Link the Shrink by LDJam user 424535

[raw]
made by LDJam user 424535 for Ludum Dare 59 (JAM)

A record that can definitely be achieved: 30

12.gif Link the Shrink is a deck-building simulation game where the main objective is to manage the card deck and the game space.

2.png Rainy weather constantly affects the voltage, causing the opening of new towers to reduce the power of the previous ones!1.png You'll lose if you stop thinking! Relax, it's just a game.. 3.png

LMB to use

RMB to cancel

MMB to navigate

| NAME |BEST SCORE| | --------------------- | -------------------------- | | @cat-in-hat-games| 407!!! | | @sqqqwer | 222 (...wow) | | @pipetto | 86 | | @Psevdonim | 82 | | @krakadushka | 33 | | @WormKingBoo | 32 | | @Axod | 20 |

Thank you for your attention!

Ratings

Overall 76th 4.101⭐ 101🧑‍⚖️
Fun 96th 3.934⭐ 101🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 176th 3.788⭐ 101🧑‍⚖️
Theme 406th 3.786⭐ 100🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 89th 4.455⭐ 101🧑‍⚖️
Audio 147th 3.954⭐ 100🧑‍⚖️
Humor 403th 2.817⭐ 65🧑‍⚖️
Mood 154th 4.094⭐ 98🧑‍⚖️
Given 48🗳️ 68🗨️

Feedback

VFD
Apr 20th · 22:57 UTC
banger! nice gameplay and pixel art
mantaraii
Apr 20th · 23:36 UTC
The sound effects paired with the music in the game are incredibly relaxing and soothing… The camera movement and the art are also very cleverly done—it creates a really comfortable and enjoyable experience!!
Naidove
Apr 21st · 03:59 UTC
The art style and music are really nice, and the visuals look great!
penagwin
Apr 21st · 04:49 UTC
Super polished! I love concept
sqqqwer
Apr 21st · 05:10 UTC
Very addictive! I really enjoyed it!
![isudfvhdifugiuhfe.png](///raw/41a/36/z/71cde.png)
Moonkit
Apr 21st · 05:14 UTC
Cool idea! The mix of deck-building and board management feels fresh, and I really liked the strategic tension from the voltage/rain mechanic. The pixel visuals are charming and the whole project has a strong jam identity. Feels like a very promising concept that could grow into something even bigger with more polish.
Roboolet
Apr 21st · 05:37 UTC
Has the makings of a nice cozy game! Reminds me a lot of Islanders. I'm not really sure if I liked the resource management aspects that much, but maybe I'm just not the target audience. Soothing game
DarthWaxus
Apr 21st · 05:48 UTC
Looks great!
OldDog
Apr 21st · 05:53 UTC
this game art and feelings are so good!!!,love this game so much,combine the deck and town build system is so smart,wish for more content to play~~~
Pavel.Cherepanov
Apr 21st · 05:53 UTC
Very cool idea. The graphics and controls are pleasant. The music and sound effects are excellent. I think this game has potential — you should definitely develop it further!
LDJam user 428140
Apr 21st · 05:55 UTC
I love the art, sound design, and overall polish! The concept took me a little time to fully click since I’m not super familiar with resource sims, but I can definitely see it being a really fun and engaging time-waster once you get into it.
Ilya Kr
Apr 21st · 06:03 UTC
An interesting game. The graphics are good. The cards are implemented well, and it's clear what to do from the very first second.
Tanjou
Apr 21st · 06:16 UTC
Super engaging and thoughtful. The level of polish is also very admirable! One of the best games I've seen in the jam!
semenov
Apr 21st · 07:39 UTC
A very high-quality game, I will definitely play it again!
millenium112
Apr 21st · 08:10 UTC
I'm hooked on this game!
I really enjoy playing it. It calms my nerves...
it's very calming and thought-provoking at the same time, creating a great experience along with strong polishing.
Nade_Lemon
Apr 21st · 08:43 UTC
10/10 nice game
nyxkn
Apr 21st · 09:06 UTC
Wow what a beautiful game! I loved the art and presentation, and it all flowed so smoothly. Some of the text was a bit too small to read comfortably even at fullscreen. Gameplay was super fun too and intuitive. I'm glad you had a gameover condition otherwise I'd still be playing :grin:
LDJam user 424326
Apr 21st · 09:51 UTC
![изображение_2026-04-21_174823002.png](///raw/689/76/z/71e37.png)
This game really hooked me
At the beginning, I was missing some tutorial hints, but after playing for a while, everything became clear
Axodo
Apr 21st · 10:31 UTC
Very nice game!
A bit unclear when you start, but once you get it, it's pretty addictive. I played until a bug prevented me from playing my cards =(
![Sans titre.png](///raw/28b/f5/z/71e77.png)
LDJam user 317693
Apr 21st · 11:29 UTC
took me a second to get (Had to refer back to the LD page, particularly cause I was being stupid and wasn't sure how towers worked)

