This was genuinely such a clever game, it felt like a tutorial to something much bigger. Would adore to see this concept taken further! Game had so much charm and felt super intuitive.
I would LOVE to see a full (or at least longer) game of this. The art is really expressive and fluid, and the music fits it perfectly. The gameplay uses the firefly so well, and every section is so creative. The final checkpoint (with the rolling) was genuinely so fun and I'd love to see more of it. Amazing work
This was such a fantastic game, I absolutely bust a gut laughing at the ending. My only criticism would be that some bits in the second half felt a bit repetitive, especially when paired with some of the trickier platforming bits, meaning you'd have to do something a couple times when u already knew the solution. But besides that, the concept was brilliant and you guys used it in a ton of super interesting ways!
this was the most creative puzzle platformer I've ever played. I loved how the mechanic kept expanding in ways I didn't expect. I felt like I was breaking the puzzles by being really clever but I'm pretty sure I did the intended solution for everything, which goes to show this is a masterclass in puzzle design.
This is an extremely polished and fleshed out game. I love the mechanic and the way levels are build around. The character feel responsive and floaty (in a good way). The environement is meticulously crafted, and very detailed. A lot of attention is paid to small details like different landing sound and tiny effects here and there really make the character feels alive. I think you guys have done a really good part in that.
The mechanic is really unique and offer a lot of potential for a puzzle platformer.
I want to point of a few potential problems (They are just nitpick, really).
1/ The control of the light:
The way you move the light around (in normal walking mode) feels a bit trippy (or not very fluid, unlike when you are rolling).
This is something I would love to hear about your design decisions, why you choose it to be that way.
2/ The inclusion of the mobius strip as save point.
The mechanic related to loop, I understand, but the inclusion of the mobius strip as a save point is a bit out of place.
3/ The visual cues
At the beginning, when you first fall into the hole, there aren't much visual cues on what to do, especially the save point, since it's covered in darkness and look the same as your surrounding. I fumble around awhile until realizing what's happening. I think a straight forward tutorial maybe of help.
Again, this is a part where I would love to see which design decision your team decided to take.
Overall, a very cool and mechanically interesting game. 9.5/10
Ideas: 9,5/10
-Fun: 8.5/10
-Potential: 10/10
(Unique: 10/10)
Excution: 9.5/10
-Game Feel / Polish: 10/10
-Game Flow / Difficulty: 8.5/10
P/S: When I restart at the first looparound, or the first breaking boxes fall. It forces me to replay the game, which is not nice.
Omg such a detailed review! Thanks so much! This is a dev for the game btw :P Really cool to see people enjoy the game like this. Here's my response to your questions:
1. I guess we really liked how controlling where you want the light felt like part of figuring out each puzzle. We were considering having a mode where you just directly control the firefly with your movement keys, but we liked the depth added by trying to figure out how to position yourself in the correct way. Also, moving the firefly is very powerful, so we specifically didn't want that to be something you could do immediately. Instead, you have to figure it out, which also gives the player a little "Aha!" moment as they figure out how it works.
Although you may be right, it's possible it didn't add anything meaningful to the experience, and would've been better to streamline it, that's just what we were thinking AS we were designing it, many of those things turned out not to be true as we playtested :P
2. Huh, that's an interesting point. That was a very last minute addition. Originally the checkpoints were invisible (think of how hollow knights respawning works) but then we realized it would be better if they were visible, so we added a graphic for them. We really couldn't think of anything so I just threw that sprite together. Just the qualms of a 4 day game jam I suppose
3. So we really wanted to give a sense of isolation in this game. Since it's a puzzle game, we saw value in the player figuring out the mechanic themselves, hence why we don't have a direct tutorial there. If you're playing an old version of the game. there's not even a sign that says "Lock (hold) X/L/Shift". That wasn't a specific design choice, we just accidentally deleted that sign right before submitting and didnt notice until it was too late. Oops!
But the area where you fall is designed to be open enough so you can figure it out on your own, with subtle guidance by the sign. We found through playtesting that it wasn't very clear where you had to go, which was definitely a lapse in level design on our part.
But the design philosophy of that area was 1) they fall down 2) they see the sign by walking up to it 3) By messing around they learn they can screenwrap, and from there they figure out to go to the checkpoint. So yeah, we did want a certain level of confusion there as they figure it out. Perhaps it was a bit too much tho
hi 👋 another dev here. Something else to note about the checkpoints is that originally we planned for the level/world and tile set to be geometrically shaped much "weirder," so we continued with that idea for things such as the checkpoints and slopes that turn you into the ball. You can see the original tileset concept art here
That was so much fun! Perfect length for me to recommend to everyone! That aha moment when I realised a ceiling was a floor came at just the right time. Once you learned you could jump + make floor anywhere, the new rolling element came through to make sure you didn't get bored of the first.
Genius game for a game jam. I'll be honest I was a little bit disappointed with the top scorers this year, but this is truly a gem and deserves this place!
