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Oh wow, thanks so much! This was such a nice surprise. It was really fun (and a little nerve-wracking) to watch someone play my game and seeing the chat reactions. I did feel bad every time you got hit by the enemies and wonder if I should have reduced their frequency. 😂

Appreciate you grinding till the end to see the ending.

Will check out your game as well!

What an absolutely incredible entry! Definitely among the top for Gameboy Soul and Graphics.

I love the level designs in this puzzle platformer, and had a lot of great a-ha moments. My only minor gripe is that the jumping physics feels a little too heavy. I kept jumping into enemies in the first few minutes of the game but eventually got used to it. Saw a few bugs but nothing really game-breaking and totally understandable for a game jam.

The pixel art is amazing, not just the foreground sprites, but also all the tiny details such as the ability icons in the UI, the background, the level select screen. This game strikes a perfect balance between “juice” and simplicity of a Gameboy game – I am once again reminded that those two are not mutually exclusive for a GBJAM entry.

The music and overall audio are also very fitting with the vibe of the game, gives a lot of retro feel to it.

Congratulations on the game and keep it up!

Neat entry! The amount of fish/content in this game is amazing!

This is a very relaxing game, if this was fleshed out into a full release I (and my wife too) would have bought and played it on a Switch, even if this was the only core game loop.

Some aspects like audio and visual effects take a bit of Gameboy soul, but it balances out with the movement and the Pokemon-like graphics and gameplay.

Keep it up!

Eyy, a fellow Gold Rush themed game!

The platforming and shooting mechanics felt smooth and responsive. I’m getting a lot of Contra and even Metal Slug vibes. I had fun playing on the survival mode too, props on adding that in to the game.

Keep it up!

Oh my god that intro sequence was:

First of all, this has one of the best presentations in the jam. Expect top marks for Graphics and Audio. All of the background music tracks are wonderful. The intro track that syncs with the scenes, the main theme and battle themes are very fitting with the game’s atmosphere. I particularly loved the story – the lore gives a lot of Dune vibes, and I would definitely watch a limited series or a sci-fi movie with that premise.

Now on to the gameplay and some constructive feedback. The RPG elements and the turn-based combat was very well-done and fun to play. Definitely reminds me of a lot of RPG games I played on the GBA back in the day, so that’s plus points to Gameboy Soul for sure.

I would have given Gameplay a perfect score because the game loop is genuinely fun if not for the ff minor gripes:

• I had difficulty understanding the toxicity mechanic at first, and I would sometimes abruptly die without knowing what happened. This makes me forget to manage my toxicity level most of the time. Some clear feedback like the Pokemon poison effect would have helped. Could just be skill issue from me though.
• the tooltip/instructions for how to use the cannon was too quick and unreadable for the first few times
• since I kept dying I also had to repeat my steps and rebattle some of the enemies. This made the game a bit too grindy, which would be perfectly fine for a normal game, but less so for game jam games where people are eager to finish games so they can move on to the next (I admit mine’s a bit too lengthy too so I learned that lesson in this jam)

Other than that, this is a very solid entry and definitely a contender for the jam’s winner. It’s amazing what you guys have come up with in 10 days.

Congrats and keep it up!

Sure! You can reach out on Discord or Twitter

I just realized you made Wash from the Brackeys jam too, which I also really liked.

Hope to see you again in more future jams. 🤝

I was excited to play this game every time I saw your updates on Discord.

Top marks on graphics and audio for sure — the pixel art is absolutely gorgeous, the characters, and the train scenes are all beautiful. Your sunset parallax made me insecure about mine haha!

The background music on both scenes are also really well done. I especially love the rising pitch sound effect when the game starts.

Unfortunately there isn’t much to write home about on the gameplay side of things. The platforming felt a little clunky, especially with how the player is forced to roll on every small jump or drop, how I get knocked back when I bump on walls, or how I instantly get hit by enemies the moment I climb up the ladder to recover.

I understand you guys ran out of time, and I would have loved to see more of it. Fighting my way through the train roofs was amazing.

Anyways, congratulations on the entry and keep it up!

I held off on this entry when I saw that it’s Windows only but I had to setup a virtual machine on my Mac when I found out you guys (or some) are Filipino!

First of all this is an underrated gem and more people need to see this game.

The graphics and art style is really beautiful and charming. As a dog owner myself, the dialog is hilarious and relatable. The puzzle mechanic is really simple and neat as well.

I need a criteria for “Has a Bark Button” which you would have gotten 6/5 for.

Finally, kudos to everyone on the team for pulling off this entry together in 10 days. I used to have a hard time dealing with 2-3 teammates in past jams, let alone almost a dozen!

