Z

Aw yeah. Cats and automating things, what more do you need.

Let's get the bad parts out of the way first: - Roads. Arrgh, roads. The tutorial just says that I can connect via dragging. Tried that, I can't, nothing happens. Turns out I have to select the "road block" first. Its button doesn't exactly look like a road, and... you know that a "roadblock"/"road block" is something that *blocks* roads, right? Clicking that button and then dragging took me a fair bit to figure out. I had multiple things researched before I built my first road. - And they only merge in front of machines? So much for properly parallizing my cat desire classification. - And often they don't really align well with the machines, especially the upper part of splitters. - As @uberardy mentions, Machine Learning seems a bit of a stretch here. And digital marketing too. - The theme connection is pretty weak. - Unless I'm misunderstanding something, there doesn't seem to be much strategy apart from the obvious. Once you figure out how stuff works, not much thinking is required. Not ideal for this type of game.

And now, with *that* done, let's get to the good parts: - It's cute! - It's refreshing - I haven't seen any games like that yet in this Ludum Dare, and barely any in other LDs I attended. - It looks good! - The music is well made and fits. Games like that are usually played for a stretch of time, and the music blended well into the background. - You don't just have a starting cutscene with a great style, but also an ending cutscene. Wow! - You actually have a tutorial. And not just one in the beginning, but one that shows multiple windows. (Although I am not sure it is strictly *needed* - I figured it out just as well myself, because, I built my first road later I didn't even see it, and when it started it mostly showed me things I already knew - but it's nice that it's there for the players who it helps.) - It can't have been easy to develop all the mechanics in such a short time.

All in all, this is a really great jam game, and one of the most complete feeling I've seen in this LD so far. Great job, folks!

PS: I have a question about the first GIF in the description. Why do so many cats walk past the scratchers and sleeping pads even though they aren't full? In my factories, they always seem to go away angrily once they encounter the first machine they don't like, even if it's to the side of the road. Maybe I misunderstood something?

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-26T12:40:49Z

edit: First it didn't want to post anything, then it suddenly posts too much. Thanks, Ludum Dare page.

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-26T12:40:58Z

edit: I wish I could delete duplicate comments.

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-26T12:40:58Z

edit: I'm so sorry.

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-26T12:40:58Z

edit :(

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-26T20:24:22Z

@gamescodedogs You're welcome! Did you see the question in the "PS"? I'm really curious about that. Was it taken from an older build? Am I misunderstanding a feature of the game?

🐱 Cat Fun Factory by gamescodedogs 2020-04-27T11:00:58Z

@gamescodedogs Ah, gotcha! Yeah, that would've been a really boring game, just making a long road with every possible spot lined up next to it, haha. Glad you fixed that!

A Night In The Dark by lectvs 2020-04-20T17:38:36Z

Oh, this was very nice! In the beginning it felt like it would be mostly resource management, but then it turned out to be more about incrementally unfolding exploration - I like surprises like that.

It took me a bit to figure out that the enemy can't be beat and is just there to avoid and to add tension. It did that quite well, giving me an additional thing to worry about.

I like the throwing, but I'm not sure it is strictly necessary. I sometimes threw things when I wanted to drop them, and throwing them too far was also a bit frustrating. Still, other times, throwing e.g. the torch was quite useful. I'm a bit torn on this. (Maybe I just need to get better at throwing, haha.)

Pity that there is no sound! The visuals and mechanics are already so atmospheric, sfx and music would've pushed that over the top.

Still, what *is* there is very enjoyable and quite impressive for a compo entry. Definitely of my favourite games so far!

Whalestrom by aevek 2020-05-10T14:47:06Z

Unfortunately I can't rate the gameplay because the game is running too slow on my computer, but I can definitely rate the fantastic art and music! It's especially impressive considering how short the jam is - not many make 3D games after all. And I really liked the crayon tutorial in the beginning.

Cactus Care by west 2020-04-22T13:51:23Z

Got a cactus because I heard that they are easy to care for. Cactus exploded after not getting water for 2 seconds when my watering can glitched through the wall into my bedroom. 0/5, needles still stuck everywhere, can't recommend.

(This was surprisingly funny. The earthquake and the cactus staring it me were completely unexpected, haha. I recommend going for a lower difficulty next time though - it was a bit frustrating, especially in the beginning.)

Spirit cave by smiley 2020-04-23T20:22:04Z

Good job in making a procedural game in such a short amount of time! The art, music and sfx are quite pleasing - I'm a sucker for bloom. Mechanics-wise I had exactly the same experience as @lukas. Drop down spirit, mash mouse button for auto-aimed shots, pick up spirit - and kill the boss from afar. That was a bit of a letdown for an otherwise atmospheric game. But apart from that I had a good experience playing this. Well done!

Solais by dragonxvi 2020-04-22T20:13:27Z

Wow. I don't... wow. How do you make something like this in 48 hours all on your own? How? I don't even *like* hard platformers, and I finished it because it was so compelling. The design, the colors, the sounds, the music, the levels, the checkpoints, the controls... everything is completely on point.

My complaints are marginal at best. It's a bit hard to see the spikes. It's hard to play the game and also process the text. That's it. That's all. I don't even see why there'd need to be a post-compo version, because this already feels so polished as if you spent all the time in the world on it, and then deemed it complete and released it.

Bravo.

Are We There Yet by Twistashio 2020-05-10T01:54:43Z

Interesting idea!

Some suggestions for improvement: - The money doesn't really look like money - it looks like an obstacle. I think round coins might've helped! - The controls feel pretty floaty. - Sound effects! Especially for "kid gets bored". Not because I necessarily want to be annoyed by the kid all the time (although I think that would fit well into the game ;) ), but because I want a signal before I go game over.

And I wonder if you could've somehow removed the somewhat artificial "game just ends when kid is super bored" lose condition entirely and instead made it harder to drive properly the more bored the kid is. Maybe it kicks the back of the seat, causing screen shake? Or maybe it hits your arms, making the car swerve? Or it throws things at the windshield that you have to clear or that cracks/defaces it permanently? You get the idea.

Embers by Anuke 2020-04-29T16:04:29Z

I'd also like to echo @dummydojo and @aurel300's points. I enjoyed the experience, but found the mechanics a bit contradictory: - Keys, diminishing resources and finding new resources pushes you outwards to explore, - having to regularely return to the fire to replenish it and yourself keeps you from exploring far, and - only being able to carry one thing at a time makes all of that a chore, more so the further away it is.

Don't get me wrong though, the current experience is still enjoyable and *extremely* impressive for one person in a 48h jam. The art is impeccable, the music is great (half an hour? Get out of here...), the sfx work super well, and the atmosphere created by all these combined is one of the best I've seen in this LD. And on top of that, well-working procedural map generation, different enemies and crafting? Fantastic job!

