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microcosmic's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Fun | #124 | 3.774 | 3.774 |
| Presentation | #149 | 4.065 | 4.065 |
| Overall | #186 | 3.742 | 3.742 |
| Creativity | #414 | 3.387 | 3.387 |
Ranked from 31 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Preferred Name
Lume (pronounced "Loom") & Shambolic Blue (or just "Blue"), we both use they/them pronouns
Newbie?
Yes - I'm new to game jams!
How does your game fit the theme?
There is a "Launching Sequence" minigame at the start of the level which gives you a little boost depending on how you do at it and influences your score!
Additionally I've always wanted to make a Sonic-like since I'm a fan of the franchise, but I always thought it'd be more than I could pull off, especially with the slope physics– but I figured I'd just get started. The end result is not perfect, but I'm proud of what I was able to pull off in 10 days! It's very motivating, it makes me want to see just how much I would do if I just kept going, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you for this opportunity! -Lume
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Comments
This game is pretty fun! Even though I got inside walls a couple times I was never stuck and it was fun to go fast! The music and art are also great!
really awesome game! the visuals are truly amazing. would love to see further updates. nice work!
Super cool game! Love the art style and the whole sonicish vibe!
I saw this on the stream and wanted to try! I got a B, which is better than I expected to do, lol. I love the color scheme and art (the main character is so cute and the running is very fluid looking). It's a very fun, satisfying game to mess around in. Surprised to see it's a first time entry, it's wonderful and fun. Congrats on the first jam entry, and congrats on getting played on stream <3
tysm!! :>
Cute game. The left shift boosts, but the right shift key didn't seem to work.
Gonna be honest I forgot about the right shift key ^^' I should've written "Left Shift to boost", though ideally the controls would be changeable
I had fun with this game, running and jumping on the walls is sometimes buggy, but it's fine for jam. I really like the background music and the color palette makes the game look pretty nice even with primitives. This is a great start, needs some polish and more content and it will be a solid game. Great job!
thank you :D
Thank you for the feedback! When you say the controls and gameplay loop need some work, are you referring to glitches or game design issues? If so could you tell me more about it?
This is a little buggy at times with collisions (which is understandable), but overall a really good looking and sounding game. The sprites and transitions look really well made, and this is great for a first game.
Oh nice! I liked the "rhythm game" intro, I didn't catch it was one at first, but when I got it, I enjoyed it very much, it made me nostalgic of old flash rhythm game I played online as a kid! Also, really, really pretty, the character design was pleasing as much as interesting! the colour palette was cohesive too, really well done!
Thank you!! I really love chara design so it makes me super happy to hear that, especially since it had to be made in a day and I usually overthink my designs way too much– thank you for the confidence boost!
I know how it is, I love chara design too, and had to go for the first idea because I was too worried of putting more time on that when there was so much else to do xD but you have a great aesthetic sense if you made that without thinking it too long! GG!
Hello fellow offline chatters! Let me just say I thoroughly enjoyed this game! It was so fun boosting and running around, the starting sequence is pretty unique and I really like that part of it too! I know it's short but the proof of concept is there I feel and I'd really love to play more levels! The music and sound effects were GREAT as well! Oh and I really liked the secret passage like that, that was really cool! Amazing job to you both and definitely keep making games! Oh and not sure what the best letter grades are? I tried a few times and got two S-'s and a W lol.
Thank you for playing!!
The letter grades were rushed on the last day, so they're not quite how I wanted them to be. I wanted to have them go from F- to S+ with a special L rank if you had a rough start and W rank if you had a head start– but due to time constraints they only depend on score without checking for the start quality, and the score itself has not had time to be playtested and may not be balanced.
And more content is definitely coming! I don't know how much I'll keep working on this game, but I want to make a full first level and patch up some bugs or game design issues at the very least! The fate of the game depends on my motivation, which depends on the reception it's getting, and so far it's super encouraging, so thank you for that!!
The controls response felt a bit clunky, and had a bit of a hard time getting used to it, but you should be very proud of the game it's a great first game!!
Thank you for your feedback! I'd like to know what you mean by "clunky". Is it the choice of the keys to input that isn't intuitive? The way the character responds to those inputs? How the character then interacts with the level?
And do you think it would have helped you better grasp the controls to have more lower stakes area in the early parts of the level with room to fail without dying?
This is just like that dream I had...
Woah! A speedy, starry platformer that makes a pretty good first impression! The dreamy aesthetic is really charming with prominent theme of stars. Although it was a lot of white and left a bit to be desired. The controls are a touch awkward at first but once you get used to them it's pretty fun to try and navigate the level as fast as you can! A few wall collision issues here and there but nothing that got me completely stuck!
Lots of potential with this! And for being made within the game jam time span? You should be proud !
Thank you so much^^ I wanted to make some actual background assets, but as the only artist, programmer, and game designer, I had no way of fitting a full tilemap into 10 days– so default Unity #FFFFFF white it is! But I intend to update the game with actual background assets, at the very least because I've got no experience making those and would like to try my hand at it.