but, once you get a hang of it, it's really fun. It's really polished and I can definitely see someone getting super into this. I'd love to see it expanded on.

-#1 rock hater
shadow64
Apr 21st · 11:45 UTC
Really nicely done! I enjoyed this a lot. Kind of felt myself getting lost in it and forgot it was a jam entry. There's a pretty high level of polish on this and I liked the idea of the radio signals determining where you could build. Only got to about 36 people but I had about 4 or 5 towers up? Congrats on finishing!
LDJam user 383444
Apr 21st · 12:06 UTC
So cool and polished, loved it !
LLlarsO
Apr 21st · 13:02 UTC
Very interesting game idea.
The visuals are very nice.
Everything is minimalistic, but at the same time very clear.

I have a question. Is there any reason to not put a new tower exactly next to the border of the previous tower? Placing it wherever you want does not seem to have a benefit.

The card effects, when you draw or place a card are very good and add to the overall good impression of the game.
Great and polished game. :)
Fis
Apr 21st · 13:18 UTC
Wow - just incredible. Exploring some tactics how to play the game efficiently made quite some fun.
Palvel
Apr 21st · 13:45 UTC
A really good game.
LDJam user 423838
Apr 21st · 14:00 UTC
this game is a total banger and super polished. the mix of deck-building and town management feels fresh and addictive, and the pixel art and sound design are incredibly relaxing and soothing
Allexeee
Apr 21st · 14:30 UTC
Great atmosphere, audio and graphics!
It is a pity that there is no goal.
bobanko
Apr 21st · 15:31 UTC
не хватает подсветки куда можно ставить а куда нет, особенно для вышек актуально. сначала не понял что они ставятся на пустоты. не понятно зачем мусор нужен. красная подсветка на сене смущает, когда ставишь рядом несколько штук, типа это штраф какой-то, хотя похоже это бонус.
ForsakenAginor
Apr 21st · 15:49 UTC
Coll game !
Tykki19
Apr 21st · 16:06 UTC
Art is really inviting! One thing I noticed was that when I automatically set game into full screen mode (browser) and it cut the content (guides) from both sides and I only later understood it. I want to believe it was the only reason I did poorly...
Tkap1
Apr 21st · 16:28 UTC
I would have liked some goal to motivate me to keep going, like "reach 30 population" or something like that
Dywanix
Apr 21st · 16:44 UTC
such a fun gameplay!
AO-85
Apr 21st · 17:05 UTC
The graphics look interesting I really like the incremental part, and the overall art style too. The only thing that might need some tweaking is the global lighting. Right now, it has a yellowish tint that blends in too much with the art colors. I think it would look great if you used a more contrasting or opposite color for the light then you could confidently release your project on Steam!
LDJam user 79971
Apr 21st · 18:37 UTC
One of my favorite game genres is city-building, so I was really excited to play it, and your game didn't disappoint! I loved the chill music in the background while you're running out of time to feed the population!
Jacky San
Apr 21st · 20:06 UTC
GREAT JOB :stars:
Everything in this game is lovely, CRT like display, graphics & UI, audio mood... really appreciated the time I spent on this one :heart_eyes:
Myokka
Apr 21st · 21:37 UTC
It's hard to put this game down. I think I've tried it about twenty times, but my record is 12 haha. Gorgeous visuals, gorgeous sound design, gorgeous gameplay.
skale
Apr 21st · 21:52 UTC
Looks awesome. For some time I forgot that I'm supposed to rate it. I was just playing and playing until I finished and closed everything including jam page. I liked every aspect of the game, good job.
DrSmey
Apr 21st · 22:13 UTC
Very polished game, feels like the base for something solid. Right now it feels a bit too simple, since once you figured out the loop its pretty much solved.