Hacking is Probably Not Like This by sayumeki 2020-04-21T15:57:09Z

An account to a remote machine filled with hacking tools? Instant Uplink vibes :D

Okay, let's get the bad out of the way first: - Trying out all 12 different games before starting my first hack was definitely necessary considering the time given per hack - and it felt a bit overwhelming, like a super long tutorial. - Am I misunderstanding this, or can I do ladder and clear really fast by just spamming Z? - On the other hand, art was something a little bit too hard because it's so sparse and has no clear starting clues. (But maybe it's just that I'm too used in games like that to be able to mostly solve it with logic instead of having to guess all the way through.) - God, I hate the slide puzzle. - No music is fine - I can just play the Hacknet OST in the background - but a little sfx would've gone a long way with comparably little effort. Just keypresses, success, failure and maybe "popup opens" would've been fantastic in making the game feel even better. - 30 days seems way too much. The content and games get a bit samey. I felt like the game should probably scale up faster and end sooner, maybe at day 20 instead? - I never got an upgrade for my shinies :'(

Phew. And now, with that out of the way, on to the good. And there's a TON of good: - 7 different components that all* have a relevant effects - And on top of that you programmed 12 mini games? - And on top of THAT you added an insane amount of visual polish?? - And the game has a ton of UI and console animations??? I seriously don't know where you got all the time for all of from. - The writing is fun! - ...as is the whole game! - You definitely got the hacking game feel right. While the mechanics aren't much "hacking game"ish, the aesthetics are super on point.

So far, this is one of my favourite games of this LD, and with well over an hour definitely the one that I played the longest. Excellent stuff. Thanks!

PS: Followed you on Twitter!

PPS: If I ever get to be part of the real-world law system, I will always sign of my letters with "Let the hammer of justice smite those why defy it".

\*) yes, *especially* the shinies

Fly Zone by Kodiqi 2020-05-10T17:19:18Z

Never thought I'd give a game with Flappy Bird-like controls high points in innovation, haha. I don't think I've seen any other games where you have bidirectional flappy-like controls, and it does work well!

The art is a bit on the dry side and the missing sound is a bummer, especially considering that you could've easily taken free sound effects for a jam game.

My only complaint for the gameplay is that it's a little bit too hard for me - I would've loved to have more checkpoints.

Still, I love the concept and I enjoyed playing this, even if I didn't come far. Great job!

PS: Reading the other comments - I really don't agree with @almighty-games's "There’s not a lot to talk about with a clone game" and @gentoogames "not an original idea". This is taking the original game and adding a whole different dimension to it, namely a level to navigate in and the ability to actually move in all directions with a very limited control schema. If someone told me to expand on the idea of Flappy Bird, I very much doubt I could've come up with something as elegant as this.

Advise the King by Arden 2020-04-28T14:08:11Z

Observations while playing the game: - Your itch.io page looks super professional, especially for a jam game. Wow. - I don't know why you're offering me 3 copies of Pitchfork when I can only take one after all. - Wow, this game feels good to play. The polish is on a whole other level. How did you have enough time to do all of that? - The contrast between the pieces and the ground seems a bit low, but apart from that, I'm really digging the art. - Sfx and music are super on point. Especially the "You are in danger!" cue. - Although... not sure if the "You are in danger!" cue at the *beginning* of my turn is needed, because unlike in Chess, I am sure to move my King every turn anyway. Being in danger at the beginning of my turn doesn't mean much to me here and won't change my gameplay in the slightest; I just have to be careful not to *end* in a dangerous position. - It does feel a bit samey after a bit, to be honest. And I never really felt like the game was particularly challenging. - The game sometimes hid the mouse cursor until the next level? Super weird. I mean, after almost three decades of using computers, I can still mostly use my mouse without a cursor and the occasional highlight is enough, but... :D - I won. Yay! - ...wait, you did ALL of this by yourself? Inside of 72 hours? Woah.

This is a really nice concept and I'm sure you could do even more with it!

Manage the ongoing situation by Freedom Is Slavery 2020-05-10T02:09:26Z

I won and saved 48 people! I was a bit surprised how hard this was, honestly - I thought after two and a half decades of using a mouse I would be better with one.

And damn, pandemics sure are scary and it seems they can easily spiral out of control. If only people would cooperate!

Tower Defence of the Heart by terry 2020-04-21T11:44:31Z

Well, that was fun! And so far the game I spent most time with on here. It took me multiple tries and certainly wasn't easy, but it never seemed out of reach, so I kept trying!

I especially like the decision that towers can be sold for full value. Makes experimenting much easier and less punishing, and while it takes away bigger the commitment decisions you have to make in other TDs, it adds lots and lots of smaller decision on what to sell and maybe build elsewhere. Nice.

Not sure about the upgrades - it seems that just placing more stuff is better value for most of it, especially in the first half? I only started upgrading on the critical beam paths, and then at the end when I was in the thick of it.

Great achievement to get a balanced TD game out in such a short time!

And after it was over, I sold everything and just sat there a bit. Peace returned to the heart. Also, money.

PS: Love the choice of music.

Keep It Aflame by Epono 2020-05-12T18:30:59Z

I did it! The timed towers were an interesting twist on the Tower Defense genre. The boats were a bit weird in their pathing - I assumed they would want to go directly to the fire, but they didn't? The graphics are simple but communicate well what everything is.

Majestic X by hhsaez 2020-05-10T17:40:12Z

Really nice graphics/animations, and I love the camera! Unfortunately I couldn't properly figure out when to do what. And I'm really missing the sound effects (although I guess that would've been a lot more work in this genre than in others).

Finding Sam by nolanfa 2020-05-12T17:11:20Z

I played FindingSam_windows_newest, but unfortunately I ran into two bugs, the later of which ended my playthrough prematurely: - The first one was easy to solve for me: When ending a conversation and using the mouse button, I started talking to sleepy guy. At least I could avoid that by pressing space. - The second one was not so benign. When talking to rabbit person another time, suddenly I lost all on-screen buttons, then the cat/music flashback started playing again (even though I saw that already a few minutes ago), and then when the flashback/dialog ended, I just came back to the main conversation character selection without anything open and without being able to click anybody.

A bit frustrating - I would've loved to finish this. I felt myself drawn into the story and I'm really interested in how it continues. It was kinda cute how much the protagonist remembers liking Sam, despite not being sure about any details, not even how they looked like or their gender, haha. The art works well with the writing to set the scene.

Finding Sam by nolanfa 2020-05-12T20:51:50Z

@nolanfa Haha - coincidentally, I was also worried that my game wasn't game-y (or fun, for that matter) enough. Guess we both should worry less and just make the stuff we want.

Played again, and managed to find Sam! Nice! It felt a bit anticlimatic though, just a "Yeah, contact established!" and that's it. But apart from that it was engaging.

I'm a bit confused as to why our protagonist tells their best friend that they wouldn't recognize Sam, after -if I understood correctly- getting a picture of Sam from the photography guy. It's also a bit weird that the picture didn't become a clue or ever came up again, considering it seems like the most useful clue of them all?

Btw, asking the photographer about pirates results in broken dialogue.

F E E D by Delightfullymad 2020-04-20T16:24:05Z

I came for the dancing elder gods, but then I stayed for... actually, I didn't. I got ς๏ภรย๓є๔ ๒ץ Շђє ๔คภςเภﻮ єɭ๔єг ﻮ๏๔ร.

