I think you have a really solid concept, and it's clear what you're trying to accomplish with the game. The mechanics you've shown so far seem like a good fit for the idea, and your production plan feels realistic and well thought out for the game jam.

One thing I really liked is that the game teaches players about something most people probably don't know much about. I actually had to look up what grafting was so I could fully understand the concept, which made me appreciate the educational side of the game even more.

You've clearly put a lot of thought into both the limitations and potential of this project. Its great to have an idea that has the room to grow and change as the game goes on while keeping scope in mind. The music and art style go well together and give off that same whimsical energy that puts the player in a headspace to get lost in the minigames you've designed.

I like how the gameplay can become more complex through the use of hybrid plants. However, from the puzzle gameplay it looks like plants only have one rootstock and one scion slot, so it’s unclear to me how hybrid plants work. Does this mean that plants will have multiple slots? If so, it might get confusing as more rootstock and scion options are added, so something like trait icons might help players quickly differentiate between them.

• -Gameplay – Does the project have clear mechanics, win / lose conditions, and player progress / interaction?
  • Through the grafting concept demo, that portion of the gameplay loop seems relatively clear, although it is a little unclear to me how some of the minigames will work gameplay-wise, even with the minigame demo video. The gameplay descriptions are succinct and clear, though, and seem well thought-out.  
• -Aesthetic – Is there cohesive visual, audio, and/or narrative direction?
  • Unrelated to my other thoughts, but I love the little dude dancing on the itch page :3
  • Based on the visual design of the production plan, all the concept images and gifs of the little dude, and the queen, it seems to me like the visual direction is very consistent across not only the game, but the project and team as a whole. It definitely is helped by the presence of multiple multi-disciplinary team members.
  • The music is absolutely beautiful and imo fits rlly well with the theme of like grafting plants together and the visual style. Also I am a huge sucker for low strings, so this is like hitting all the right places for me. The development throughout the song is also absolutely wonderful too, and really encapsulates the feeling of going from a little bit of variety through the song into the very thick with strings texture near the very end.
• -Synergy - Do the game mechanics and artistic decisions support and enhance the project's intended theme and call to action?
  • While I don’t think there’s quite enough yet to talk about the art in this moment quite yet, I may also just be blind, I think the gameplay more than enough supports the theme and call to action of the game, in the very heavy emphasis on using grafting as a way to reintroduce diversity into an environment, as well as the very careful and thoughtful process that is grafting plants.
• -Scope – Is the scope of the project reasonable for the timeline of the jam?
  • From what I have seen so far, it seems that the project is definitely in scope, as you not only have what seems to me like a very scalable idea, but also a clear idea of how to follow through with the idea and have identified potential challenges that might get in the way during production.
• -Production Plan – Is there a clear path to completing the project?
  • The production plan powerpoint quite literally has dated timelines of both production and playtesting, with identified challenges and proposed solutions if you do run into said challenges, along with scalable concepts if issues occur. This project seems well on its way to a successful production and release. I am looking forward to this.

You guys have a pretty good concept so far. The grafting puzzle is really interesting I like how the animation changes when you make your choices great visual choice. The minigame however I would like to see come to fruition and more of how the game is played. 

You guys already have a lot of good stuff going for this project. I'm wondering what is the actual gameplay going to look like — how will the player help the climate recover? What kind of strategies will the player have when grafting plants?

First and foremost, the audio was euphoric and the art style is very cute; the queen is very majestic in a cute way. The mini-game and the overall game has potential to be used in an educational setting for younger kids. However, I was a little confuse on how the mini-games will relate to the grafting (grafting is very cool; I like the concept very much) or will the mini games be separate to the idea /overarching concept of the game. I am curious on how you will increase difficulty for the game as well.; this could be determine based on the age range your team is aiming for.

The concept of splicing plants is super interesting! I think this will appeal to an audience of people with gardening backgrounds, so I suggest trying to be as accurate as possible with the relation to real-life plant splicing, and try and make it reflect in the mechanics!

i think that basing a game off of grafting plants for different varieties of problems is a really cool idea, although i am a bit concerned that the gameplay will be a little too obvious, but it combos well with the games concept. aesthetic is hard to judge at the moment but i think it'll probably come together well. overall looks like a solid project with a really interesting theme, really looking forward to seeing more!

I think this game has a very clear goal and will execute it very well with the mechanics and ideas shown as the foundation of production. The scope and production plan laid out appear to be very thought-out and doable for the jam. I love how this game aims to teach something that isn't commonly known at all (I had to look up what grafting was personally to understand what was going on), so good work in terms of impact. My main concerns lie with the depth of the game in terms of interesting aspects within the mechanics and overall gameplay. I think the foundation is incredibly good for what it is, but I'd personally just want to see more. I also would want to see a clearer art direction, but I'm sure that'll come with time as more and more of the game gets fleshed out. Overall, great work!