Play game
Kickback's itch.io pageRate this game
In order to rate this submission you must be logged into itch.io and have submitted your own entry. Anyone with an account can leave a comment.
Godot Version
4.7.1
Theme Interpretation
The player charges punches, resulting in different block and player movement mechanics.
GWJ Participation Level
1
Team Size
1
Generative AI Disclosure
I confirm that this jam entry does not contain any AI-generated content
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.








Comments
Awesome game!! Very easy to pick up but really challenging puzzles, and great style too. Haven't quite made it past level 13 yet, but I'm not going to give up! Great job!
I was very pleasantly surprised for this being your first GWJ! The level of polish is super high for a jam game, and I really liked it. TBQH I would probably pay for it, I think you should make more levels and do a full release
You are very kind. I will add more levels, but I probably will not sell it. If you're interested, check back in in a few weeks and I might have the updates uploaded and an optional payment setup.
I do have jam experience with Ludum Dare and the GMTK jam. It's just been awhile, and I have only ever had 72 hours before. So the 9 days has been a welcome change vs what I'm used to.
cool! good luck!
very fun game, great job!!
Very fun game! Though very difficult for my puzzle skills. I wonder if there are multiple ways to solve a level. Level 15 felt like a reward after level 14.
Thank you for playing!
Some puzzles have multiple solutions. Level 14 actually has 2 solutions I know of. But most of them have one intended solution and, probably, a few unintended ones.
Lvl 15 is definitely my favorite. I think you sorta need to use all of the things you've learned to solve it, without it being too difficult to reason through. And agreed, I think lvl 14 is the hardest. I wanted at least one level that really leaned into the use of the overcharged recoil to move around.
Beautifully designed puzzles, an absolute joy to work through them. So many 'aha' moments when you realise why there is a spike trap or breakable block and have to rethink your solution.
Thank you for playing! It's always nice to see someone past lvl 13. I tried to be deliberate about breakable block and spike placement. Red herrings felt like a cruel addition to some already difficult puzzles.
Such an incredibly well thought out puzzle game. Teaching the player how to play as they're actually playing the game is such a difficult task to try and get right and i think you nailed it. It feels like the challenge is just right, Not giving away the answer in every room, but just enough of a hint with the level names and previous built up knowledge to help figure things out.
Very impressed. A technically competent little game with a wide variety of puzzles & mechanics. Well done!
Thank you for your kind words.
I don't know how people do puzzle games in 48-72 hour game jams. I felt like I needed every day to iterate on the levels. Names too, actually. I spent more time than I will admit on renaming levels.
You did well! I attempted the same in a previous jam! It's tough work and whilst i think i did an OK job of teaching the player as the game went on(I even threw out named levels last minute, it's hard!) yours is on another level.
This is impressively polished!
The progression of levels is very well done and teaches you the mechanics fluidly. I only made it to level 14 so far.
My one gripe would be the ui of the punch charging, because it seems to be a more 'gradual' charge, it took me a bit to understand that there was only 3 levels of charges, though the colors help, I having the 3rd level only represented as a full bar and a red color meant it got me getting "stuck" for a bit before discovering the 3rd charge level and how the charge worked.
I also really appreciate being able to undo a move, feels like a huge time saver in a puzzle game!
Thank you!
Haha, "only" 14. I'm happy you got as far. I think 14 is the hardest, and 15 is my favorite.
Yeah, it's one of the only things I'm still not sure how I'd change. But I'm open to suggestions. I'm planning to add another 15ish levels after the rating period is over, as well as to fix/improve aspects of the game I've got feedback on.
Do you feel like it's a UI thing, a timing thing, or both? Is there anything you'd suggest that might improve the game feel or player feedback?
And thank you. If I didn't have the undo implemented early, I'd have rage quit by Tuesday.
I think it's mostly a UI thing, otherwise the timing is good and the mechanic works well.
Maybe you could the charge bardivided into three equal parts, and as you charge, when a section gets completed it pops out and the gauge changes color as it does now, that way you'd visually see the three punch levels and it'll be clearer which one you is enabled.
Well made puzzle game across all aspects! May I ask how do you make puzzle game level? Like, how do you turn a simple mechanic into interesting levels that grow in difficulty over time? What’s the process like?
Thank you!
I don't know if I have much insight for you. I don't think I had a process for this project that I would know how to distill into something helpful/reusable for others (or even myself).
I don't know that I could recreate a similarly good game with similarly interesting levels in general. I think this was just a combination of a good jam theme, a simple enough idea to implement in a day, and 8 extra days to think of puzzles and to polish. And even then, I've been kicking myself since submission for all of the changes I've wanted to make after the fact.
Well done! I love how the game teaches you the mechanics gradually and makes the player feel smart for figuring it out. Really clever and original idea too. Thanks for making this!
Thanks for playing!
Awesome game! I really hope this wins. This is the epitome of a jam game to me, a simple, but unique mechanic, minimalistic design, attention to detail and most importantly a complete game. Good job! I only got to level 10, but I would love it if you checked out my game for a minute, you seem like you would be very qualified to give an honest and reasonable review :D
I was stuck at stage 2 for 10 mins wondering what to do, then i realized its a charge punch. I'm too dumb lmao XD, Overall good game :D
Yeah, I tried to make it clear on the startup menu and in the game page under the controls.
I think I realized that adding a gif of the gameplay somewhere is probably the simplest way to signal that to people.
Great entry, one of the best. Making puzzle games is tough as hell, and you have a great talent for it.
Thank you! It was certainly time consuming. I was finding issues in the puzzles up until about 2 hours before the deadline. Glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this! I finished all levels, 14th and 15th were truly pretty tough but also really satisfying to figure out. I think the gradual teaching of mechanics worked perfectly, I didn't even see there was a cheatsheet in the description at first. You've done a wonderful job at level design and, honestly, everything else. Great work!
Thank you for all of your kind words.
I'm so glad somebody confirmed they finished it! I was worried it would be "I got 13th lvled" or "I didn't realize I could charge punch" every time I read a new comment. I needed someone to experience lvl 14 and 15!
In retrospect, I wish I added a "last level" and "next level" button so that people could jump around if they needed refreshers or wanted to skip 13.
I also got got by level 13! Really fun!
Thank you for playing!
I also got got by level 13! Really fun!
I also got got by level 13! Really fun!
This is SO GOOD! Puzzle design is not easy you you managed to make some really tough ones. This is a super unique and cool take on the Sokoban puzzle.
Thank you for your kind words! It has been my first attempt at a puzzle game for a jam. I was worried I'd draw a blank come time to make the puzzles, but I'm so glad I did it. It was more fun than I thought it would be!
Also got 13th level'd, haha.
Really cool! The chain reaction logic was cool, and I think you did a good job of explaining mechanics/behavior pretty succinctly through the early levels. The undo option was really cool (over forcing a full reset), and the music was good for thinkin' to.
Good work!
Thank you! I do wish I added more tutorial puzzles, but I appreciate the kind words.
Up until yesterday, I had it set up to reset the whole puzzle on death. The number of times I stepped on a spike at the end of a long level was embarrassing. I was really happy it was so easy to just tie death into the undo system.
Gave up at 13th level :d
Solid puzzle game. Thanks!
You're not the only one! I think only one person so far has gotten past 13. Thanks for playing!