A few things took me a while to understand. Notably: - There is another screen that I should get the cultist too. Initially I thought the two trees were two "zones" mentioned. - The "quests" are the actual goal (?) of the game? Maybe they could've been on permanent display instead of always being hidden until I press a key? - Feeding the god is just a means of survival, and I should delay it as long as possible, lest it grows. There is nothing to be gained by having it grow.

What I still don't know is whether the game winnable by fulfilling all of the quests. I think there is a bug in the quest system. In all of my playthroughs, one quest didn't get marked as done, despite me clearly having fulfilled the conditions. (E.g. I got the 28 and the 13 notoriety, but somehow never got the 18 notoriety quest? Yeah, I got three notoriety quests there.)

Anyway, I enjoyed the dynamics in the game! Especially interesting was that once the cult got bigger, it got harder mainly because the damn cultists kept doing their own thing and getting in my way, haha. The 1bit graphics and the sound design also works well. Great job!

Somebody's Hero by Starkium 2020-05-01T18:30:49Z

Nice atmosphere, but it didn't seem like there was much to do. It also lagged pretty badly on my computer (although *it* is pretty old, so...). I made it to the park, only for the attackers (and me) to find out that I can't die.

Growing defense by Fis 2020-04-28T19:11:54Z

Pretty cute, impressive graphics, and the music/sfx is great too!

Like @kaeveris I also finished the game at 1 haert, although for me the progression was a bit weird - I had to restart the beginning a few times, but after I got that down, I had absolutely no problems until wave 10. In wave 10, almost everyone went through, bringing me from 19 to 1. Luckily I killed the "boss"!

The caring mechanics are interesting. I don't think I ever saw that in *any* other tower defense game. Maybe because most of the time, towers aren't living things, and having to constantly repair stuff feels worse than caring for plants? Either way, in this game more than in other TD games, clustering seems very important, so you can water/dig/fertilize whole groups at the same time.

I'm not sure how much *fun* the waterin/digging/fertiziling was in the end, to be honest. I mean, I enjoyed playing the game, but did I particularely enjoy constantly clicking between the tools and the plants? I don't really know. But despite these doubts, I think there definitely is something interesting to be found.

I have three questions as well: What does the second tower do, as opposed to the first one? And when do plants grow? And I assume it makes them stronger/faster/better?

All in all, I enjoyed playing this game and I like the original mechanics in a rather stale genre. Thanks for making it!

Untitled Websocket MMO by Vengarioth 2020-04-21T17:46:27Z

Pity that this didn't get finished (yet). Would've loved to play a fellow MMOish LD game!

The Totally Convenient Feeding Machine by Jonathan Lorenz 2020-05-12T16:31:35Z

Love it. Apart from the really novel (and fun!) gameplay, my favourite part is how much room you gave yourself to explore what you can do with that one mechanic, and the interesting levels that came out of it.

I think you could add other contraptions (e.g. a catapult, or having things that change the state of the food). I also wonder how it would feel like if you had to click the contraptions instead of using keyboard buttons.

In summary, a novel mechanic well explored. Great job!

Lively by CJGladback 2020-05-12T19:42:46Z

Pro: It has a cat. Contra: There is not much to do, and I have no idea where you wanted to take it ;)

But I'm glad you enjoyed the jam nevertheless! Good luck with the next jam!

Sachka, Heal-sitter by Darklim Henwitch 2020-05-12T15:26:23Z

I love the narrative part of the game, but... I'm not really a fan of the MMORPG part, to be honest. While I like the *concept* of it, it the different kinds of heal seem redudant (and hard to grasp), I think I could've done with other supporter spells, and at least for me it's really hard. Maybe part of that is because of the missing feedback though - a few sfx for "healing", "can't cast, on cooldown" and the like would've done wonders. But well, I'm mostly sad because I can't get through the healing phases and because of that I can't experience more of the narrative.

Petition for a super-easy mode so other noobs like me can experience the story?

Sachka, Heal-sitter by Darklim Henwitch 2020-05-12T15:42:39Z

@red-ash Regrettably, that's the one that I played! I guess I'm just not really good at this type of game ;)

The restart button didn't work for some reason. I clicked it multiple times, nothing happened. I clicked the "quit" option to see if buttons work at all - yeah, that worked, haha. (But since it doesn't revive dead characters, I guess it wouldn't have done much for me anyway? I assume with more characters dead it either becomes impossible or slows down to a crawl?)

Sachka, Heal-sitter by Darklim Henwitch 2020-05-12T16:03:16Z

@jalik I just checked the Player.log file in the hope of finding any errors there, but no such luck. Guess you're on your own :|

My Friend Phil by Conroy 2020-05-12T03:08:15Z

I really wanted to like this game more. And I will play it again, if it ever gets a bit less frustrating.

My main pain points are: - The levels (without checkpoints!) are far too long for enemies-kill-you-on-touch. - The ultra slow restart. And after I wait, I have to get to my mouse and click. In a game where you die often :( - Sometimes the wall jumping doesn't seem to work as I want it to. - Maybe... the game could could start with a little easier levels?

The above combined make it so hard and frustrating for me that I can't even finish the first level. And that's a shame, because it looks (and sounds!) beautiful. The fish-throwing is hilarious, and so is enemies dying from touching Phil. I like the backstory and the concept. I like the idea of having short timed sections with a perfect ingame explanation. This game is extremely impressive, and I you got a new follower - I just hope that the next time you dial down the difficulty a bit!

(In game jams, my mantra for that is: If the difficulty is just right for me as the developer, it's probably too hard.)

VampySitter by MacDoom 2020-05-01T16:52:05Z

Nice style and a unique premise and mechanics! The art works really well too. And you absolutely nailed the cartoony animations.

Uptime? Nope. by ygrichman 2020-05-05T01:54:09Z

Would've loved to see this game with more events like you planned. Like the others, I also felt like it didn't provide much challenge at the moment. It was easy to understand though, and the basic controls worked well too.

A few suggestions for improvement: - The buying process seems unnecessarily complicated. Why do I have to open it with X instead of A? Why can't I just buy things by pressing A on their option, instead of having to select them and then navigate to "buy"? - Ordering hard disks 1pc each was pretty annoying, and I wish I could've ordered more than one at a time. Especially because I needed so many to keep up.

Also... I'm not sure why I'd sell anything?

The graphics were simple, but really easy to recognize and worked well.

Zero by omercanbalandi 2020-04-20T14:03:50Z

Man, I wish this game had sound effects. But even without them, it feels pretty round and surprisingly atmospheric. I especially love your art style and your choice of colors!

Apart from the missing sfx (and maybe music!), it wasn't really clear to me when the people "see" me and start attacking me. I would've loved to sneak up on them or even try to do a pacifist run, fitting a lot with the protagonist being a scout.

(And don't worry about the routing problem. It's not unfair for other jammers as long as you give as much ratings and feedback as you receive! You just had an early start here, no problem with that.)

PS: I recommend you opt out of the "audio" rating because the game has no audio - and maybe also out of the "humor" rating.)

