itch.io

Thank you so much for pointing this out.
In my past games, whenever I introduced a new mechanic, I added a short dialogue at the beginning of the level to hint at it. But with this game, I really wanted the player to relate to Alice in the sense that you do not know anything about the strange place you are in. You learn through trial and error, live her confusion, and survive by analyzing the chaos.

I see now that I may have overdone that in some parts, which led to losing some gameplay clarity. Thank you so much for your feedback, it was really informative.

Thank you so much for playing the game and for your feedback. And hey, who knows, maybe you will find it on Steam one day. ;)

Thank you so much for playing the game. I am really glad you had a chance to play it and found it fantastic.
I absolutely agree with you that an interactive tutorial would be great, especially since many players found the game confusing and hard to understand at first.

Thank you again for playing the game and for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback.

Every enemy that has its weapon colored red will change direction. For those enemies, once they finish their turn, they change their direction before your turn starts. This was done to make it clear and fair for the player.

This means you do not have to predict anything, as everything happens before your turn begins.

Thank you again for your feedback, and feel free to share any other points that confuse you or that you think could be improved

Thank you so much for playing the game and for your feedback. Could you please give more details about what you mean by “clearer communication of enemy behavior”?

Here are my thoughts and some explanations:
If you mean the pushing direction when enemies push each other or other objects, it is random on purpose to introduce chaos and create different situations, making every attempt at the level feel a bit varied.

If you mean the turning enemies, every enemy that has its weapon colored red can turn. For those enemies, once they finish their turn, they change their direction before your turn starts. This was done to make it clear and fair for the player.

Thank you again for your feedback.

Nice work. I played the game until the very end and really enjoyed it. The white noise being the call to summon the undead will haunt me for a while, especially since I used to listen to white noise for relaxation, LOL.

The game could use some progression elements, such as upgrades for the turrets themselves. It would also benefit from some visual feedback, especially when placing turrets. You could add a highlight effect like what is usually done in tower defense games. I was really happy that you added the speed up button; it enhanced the experience tenfold.

Question: did you use Time.timeScale to speed up the game, or did you use another method?

Great work.

As a platformer game, it has a solid base. But honestly, I do not quite understand the identity of the game or how it really fits either the visual theme or the jam’s twist, other than the fact that the game is played inside a TV. The art is good, and jumping around was actually funny.

Great work.

I really enjoyed the game. I played for eleven rounds and used all the spells, I think. I really liked that the third spell not only destroys enemies but also wipes everything, including the candies, which makes it a double edged sword. I loved that detail. The game progression was really good, which in my experience is rarely seen in endless games. I liked the art and the use of the trick or treat theme.

Well done.

I really love the concept. It reminded me of the movie Night at the Museum. I liked the dialogues, casual yet never boring. The gameplay is very clever and makes wonderful use of the visual theme. I liked switching between cameras. However, the controls were very confusing for me, and because of the camera angles, I often found myself bumping into something or getting stuck somewhere. I can see a lot of potential in this game, but it needs some work on the controls.

Great work.

Great work. I enjoyed playing the game, especially after collecting all the candies when lots of skeletons chased me on the way back to the TV. That was intense. Well done.

The game is very fun to play. It reminds me of escape rooms with the timer and the intense feeling of stress and suspense. The art is great, and the atmosphere and overall graphics are wonderful. However, it is very hard to locate the remote. I would suggest a smaller map or maybe a hint system.

Great work.

Very clever entry. I loved the game and the different levels with their unique controls. I really liked how the controls are physically part of the TV instead of being simple keyboard bindings. It really boosted the game feel and the atmosphere you created.

Thank you for making all the levels accessible from the start, because I could not beat level 2 even though I managed to beat every other level. The game is so much fun and one of the most unique I have played in this jam in terms of mechanics. Truly well done.

Nice work. This is the best main screen I have seen in this jam so far. I like the game concept and how it combines multiple aspects such as resource management and monster taming. Gotta get them all, or should I say gotta catch them all, LOL. I liked both mini games. Although the genre is completely different, the game gave me a vibe similar to Costume Quest. You should definitely look it up.

Nice work.

Very solid platformer game. The art is great, the levels are balanced and well made, and the controls feel good and not floaty. The use of the theme is very subtle, to the point that even if you removed the TV, it would not really change the game. However, the twist "checkpoint system" is very solid and can actually save you some time while playing, which I liked. The game lacks some game feel in general, especially in the audio side. That being said, I really liked the squash and stretch of the character while jumping. It is a very nice touch.
Solid entry. Great work

I know it can be really frustrating when your game becomes unplayable, but hey, whenever you fix it, give me an update. I will be waiting for it.
The game seems to take inspiration from the early Donkey Kong games, which is enough to make me eager to try it

Thank you so much for playing the game. I am glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you for playing the game. The game could indeed benefit from more gradual pacing. My main concern was the average player’s attention span, and I really wanted players to see as much of the game as possible. That is why I even added the option to skip levels. I now see how that could affect the player’s learning process and their gradual understanding of the game. Thank you for pointing that out.

