LOVED the graphics. Never thought Id see so much action with only 8 pixels in height. Could have used a little bit of music, and Idk if the rain is random or always so present, but it definitely made the game more challenging.

I love the artstyle and the minmalistic gameplay, it fits really good together.
The filter on the other hand is really a matter of taste. I get a headache when play too long but i think some people could like it.

@fireshake Agreed on the filter. I just ran out of time and forgot to just add a toggle to it. Could have at least put it on F1 or something. thanks for checking it out.

Wasn't able to finish bc one part was a bit tough but It was so well made. My first run was the shortest because I didn't know how little time I had but I learned and went further each time until at one point I got stuck but it was very cool

The graphics were low res, but well done, the audio was well chosen, the point of the game was clear. I just wish there were check points, I would have kept playing if there were checkpoints

tight level design! expressive pixel art. love the rain/platforming concept

You really nailed the feeling of walking through tar and avoiding droplets of rain and water. A bit on the easy side, but still gave me moments of "oh shit i just barely dodged that".

I will survive! Played till the end. Excellent work!
Loved the mix between minimal pixel-art with real sounds. Lots of atmosphere going on here!
If anything I would adjust is the ultra easy first areas.
I'll keep following your work (y)

I made it to the end! I think my favorite part of the game was the mechanic, the unreal sound and ambiance which was really fitting for the world we were in. The only thing i was hoping for would have been the drip, drip, drip sound in the caves. <3 The jagged band of graphics across the screen was all janky on my vision, weird effect, but *shrug* that's purely aesthetic.

I really enjoyed this game and made it to the end :)

What worked:
- The lack of bgm actually creates mood I think, the sound design is sparse in a way that actually evokes something. I especially liked the sfx when you picked up the torch.
- The game is difficult, that's true, but I think adding any more quality of life things might detract from the game as it stands. A torch "Meter" or anything wouldn't make the game better.
- Art is good.
- The mechanics feel tight and easy to control. Dodging raindrops was actually pretty satisfying.

What could be improved. Bear in mind that these are reaching a bit because this entry is already very polished and so these are basically personal preference:
- There are basically 3 repeating environments: flat, mountain, and cave. I think some background props (Buildings or ruins in the caves or stairs or something) or something to break up the terrain (Larger than the grass) would have made it a more interesting journey. Maybe some parallax? Right now it's a bit of a slog.
- The drip emitters or whatever on the roofs that drop water. It would be cool to have a visual cue as to when its about to drop (Like the drip stays attacked to the roof for a split second before it falls). This is a personal design decision, but I think it would just make dodging them more interesting.
- That effect across the middle of the screen goes between looking good and looking a bit janky. Again probably a preference thing.

@magnusfurcifer that's all good feedback. re: art and more bg art...just a time issue. I was so busy implement things I just had no time but for the bare minimum. Wanted to do things like mammoth tusks sticking out of tar, mountain / cloud parallax, etc. Good suggestion on thr drip emitter. Just didn't think of it. As it is the cave drips were a late entry because I realized I could use the raindrop code for the most part.

Great stuff as always! Thank you for being an inspiration. #46 is the first time I took part as well. :D

Great stuff George :D I got through it after realising I had to take my time and really watch those raindrops. Navigating those and the mountain was a nice challenge, the concept works really well and all the effects and polish comes through. As others have said, you got a lot of character from very few pixels on the caveman, I love the style.

Awesome work, as always George! Once I realized the raindrops were individual things to be avoided, I had a LOT of fun with it. Really damn cool. Great mood, great use of the theme.

Love the concept. Pixel art is great and makes all game elements very readable. SFX whenever your flame is hit by rain is a nice touch. Tutorial was straightforward and easy to understand. Game elements were simple but created a nice challenge when laid out in the level. Super enjoyable :D

I know its only the bare minimum but this is really good George. I honestly don't know how you did it. What the game lacked in visuals it made up for it in fun. I loved the pixel art especially the caveman and the visuals for the fire were pretty cool. The controls were very responsive and the atmosphere and mood really immersed me in the gameplay along with the sound effects (Loved the thunder!). I could honestly see this as a full fledged game with many levels and hazards. Congrats on finishing another LD and for making a great entry!

@kunonooni

>>I honestly don’t know how you did it.

