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A jam submission

Ross Saves Video GamesView game page

Submitted by RobsomeStudios — 20 hours, 40 minutes before the deadline
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Play masterpiece

Ross Saves Video Games's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Fun#1153.0453.045
Graphics#1223.1823.182
End-of-life plan#1333.4093.409
Theme relevance#1413.3183.318
Overall#1453.1003.100
Sounds#1962.5452.545

Ranked from 22 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

End life plan
After the jam, this game will remain on my itch.io page. In the description I've included the cartridge image which can be loaded by anyone with PICO-8. I also have downloads for it to be run natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Also, I'll be uploading this game to the Pico 8 forums.

Transparency note
ChatGPT was used for writing the scripts for enemy and collectable behaviors.
The platforming scripts were used from a tutorial at nerdyteachers.com

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Comments

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

So my dad actually used to work as director of animation at RobsomeStudios, he's the guy in the episode of Sout-

Jokes aside, this was fun. The levels were short and fairly easy, which made me really eager to try and get the good ending. The choice of enemies is very subtle and off-the-nose. Speaking more on the enemies, when I started playing I kept dying by jumping on, uh, "The Second Generation Hire", but other times I would survive. I figured it was some weird inconsistent behavior. I realized what it was though: the death ferrets. They spawn above Tho- uh, The Second Generation Hire, and have their hitbox active instantly, meaning they can (reverse) spawn-kill you. Having their hitbox be disabled for a bit after spawning, or maybe even after landing, would make it a lot more fair.

As for the POTUS, the player character being centered on the screen means we don't always have time to react to him shooting away his wad of paper. They probably caused most of my deaths as well, so you're not alone there. Having the player be slightly more to the left of center when walking right, and slightly to the right of center when walking left, would allow the player to see more of the level ahead of them and having time to react. There is a tiny delay after landing that prevents you from jumping, and that shit killed me so many times, where I reacted to a wad of paper in time but just could not jump. That was probably the only thing I found really frustrating. 1inthechamber below mentioned the hitboxes being a bit too big, and I do kind of agree. Dying was annoying, but like I mentioned earlier the levels are so short that you catch up quickly.

I love the parallax effect on the sun, and the fact that the levels are themed after different times of day. It's a nice way to add an extra feeling of progression other than just the fact that we just started a new level. When I went to a lecture on level design, it was mentioned that a change of environments is a great way to signify progression. And in general, it just makes things feel more varied than only having a daytime overworld style.

The spritework in general is really nice, love the PICO-8 simplicity. Keep making cool shit!

Submitted(+1)

funny game, Hitboxes are a little to big for my taste. (i dont know if its Pico-8 technical boundaries) 

Submitted(+1)

Cute, i like the retro gaming.

Submitted(+1)

Making Ross Scott himself the playable character, in sunglasses, running down the road recovering media, is perfect for this jam specifically. It's a direct and affectionate tribute to the campaign rather than a game with the theme bolted on.

PICO-8 was the right pick: light, instant to load, and the 128x128 limited palette look came out charming. The sun, the tree, the cloud, the asphalt with the yellow line, all simple and readable. The title screen showing the bedroom with the bed, desk and PC is a nice touch. I scored 100 picking up a CD on the road and the score feedback is immediate. And naming the enemies The Corporate Exec and The Second Generation Hire is a good joke. Announcing the scope up front with "1 amazing platforming level, exactly 2 enemies" is very game jam and I respect it.

One practical note that isn't your fault: to start the cartridge I had to click the player, then click inside the game area, and only then press Z. That's just how PICO-8 web works, but it's worth writing "click on the game screen before using the keyboard" on the itch page, because plenty of people give up thinking it's frozen.

The jump has a small delay that hurts when an obstacle is close. Otherwise, small, honest and full of care for the cause. Liked it a lot.

Submitted(+1)

I really like the art style :3

Submitted(+1)

Cute.

Submitted(+1)

Your game is great but it don,t have music.

Submitted(+1)

I liked it. It's fun that you can jump on others' projectiles. I will bookmark and try to get the good ending. Ross needs me!

Submitted(+1)

Hah.. very cool :D I was toying with the idea of doing something like this 

Submitted(+1)

1980 vibes, I love jumping on the businessman lol. nice game!

Submitted(+1)

Moving around and attacking enemies felt good. I sometimes felt like the businessman's projectiles were difficult to avoid, but since stomping on them works anyway, it is not a big issue