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On the Head of a Pin's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Artwork | #394 | 4.333 | 4.333 |
| Audio | #437 | 3.810 | 3.810 |
| Narrative | #2131 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Creativity | #2204 | 3.762 | 3.762 |
| Enjoyment | #2691 | 3.333 | 3.333 |
Ranked from 21 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?
The seconds count down... to your victory! The only problem is surviving until then. Build on your past deaths and see that counter reach zero!
(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?
Jam Jar Games
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Comments
Really interesting idea and nice artwork. Maybe I'm just tired but I feel like the game is moving too fast for me to work out what's going on though.
Wow - this is one of the most intense and beautiful games that I have come across in the 2026 jam! The pixel style is amazing, the sound design is great, and the gameplay is down right frantic.
Seemed impossible at first, but after a few resurrections it clicked for me! I could build up shields and stay alive just long enough to get in some attacks.
Great job. One of my favorite games so far!
I can see the potential that this game will be a full game! I love the concept of the whole game, Morely the artwork, just in the gameplay sometimes I lose myself, maybe I'm just skill issue XD
But overall great game!
I will mention that I didn’t read that this game built on your past deaths. When I died the first time I was sweating bullets getting ready to remember each move I needed to make with pinpoint accuracy. I was pleasantly relieved to find I had body doubles of past me’s to rely on(should’ve read the description more carefully). It was fun to discover the mechanic and very addicting game loop. My only note is that it can be really easy to lose yourself in the sea of past you’s, but I think that could be a really easy visual fix. Really fun game and the sprite animations are awesome!
Fun to play and great idea.
Great idea but most of all a lot of fun to play.
very cool idea, and well implemented. Graphics were amazing.
Only problem is I found being one shot a bit frustrating as a lot of runs I would die before figuring out which character was the current one, and I was never really close to running out on the timer until the last few lives.
haha yes this seems to be the most frequent feedback, we were just about to put that in but didn't quite have time.
Thank you for playing, and glad you enjoyed!
the game is really fun and i love the visuals , you should expand on this game
Thank you for playing! Happy you enjoyed it :)
I could easily see this becoming a full game with more fights and hero types, this game was top notch in quality! The only thing I'd add is a red (or other bright color) circle/outline to your current character. I lost myself many times, but had a blast nonetheless!
Thank you for playing! Happy you enjoyed it so much :)
Character indicator was definitely on our list of todos, just didn't quite have the time unfortunately! 😅
The visuals here are top tier, def one of the best looking I've seen! The gameplay also reminds me of the "Loop" theme from past GMTK jams
Thank you for playing and glad you enjoyed :)
52 deaths later, I beat the game lol
Cool idea, I would not have beaten the game if not for the past deaths helping me out lmao
Although idk if it's just me but sometimes I couldn't tell where I am or what I got hit by
Thank you for playing :) and finishing!!
Yeah, we put the zoom inside to help with being able to tell what killed you/the summoner, but it can be hard with so many bullets on screen!
Actually had a question for you - was/is it clear that you can kill the hands? Not sure if we should have explicitly stated it or not.
It was clear to me, if I remember right the hands had a hp bar below them so I think that's clear enough?
I like the whold art feeling from the beginning to the end, also the UI text and the particle effect, good game
Thank you for playing, and glad you enjoyed!
Yes our artists are pretty fantastic, as a programmer I'm always amazed with each sprite/animation they came up with!!
Wow, this is incredible! Really well fleshed out and polished game. Only downside is the balancing. A few tweaks here and there to fix that would make this an excellent entry for the jam. I mean... it is already :D Edit - I beat the game ( 49 casualties :/ )
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Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for playing :)
edit: And congrats! 49 is not bad! - it can take a lot to get everything down.
I like the concept and the interesting intro; there are lots of animations, and it looks great.
Unfortunately, it’s too hard for me—I can’t manage to beat the whole thing.
It’s tough. It lacks some minor visual UX improvements; at times, the screen becomes a chaotic mess. Also, the fact that knights die from a single hit—or even just a touch—makes the game extremely difficult. It’s hard to tell when I’m actually landing a hit and when I’m not. So far, my record is 25 seconds.
Thank you for playing!