As for the controls, you made a very solid point.
Thank you for your kind words and your feedback.

Thank you so much for playing the game. I am really happy that you liked it and found it a solid entry. As for the minimalistic palette, I really love it, especially monochrome, because it lets you focus on the overall drawing rather than shading, highlighting, and adding details, which take a lot of time. Thank you again for playing the game.

Thank you so much for playing the game and for your feedback.

This game is really fun. I got kind of hooked on it. The art is super good, simple, very clean, and neat. The controls are satisfying and responsive. The game is set up perfectly for a fun play session. Well done.

At the start of the game, when you display the lore or the story behind it, the meteoroids still spawn. This is not a user friendly design choice. I recommend making them spawn only after the dialogue has completely finished. Honestly, my reaction when I died while reading the dialogue was, “Dude, let me read!”

Unique entry. I like how you took a casual and common game concept, “Find the Differences,” and infused it with an atmospheric psychological horror twist that took it to a whole new level. Great work.

Great entry. I finished the neutral ending and loved the game. The story, the art, and the music were all amazing. For what it is worth, I refused to switch the music. Shout out for making your own tracks. I aspire to create mine for my future games as well.

I really felt stupid :( when I realized I had been manipulated all along. It made me think, am I that easily fooled.

The mini games were good. The mirror one could use a bit more polish, but it was fine overall. As for the radio mini game, I have been fascinated by sine waves for a while, so I was curious how you validated the player’s waves against the intended one. Did you use length and amplitude with an error margin.

Anyway, great work.

Great work. The game gives me a vibe similar to Devil May Cry but in 2D, and I think many others would agree with that.

The controls are great, and it feels really satisfying to cut through all those monsters. However, the game is unfortunately quite unbalanced and difficult, at least for me. The spawn rate is way too high, and ranged enemies can stall me almost forever because of how their attacks are set up. When combined with the high spawn rate, it becomes overwhelming.

Another point is that the music was a bit too loud for me.

The art style is wonderful, and I would really love to see this game not as a survival game but as a 2D side-scrolling hack and slash, beat ’em up, level-based game.

Great work.

I love this game. The concept behind it is so neat, and combining it with elements of psychological horror makes it even better. I am not going to lie, the eye of the watcher will haunt my dreams for a while.

“Prove your worth” was the main thought in my head while playing. It is sad how this idea can dominate almost everything in modern life, which made me relate to the poor alien squid even more. I loved that the watcher speaks in gibberish, which really adds to the confusing and tense atmosphere you created.

I noticed that you have to avoid the red orbs to get a better answer, and with the great controls, avoiding them gave me a mixed feeling of anxiety from an unwanted outcome and satisfaction from the responsive gameplay. The art style and overall atmosphere of the game are wonderful. I just wished the experience had lasted a bit longer.

Wonderful work.

First of all, let us take a moment to appreciate the art style. It is really good, simple, very elegant, and to the point. Shout out for that.

The game itself is clever, and while I was only smart enough to solve the first three levels, I could definitely see the effort put into the level design. Shout out for that too.

I felt like the game was a bit too difficult for me. I am not sure if it is a problem with progression and balancing or just a skill issue on my part.
The controls can get tricky, and while the camera angle makes the game look amazing, it also adds some confusion to the controls to a certain extent.

All in all, it is a wonderful entry.

Tip: one thing I always do to make sure players get to see the whole game is to include the option to skip levels. It is a real game changer. Sometimes I make a level that is very difficult or unbalanced, and if the player finds it too challenging, they can skip it and experience the rest of the game. This helps them understand the game better and enjoy a smoother experience overall, which can even lead to a better rating.

Well done! This is the most unique game I have seen in this jam so far. I really admire the risk you took with this one. The whole game is about aiming, but combining that with the skill tree and the main goal of wiping out all the flicks made it a well executed strategy game that is both satisfying and addictive at the same time.

I loved the intro and the music. Even the white noise did not bother me, which it usually does.
My only point is that the chromatic aberration while reading the “how to play” section gave me a real headache. Other than that, it was a really fun experience.

Thank you so much for playing the game. Honestly, this is the kind of reaction I have been longing to see, or rather to read. :)
I intended for the story to have an unhappy ending from the very beginning, but maybe I went a bit too far. I just hope it turns into a folklore tale someday so kids will not glue themselves to screens, LOL.
As for the game feel, I honestly used every tool in my belt for this one, and thank God it paid off.
By the way, I am over the moon that my game was even remotely similar to Into The Breach. I love that game.
Again, thank you so much for playing the game.

Thank you so much for playing the game. I am really glad you found it fun and liked the art.
Unfortunately, the controls were a big flaw in the game. It completely slipped under my radar, and I did not notice it until it was too late. I am planning to fix it after the jam and do proper player testing for my future games.

Thank you again for playing the game.

