3D videocard throttling mega Newton game by orSQUADstra
So, apparently it's a visual novel with a branching dialogue. I tried both branches and got different endings, but I feel like the choice wasn't as impactful as it would initially seem, as both endings included the DLC element.
Bonus points for theme usage - it's not often that I see inertial frame of reference being mentioned, which is kinda the crucial condition for Netwon's laws to apply. As someone who once planned to put "Inertial frame of reference" text in the window caption (I dropped it once I abandoned static view in favour of camera following the player), I appreciate that at least one other person makes proper mention of it.
When it comes to the graphics, they're pretty plain, but they serve their purpose. I appreciate how the background colour changes depending on the mood. The choice buttons are kinda inconsistent with the rest, though.
While I understand it was in a short Jam timeframe and maybe you didn't have time for any voice acting, I still think there could be some audio.
AstroNewt(on) by Willisburg
I tried for way too long, but eventually couldn't get past level 3. This game's controls are just too difficult to work with, especially with these high speed boxes that I can't get the grasp of, and the bullet time that apparently has some kind of cooldown shortly after usage, which means I can't do two brief slowdowns in sequence (crucial for longer sequences). I feel like this game would have worked way better if it was, I dunno, twice as slow?
Too bad, because the concept itself seems somewhat cool and promising. It's the balancing that is too much of a setback to me. u_u'
Aside from that, the graphics were decent, but there were scarce sound effects and no music to be heard.
Billy's Nightmare by Lazertrax
Aww yeah, I'm so awesome I took down more enemies than actually appeared! How's that, nightmares?
Also, the game is somewhat enjoyable for the short while it lasts, and has a good use of recoil based movement, but I feel like some extra effort could have went for adding more variety (there was only one kind of opponent). The graphics are simple but neat, the audio works well enough, overall a solid, if somewhat short entry.
One thing I had to point out: I generally don't like when game forces me to use different controls on menu and gameplay (like here, gameplay was mouse only but menus were keyboard only).
Buttman by Phynam
Huh, I actually found this entry oddly enjoyable, though I'd prefer if the level was randomly generated. Then again, it might be pretty tough to ensure that the game is consistently winnable given the perfect player.
Sadly, I kept dying on that tall building, the one after lots and lots of rocks. I was able to jump on it, but there wasn't a platform I could stand on so it counted as me colliding with it. Then again, by that point I already had way over 100k pounds that the readme file cites as the goal.
DriftWar by Dr. Wolf
So, um, I kinda feel like listening to Deja Vu from Initial D all of sudden.
In this game, you play as a vacuum cleaner. You clean the vacuum from excessive point powerups, unnecessary flags and filthy enemy troops. It's all in some kind of 3D space where you float freely, but it's not an open space - you actually bounce back when going out of the map border.
I cleaned up stage 1 from all flags and what seemed to be all enemies, but I couldn't proceed further (despite manual indicating that's how you proceed). The opponents weren't particularly challenging, but that's a good thing, because I had a little trouble aiming while taking into account the ship movement, and I would rather not start over.
The graphics were somewhat crude, but still functional. The audio was decent. The manual was actually pretty well made; I was mildly impressed (though at the same time... maybe it would have been better to focus effort on the game itself first?).
Drunk Cosmonaut by rio85, Daniel Zimmerman
Yeah, um, I tried multiple times, but I couldn't win. First of all, the controls are a bit too tricky and it's hard to come back after being hit by some asteroid (they are tough to avoid as well). But more importantly, there are these supermassive asteroids which not only hinder your progress on station repairs, but
irreversibly take down the ship's HP. So, if you don't make it in time before RNG throws these big guys at you, it's game over (and RNG will likely throw them before you end your repairs, even if you do everything flawlessly).
Too bad, because the premise was actually pretty fun for a short game, and the graphics/soundtrack were not too shabby either (well, music wasn't very complex, but it still worked).
F = M * Apple by Tom Edwards
Well, it was nice to play for a short while. At first I thought I have to collect the apples, but I quickly enough corrected my mistake and got 2280 Netwonopoints, whatever these are supposed to be, before falling victim to the ridiculously dense bunch of apples (at this point it was more like bullet hell game, except you don't have unrestricted movement in 4 directions).
Audiovisuals were pretty nice, but the apples could be more consistent with the rest (they have these black outlines). Also, the bouncy effect on Newton was kinda neat; I'd have liked to see similar kind of juiciness from apples.