Zero by omercanbalandi 2020-04-20T15:13:45Z

@omercanbalandi But when do they notice you? Sometimes they turn aggressive in really unexpected situations. Is it distance? Line of view? Do they actually look in certain directions?

Zero by omercanbalandi 2020-04-20T15:32:17Z

@omercanbalandi Ah, gotcha! Guess that'll teach me trying to sneak up on them.

Dad Day by mudlee 2020-04-22T12:04:06Z

Damn, children sure are *fragile*. I had no idea.

I like the concept, but I think the game is a bit hard as is. I had a child drowning in the toilet twice when it made a dash for it, while I was *right next to it* and had no way to react in time. I think juggling other responsibilities and making the children slower would've helped - then they would die more because you got distracted and not because they are determined to die quickly.

Great job getting something out after throwing away your first idea! That requires a lot of courage. When I give up on an idea I had committed to in a game jam, I usually give up on the jam too.

Prophet by marcell-balog 2020-05-10T15:16:11Z

Some unordered feedback: - I really like the concept of playing support for the bigger robot who's doing the main work! - The upgrades were a little bit unsatisfying gameplay-wise - e.g. I don't have the feeling that the crusher or the flamethrower ever did that much, probably mainly because I can't control either. They were super satisfying visually though! - And on that matter, I really like the art! - The music fits super well. - I wonder if the robot could be a bit more interactive. Maybe I could (or have to) mark enemies by shooting them with a tagging weapon? Maybe I have some other kind of supporter weapon? Right now it doesn't feel like there is a lot of strategy to the game. - ...and maybe that could also enable different kinds of enemies. E.g. some that you just want to stop for a bit so they are shot later (e.g. because they can take more hits), or some that you definitely want to shoot first (because they are fast or do a lot of damage). - Actually, what happens when an enemy reaches the robot? I have no idea, although I guess I did play (and win) on the lowest difficulty level only. - The upgrades should really have some info about them ingame. Pausing and checking the itch.io page feels cumbersome.

Despite the slightly non-interactive gameplay, I enjoyed the experience and I really like the general feeling of the game. Great job!

Prophet by marcell-balog 2020-05-11T17:35:15Z

@marcell-balog You're welcome! And I can't really fault anyone for not opting for the jam - my game would've probably benefitted from being in the jam too, but as always, in the compo it goes.

I can't help you with the decision on whether to make the game faster or slower, but I think you could make it both a better action game *and* a better strategy game by giving the player more agency over what happens.

I think if this was my game and I'd go for the action route, I'd make the player itself stronger, e.g. by giving them a weak weapon so that they can also fight a bit. If I'd go for the strategy route, I'd grant them more agency over the robot, e.g. by giving it commands.

It feels to early to make a decision though. Actually, I'd probably try to go both routes and see what balance feels good in the end.

Ah, and another idea that feeds into both: Maybe the enemies (or some of them?) could also try to attack the player. That could allow you to actually kite monsters, either delaying or gathering them. Provides both more action and more strategic decisions.

Outta Juize by Kiln 2020-05-10T01:40:38Z

Some feedback/suggestions for improvement: - It's interesting how much the opinions on controls are split in the comments, haha. I have to admit that I'm definitely not a fan - I found them mostly confusing and frustrating, which is a pity, considering how important they are for playing a game like this. - The arena could be a bit more interesting. Just (maybe temporary and/or destroyable?) covers to hide behind would improve it, and if the player has more control over the movement, maybe even hazards? - I have to admit that I'm not too sure if getting in/out of turret did much for me. Maybe if you could've chosen between multiple turrets? Or entered enemies?

Graphics and sounds are nice. And I think playing as a *battery* of all things is a pretty cute idea!

Blood and Snow by Mika la Grand 2020-05-12T15:58:19Z

The minimal graphics together with the soundscape create a great atmosphere - very evocative of a snow-covered landscape. And while the gameplay is minimal too, it is nice and doesn't overstay its welcome. I especially enjoyed the hunting - "blood and snow" indeed. And several times I got tense situations where I wasn't sure whether I will make it to the cabin in time and got in last second.

On trying a second time (to actually zoom in - I only remembered that this is a feature because I read a few comments here), I discovered that the trees are taking revenge on me and don't want me to enter my house:chrome_2020-05-12_17-45-12.png

Buddy Rope by mbc 2020-04-22T15:31:14Z

I like it when games try unusual mechanics - nice!

If you continue to work on the game, I'd suggest to rebalance the amount of time food gives you. I failed the first level multiple times while going for food, and only managed to beat it when I completely ignored it and headed straight for the exit. The first level seemed much harder to me time-wise than the couple levels after that too!

The graphics work well, and so does the sound. All in all, a solid entry. Well done!

Chronocipher by Instafluff 2020-05-12T19:39:29Z

First off, I like the art in general and the interface in particular - looks great! The music, sounds and especially the voice over were fantastic.

My main criticism would be that the decryption process is extremely repetitive and doesn't require much thought after you figured out that you just press random buttons (in the right category, once you learn to identify that) until you hit the right one. And I mean, half of the game is doing that over and over. I am not sure how I'd improve that, to be honest. We probably all agree that just giving all clues directly to the player wouldn't be good either, but lots of repetitive busywork (even if it looks and sound beautiful) doesn't exactly make me look forward to play the game again. Which is a shame, because having it procedurally generated is really cool and creates a lot of replayability!

That being said, I did enjoy playing the game. Great job!

Running Old Game On Windows 10 Simulator 2020 by Kszaku 2020-05-05T02:22:17Z

Well, that get's 5/5 mood from me. Pretty cool idea! And so far the most interesting interpretation of the theme I've found.

The steps that took the longest for me were the first and the CD key. Apart from that everything was solved rather quickly.

Thanks for making my LD experience a little bit more meta!

[M]achine [L]earning by Sakurina 2020-05-01T12:25:05Z

**[SPOILER WARNING]**

Aw, that was nice. I got the Alchemist end - cute reference with the cart, haha.

As my girl tended to get less and less stress from her daily activities, I filled her whole months with one activity. I wish there was a button for it, or a way to repeat the previous month at least!

I liked the writing. I would've liked more events, as they were (perhaps unsurprisingly) my favourite part, but I understand development time is limited and and there is quite a lot content as is!

[M]ACHINE [L]EARNING TEAM, YOU HAVE GIVEN ME ENJOYMENT. YOUR GAME WILL BE RATED. EXPECT RESULTS IN 11D 07H 35M.

(I read the other endings on Github, and the True End, while heartwarming, seems to not be in line with *any* of the other endings? Especially e.g. the Pirate/Salaryman endings make quite clear that the Outer Federation exists.)

[M]achine [L]earning by Sakurina 2020-05-02T00:57:57Z

**[SPOILER WARNING]**

@godsh0t Ah, gotcha! I can respect that - I didn't consider that the others might not be canon. Thanks for the answer!

In A Game Wherein by SSStormy 2020-04-20T15:23:53Z

Clever writing? Check. Meta? Check. Mini games that actually fit into the narrative? Check!