Congratulations, and next time try not to submit 48 seconds before the deadline!

Big fan of your GB and retro games, this one is definitely another jam winner in the making.

The art style, effects and gameplay all give off lots of Gameboy soul, so top marks on that for sure. The simple pixel art is really charming. I am definitely taking down notes from this one for my future GBJAM entries: that toning down on effects and sprite detail doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing Graphics.

I love the interpretation of Old Gold as well, and only the second “oil” themed game I’ve played in the jam so far.

I would have loved more levels and more difficulty, but this is just a good enough scope for a game made in 10 days.

Congrats on this one and I hope to see you again in future jams!

Hi! I uploaded a new build here which hopefully resolves the issue.

https://alphonsus.itch.io/gold-rush-1898-fixed

Please let me know if this one works now. Thanks so much for showing interest to my entry!

Ohh finally, a shmup game!

The soundtrack is an absolute banger, and that bass is nasty. I stank faced the whole time. The shooting action is smooth and had just enough juice too to keep me playing for a few minutes.

I look forward to seeing more content if you plan to continue working on it!

This game is going to make me cry 😭

First of all the graphics are really charming and easily one of the most polished out of the entries I’ve played so far.

The time swapping feature is a really neat mechanic. I like how there were several use cases for it.

Lastly, this is one of my favorite takes on the theme. What better way to make an Old Gold-themed GBJAM game than making the Gameboy itself “the” Old Gold.

Congrats on the entry!

Hell yeah, I need me some of that sweet dino oil!

This was a unique take on the Old Gold theme, so kudos on that.

I like how the game uses the same map but on each level/objective there’s different things to do. The Zelda-esque movement and map transitions helped give off a good amount of Gameboy feel.

My the best part about this entry is probably the bosses – great work on making a good amount of variety and behavior for each one, that can sometimes be difficult to pull off with limited time. My favorite boss was the one underwater near the bridge.

My constructive feedback would be that I easily get stun locked a lot. Some more invulnerability duration would have been better. Although it could just be a skill issue on my end.

Keep it up!

すごい!

I have been following your progress on Twitter and was very excited to check out the finished product.

Something about this game feels very Game Boy! The soundtrack is very charming and fun. Love the underwater variation of the music when you swim. And the pixel art is very retro. Simple but beautiful!

I thought the diamond card with the three piranhas was a bit difficult, but I succeeded after a few tries.

Great job and keep it up!

Hi everyone, the original submission contains a major breaking bug that occurs on certain FPS rates.

If you experience it, please try the new build here which should resolve the issue: https://alphonsus.itch.io/gold-rush-1898-fixed

Thank you!

Hi guys, I uploaded a new build here which hopefully resolves the issue.

https://alphonsus.itch.io/gold-rush-1898-fixed

Please let me know if this one works now. Thanks so much again for showing interest to my entry!

Hi guys, I uploaded a new build here which hopefully resolves the issue.

https://alphonsus.itch.io/gold-rush-1898-fixed

Please let me know if this one works now. Thanks so much again for showing interest to my entry!

Hi guys, I uploaded a new build here which hopefully resolves the issue.

https://alphonsus.itch.io/gold-rush-1898-fixed

Please let me know if this one works now. Thanks so much again for showing interest to my entry!

Hi guys, I uploaded a new build here which hopefully resolves the issue.

https://alphonsus.itch.io/gold-rush-1898-fixed

Please let me know if this one works now. Thanks so much again for showing interest to my entry!

Hi, unfortunately this is a known bug that happens to some players. Could you tell me which browser and OS you’re using? Thanks!

Ok this is hands down the most polished entry I've played so far, in terms of graphics and platforming movement. Sound effects and music are really juicy too. Top marks on both for sure!

Possibly my favorite aspect is how every level/room efficiently introduces a new mechanic or ability without a single word, whereas most games would write walls of dialog to teach the player that.

That being said, having cool effects and lighting shaders kind of takes away a little bit of Gameboy Soul. Not that it's a bad thing!

Anyways, awesome work and congrats on a very solid entry!

I have been following your progress on Twitter and was really excited to try out your game.

This entry has the most Gameboy soul out of all the games in the jam I've played so far. Not just with the pixel art, but the movement, the level design, the obstacles that block you from entering areas of interest, and even the tiny details like the sign posts that give out clues about the game.

I felt like a 9-year old playing Pokemon again for the first time, and I think that's what the GBJAM is about.

I would give Gameboy Soul a 6/5 if I could!

I really enjoyed watching your process, especially how you used pen and paper to plan out your levels. I should try that some time!

Thank you for making this beautiful game, Hidebu!