It feels really good to play though, the art, sound and effects are all perfect.
steinhks
Apr 21st · 23:58 UTC
Simple, cute, pretty, and chill
bergotronic
Apr 22nd · 01:07 UTC
wonderful game!
Dwang
Apr 22nd · 01:12 UTC
Really great game! Such an unusual and cool blend of genres—loved it!
sinemual
Apr 22nd · 05:39 UTC
This is such a relaxing and addictive game! I reached a population of 123 on my third try. Sometimes luck plays a big role. Anyway, I hope they add more cards and bring the game to Steam!
LDJam user 426288
Apr 22nd · 06:25 UTC
The gameplay is very interesting, but I hope there can be a restart button when I get stuck on a level🥲
Winbion
Apr 22nd · 08:23 UTC
Pleasant graphics and sound, but it lacks a tutorial. At the beginning, it was very unclear how to play. There were situations where I had cards in my hand, but nowhere to place them and no way to take new cards. I had to restart the page. Maybe I still haven’t figured out how to play “properly.”

It would also be interesting to see meta progression, so that new cards unlock after losing. After surviving for more than 5 minutes, I don’t see much interest in playing further, because I realized the game is basically endless.
Yukiiii
Apr 22nd · 08:28 UTC
The card-based gameplay is addictive — a really great game!
Loki Drams
Apr 22nd · 08:49 UTC
Good game ! A litle lost at the start, but after one/two game you'll get the hang of it.
Bravo
Ekopeko
Apr 22nd · 09:00 UTC
Addictive game with incredible amount of polish
fkjaha
Apr 22nd · 11:40 UTC
On my fifth try I have finally understood how the game works and it was really fun to play. The only things to improve in my opinion would be a little less randomness so that you always have a chance to survive if you know how to play, but still a very good result for 72 hours
MaruMari
Apr 22nd · 13:05 UTC
Reminded me of some boardgame. A fun idea, good job
Nikorych
Apr 22nd · 14:28 UTC
I enjoyed it a lot, the concept is interesting and the audio is excellent.
ShadyShade
Apr 22nd · 14:32 UTC
The game was fun to play, I also like the visual style!
Good job! :smiley:
Psevdonim
Apr 22nd · 15:17 UTC
The game’s goal is fairly abstract, but it’s quite addictive.
![Screen.png](///raw/069/56/z/724a7.png)
LDJam user 423872
Apr 22nd · 16:40 UTC
This is a truly high-quality and well-designed game. The calm music creates a pleasant atmosphere.
WormKingBoo
Apr 22nd · 21:40 UTC
So impressive that this was done for a jam! It works really well with the theme and it's completely different from any of the other games I've played so far. It took me a couple of tries to understand how to balance the deck building and the territory expansion, but once I got a hang of it I found it very addictive. I'm sure I'll come back to this game a few more times just to see how far I can make it.
![Screenshot 2026-04-22 163451.png](///raw/57a/56/z/7260c.png)
gil4
Apr 23rd · 01:26 UTC
Cute visuals and an interesting gameplay core, nicely done!
LDJam user 407524
Apr 23rd · 02:40 UTC
Stylish pixelart
Caer
Apr 23rd · 14:31 UTC
This entry feels so polished--I'd expect to see something like it on an app store (actually, it's prettier than most titles I find on an app store or steam...).

