Gear Kitty by Raiyumi
This is my 6th Ludum Dare entry and it's always an awesome, yet stressful experience. I had to cut back a lot this time, specifically the dialogue and having a more streamlined gameplay experience, but I managed to get something out which is great! I hope you enjoy. :).
Gear Kitty
Game by Raiyumi
Made with:
Engine: Stencyl
Sound: Sfxr/Audacity
Music: Made with Beepbox
Graphics: GraphicsGale
website: https://raiyumi.com
Gear Kitty
Game by Raiyumi
Made with:
Engine: Stencyl
Sound: Sfxr/Audacity
Music: Made with Beepbox
Graphics: GraphicsGale
website: https://raiyumi.com
| Web | https://raiyumi.itch.io/gear-kitty |
| Website | https://raiyumi.com |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-36/?action=preview&uid=25829 |
I do wish that it didn't say "You can do it!" at the top for the whole game though, it would help to be able to see upwards :)
Can you add your game on indiexpo.net ? (it's free)
So we can include also your game in the video ;)
p.s. write #LDJAM in the game's description. (you can already find several games from the jam there)
I did not like that you have to press up to auto-save, i forgot about it the first time i died and thought the game had glitched out because i lost the ability to cling to cogs. It seems odd that platforms don't reset but abilities do.
I'd also argue that the "you can do it!" message didn't need to stay there the whole time, the animation when you're gaining the powers is a bit long, and the triple jump was a bit disappointing since it doesn't feel very different from the double jump.
With all of that said though, most of these are minor things, i played through the whole thing and really did love it! Great job!
It's kind of funny how you and @managore, another incredibly talented MetroidVania designer, had very similar ideas for this Ludum Dare.
At first the little "You can do it!" message was cute, but it never went away and actually covered up a couple of the platforms in one of the puzzles.
It would've been nice if the checkpoints saved your progress when you walked past them; there were a couple times I fell and had to redo section because I forgot to save, especially when I was on my way back from hitting a switch or getting a powerup.
This is hands-down the best entry I've played yet!
The graphics really stand out! Everything looks great, and the low-colored palette is really effective (as well as the contrast between character, interact-able stuff and the background).
I liked the song, but it felt somewhat repetitive after a while...
The cog mechanic is fun and interesting. If expanded, it seems really fitting for speedrunning.
But, nitpicking, the camera felt too slow. Either it should move quicker and adapt for your current speed (e.g., showing what's bellow you when you're falling) or you should be able to control it (even if only slightly).
Got a bit lost after picking up the first heart, dying, and respawning (didn't understand that upgrade have gone after death), the checkpoint near the first powerup (so after death I could see that it pickable again) could smooth it a bit.
And kitty is absolutely cute, as kitty should be.
The character and background art was also spot on, and generally the 8bit vibe was superbly achieved.
Also, Metroid style power-ups are always cool!
At least, you can still improve this game with more things to do.