And a few of the sentences really resonate with me. "[...] drawing something for the sake of having the tool touch the medium" was especially nice. But my favourite are still the last three sentences from your description: "A name catches your attention. It doesn’t sound like a game. It sounds like a trick."

It is a bit tricky to rate. The game was delightful and interesting, which is a bit hard to reflect in categories that don't fit exactly like "fun", "innvoation" and "humor". I'm very curious to see what the results will be for it.

Either way, I enjoyed playing this. Thanks for making it!

Oh, and reading some of the other comments... in my opinion it doesn't need to be a "game". It is fine without any branching narrative. It is a quirky and interesting experience, just as it is.

PS: I really hope this isn't your actual experience reviewing games, haha. I for one really enjoy that!

PPS: I feel called out a bit, considering my game is similar to your minigames. It's a bit more intricate though!

In A Game Wherein by SSStormy 2020-04-20T15:24:53Z

Aaarrgh, doublepost.

In A Game Wherein by SSStormy 2020-04-20T15:26:25Z

Aaarrgh, triplepost.

Baby: Don't Hurt Me by Eroar 2020-05-10T01:22:08Z

Nice graphics and music! And while I like the concept, it seems that you quickly abandoned both the "puzzle" part of the platformer and any interaction with the baby? The controls were a bit too floaty and slidey and I think the collision for staying on platforms could be improved, especially considering how many precise jumps on small platforms need to be made. Props on the level variety though. Good job!

Primed by gimblll 2020-05-11T19:55:58Z

Absolutely love it, from the description to the "tutorial" screen to the almost involuntary decision-making to its ending.

Apart from being really funny and on point: This is my favourite interpretation of the theme so far, and the only game that I gave 5/5 in that category, because it's not something stereotypical of the genre like in so many other games here. It's not about keeping the player, or a companion, or a fire, or anything else alive like in literally all other games of that genre. Well done.

I usually like to give helpful feedback. I can't. This is perfect already.

Snail Crossing: Lucky Lefty Lives?! by TheBookSnail 2020-05-10T02:01:42Z

Cute idea and graphics! The gameplay gets a bit samey after the first few actions though.

Catnip Panic by Platyp 2020-04-21T12:19:25Z

Dear Diary,

Today I experienced the hardships that catgirls face each day. While trying to keep my quickly deteriorating catnip plant alive I learnt that: - Ducks are scary - Farmers are scary - Fences are the worst - ...and so are trees. And nests. - Plants sure are thirsty - Oh god the ducks - I should not have put my plant so far from the water. And from the cows. And in the middle of duck heaven. - "Easy" is pretty hard

Even now the ducks are searching for me. I can hear their angry quacking all around me. They are out for catgirl blood. I know they will find me.

This was a mistake.

I might not write again.

Catnip Panic by Platyp 2020-04-21T12:28:35Z

Dear Diary,

Today I have learnt the key to success in this cruel and bloodthirsty world: Stay on the roads! I can run like the wind there, and since the ducks, bulls and farmers always return to their original spots, I can usually quickly sneak by while dodging any attacks.

I have relocated all equipment near the plant. The farmer is not looking for it anymore, which I can understand - he'd have to cross the duck lands to get it back, a journey I wouldn't wish on anyone. He keeps baiting me with fresh bread, but I have learnt to pick up and eat whole loaves of them in a matter of milliseconds; you would too, if you were chased by an angry farmer and three thousand ducks.

My catnip plant has grown into a magnificent flowering bush, earning me the rating C, which I can only assume is the best rating considering my stellar performance.

I will now search for more catgirl-friendly lands.

Yours, Tobias

Catnip Panic by Platyp 2020-04-21T22:30:14Z

@no-grapes-games I mean, there *are* the roads to lead you anywhere you need to go, but it took me a while to get that too. I assume a slightly improved texture would've helped there.

Catnip Panic by Platyp 2020-04-22T11:33:03Z

@platyp I'm glad to read that - I don't do that for many games, but yours just was a perfect candidate. The entries were a ton of fun to write too!

(And a piece of advice for difficulties: The "normal" setting should be too easy for the devs. Learnt that the hard way over many jams too. It was fun figuring out how to beat yours though!)

Don't taste the lava by mira 2020-05-11T22:27:43Z

That's a fun idea with a cute presentation - and a nice twist on the tetris mechanics.

What annoys me a bit is that I can only see the next piece. Considering this is a fixed puzzle with (I assume, most of the time?) only one solution, I pretty much have to drop all pieces once, remember them and die (unless I'm super lucky). That seems pretty unnecessary to me. If you want players to memorize, at least show them all pieces once in the beginning. If memorization is not part, show all pieces that will be dropped instead of just the next.

Spatious Inc. by Svyatoslav 2020-04-29T14:33:13Z

Alright, got a planet converted fully according to client specifications!

Let's start with some suggestions for improvement: - The interface is very clean being divided into resources, general parameters and goals. But that means the goals are really far away from their values. Ideally, I'd see them side by side. - I'd also like to see what goals I already fulfill, and which I still need. - I think the modules work fine as is, but it would be nice to have a clear overview of what their secondary effects are, e.g. in a table. And you could display up/down arrows with numbers (or even with results!) in a nice goal/current resources/results view! - Is there *any* correlation between the fifteen states on the board and what they each produce? It seems to me that apart from solid/liquid/gaseous each counting down the main element by 1, their secondary elements and how much of each of these are completely random. This seems needlessly complicated.

Apart from being overly complicated though, this is pretty great. You especially nailed the FTL/Into The Breach look, feel and music! It also stands out as being pretty original among all the other LD games I have played this time. Good job!

PS: Still waiting for my 1M energy credits.

PPS: Play/rate/comment a few more games, please! It would be a shame if you don't reach the 20 ratings when being so close.

The Last Guardian by civmaniac 2020-04-28T21:05:59Z

First time my Tree of Life died, second time it was me, but third time was the charm!

It's really a nice amount of mechanics you packed into this. Several kinds of enemies, clouds that water the tree, puddles and call down lightning (although I never used that on purpose since they move so slowly), puddles that grow cacti, cacti that fight for you, acorns to collect and apples to restore health for when you fight yourself - that's quite a lot of systems. And while the fighting itself is a bit weak it in my opinion, everything works well together and that makes more than up for it.

Add to that the pleasent art style and the nice theme of the game. Great job, you two!

The Last Guardian by civmaniac 2020-04-30T12:25:00Z

@fabula-rasa That's fair. Somehow I always assume that if a character *can* fight in a game, it can fight well, but your reasoning makes sense ;)

Order of The Phoenix by Arvuti 2020-04-22T12:16:21Z

Damn, this is a BIG game download. But I mean, I can see from the screenshots that it looks nice, so I guess I can understand at least a bit where the size is coming from?

Alright, after downloading: My computer isn't fast enough to run this game properly. Pity.

to Leave by 5imon 2020-04-27T13:25:53Z

Alright, so that was extremely interesting. Hard to sort out my feedback between excitement and confusion, haha. I *really* want to leave good feedback here, because this was both one of the most interesting and confusing experiences I had this LD, and I hope it helps your next LD game to be equally interesting while being a bit less confusing!