The gameplay loop did initially confuse me, but I enjoyed seeing what I'd get next in my deck as I expanded my territory--and the reach of my signal.
recursor
Apr 23rd · 17:45 UTC
Very chill and relaxing experience once I figured out how to play.
krakadushka
Apr 23rd · 18:50 UTC
@sqqqwer I thought my record was high, but 222… wow. :sweat_smile:

Awesome game! I had a lot of fun playing it!
![11231231213.png](///raw/512/32/z/727f6.png)
Custodi
Apr 24th · 00:08 UTC
Like simplicity of art and tile placement game core mechanic, but i failed, cannot move further 2 tower.
TheSmellofOxygen
Apr 24th · 01:29 UTC
Lovely, buttery smooth presentation with a melancholy mood. The little things added up: the slight screen curvature, the atmospheric particles, the way the audio dopplered as you panned around.
oeueGHa
Apr 24th · 09:25 UTC
Become too repetitive after you understand what you need to do.
VenomousMouse
Apr 24th · 12:42 UTC
Nice deckbuilder. I like the ambient and art.
qmdev
Apr 24th · 18:18 UTC
It was a little unclear how to play, a tutorial would have been cool, but otherwise it's a good well polished game
LDJam user 240296
Apr 25th · 09:59 UTC
Game seems to be well polished and the gameplay is addictive. It truly needs a better tutorial as it is mostly unclear what the goal is and how to reach it. But still a nice game for a jam, good job!
Cat In Hat games
Apr 25th · 20:36 UTC
The leaderboard table in the description is a really great idea—we’ll definitely take it into account. Thanks a lot for the example!
Cat In Hat games
Apr 25th · 23:03 UTC
![изображение_2026-04-26_020311564.png](///raw/cfa/76/z/72ba6.png)
This game is insanely addictive—honestly, unbelievable. I think I spent about an hour and a half on it.

I really missed having a way to go back to the menu with Esc, and the option to restart mid-run. I was playing in the web version, so I ended up refreshing the page and starting over.

Special props for the interactive animated element on the page (please teach me how to do that). And the wow-effect of the soundtrack distorting as you move the camera—such a great design choice.

I still didn’t understand what that bull is that I get when building a human face…
Also, once you go past 100, the numbers don’t display correctly, which is a bit inconvenient.

And with the right strategy, the game basically becomes endless… So I wasn’t even sure whether to sabotage my run just to lock in a final score, or keep going forever. I went with the first option, since it felt like there was no real challenge left, and I wanted to try other games.
dans17
Apr 26th · 12:09 UTC
![Screenshot 2026-04-26 064643.png](///raw/993/72/z/72c07.png)

I had a lot of fun with this one! It feels both relaxing and addictive to play. If you make a post-jam version of this, I would like to see some more complex mechanics emerge as you get further, even if it was as simple as being able to increase the range of mining and being able to string together longer combos of harvests.
iovorobiev
Apr 27th · 10:19 UTC
I didn't immediately understand how to play, but once I did I got hooked! I wanted to share my results but when I saw numbers on screenshot, I decided not to :) It is meditative and chill experience, the game is well polished. In-game tutorial would help immensely here, it will be shame if someone drops the game because they didn't understand how to play!
GARYglhf
Apr 27th · 10:53 UTC
Красивый пиксель, и приятное управление. Класс.
daupoh
Apr 28th · 18:09 UTC
Nice, addictive game! My top score was 19, and I really want to play more.
I was a little confused by the people icons because I thought they were something like zombies.
I didn’t get why the mining disappeared. Anyway, it was fun — thank you for the game!
HolySparks
May 01st · 18:03 UTC
Love this idea for a game. Here on firefox the full screen crops some of the playspace
LDJam user 374028
May 01st · 22:38 UTC
Amazing game. I got to 150 something until I dozed off (probably because of the music) and said I'm not going to continue. Congrats!

![150something.png](///raw/c05/b5/z/73017.png)
YugiMuto
May 02nd · 10:14 UTC
Классная игра!
Alexandr Gerya
May 04th · 22:27 UTC
everything feels so smooth and the crt effect is clean af basically steam ready tbh
quietchili
May 06th · 11:34 UTC
very fun game!
LDJam user 424943
May 06th · 20:13 UTC
Looks great! But I haven’t figured out how to play yet :)
KALABHERS
May 06th · 20:34 UTC
![Снимок экрана 2026-05-06 233137.png](///raw/244/46/z/73260.png)

Realy nice gameplay. i like it!