Gameplay / Fun / Engagement: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Art Style / Visuals: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audio / Sound Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Theme: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
this kinda feels way bigger than a jam game lol. I really liked the whole caravan snake thing where every cart actually matters and losing part of it changes what you can bring home. There is a surprising amount of actual thinking here and I didnt expect to spend this long planning moves.
The first few turns could be easier to read though. I think instead of explaining everything with text Id make the game teach you by forcing a couple simple actions at the start. Move here. protect this cart. attack this enemy. then let the player loose. Took me a bit to understand what I could actually do.
Id also make the direction home VERY obvious from the first second. Maybe a permanent little village icon at the edge of the screen or a compass arrow. In a game where every move matters going the wrong way because you misunderstood the map feels pretty painful 😭
Visually this looks awesome. Easy 5/5 for me. One thing Id still change is separating gameplay stuff from the environment a bit more. The forest has a lot of detail and sometimes units kinda disappear into it. Maybe slightly darker/desaturated ground with brighter outlines under enemies and caravan parts would help without ruining the look.
Some enemies could also communicate attacks earlier. Especially anything that can hit a big area. A short red preview on the tiles before the attack happens would make losing carts feel more like "yeah I messed up" and less like something random just deleted half my caravan.
The turns could be snappier too. Id add a fast animation option or maybe hold space to speed enemy movement up. Once you understand the game you mostly want to see the result and start planning the next move.
And one more small thing. Starting a new run and choosing the carts could be smoother. Id make it something like click cart -> it instantly goes into your caravan with a clear number showing how many slots are left. Maybe even save your previous setup so retrying doesnt feel slow.
Audio is honestly great. The music fits the stormy road vibe really well and gives the game a lot of atmosphere.
Really impressive game. Theres already enough here that I could easily imagine a bigger version with more cart types weather events and different roads home.
If you have some time please check out my game too :) Id really appreciate a rating and some feedback!