Gimbo The Ghost by RargraveEntertainment
This game tells me to use microphone to jump, but it seems that the ghost jumps on their own, maybe powered by the soundtrack or something? It was enough for me to cross some platforms, collect some coins etc. I couldn't get past even a single hammer, though (let alone a row of these). I can't quite tell how it would be if I used these mic controls...
The graphics were decent if a tad inconsistent (they were from external source, though). The audio was nice enough. I can't see a clear use of theme, though.
Impulse: Out of Time by Siolfor the Jackal
This was actually pretty fun, and the recoil-based platforming here worked so much better than in Paint Bonanza I played earlier (probably because of no cooldowns). The game was enjoyable for the 3 levels there were., though I feel like without more variety it would get stale too fast (seeing that 3rd level was the last one was kind of a relief). I particularly like how main menu features the main character animation with face and gun, and only in the game proper it turns out he's stuck in a wheelchair (that's why recoil was the only option here).
The audio worked pretty well with the game, the graphics weren't bad, but could use some extra work (especially the terrain). Also, it would help to have some kind of parallax effect and/or more varied ground graphics, to give player a better sense of speed.
Newton's Axiom by meseta
The use of theme isn't all that clear to me. Apparently, the game is meant to be governed by physical laws, carrying momentum and applying acceleration and stuff, but one thing that kinda breaks the impression for me is the slowdown and friction
in space.
(oh, and also the ship is meant to be called "Netwon's Axiom", but that itself doesn't really account for the theme)
That aside, I found all these little guys somewhat hard to control and to get in order, so I can hardly avoid a threat (like these yellow rocks) coming my way. In practice, I felt most comfortable once the whole fleet was destroyed and I could focus my attention on mothership. Well, it got destroyed some time afterwards, but still.
Also, is it just me, or there's no audio? I guess that would be fitting for a game taking place in space, though I'm not sure if that excuse still applies if we take into account the friction...
Newton's Cave by Landon, PixelTitan, OverLogic
So, um, I was actually moderately impressed upon hearing there's voice acting there. Then, I was exploring the area, picked up some piece of paper (?) but couldn't really see how to access it (there were no instructions included, neither in the game nor the games topic post). I solved a simple puzzle with placing rock on button, then in the level 2 I couldn't control the character anymore. I retried, but with the same results.
Too bad, I was really curious what sort of things Newton kept in his cave. Especially since when it comes to audiovisual, it seems like one of the definite top entries this Jam. Maybe next time...?
Newton's Laws of Roguelike by Guilherme Oliveira
Well, this was pretty amusing application of theme. I guess it kinda works, too?
The enemies dropped their loot so hard it went through the bottom of the screen. That said, I managed to get a few treasure chests, but I don't know what I really got from them.
The graphics and sound effects worked well enough, but since most of these were borrowed from other sources, I won't take them into account that much.
Newton's Tanks by Zodaris
Hmmm, a simpler version of Scorched Earth, huh? The gameplay seems pretty simple and it should be easily possible to come up with a perfect shot given the distance and wind parameters, though I didn't feel like doing much trial and error to find out; to put it bluntly, the game didn't keep me interested for long. ^^'
(missing audio didn't help, either)
Somehow, I feel like more interesting part of the game would be figuring out what should be the parameters used by the AI, since it seemed to miss pretty often; I mean, it's actually good that AI doesn't constantly hit the player whenever it can, but I'm curious about whether the algorithm used is mathematically correct, and if not, how it can be improved.
Paint Bonanza by Bingdom, Iodine, Ninety
How curious, this game, like mine, includes recoil as the sole method of movement, and it also features a minimap.
What a ripoff!!1
(so what if one game is a platformer, and other is a free-scrolling shooter? Pffft!)
Jokes aside, this is some curious idea, though the execution is not without its flaws.
First of all, I feel like it's pretty tough to control the character, especially when it comes to on-ground movement. The friction makes it pretty hard to get anywhere far, and the cooldown further limits the mobility.
Second, I found character design confusing if not downright misleading, as the most prominent elements of outfit have nothing to do with the faction; instead, it's details like trousers or vest (often partially obscured by the fun) that serve as indication of one's side. And yes, trousers
or vest - the articles of clothing depend on the specific character, so it takes some extra processing to figure out which part I should look at to decide the character's allegiance. The worst offender, though, is the red-faced person, with matching gun. More than once I tried to shoot one until I realised they're allied. In a fast-paced game like this it's vital to allow quick recognition of friends and foes.
