It's a nice game. I agree with the other commenters, the controls make it a little hard to handle. I see that you were focused on making a narrative game.
I would reccomend for next time that if you want to make a narrative-heavy game that you center your efforts on it. Making a platformer is a hard thing on its own, I would also reccomend that for a jam you took one or two mechanics instead of adding so many elements: enemies, spikes, springboards, wall jumping. It sets up a lot of work for you and makes it really hard. It's always good to try though and I'm sure you learned a lot from making this game
I didn't make it past level 4, so I can't really make a comment on the story. From what I've seen though, it's nice, I liked the animation, it was really creepy. I wish you good luck on your next game!
Level 4 is basically the last level anyways, so you saw all there is to see.
Thanks for the feedback, and I think you're completely right. Since I had 2 weeks, I assumed that I'd be able to squeeze in a good amount of content, but it came out kinda rushed.
I played it from start to finish and I actually liked it a lot! I was expecting the dark turn since there's the big warning but the contrast is well done and man, those eyes are creepy!
I had some problems with the floaty controls, which from other comments I read don't seem intentional, but in some way they added "creepiness", I think. Stay with me here: it's not that I'm scared of low gravity mechanics, but in this context, it seemed... otherworldly? I felt some kind of disconnect that in some way helped me feeling uncomfortable (which is one of the goals of the game, right?) Also, this made the game more challenging.
All of this said, very well done! Keep up the good work!
To start, the cheery immediate opening music set the mood very well! This initial excitement and curiosity, however, soon gives way to the powerless feeling of inevitability as I desperately toss flowers during my descent to death (which I hope is intentional). The controls are rather floaty, which make the wee cyclopsling prone to dozens upon dozens of deaths by falling rather than anything else. I'll be honest -- I vastly prefer the company of the bully bunnies over the endless chasms of spikes and pits. Then again I am a filthy casual who hasn't touched a Mario game in over 10 years. :)
But, ScPlays, I knew you were most excited to show off that "psychological horror" heelturn, and so I persevered and kept playing just for you.
It takes me a while to learn that "cheering"... heals me...? In addition to stopping the bunnies from bullying me and making them strut around with slightly better posture.
I see... I can touch them as long as I throw flowers at them. They won't report me to HR as long as I butter them up first! So even if I take damage initially, I can regain health. This is very neat, and allows for some nice strategizing. I found myself skipping bunnies here and there, so I may later return to them for some health if I happen to be impaled by spikes a little bit.
This is around the point where the weird smoky moray eel of a tentacle woman appeared, and we zoomed into her nasty face for some reason. She sucks smoky soul juice (?) out of my poor cyclopsling like a vape, and overall poises herself menacingly at me, before she glitches out under the weight of my disdain.
The bully bunnies now seem to have evolved into rabies rabbits, foaming at the mouth whenever I throw flowers at them. But!!! Even if I take damage, I now regain health with EVERY flower throw!!! :) :) :) Idk that this is intentional, but it was incredibly delightful for me to have infinite energizer rabies rabbit batteries. If only there were more rabies rabbits and less chasms of death.
The eldritch woman's domain is endless abyss, surely, given that that's how I have primarily died. The moving clouds don't provide momentum, so when I jump up, gravity pulls me down like a rock.... I imagine this is a dark analogy for the vaping moray eel woman sinking her claws into me and dragging me to hell.
So I stopped around here -- once I got through to the spiky pit and had to rely on my (lack of) wall jump abilities, I couldn't quite cut it. I hope I didn't miss out on anything interesting...
Attack-to-heal is a great concept, and probably one of my general favorite mechanics in video games. I appreciate that it's utilized here with a unique and fun idea, and wish you the best on your journey to full release.
I didn't expect a full review like this but thank you so much. I love the way you managed to interpret bugs as features. Again, thanks for playing. I'll play Pinkmatch when I get a chance, friend.
You really didn't miss too much if you stopped after the first cutscene. Act 3 was not completed and thus is only a preview of the tileset, really.
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It's a nice game. I agree with the other commenters, the controls make it a little hard to handle. I see that you were focused on making a narrative game.
