Super cool concept! I had just left a comment on another game about how visibility-based platforming mechanics are a cool idea but hard to implement. This is a really cool take on that idea! If you explore this idea further, I think having some more feedback to orient yourself in the world would be nice. I had a really hard time judging my timing relative to falling. The bar at the top of the screen really made this playable for me, I think it'd be nice to be able to drop a marker onto that bar once per level or something (particularly for the more complicated multi-part levels like the last one). Overall, really cool game!
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Down to Timing's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #936 | 4.054 | 4.054 |
| Audio | #2734 | 3.143 | 3.143 |
| Enjoyment | #3965 | 3.065 | 3.065 |
| Artwork | #4080 | 3.185 | 3.185 |
| Narrative | #6871 | 2.042 | 2.042 |
Ranked from 168 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?
Down to Timing turns the countdown into a gameplay tool, where players must listen, count, and learn the timings of their movements to make their way down each level before the clock runs out.
(Optional) Please credit all assets you've used
See description for full credits!
(Optional) What would you like to be called if GMTK features your game?
Ben Bevan, Nebster on itch (Ben will do!)
Comments
Good concept, but I think we might need some onboarding at the beginning.
Submitted
1999 Midnight DispatchSuper rewarding to FINALLY beat a level (which sounds like was the goal).
I understand why you didn’t include music to not overshadow the steady beat of the metronome, but having something to ground me on each run as like “the start of a bar”, to think of each level as a musical phrase somewhat, and being able to accurately count the offbeat (which I found myself doing anyways since solutions rarely worked for me by only inputting on beat) would be really helpful for being more consistent. But maybe I’m thinking too much like a musician. Overall really cool concept!
Submitted
bom bolVery unique concept that clearly fits the theme. I could see myself playing it more with some polish, it's quite satisfying to master early sections of the level and cruise through them as you learn the rest. My one complaint is that the controls on mobile are a bit difficult, varying jump height by holding the jump button makes it much harder than if there was a set jump arc.
Submitted
AmadalInteresting concept, but I found myself just spamming jump button and right arrow to hopefully get somewhere. I don't know how enjoyable this game could be, I feel maybe if there was like blinking darkness to the metronome, instead of pitch black? Otherwise, I really enjoyed all the art and the audio really fit the theme!a
Submitted
Fish Train - In SpaceReally interesting concept but the core gameplay loop is not very enjoyable as it deprives you from the most important sense. And when I reach the goal, it's not as satisfying. Really happy to see experimental take on the theme though.
Also for the onboarding, maybe if you could see the level first and then hop into the blind mode where you try to time the inputs, the players could have more of an idea on what they might have to do, so the first playthrough of each level doesn't feel like just a guessing game.
Other than that, fun experience, I like the simplicity of the art style.
Edit: Ah, I just read the previous comments and these were already mentioned. Well, it's still feedback!
Submitted
BomboreA really interesting concept. It's easy to understand, but difficult to master, the first levels were quite frustrating as I understood, but didn't yet feel how it worked, but later, counting the timings was really fun. I would suggest, though, adding some sort of ability to briefly view the level before the first run, like a light blink, so that players wouldn't need to completely guess the level (or was that your intention?).
The metronome sound really created an interesting atmosphere, though maybe having some background ambience to complement it could elevate the vibe more. If you were to expand the game, I would suggest maybe trying out adding some music to parts of the game, I can imagine the metronome could get quite tiring by itself in a longer playthrough.
Submitted
Club Down! 🧨Thanks for the feedback! You were correct that going in blind was my intention, the levels only slightly iterate, designed for the player to repeat what they did last level before finding out what is different and then also allow me to mix it up a bit to surprise them with new layouts. Revealing the levels before each run would ruin the surprise but a lot of people have suggested it so I am thinking of ways to compromise! I do also plan on adding music but as the metronome was 60bpm it was hard to find music with a similar vibe at 60 or 120 bpm.
Thanks again for playing!
This is strangely interesting, but the first level should have a map or at least allow you to see the level for one second, otherwise it feels stressful.
Submitted
Welcome to my WonderlandThis game was actually so fun to play! I love how creative the entire game loop of blindly going through a map and seeing what you did is. Super duper cool. The amount of audio is just perfect. Not too much distraction and clean.
Feedback:
- Maybe just to add to the scope of your game you could create different themed environments just to switch things up
- I think adding a character customizing page could also make the game feel more personalized
I honestly don't have anything bad to say about gameplay because it felt like an actual polished game! Just adding more content would be cool! Keep it up!
Submitted
FifteenUff frustrating, but nice idea! I just wished there was some indication of left or right movement indications as well, along with jumps. But then realised may be the metronome was there to guide as well :D
Submitted
Escape the CaveGreat game. Wished for a speed up (not skip) option but still very playable and fun
Submitted
NETHEREIGNI managed to get to horizontally moving platforms, but no further. It's really clever how you decided to use a metronome for this kind of concept, and also include it as a sort of logo/visual. It was a bit difficult for me to rely on it beyond the first 2-3 moves though. I think this might be due to the character sticking to walls? So a minor difference could result in you losing a lot of speed? But it might also be a skill issue.
The game also has a distinctive artstyle. Even if it's just simple shapes, it looks pretty good!
I wonder if having more audio cues would make the game more approachable. Like having sounds for nearby damage or moving platforms and such. Just spitballing here.
Submitted
Research And DetonationSimple concept, really well executed. After i figured out the concept i found myself hamnmering space to skip the killcam so that i could try and do it fully blind! So cool! Good job dude!
Submitted
Kiss the Homies - GMTK 2026
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