First of all, the art on this game is gorgeous. Love the buttery yellow and orange palette!

Secondly, the gameplay is really fun and the "old means more gold" mechanic is a clever take on the theme. 5 stars on secondary theme for sure.

Finally, the worst thing about this game is that there are not enough levels! NEED MOAR NUGGETS! I was saving one to hopefully reach 1024 ha!

Anyways, great game and one of my favorite entries in the jam. Keep it up!

Shiver me timbers! That was a really cool entry! And a unique take on the theme that I haven't yet seen.

Love the relaxing pirate music too.

Great work!

This is one of the more polished entries in the jam, and one I looked forward to playing whenever I saw your updates on the Discord.

As I mentioned on Twitter, the art style and color palette are gorgeous in this game. Love the writing and the characters and their Animal Crossing-esque dialog voices as well, definitely top marks on Quirkiness.

Great work and keep it up!

Thanks so much for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it despite the hiccups.

May I also ask which browsers and OS you’re playing on? I’m seeing  if I can do something about it.

Hi, can you tell me on which browser and OS you're playing on?

Is the rest of the game (timers, jump) working except for the autoscroll?

If it's the entire game that's freezing - the game pauses when you click out of focus from the viewport.

Always love a little mining game where the game loop involves earning gold to get upgrades. I like the risk vs reward stability mechanic, especially as someone with a high risk appetite.

Unfortunately I think I accidentally spent all my gold on upgrades near the end and didn't have any left to buy another permit, LOL. I will try again and attempt to finish it later!

For some constructive feedback, I think the screenshake was a bit too much. Also, some more juicy feedback on breaking the blocks would have been nice, since that's the main thing the player would be doing. I would look at games like Core Keeper or even Minecraft for some inspo on that.

Other than that congrats on the game, and keep it up!

Eyy, Dig Dug: Dragon Edition!

The art style on this one is really charming, and the choice of color palette really stands out among the rest.

Awesome work and congrats to the team!

Wow, that was a really charming and polished puzzle game!

• I love how the rogue-esque "turn-based" movement was implemented as a puzzle mechanic. Really makes me take a few seconds before taking each step, and completing the level felt very satisfying.
• The music is top-notch and really fits the vibe. I've always wanted to do incremental BGM on one of my games too.
• The sound effects are also really tasty.
• I need more levels!

Top marks on this one. Keep it up!

Short and sweet! Nice work on the slippery platforming mechanic, cool level design as well.

Keep it up!

Great game! First of all, the pixel art on this looks really nice, and I love the soft yellow color palette.

It was really satisfying to get to one/two-shot the golems after some attack upgrades.

My only constructive feedback is that topdown action games like this would have been better with free movement (like Zelda)  as opposed to tile/grid-based.

Nice work on the procedural room generation.

The chiptune background music was really cool as well.

Keep it up!

Yeah I'm thinking hidden treasures, ancient relics, etc. "Gold" doesn't have to be literal gold as in the precious metal, or currency.

Old Gold!

First of all, five stars on audio and graphics. The bass guitar as sound effect is really cool and fitting with the hopping animation. I've always wanted to use musical instruments as dynamic sounds on my games too. The visual style is also on point and fits the premise and story really well. For some reason it reminds me of the movie Pi (1998). The tiny details on the background really add to the tone as well.

My only suggestion is that I died a lot early on, especially since the controls take some time getting used to. I would have made the player die less, with fewer obstacles or floors you can fall off of. Secondly, although I eventually figured out what to do, some clues in the dialog would have helped. E.g. Dumbo hinting that he/she has hands and can interact with objects.

Other than that, this was a really beautiful and poignant game and I'd love to see more of it. Keep it up!

Great puzzle game! The Twitter Gnome feed is a really cool concept, especially the humor. I like how I thought I had it all figured out, and then after executing my solution realizing there's one more thing I missed. Art style and aesthetic is really polished as well - if someone told me this is a full release and not a game jam game made in 7 days I would have believed them!

Cool gameplay mechanic, great graphics and aesthetic! I just rage quit in the end LOL

Fun little shooter game! Firstly, I was going to say it got repetitive in the end, before I realized I could restart with a new set of primary and secondary weapons. There's actually a lot of replayability here for a 7-day jam game!

Secondly, at first I thought the association to the trust no "one" theme was kind of a stretch, but as I played longer I realized there's actually more depth to the "avoid 1s" mechanic, because then I had to think about when to split or merge back. Kudos on thinking of a way to integrate the theme into the actual gameplay rather than just slapping it as part of a story or flavor text (like I did with my game 🥲).

Great game and keep it up!