If it's any consolation my upper right arm muscle hurts now from all the clicking for 3 straight days! :)

Thanks for the kind words. A little mood and atmosphere goes a long way.

@mrleeperry,

>> Awesome work, as always George! Once I realized the raindrops were individual things to be avoided, I had a LOT of fun with it.

Thanks. I tried not to load the game down with in game tips and tutorials. I also wanted to go HUD-less. These decisions were due to time as much as aesthetics. I'd hoped that the torch sizzle and smoke would be all the clue people needed that rain = bad ;) I was going to have a little flame icon and + or - when it's stats were affects, that would spawn from the torch. Probably should have done that.

@duzzondrums , thanks for finishing it! It's a big ask with no respawn or continue points.

I liked the idea of an arduous journey so thought climbing the mountain, then descending through it, then across the plains to home conveyed that. With more time I'd have made the moutain taller ;)

Very solid game. Liked that rain drops surprisingly became game mechanic.

I really likes the sense of exploration and the mix of art and sound really sold the world for me. The concept was also fun, and the effects to go along with it without overuse of UI was fantastic, especially for a jam game.

I would've liked a mode that had checkpoints just to make it easier to explore the world you created rather than having to restart because of a small mistake.

Overall awesome entry with a lot of polish.

Very fun and challenging.

I love how everything ties together. The sound design and ambience is on point. I really enjoy this!

The best of the 'protect-the-fire'like games I've played so far. The art was good and the vfx were nice. Good job!

Solid concept, really nice art and sfx. I liked the challenge. Maybe the game could use some checkpoints ? If you make a post-jam version, you could also add more environments for replayability.
Very well done !

Cool platformer and great graphics.

I think the introductory space could be shorter

perfect!

Well done man, really good game. Think the difficulty was perfect, hard but very rewarding and the graphics are awesome!

Nice interpretation on the theme, and overall a really solid entry.

Trying to reach the next tar pit was distressing and compelling at the same time, and I've felt like I was reaching further away on every run (I still want to keep trying a bit more).

Graphics are nice and I loved the atmospheric sound effects. Controls using an Xbox One gamepad were smooth and precise, jumps felt great!

As for improvement, I think once you've played through the tutorial sequence once it should be optional.

Amazing job! :)

Very cute! Kinda reminds me of Knytt :) I like your take on the theme. The atmosphere - crunchy walking grass & liquid sfx, thunder, etc, sets a great mood. Perhaps an auto jump would be cool (for those steep hills).

Amazing audio work!

The gameplay felt nice enough, although not extremely innovative. The first steep climb (after a couple of caves with tar) seemed very close, I lost twice on that section (rain RNG?), then just barely got it on the third try.

Interesting game ! I really like the ambiance with the sounds. It's cool that we can imagine so much stuff with such little sprites.

Definitely one of my favorites this jam! Perfect mood- love the Quest for Fire scenario. The sprites are perfect- love that you have "bullets" raining from the sky. So many times, I just saw an opening and chose to take it, not knowing the outcome. At peace now, knowing the flame will go on to survive! Congratulations on such a well-rounded game! Thank you!

Such a great game. I love the primal nature of it. Very good idea-well executed!!

Pretty solid entry overall, congrats. :)

another good keep the flame alive game. loved the caveman idea. fire good! thanks for making this game

I've seen many protect the fire games of this jam. This one was easily one of the best. The simple but very effective pixel art style was nice. The thunderstorm sounds also gave the game a rather somber mood. The game would be a nice speed-running game as well. However, there are a few portions in the game where it's impossible not to have rain fall on you. Also, better hit detection wrt the rain drops would be nice. A little more feedback than the sound of the flame getting doused would be nice. Overall though, definitely nice.

This is truly one of the most original "keep the fire alive" interpretations in this game jam! I would love to see the torch all the time though, because sometimes it's behind walls.

The game is challenging but fun. The art and sounds are amazing. The only thing that could use a little more work was the platforming/jumping mechanics which were really basic. Great game overall!

Great game, but it can be a bit difficult. I made it through the mountain, but then died in the flat part. Also, I would like it if the crt effect could be toned down a little. Did you make all of the effects yourself? Since you're not linking to anything, but audio isn't mentioned in the credits part (code, art and design) on the page.