Tysm for your feedback!!
Nice controls creates an interesting dynamic. The collisions are a bit off and make for some odd play.
I enjoyed the game! It was a rough first game with an F score, but on my second try, I found the other path and got an S. I enjoy the movement and the starting mechanic. Is the up key a bit bugged or am i not reacting fast enough? Otherwise, great game!
I've never heard of anyone else getting delay with the Up key so it might be your reaction time ^^' However I'll keep that in mind and test it out, the Up key specifically was coded differently from the other inputs (though it still uses the same input system) so there definitely could be some oversight in that code! Thank you for the feedback! :D
The launching sequence at the start felt a little weird honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of that bit, but I think you did a really good job here the physics and bouncing, though buggy, are really impressive.
By "weird" do you mean in how the minigame played itself or how it related to the rest of the gameplay? Is it a problem with tutorialisation? I know some players assumed the minigame was a tutorial showing the controls, did you also struggle to understand what that minigame was? And if so, does the minigame get better on retries once you've learnt what it does, or does the disconnect persist?
It felt disjointed from actual gameplay, I thought it was a tutorial at first, but then nothing was happening. and it went on for a while and then suddenly i was at the actual level. I played it a few more times afterwards, and I think that the main issue is that it doesn't transition well into the level. after pressing all the buttons, suddenly the level is happening, and the character stops in place for a moment until you press the right arrow.
if you added a flashing sign to signal people to press the appropriate arrow key when the minigame finished so that the movement into the level was seamless, I think that would help a lot.
also the shift key looks way too similar to the up key imo.
I see, thank you for the feedback! I intended for the "launching sequence" to *actually* launch you into the level, but I couldn't fit that into the scope of the game. I'll try to make a smoother transition in my update! Also the shift key looking a lot like the up key is an intentional fakeout, I personally enjoy games that check both reaction time and for a correct symbol (like jungle speed or dobble) so I wanted to put some of that in there! Originally, the minigame was going to be much more devilish and randomly give fakout prompts (like an arrow on the space/shift key's rectangle background or vice versa, or a prompt that both has a symbol and text that reads an incorrect input)– so you were spared from that due to time constraints^^ I don't want to give up on that idea, but I think I'll keep it for much later, harder, areas of the game
lmao, yeah if thw fake out was intentional, then I have no issue
Hm ...
I was a bit dissappointed (?) or maybe surprised - somehow after the gorgeous main menu with the chill ambience, I did not expect a gotta-go-fast next.
But with that out of the way, the game was great. Loved the Play-session time for a level, and as you mentioned i guess you were eager to add some more but deadline cut you off there.
However i think its a great display of what can still come, therefore: well done!
And congratulation on finishing your first game jam.
Valid! My vision for the game, if it were to be finished, has a story with a dreamy, abstract, metaphorical feel to it, which could not fit within the scope of the game jam, and was conveyed in the aesthetic but not in the gameplay. My intent was to get a form of flow state vibe that merges difficulty and focus into a calm but active state, while remaining lighthearted and fun. But thinking back I don't know if that was achieved, nor if that direction is a good fit for a sonic-like.
Though I must ask, so I can weight your criticism and know if this is an issue I need to fix or player preference, do you generally dislike sonic games, faster paced, or platforming games? Do you prefer relaxing games? Or is it only the disconnect between the expectations set by the main menu and the core gameplay that ticked you off? If so, do you have any suggestions on how to better convey the intended user experience for newer players, whether that's in the game or on the itchi.io page or description?
Sure thing -
So it was really just the disconnect between expectation and actual gameplay - which I also did not take into rating.
Suggestions , lets see...
One thing is the sheer comparison of the bpm and beat of the soundtrack during the main menu.
Another thing that comes to mind, the pencil is depicted the line static... maybe an animation where he swooshes the line and then the menu buttons appear.
If any further idea come to mind, ill write them here later.
Oh that's a good idea! I barely had time for assets so I could not animate the menu more than the lineart wobble during the jam time– but I'll see if I can make a full animation for the next update. Thank you for the suggestion and feedback^^
I do believe the disconnect you feel comes from the lack of a visual and musical transition between menu and level rather than the pace of their respective scores
it is a problem that we may address in a future update
thank you for the feedback
The movement, art and sound design are amazing, although the former takes a bit to get used to. The minigame at start is a nice inclusion and serves as a good warm-up round before the game begins.
Thank you!^^ Do you find it would be easier to get used to the movements if the level left more room to experiment with lower stake platforming in the early areas? And did you find the difficulty curve to be too steep for you? *furiously taking notes*
I'm not platformer expert, but the starting area felt fine, I managed to get many stars on my first attempt, and discovered a hidden area before I ran out of time.
The movement needed a little bit to get used to but when got hang of it felt pretty good. Definitely fun to play, also great art and music!
The music and art are awesome!
I would definitely play more levels!
Thank you^^! With all the kind comments we're getting I'll definitely at least make a full first level. The level design was kinda rushed and I'm not happy with how short it is, thank you for the motivation :D
it was fun and i liked how it felt