Breaking out to your secret signs and then out of the map from there before even playing the game was fun lol tho who put those damn spikes on the top of the map (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
oh wowie god DAMN! it tickles me pink from so many directions, this rocksss. Really good thinky puzzles and really squeezes a lot out of the premise! Extremely technically impressive too <3<3<3
Not enough girls have a transdimensional-loop-powered buttslam as a core gimmick!
Haha, I should have watched the gifs before playing it. I beat the game, but didn’t use the infinite portals mechanic at the point in the gif, but instead clumsily “portalled” my way first to the room below the 0, then to the spiky room to the left, then up, then to the right to finally get the thing.
I only really learned about that mechanic (i.e. that these things are breakable based on player speed, and not invisible switch triggers or similar) a bit later where infinite portalling was actually required.
Otherwise, great job! The difficulty curve is a bit weird - IMHO the very last room (where you have to Sonic-jump “backwards” via portalling) is way too difficult compared to the ones before, it took me like 15 minutes to finally press the right buttons at the right time there, in many times with a jump I AM VERY SURE I PRESSED simply not registering as I was apparently too close to the edge already.
I definitely love how this shows how even just controlled screenwrapping is a superpower. I mean, technically this game doesn’t do much, this could be a rather simple SMW romhack - however the fact that it’s not allows to see a bit outside the “wrap rectangle”, and is simply more fun to explore the mechanics that way.
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Very fun and unique game! (Slight Spoiler: Abg fher vs vg jnf vagragvbany be abg, ohg gur raqvat erzvaqf zr bs nabgure tnzr; "Qrngu Gevcf")
searched up it and yeah i can see the similarity, also i never thought about hiding spoilers in ciphers
Interesting concept
Unique idea!
Clever touch with the credits lol
Excellent work! Cool idea and really fun little...trip.
Very clever and creative game mechanic
this is a really good cute puzzly game!!!
This was genuinely such a clever game, it felt like a tutorial to something much bigger. Would adore to see this concept taken further! Game had so much charm and felt super intuitive.
I would LOVE to see a full (or at least longer) game of this. The art is really expressive and fluid, and the music fits it perfectly. The gameplay uses the firefly so well, and every section is so creative. The final checkpoint (with the rolling) was genuinely so fun and I'd love to see more of it. Amazing work
I can't speak on Mobia's Trip rn, but we do have another full puzzle platformer game coming out!! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2755990/Miss_Paint/
this game is brilliant and it actually made me feel smart for beating it
This was such a fantastic game, I absolutely bust a gut laughing at the ending. My only criticism would be that some bits in the second half felt a bit repetitive, especially when paired with some of the trickier platforming bits, meaning you'd have to do something a couple times when u already knew the solution. But besides that, the concept was brilliant and you guys used it in a ton of super interesting ways!
Simple concept but oh so interesting! Ever since that first puzzle, your hooked!
Out of all the games in Mark's video, this was the first one I actually played before watching the rest of the video.
this was the most creative puzzle platformer I've ever played. I loved how the mechanic kept expanding in ways I didn't expect. I felt like I was breaking the puzzles by being really clever but I'm pretty sure I did the intended solution for everything, which goes to show this is a masterclass in puzzle design.
This is an extremely polished and fleshed out game. I love the mechanic and the way levels are build around. The character feel responsive and floaty (in a good way). The environement is meticulously crafted, and very detailed. A lot of attention is paid to small details like different landing sound and tiny effects here and there really make the character feels alive. I think you guys have done a really good part in that.
The mechanic is really unique and offer a lot of potential for a puzzle platformer.
I want to point of a few potential problems (They are just nitpick, really).
1/ The control of the light:
The way you move the light around (in normal walking mode) feels a bit trippy (or not very fluid, unlike when you are rolling).
This is something I would love to hear about your design decisions, why you choose it to be that way.
2/ The inclusion of the mobius strip as save point.
The mechanic related to loop, I understand, but the inclusion of the mobius strip as a save point is a bit out of place.
3/ The visual cues
At the beginning, when you first fall into the hole, there aren't much visual cues on what to do, especially the save point, since it's covered in darkness and look the same as your surrounding. I fumble around awhile until realizing what's happening. I think a straight forward tutorial maybe of help.
Again, this is a part where I would love to see which design decision your team decided to take.
Overall, a very cool and mechanically interesting game. 9.5/10
Ideas: 9,5/10
-Fun: 8.5/10
-Potential: 10/10
(Unique: 10/10)
Excution: 9.5/10
-Game Feel / Polish: 10/10
-Game Flow / Difficulty: 8.5/10
P/S: When I restart at the first looparound, or the first breaking boxes fall. It forces me to replay the game, which is not nice.
Omg such a detailed review! Thanks so much! This is a dev for the game btw :P Really cool to see people enjoy the game like this. Here's my response to your questions:
1. I guess we really liked how controlling where you want the light felt like part of figuring out each puzzle. We were considering having a mode where you just directly control the firefly with your movement keys, but we liked the depth added by trying to figure out how to position yourself in the correct way. Also, moving the firefly is very powerful, so we specifically didn't want that to be something you could do immediately. Instead, you have to figure it out, which also gives the player a little "Aha!" moment as they figure out how it works.