I would reccomend for next time that if you want to make a narrative-heavy game that you center your efforts on it. Making a platformer is a hard thing on its own, I would also reccomend that for a jam you took one or two mechanics instead of adding so many elements: enemies, spikes, springboards, wall jumping. It sets up a lot of work for you and makes it really hard. It's always good to try though and I'm sure you learned a lot from making this game
I didn't make it past level 4, so I can't really make a comment on the story. From what I've seen though, it's nice, I liked the animation, it was really creepy. I wish you good luck on your next game!
Level 4 is basically the last level anyways, so you saw all there is to see.
Thanks for the feedback, and I think you're completely right. Since I had 2 weeks, I assumed that I'd be able to squeeze in a good amount of content, but it came out kinda rushed.
Oh hey, this is cool!
I played it from start to finish and I actually liked it a lot! I was expecting the dark turn since there's the big warning but the contrast is well done and man, those eyes are creepy!
I had some problems with the floaty controls, which from other comments I read don't seem intentional, but in some way they added "creepiness", I think. Stay with me here: it's not that I'm scared of low gravity mechanics, but in this context, it seemed... otherworldly? I felt some kind of disconnect that in some way helped me feeling uncomfortable (which is one of the goals of the game, right?) Also, this made the game more challenging.
All of this said, very well done! Keep up the good work!
I'm glad you liked it. It's funny to me that the unintentional floatiness seemed like a mechanic to you. I guess that's just the nature of bugs.
[spoilers? I guess?]
To start, the cheery immediate opening music set the mood very well! This initial excitement and curiosity, however, soon gives way to the powerless feeling of inevitability as I desperately toss flowers during my descent to death (which I hope is intentional).
The controls are rather floaty, which make the wee cyclopsling prone to dozens upon dozens of deaths by falling rather than anything else. I'll be honest -- I vastly prefer the company of the bully bunnies over the endless chasms of spikes and pits. Then again I am a filthy casual who hasn't touched a Mario game in over 10 years. :)
But, ScPlays, I knew you were most excited to show off that "psychological horror" heelturn, and so I persevered and kept playing just for you.
It takes me a while to learn that "cheering"... heals me...? In addition to stopping the bunnies from bullying me and making them strut around with slightly better posture.
I see... I can touch them as long as I throw flowers at them. They won't report me to HR as long as I butter them up first! So even if I take damage initially, I can regain health. This is very neat, and allows for some nice strategizing. I found myself skipping bunnies here and there, so I may later return to them for some health if I happen to be impaled by spikes a little bit.
This is around the point where the weird smoky moray eel of a tentacle woman appeared, and we zoomed into her nasty face for some reason. She sucks smoky soul juice (?) out of my poor cyclopsling like a vape, and overall poises herself menacingly at me, before she glitches out under the weight of my disdain.
The bully bunnies now seem to have evolved into rabies rabbits, foaming at the mouth whenever I throw flowers at them. But!!! Even if I take damage, I now regain health with EVERY flower throw!!! :) :) :) Idk that this is intentional, but it was incredibly delightful for me to have infinite energizer rabies rabbit batteries. If only there were more rabies rabbits and less chasms of death.
The eldritch woman's domain is endless abyss, surely, given that that's how I have primarily died. The moving clouds don't provide momentum, so when I jump up, gravity pulls me down like a rock.... I imagine this is a dark analogy for the vaping moray eel woman sinking her claws into me and dragging me to hell.
So I stopped around here -- once I got through to the spiky pit and had to rely on my (lack of) wall jump abilities, I couldn't quite cut it. I hope I didn't miss out on anything interesting...
Attack-to-heal is a great concept, and probably one of my general favorite mechanics in video games. I appreciate that it's utilized here with a unique and fun idea, and wish you the best on your journey to full release.
With soggy love, Wudgey.
I didn't expect a full review like this but thank you so much. I love the way you managed to interpret bugs as features. Again, thanks for playing. I'll play Pinkmatch when I get a chance, friend.
You really didn't miss too much if you stopped after the first cutscene. Act 3 was not completed and thus is only a preview of the tileset, really.
Added you! Gotta say that the premise of your game sans floaty controls had me legit stoked for a hot minute.
Also, deep appreciation for the hours you put into Phoenix Wright -- that game's a big inspiration for me, too. :)