Thank you so much for playing the game.
As for shuffling the obstacles, that was intended to introduce chaos, and it seems to have worked well. :)
You nailed it! The enemies with colored weapons are indeed the ones that can turn. It might be a strange choice, and it was not something I planned for. My original plan was to draw a new sprite for each turning enemy, but honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work needed to achieve that.

On top of that, it was really hard to come up with something that strikes the right balance between having enough detail and standing out on the board, no matter the sprite direction, especially with a monochrome art style and very low resolution (16 pixels).

What do you think would be a better way to distinguish between normal enemies and the ones that can turn?
Thank you again for playing the game.

Thank you so much for playing the game. Honestly, this is the kind of reaction I have been longing to see, or rather to read. :)
I intended for the story to have an unhappy ending from the very beginning, but maybe I went a bit too far. I just hope it turns into a folklore tale someday so kids will not glue themselves to screens, LOL.
As for the game feel, I honestly used every tool in my belt for this one, and thank God it paid off.
By the way, I am over the moon that my game was even remotely similar to Into The Breach. I love that game.
Again, thank you so much for playing the game.

Thank you so much for playing the game. I’m glad you found it unique and liked the art. I’ve been doing some exercises to improve my art.
Thank you again for playing the game.

Thank you so much for playing the game and for your feedback.

Very impressive entry! It is really amazing how you managed to put together all these different features. The game itself was funny to play and satisfying to look at, and the music was amazing, it kept me hooked the whole time. I loved that the soldiers turn into ghosts that hunt you if you do not put them down in time, that was the chef’s kiss.

I have a few points to mention. The game felt a bit slow at times, maybe a speed-up button would help solve that problem.

For a better game feel, when you click on a tower to upgrade or select a soldier, it would be nice to show that through an outline shader. You can find many free outline shaders on the Asset Store, and they really add to the overall polish of the game.

I also felt that the reindeer was a bit too strong and fast, even with the wizards slowing enemies down. Probably just a skill issue on my side, haha.

Great work! You inspired me to make a tower defense game, which I have never done before.

Thank you so much for playing the game to the end, it means a lot to me.

About Helltaker, I had never heard of it before. I just googled it, and it really does feel similar. I will definitely give it a try.

About the ending, honestly, I was aiming for an unhappy ending right from the start. I really wanted to break the “happily ever after” stereotype, and it just felt right for this jam.

As for the controls, they were not thought out well unfortunately. I will work further on them after the jam.

Again, thank you so much for playing the game.

Hello again!
This is my first jam with a visual theme, so I can totally understand the confusion. Nevertheless, you did great.

About planning not to have a visible path, I am happy you did not go with that. I think it would be a bit frustrating to die without knowing why. Also, from my experience with the game, I found that the level design focused mainly on the path itself and how the enemies are scattered around it, and that really clicked for me.

Lastly, I know you planned to reveal the path gradually as a learning process when the player dies and completes a mini game, but from my experience with jams, players usually do not wait for these things to happen. They may spend only about five minutes on average trying the game, so that approach might feel a bit slow for them.

All the points mentioned above are based on my past experiences and are not necessarily true.
Again, you did great!

Amazing entry! The way you put the art together is the best I have seen so far in this jam. The art gives the game a lasting creepy atmosphere, reminding me of Don’t Starve. It is really well thought out how there are multiple ways to die. I like the floaty controls that make it difficult to stay on the main path, and I like how little by little the game becomes harder and harder.

However, I think the game could use a few more elements to spice things up in terms of gameplay progression. I liked the music too, it is a great choice and really boosts the feeling of solitude in the ocean.

I wonder how you interpreted and used the visual theme in the game.

Great work!

Great entry! I love how the game looks. The combination of 2D and 3D is spot on. Even though I’m not a fan of FPS games, I really like how smooth and satisfying the controls feel. The world design is great, and with some story and interesting missions, I’d be ready to delve deeper into the world and play more. Great work! I hope to see more content from the game.

Great entry! The concept, art,  intro, and effects are all pretty good in general.

My only points would be about the game restart after you die. It takes a bit too long to restart, and this could negatively impact the replay value, especially in game jams. On the other hand, the game itself feels a bit too fast when it comes to picking the door. Sometimes I don’t get the chance to pick one. I get that the timer adds suspense and action to the game, but it just needs a bit of tweaking and balancing.

Overall, great entry!

Thank you so much for playing the game to the end, you just made my day.

About the screen being too filled with props, if you mean the board itself, then yes, in certain levels it is indeed a bit too crowded with enemies, obstacles, and other elements. The obvious solution was to make the board itself bigger, which I did, but that also meant I had to extend the level design along with it, and I didn’t have time for that, so I canceled it. Maybe, as you said, making the tiles bigger would be a better solution.

If you mean the level in general, I’ll be honest with you. Some of my past games were a bit too empty, so I was determined not to make the same mistake with this one, but maybe I overdid it. One thing I did to keep the focus on the board itself while still keeping the surroundings detailed was to make all the props around the board inverted in terms of color, hollow in a way, so they blend in better and help highlight the board itself.

Again, thank you for the feedback.