Okay, so lets start with some questions.

Does needing water have *anything* to do with the platforms we have to activate? Initially I activated all water platforms, but that didn't do much. I then proceeded to try other things, like "all the cactus platforms" because they contain water, with similarly unfruitful results. To be honest, I would've given up if I hadn't read the comments and found "Try to start with the ‘monks voice’ loop". (Maybe the 'monks voice' should played at the beginning, or you shouldn't even be able to stop it?)

And following, are there any hints on the platforms for the following days? I assumed e.g. the "wood" would use all the platforms with trees. I was wrong, but it took a bit for my non-existing musical sense to figure that out.

It seems like the monks voice was needed in every song. Was there a hint for that? Is it because it's our "base" platform? Initially I didn't even try it again because I assumed every song uses completely unique samples.

I am really curious in general about how you thought the player would figure things out. I'm not sure if posting it here would be best (to avoid heavy spoilers for casual readers), but maybe you could say a few words about it off-site and link to it or something? (E.g. pastebin.com)

Having another sentence after "You need water...", like "Right click on a platform to start" would've been really nice, btw. And maybe "Try right clicking again on this platform and see what happens." Or something similar. We were told that we can interact with things in the beginning, but interacting with *platforms* is not what I thought of.

I think it would've also been nice if the game somehow makes clear that you need 5 platforms. Maybe it shouldn't even allow to have more than 5. Maybe there should be UI that says something like "3/5 platforms activated".

Maybe there should be ongoing hints if things go together. But I can see how that could change the game for the worse and push it away from its core concept of "finding what music loops go well together by listening". To be honest, I have no idea what hints would work well here, so I can hardly blame you for not figuring that out.

But still, despite all those complaints and through my missing musical sensibilities, I persevered. Because it was interesting, novel and very, very curious. The music is fantastic. The art is cool.

And I really like how you combined everything. This could just be a set of buttons - there was no *need* for a person on an island. And after combining you could've just said "well done, you got the water/wood/food". You didn't have to let the player actually collect stuff, or play a nice swimming sequence. You *did* put in all that extra work though, and the game is all the better for it.

I wish this was a bit more accessible so it could reach more players. Because it should be played. It's one of my favourites so far, problems and all. I'm following you now, and I hope I'll see lots of other cool games in future LDs from you!

PS: If possible, move away from the low Unity version that I saw mentioned elsewhere, and make web builds too! accessibility and all!

to Leave by 5imon 2020-04-27T13:26:27Z

edit: Sorry for the double post! LD is not working very well in my favourite browser Firefox, so sometimes I submit multiples times and can't delete them anymore. Finally figured out that it works well in Chrome though. (https://twitter.com/tolicious/status/1254764235155857411)

Save the Spacemen by Meemog 2020-04-20T13:47:06Z

Hey! Unfortunately I can't properly test your game because the jump randomly is either high or very low. Because of that, about 5 of 6 times I die when trying to jump from the 2nd to the 3rd platform.

The Last Flower by Unimaginable_Code_Studios 2020-04-28T11:44:16Z

Alright, finished all levels!

Let's get the critisicms out of the way first: - The Jump seems way to floaty for me. The character also doesn't jump as high as I'm used to from other many games. I recommend trying higher gravity and higher jumping impulse force. - Why do the portals auto-destroy themselves? The best strategy sometimes seemed to just camp and kill enemies until all portals destroyed themelves. - In the third level, maybe the ghosts would've been better behind you? It seems impossible not to get killed unless you already press the running button when the level loads. It's not very good style to have a place where you will 100% of the time get killed when you first encounter it. But I guess the fast restart fixes that a bit. - Some of the collisions (especially for the sword) seem off. I sometimes have trouble shooting down ghosts that I am *sure* I hit, but they don't die.

Some details that I really liked: - How the first level teaches you that, despite your small jumps, you can climb up multiple platforms by jumping through them by pressing Space multiple times. - I liked how you shook it up a bit with the third level, where it's better to run than to stay and fight! - ...and then in the fourth level, when it was more about hazards and jumping than beating enemies. Nice variety. - I love that it's not about saving a princess or a kingdom, but a flower of all things. It's pretty cute. - The black enemies huddling on each other in some areas.

The graphics and the audio are well chosen, and the levels are interesting. And you are really 11? My games *sucked* when I was your age. I'm looking forward to see what you'll do in the future. I'm sure it'll be great!

Fix the engine by VeniTheRich 2020-05-12T04:04:33Z

I like the concept, especially with figuring out what each element does and what you have to do.

But... it's *much* to hard. Like others, I felt the bar balancing dials to be almost completely impossible (I managed it once! The mental overhead of 3 dials with 2 directions each is a bit too much...) and I while I could spin the battery wheel a bit to flip the button back, I never really filled it - the motion is just too difficult and awkward to do with a mouse.

Keep Him Alive by Convg 2020-05-11T20:46:23Z

Some random feedback: - I guess it says "the old man died" even when you died? I assume the old man died as a consequence of that, but it's a little deceptive. - The enemies are... weird. They kill you pretty fast. They move super fast. Their behaviour is extremely simple, making them rather boring. And they stop at the door and wait to be killed, which, considering their speed and damage output, might be the only proper way of killing them, but it's not very exciting. - Why is there a really heavy screenshake after killing an enemy? Does it explode? It feels completey unneeded to me. - Why does the loot very, very slowly fade out after I have picked it up? Why am I collecting loot at all? - The levels are a bit samey. There doesn't seem to be a big difference between, say, level 2 and 4. I assume that's mainly because the only really meaningful thing to interact with are the enemies, and you only have one kind. - The controls are pretty snappy. - The graphics are simple, but communicate well what they are.

I read in a comment above that you were looking for a method to improve the father's pathfinding a bit. I assume you used A\* with tiles? With big rooms like this, that's rather unneeded. Instead, you could define waypoints (in a way that anywhere you are, you can see at least one waypoint) and only connect those into a graph. Then see if the father can "see" the player directly without any obstacle. If he can, walk directly to the player. If he can't, find the closest waypoint that the father can "see" and the closest waypoint that the player can "see", and A\* your way through that. Should be really snappy, considering your level size.

Another way to improve on the pathfinding is to not completely recalcuate the whole path each frame. You could for example do it like this each frame: - Can the father see the player? - Yes: Throw away any saved path. Go directly towards the player. - No, and there is a saved path from last frame: - Is the player still visible from the endpoint of the saved path? - Yes: Follow the saved path. - No: Calculate a new path. Follow that. - No, and there is no saved path: Calculate a new path. Follow that.

Keep Him Alive by Convg 2020-05-12T14:04:01Z

@convg Wow, thanks for working in my feedback so quickly! If the screenshake/fade time is different between engine and browser - are you using delta time to scale it (and all other things)? If not, you might want to start to make everything independent from the frame rate. Here's an article on it that might get you started: https://medium.com/@dr3wc/understanding-delta-time-b53bf4781a03

Dozy Dungeon by Lesslwo 2020-05-11T23:41:47Z

Aw, what a cute idea! I love that I'm petting the monsters to sleep instead of... well, what I'm doing in other games, I guess. Feels a bit weird that I'm "losing" when I fall asleep, considering that from the description it sounds like I'm doing this because they woke me up in the first place? Ah, and I like the look of it.

