Really nice art and music, and the gameplay is solid. I just felt like it could use a short tutorial or hint system, since it took me a while to realize that some buttons require you to stay close until they fully activate. Or maybe I’m not smart enough. who knows? xD
Play game
Off Beat (GMTK 2025 Demo)'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Audio | #433 | 3.807 | 3.807 |
| Creativity | #1126 | 3.965 | 3.965 |
| Artwork | #2692 | 3.368 | 3.368 |
| Enjoyment | #2858 | 3.158 | 3.158 |
| Narrative | #5483 | 2.035 | 2.035 |
Ranked from 57 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
You must loop rhythms in order to complete puzzles!
(Optional) Please credit all assets you've used
I made all of them for this jam
(Optional) What would you like to be called if GMTK features your game?
Penni Pop VT
Comments
Really great sound design, haven't figured out how to play immediately, but i think its a good thing.
Oh wow that definetely stands out. Awesome game, really mindbreaking and unique puzzles! I only wish there was an easier way to press the buttons instead of awkwardly moving back and forth
I think I figured it out? Maybe? After a certain point there were too many things going on in the background music for my ears to pick up on individual parts (assuming that does matter), and sometimes the pillars would say I was “correct” when it didn’t feel I was, but I got a decent amount in.
I unfortunately had to stop before reaching the end (the last level I reached was the one in your fourth screenshot, which I just couldn’t get to work). The puzzles were confusing me as-is, with solutions working that I didn’t expect to, but the breaking point for me was the timing. Even if I was 100% sure what rhythm I needed to perform, it often took me over a minute to actually successfully do so. Because the player’s motion is locked to the sixteenth note grid (and thus they don’t move until the next sixteenth note), I found I typically had to press the movement key before the sixteenth note I wanted to move on, which made my inputs feel very disconnected from the audio. What seemed like some kind of lag on the more complex levels later on exacerbated that.
I do think this is a really interesting mechanic, and if the game taught it a little more clearly I think this could be quite a strong puzzler. The graphics are nice and give off a relaxing vibe, the rhythms are fun and bouncy (it’s always nice to see a music-based game with at least slightly non-trivial rhythms)… it’s well-made. It was just the execution part on my end that prevented me from fully enjoying it, unfortunately. I’d definitely be interested in playing a touched-up version of this in the future, though, as I haven’t see anything quite like it before.
(Should note: I also experienced the softlock at the start of the game someone else mentioned earlier. It’s precise, but as far as I could tell not frame-perfect, so I think it’s pretty feasible for people to run into it before they’ve figured out the mechanic. This is why it’s often a good idea, when designing puzzles involving a timing that’s supposed to be impossible, to make said timing very obviously impossible; this one turned out to actually just barely be possible, so since I kept just not making it, I kept trying it instead of looking for a more logical solution. Of course the softlock revealed to me that was the wrong move, but…)
This is a really creative entry! There are a lot of rhythm-based puzzlers this jam, but yours stands out a lot in terms of mechanics. The amount of player agency in how to construct rhythms and solve puzzles is cool, and as a musician myself, I love how you actually get to create music in the process. (The music is great, by the way, and an excellent example of adaptive sound in a game.) The sort of surreal, minimalist visuals and sound create an excellent atmosphere around the puzzles, as well.
I agree with your sentiment re: tutorials - too many games dampen the sense of discovery by front-loading controls and explanations. However, I think you could have taught the mechanics better in the level design early on. It took me a few minutes before I figured out I was supposed to copy another pillar, and several puzzles after that to realize I got to choose my own rhythms at all. The puzzles became really interesting from there, but I wish I had gotten to experience that fun from the very start. That doesn’t mean a “tutorial”, of course - clever level design and visual telegraphing can often do a much better job - but with a complicated mechanic like those rhythm towers, you want to make sure the player gets it as quick as possible, so they can enjoy the puzzles!
(Side note - I believe movement was locked to 16th notes, which makes sense. I was having about a 16th of input lag, though, which meant it was hard to get into the rhythmic flow. That could just be my computer, but it’s something to keep in mind.)
Overall, one of the most unique games I’ve played this jam by far. You’ve found some unexplored ground here, I think. Well done!
you win!
it took me a moment to (kind of) understand how the mechanic works. being conditioned from other games I tried to time my movement to the beat, or rush the platform before the pole timed out.
definitely a challenging game, and a lot of effort in level building :)
also, I think I found a small bug / race condition:

The art style is very cute, the sound is great and I personally think it was a great idea to give no instructions whatsoever! Even if, yeah, probably not the best idea in a game jam where people most likely will play your game for 2 minutes, not understand anything and move on >.<
I’m not sure I can say I understood the game, but I sure made progress! I think it’s a very unique idea, or at least I haven’t seen it done anywhere else. I can definitely see the sort of puzzles that show up with these mechanics you’ve created, so all I have to say is
Good job!!
im so glad u think i made the right choice LOL! it's tough but i LOOOVE games with no tutorial and inductive learning it's so freaking cool. i tried my best but i know there are definitely points i could've added more clues! oh well 'll do it in the update. GLAD U MADE PROGRESS!! thank u sm for playing!!!
Very challenging game for me. You really need to think your way through. I really like the music, it really sets the vibe. Great game!
" i refuse to explain it" - is a very bold statement for a game jam, but I think it was the right move! Took me a bit to get the hang of it, but felt really good when it clicked.
That got me hooked and the banging beat kept me playing. Five out of five for audio!
Very fun!
I took me randomly circuling a pillar to get to the first solution, and even so i only really get the mechanic a WHILE later
I like the idea of not having instructions, but it probably could have more in-game tips
it doesnt help that i only know if i got right after a rotation, not right after the last input, so i ended up overwritten a otherwise right solution
i eventually got lost in a part with a lot of moving plataforms and a red and a black controller, but couldnt get those in sync to get into the first plataform
very fun, great mechanic and amazing sound design!!
This turned out great :) I’m so glad you pulled it off. I love how even when I’m failing at rhythm, I still feel a beat.
Thanks for stopping by my streams!
Really interesting mechanic! It's hard to work "music" into "gameplay" but you had some unique approaches here. Well done!






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