(well, I guess I could look at these tiny arrows, but that's the problem - they're tiny and above the main focus, which is the character)
Third, I couldn't see an indication of how much bullets I have or how long it takes till reload. In the game where shooting is not just a way to slay enemies but also a mean of locomotion, it's particularly important to know this information at glance.
The visuals are pretty good (aside from the characters design issues I mentioned), but what I dig the most from this game is the soundtrack. That would be Ninety's doing, I assume?
Recoil on Asteroids by Alice
The best Jam entry of all that I've played so far!
(yes, the randomizer passed me this as the first entry)
On a more serious note, I'm actually quite satisfied with how this turn out. I couldn't make all the features I wanted (especially the upgrade system), but I managed to tie the worst of loose ends and make the game playable and purposeful (i.e. you have scores, and they are stored).
Recoil-schmecoil by ghandpivot
That's actually pretty cool, especially given the amount of time you had to make it. The game is pretty tough, with one hit being all it takes to end the run, and the bot having similar capabilities to you, so often it felt like these fast draw duels from westerns, whether it would be me who shotguns the opponent first or they'll get me this time. Too bad, I feel like loosening some conditions (I dunno, have some limited health that slowly regenerates over time, and have the bots increasingly tougher with each iteration) could maybe open up some strategies? Then again, you had very little time already; I'm actually surprised you snuck in some sound effects in that. ^^
Relative Fray by Yokcos
Hmmm, played around for a bit, but ultimately got kinda bored and ran into these red bullet thingies. I feel like the game is kind of slow, making the ship feel sluggish to maneuver and the overall gameplay not that exciting. Then I played again, and it seems I could steer the ship by recoil, which made the game a little more exciting and fun (and I didn't have to steer with keyboard, either).
The graphics were pretty stylish, the audio was alright, but nothing too special.
Retreadz by HayManMarc
"The ninjas of fruit are up to no good. You must capture their watermelon to proceed."
Well, that sounds legit.
It's a nice little game, though I'm not exactly fond of how the only shot type is the delayed bomb, which seems much harder to fend off these pesky ninjas. Also, when they get behind me, it's pretty impossible to shoot at them from there, which adds to the annoyance. Well, at least negative HP doesn't seem to be an issue (I literally had that at the end of level 1, if stat screen is to be believed).
The graphics weren't very detailed, but worked well. The soundtrack was pretty cool.
Satellites by sylvain_l
The concept is somewhat interesting, though the game feels pretty hard to control; not only you need to coordinate different satellites, but also there are rocket launches, which are performed with arrow keys. Not that I used these much; I only used them for launch before (usually quickly) turning the rocket into a satellite. It's interesting to include two modes - terminator and tycoon - though I feel like the former can be cheesed somewhat easily with launching and switching rocket somewhere high, shortly after launching another rocket a bit lower and immediately turning it into a satellite, and drag the Earth near the bottom (not too far) so that the satellites collide. The tycoon mode seems more challenging, but I feel like have very little control here and I can't really think how I would gain skill at such a game.
Visuals are a bit inconsistent - the background has this smooth gradient to it, the rockets are highly detailed, yet the apple and especially the earth are pretty simplistic.
I really like the choice of music, though.
Shred of Light by Jacob V, Cloaked Games
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm...
On the one hand, the presentation is superb as always. Someone said the music was meh, but I think it worked actually pretty well, and I really liked how there were different variations of specific themes for more intense parts (the audio wasn't exceptional, but it was decent enough, too). Kinda wish these would stick for longer. The story is pretty good, too. I didn't find any glaring flaw in mechanics, and they generally worked pretty well.
On the other hand, there are some more or less major flaws. One thing I couldn't overlook was how it's another platformer from JacobV, which isn't bad in itself, but I'd still like to see some wider range of genres (well, I guess from me it's mostly puzzles or adventure games, but not this time, so ha!). Also, after a while the gameplay felt kinda monotonous, involving either some fights/skips of enemies, unskippable battle royales or recoil platforming segments, often with recharging orbs. Also, I generally would have liked to get more visual feedback when hitting opponent; otherwise I'm not certain if the shards hit or missed.