Bullets & Babies by David Bohan 2020-05-05T01:34:51Z

Baby rescue success! I had to retry this until I got it.

I pretty much only have three nitpicks: - The machine gun often doesn't do much right when I pick it up. I wish I could use it later. But I guess that would add another button. - It's a bit slow in the beginning. I wish I could speed it up. - Props for adding a boss, but... it was super easy.

It was a bit weird in the beginning that I could get fired at out of seemingly nowhere because the scrolling hit an enemy who miraculously couldn't see me a second earlier despite me standing right in front of him. I wonder if a delay might help here, but... I'm not sure if it is completely necessary, as it just meant that I will stay back a bit, and it added a ton of tension.

Apart from that: Simple but servicable graphics, music/sfx work well, and cutscene in the beginning and end - cool.

I had loads of fun. Really good job, folks!

Rewilding: The Story of Wolfhead Valley by ChloeOfArroyo 2020-04-22T12:51:25Z

Never went above 172 points, sadly - but damn, this is interesting. I didn't even know that there *are* rewilding specialists, so it's pretty unique to play as one. The game also seems pretty balanced, as I assume ecosystems should be. Apart from one deer-forest-monoculture I didn't have much luck getting clever with it. The graphics are simple, but pleasing to look at and work well. Good job!

Signal Fire On Mystery Island by linluk 2020-05-11T19:36:22Z

I expected a survival game and got an adventure. Nice! I have to admit that it was a bit too easy for my taste (both the fire burn speed and the puzzles - the clue for the five switches was a bit *too* much on the nose). And the wheelbarrow didn't seem to move at all - maybe I just don't know how to use it? Nevertheless, I can appreciate the work that went into making the levels and programming all the systems that work together there. Great job!

Yandere Emulator by 730 2020-04-27T11:58:46Z

Aaargh, I don't even like horror games like this. Why did I play this.

...probably because the screenshots looked oddly compelling, and once I started I couldn't stop. And I died several times, but then I finally managed to escape!

There are two things I'm not happy with: - First, the diary. We don't even *know* that we can swap out things at that point. I feel like this is pretty much unsolvable on the first try and on the second try it's less a matter of figuring out what to do (after all, our protagonist straight out tells us before he dies) and only a matter of figuring out how the UI will let us do the thing. - ...and secondly, if we die in the second phase we have to replay the first phase all over. Ugh. I get that it ups the stakes, but man, I was so close to quitting after the incident with the diary. Props on your game for actually holding me there strong enough to try again. (LIKE A BEAR TRAP, I suppose. Sorry, sorry, I'll show myself out.)

But apart from that, everything works really well together and creates one of the strongest moods I've seen in this LD. I also really enjoyed the unexpected mode switch where you have to investigate the room and pick up/use stuff there. Great job!

PS: Could we get a video with the endings? I'd love to see them all, but not enough to play the game a dozen more times from the very beginning to be honest.

Yandere Emulator by 730 2020-04-27T17:17:37Z

おかえりなさい ~

@730さん、ありがとう！

Space Station Alpha by kjscott 2020-05-12T19:56:48Z

Maybe it's because it's late here, and I've been playing LD games for hours now and my concentration is a bit lower, but... this was really hard to get into. I think if your game needs a long description to be read, complete with iconography and an item combination chart to be learnt, it might be a bit too complicated or unclear on its own? (Also... do you mean "head north"?)

I don't think I could really enjoy getting into the gameplay. Which is a shame, because it seems like it should be right up my alley. The art and sound is great, in all its minimalistic glory. And I really liked the exploration aspect when you don't yet know where things are.

Keep The Bouncy Thing Alive by mypalmike 2020-05-11T19:18:38Z

Ah, great to see other networked games in an LD! And props for making it work as as a single player too - that's what I always try with my networked LD games too, because who knows how many people will be online.

I have to admit though that I'm not sure how well your mechanics lend itself to multiplayer gameplay. I can see how multiple people could play cooperatively (or try to kill each other), but I don't think it would be particularely *interesting*. (I hope you understand what I mean. It's a bit hard to put into words. And... I hope it's not too harsh.)

However, I think the *concept* of cooperatively adding things to a world is a great base on which you could build something really nice!

Pass it On by Ryan Jung 2020-04-21T17:22:45Z

I'm a bit sad when I make especially nice sentences, but get "message invalid" :'(

chrome_2020-04-21_19-15-24.png

Pass it On by Ryan Jung 2020-04-21T17:47:37Z

That seems a bit arbitrary, @connie-liu, but good to know. Thanks!

Pass it On by Ryan Jung 2020-04-21T17:55:26Z

Alright, played a bit more now. I love it! It's quick, it's funny and it works well. It's also the first game that I have bookmarked and will probably open multiple times in the next days!

(And thanks for the inspiration! Now I want to try to make something with chains where players build upon each other next time. Probably a better idea than my game for this LD, where the timing is too critical for this distributed community.)

Pass it On by Ryan Jung 2020-04-22T11:34:59Z

@ryan-jung I'm glad you enjoyed mine too! Yours definitely has much more solid gameplay. And likewise, can't wait to see what I'll make, haha.

And when is a game jam ever not chaotic? I'd be disappointed to be honest :D

Pass it On by Ryan Jung 2020-05-15T01:48:38Z

Congrats on your innvation rating, folks! It's good to see fellow online games do so well in LD :D

tiriplici by Trexxak 2020-05-10T14:18:24Z

I played the windows version, but I had similar problems as @kjscott - the controls felt sluggish to react but too fast once they do, and the game was lagging pretty badly. I think less velocity/acceleration and more direct controls for the toaster would've been a good idea. (And for us single-players - maybe the fridge could just walk towards the toaster automatically?)

Nevertheless, I like the concept and the handdrawn graphics, and the music is pretty fun too!

tiriplici by Trexxak 2020-05-10T21:25:24Z

@trexxak

Regarding the lag: Without profiling it: No idea, honestly! I have never used Godot, but I assume it has a profiler? First try to find out with the profiler whether your game is CPU-bound (that would be e.g. your scripts or physics) or GPU-bound (that would be graphics, e.g. too much to render or too many shader effects going on). Then work to improve that aspect. Even if you can't test the game on a slower machine, it is probably a good assumption that if you speed it up on your machine, you also speed it up on slower machines.

Regarding the mechanics: Fair enough! I think what makes the game tricky is having to process two different ways of moving though, one with the mouse and one with the keyboard. If that's what you are going for, fine. If it's more about managing two different entities though, consider unifying the movement. E.g.: - Use WASD for toaster and Arrow keys for fridge. - Control both with mouse, e.g. left click makes toaster go towards the mouse or to the position you clicked, and right click does the same for the fridge. - Choose any kind of movement, and do a toggle like you suggested.

My Mother is a Caravan? by Gideonnf 2020-04-21T13:35:12Z

"Welps, here I go killing again", lol.