Although you may be right, it's possible it didn't add anything meaningful to the experience, and would've been better to streamline it, that's just what we were thinking AS we were designing it, many of those things turned out not to be true as we playtested :P
2. Huh, that's an interesting point. That was a very last minute addition. Originally the checkpoints were invisible (think of how hollow knights respawning works) but then we realized it would be better if they were visible, so we added a graphic for them. We really couldn't think of anything so I just threw that sprite together. Just the qualms of a 4 day game jam I suppose
3. So we really wanted to give a sense of isolation in this game. Since it's a puzzle game, we saw value in the player figuring out the mechanic themselves, hence why we don't have a direct tutorial there. If you're playing an old version of the game. there's not even a sign that says "Lock (hold) X/L/Shift". That wasn't a specific design choice, we just accidentally deleted that sign right before submitting and didnt notice until it was too late. Oops!
But the area where you fall is designed to be open enough so you can figure it out on your own, with subtle guidance by the sign. We found through playtesting that it wasn't very clear where you had to go, which was definitely a lapse in level design on our part.
But the design philosophy of that area was 1) they fall down 2) they see the sign by walking up to it 3) By messing around they learn they can screenwrap, and from there they figure out to go to the checkpoint.
So yeah, we did want a certain level of confusion there as they figure it out. Perhaps it was a bit too much tho
hi 👋 another dev here. Something else to note about the checkpoints is that originally we planned for the level/world and tile set to be geometrically shaped much "weirder," so we continued with that idea for things such as the checkpoints and slopes that turn you into the ball. You can see the original tileset concept art here
This felt amazing to understand, I love it
This is awesome. Clever mechanic with even more potential. Cheers!
10/10 - super trippy (the rolling was an unexpected but welcome addition)
That was so much fun! Perfect length for me to recommend to everyone! That aha moment when I realised a ceiling was a floor came at just the right time. Once you learned you could jump + make floor anywhere, the new rolling element came through to make sure you didn't get bored of the first.
Mobia's "Trip" hehe:D
Genius game for a game jam. I'll be honest I was a little bit disappointed with the top scorers this year, but this is truly a gem and deserves this place!
Cool game!
Breaking out to your secret signs and then out of the map from there before even playing the game was fun lol tho who put those damn spikes on the top of the map (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Had some good fun playing the normal way after
Me breaking out of the map:
https://vimeo.com/1108708460?share=copy
Haha! It's so awesome to see people break the game like that! I had no idea that was even possible, nicely done :D
absolutely genius, and gorgeous design!
This is an amazing concept with amazing execution! Congratulations on winning!
Cool idea
Wow, fantastic game. Beautifully done, an awesome spin on the loop theme. You deserve to win this year!
absolutely beautiful game, i love it
What an amazing execution of this concept. So well executed. So well explored. Congratulations!
This is amazing, did not anticipate that this mechanic could have so much depths.
Very very cool. Looping edges of the screen has been done before but I love this spin on it, where you get to move the loop around!
Amazing Game! Came here after seeing the results! Deserved win.
Awesome!
Awesome game! The mechanic is so satisfying once you get the hang of it.
NICE! confused me as any good puzzle game should
Yo! Y'all got 2nd in creativity! Super happy for y'all! This was my favorite game from the jam and I'm happy y'all got the recognition you deserved!
I still love this even though it's technically not a mobius strip
oh wowie god DAMN! it tickles me pink from so many directions, this rocksss. Really good thinky puzzles and really squeezes a lot out of the premise! Extremely technically impressive too <3<3<3
Not enough girls have a transdimensional-loop-powered buttslam as a core gimmick!
Haha, I should have watched the gifs before playing it. I beat the game, but didn’t use the infinite portals mechanic at the point in the gif, but instead clumsily “portalled” my way first to the room below the 0, then to the spiky room to the left, then up, then to the right to finally get the thing.
I only really learned about that mechanic (i.e. that these things are breakable based on player speed, and not invisible switch triggers or similar) a bit later where infinite portalling was actually required.
Otherwise, great job! The difficulty curve is a bit weird - IMHO the very last room (where you have to Sonic-jump “backwards” via portalling) is way too difficult compared to the ones before, it took me like 15 minutes to finally press the right buttons at the right time there, in many times with a jump I AM VERY SURE I PRESSED simply not registering as I was apparently too close to the edge already.
I definitely love how this shows how even just controlled screenwrapping is a superpower. I mean, technically this game doesn’t do much, this could be a rather simple SMW romhack - however the fact that it’s not allows to see a bit outside the “wrap rectangle”, and is simply more fun to explore the mechanics that way.
I knew I was in for a treat the moment I got a notification for new twice-twice
This was really fun!!