But there were two things that decided I didn't give this entry the first place. First of all, I found the final boss battle pretty exhausting, especially compared to somewhat easy earlier part of the game. It's not only about the difficulty - it's also related to how the patterns seem to be chosen by dice-roll randomness, and some are clearly more favourable than the other. For example, in the first place the shooting pattern leaves very little room to deal damage compared to sword thrust ones, and in the later phase the horizontal beam is much more likely to hit player than basic rotation. In that regard, a variation of card-shuffle randomness or even static order would make things fairer. So, overall, I found the final boss fight somewhat frustrating.
The other thing was the use of theme, or rather near lack thereof. While the game presents and makes use of the recoil mechanic, it's somewhat overshadowed by battles and other methods of movement (the player character can even jump on their own!). And aside from the recoil I couldn't see clear references other Newton's laws.
In general, it's a pretty great entry, but brought down by weak theme usage and several problems.
Super Power by The M
I guess that's the simulation of some sorts, showing connections between different countries and allowing different researches. However, I can't quite pinpoint whether this game has any specific goal, and if it has, what is it. Also, I feel like the reactions would be more apparent if I didn't have to hover each single country to see how their relation changed, but instead there could be, I dunno, an icon over each country? Some quick indicator to show essential information?
The sound effects are basic, but work. The music is entirely absent, as readme too explained.
The Arena of Flying Balls by Nallebeorn
Welp, the highest score I got was 3 thousand something. I initially didn't know that I can use mouse to apply force (I thought only A and D were controls), but then after I got it I was dying in, like, 10 seconds instead of 5. So that's a progress, I suppose?
The graphics are very basic. The audio I guess kinda works, though I would've prefered if sound effects volume was turned down a decibel or ten...
The Mysterious Planet of Newton by Misty
Alright, this game has a lot more to it than meets an eye. Once you get past somewhat sloppy (if still varied) graphics, you have lots and lots of levels to play, and there is a good variety to keep the player interested as well. The recoil mechanic wasn't easy to master, but didn't feel terribly unfair or convoluted, either. The game has a surprisingly developed and serious story as well, and it actually plays out to the end.
I also very appreciate that in the readme the walkthrough was included (adding white text was extra help); it helped me through these two times when I didn't quite know how to proceed (I figured out the slope by myself, though).
Overall, I'm quite impressed with this entry. It's not without its flaws, but it's pretty fun and surprisingly advanced for the Jam timeframe overall.
Untitled by Bentley
I collected 30 points, yay!
I guess it's more of a prototype than an actual game, but I appreciate the effort and the general mechanics are somewhat playable. Plus, the game actually shows the final score. I kinda liked the sliding mechanics, but I feel like some things weren't designed particularly well when it comes to bombs and ramps; like, there's a nice stream of coins suggesting that's where the ball would end up, but instead it flies above all that.
'
Graphics are kinda basic, with the standard GM gray background; the audio is absent. Then again, I can see why more focus wasn't given to that. ^^'
Weird Space by Humayun
Got through several levels, but after the fifth I felt like it's too much to go through; especially at night, and especially when the controls make it pretty difficult to maneuver around and land successfully. Still, this entry is quite solid and varied.
Now then, I don't mind difficult controls themselves and actually enjoy how they're possible to get the grasp of after enough playing (3rd mission was a big help; kinda feel like it should have been the first, to get the player used to how both ship speed and rotation work). However, in this case they were combined with various obstacles like asteroids and planets, and with somewhat small field of vision it's pretty risky to go even moderately fast. Showing up planets, let alone asteroids, would be pretty helpful, without reducing much of the controls-based challenge. Speaking of which, I would really prefer if I could just hold down the thrust button instead of having to press it repeatedly.
The graphics were good, though I noticed some clear boundaries on the background. The audio was atmospheric, though not exactly something I want to listen to at night. Also, the relatively loud thrusts get tiring after a while. u_u'
Yor Game by Micah_DS
Welp, on the last level I got to the point where ~3 blocks were left unwalled, but I didn't really have a way to put them in place...
Also, it seems like the kind of puzzle game where it's way easier to create a level than to solve an existing one. Either way, the 3rd level got me stumped.
The graphics were actually pretty aesthetic, and there was this nice bouncy effect when hitting a wall. The music in menu was pretty cool; would have preferred if it actually was used in the game proper. The last puzzle seems way too tough and unforgiving, though. I don't quite even know where to start... ^^'