Love the anime feeling, what's with the title, subject matter and kawaii caravan pictures, haha. Art and sound design are solid too, and the writing was funny!

I'm not too much in love with the combat to be honest. Something between the hitboxes, the general feel to it and the sameness of the enemies, I suppose - it's a bit hard to describe. I appreciate the variety of items, although I'm not quite sure what all of them what they do.

I wish traders in the real world would trade me 1:1 disregarding item quality :P

And it seems nothing even attacked my caravan/mother?

Despite those gripes though, this is a pretty solid and fun game with a surprising scope and number of systems (kudos to your programmer(s)!) for a LD jam. Well done!

My Mother is a Caravan? by Gideonnf 2020-04-21T13:38:11Z

Also, that wizard is not a very nice person. Grr.

Danbiao by Matt D. Parker 2020-05-01T13:39:11Z

I just played the submitted version, which I assume from the description is rather unfinished. Nevertheless, here's feedback on what I can see: - I like the idea of upgrading a tamagotchi. I mean, a tamagotchi is a simulation already, and there were a few games like this in this LD, so why not make this. - The egg minigame in the beginning seems to have nothing to do with the tamagochi though? I'm not completely sure why it is there (and not, e.g., inside the tamagotchi window) - My first danbiao died of hunger. The second one... I have no idea. I got some foreign language voice output and a message regretting that I don't have a translator. I didn't bother to get one because I didn't see anything that could be translated. The third run I got one, but nothing seems to happen. - Sometimes it won't eat. I guess I have to keep the second value low and third value high to keep it happy? - Apart from food, I don't have any idea what the icons mean, and many of them don't seem to do anything. - ...and more feedback and animations in general would be nice. But you probably know that already and just didn't have enough time to do it. - I think the battery thing is cute, but also a bit annoying? I don't have enough disposable incoming though to buy larger batteries. - Why would I get the Cursor Stabilizer if I could just go right for the touchscreen? - Ah, and now that I got the touchscreen, it makes sound for the first time! Still nothing that could be translated though. - Aw. Now I *did* get the ending while having the translator, and I'm glad I did, haha. That was a surprise!

Well, confusing and unfinished as it was, I like the concept! Good job, you two!

War of the Elements by Juan García Jousset 2020-04-28T12:47:09Z

Some random thoughts while playing the game: - This is a *lot* of text to read before starting the game, but hey, props on having a tutorial! - I think this might've been better with mouse targeting. Enemies from the cardinal directions are easy to hit, and enemies that come diagonally almost impossible. - Earth elementals sure are selfless. And burn remarkably well. - I wish you could drop wood *next* to the fire too, so you could collect some while you don't need it. - I wonder if slower enemies would've worked better. I barely venture out into the world - it's sometimes even hard to hit enemies when you're close to the fire, but with my slow move speed it becomes absolutely impossible if I try to pick up wood that's a bit further away. - I can't believe you added a multiphase bullet-hell endboss to the game. (And I *knew* catuwu was really a cat!) My slow movespeed makes that it a bit hard though. And why can I suddenly shoot as often as I want to without losing health?

The mechanics seems solid and could probably be improved with a little iteration/polish. The art and music work well. All in all, pretty nice!

Second Layer: a Ludum Dare 46 audiovisual experience by Naamed 2020-04-21T16:41:00Z

What are my hands for, if they can't hold the kittens? Why even have hands?

I am sad now.

Memories by Artaupossum 2020-04-20T14:42:05Z

Congratulations on both your first jam and your first finished game!

I always have a lot of respect for narrative games, especially because I seem to not be able to make any myself. The experience is a bit short and I am a little confused by what happens at the end with the footsteps (?) that vanish when I touch them (?), but I assume that's because you had to cut the game short. I liked the art and the music! And it's cool that you even put in a cutscene at the beginning.

I'm looking forward to see more LD games from you in the future!

A Wizard Worth Fighting For by gweleth 2020-04-28T13:09:04Z

"If it be true though kicketh the bucket, I kicketh the bucket as well" is pure poetry.

The charge attack - does it have a cooldown? I only managed to do it once.

It's weird that pressing up/down attacks left/right too. It took me a while to be sure that I didn't do something wrong there.

It was a really interesting choice that (most) enemies don't attack and just push/hinder you and are basically just walking health potions, while both attacking and time drain your health. It makes you value your attacks more and rewards herding slimes quickly before finishing them all off at the same time. It's a pity that there is no last-ditch effort when you're low on energy though. Often games become more intense when you're low on health because you struggle to survive, but here, if you're super low on health, you don't have much hope of coming back, because attacking speeds up your demise.

I guess finding the well means I win? The game just ended.

The art/sfx are simple, but work well. The lighting together with the music creates a pretty nice mood! All in all, good job!

Bug Smashers! (HTML5) by Plopmenz 2020-04-20T16:53:53Z

Man, Chad should really get stop getting his self-replicating bugs everywhere. At this point I'm pretty sure he's doing it on purpose!

It took me a moment to get that the FPS getting lower is part of the game, haha. Really cute idea!

Oh, and the quit button took me so much by surprise that I actually laughed out loud for the first time while playing this batch of LD games.

Seed - Give the seed a drink by DOCtriX 2020-05-01T18:07:16Z

Alright, so... I'm not perfectly sure what is happening, to be honest. I collected water and watered the tree with the A button (as I found out I can do here in the comments). Then I collected lots more water, until the water meter was full, and then I collected other kinds of water or seeds? Then the water I collected kept vanishing suddenly, until that stopped. There are spiders, but they seem harmless and just scavenging for water like me. I seem forever trapped on day 0. Please send help.

The controls are a bit awkward, with having to use A to water the tree, arrow keys to walk and mouse to loock around. I think I would've preferred having WASD walk and Q water, for example, so I don't have to lift my hands off the arrow keys.

Confusion aside, this is pretty nice considering how late you joined the jam!

Zombie Horde by Tatuvasara 2020-05-05T02:02:19Z

Simple but fun gameplay. I died a few times, but after a bit I found a working strategy. I agree that adding both a visual and sfx for enemy spawn was a good idea!

Survivalgo by despdair2 2020-05-11T18:54:31Z

As someone who as also made an [educational programming game](https://dragonlab.de/portfolio/project-starcoder) before, stuff like that is right up my alley! Here's a bit of feedback: - I like how you introduce stuff through levels rather than through long explanations! - The second loop level, although good on its own, was a bit too much of a jump in my opinion. I think a longer left-down-left-down-left-down loop could've been in between. - The graphics are a bit on the simple side, but communicate the intent well. - I think the loop might've been clear to me only because I know that loops exist. Maybe an example level that shows a loop in action would be nicer to onboard players without that knowledge? - It took me a bit to figure out that the "exit" symbol was a loop delimiter. I think a design where you put blocks *inside* the loop like [e.g. in Scratch](https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/scratchblocksct.png) might be clearer.

Unfortunately I couldn't get past the level where the enemy appears. After trying around a bit and restarting a few times, my character refused to move at all (it only played the walking animation), and after a while, the enemy also stopped moving.