No Free Lunch

I liked the puzzles of this game :) Here is my gameplay video: https://youtu.be/7b8T5jlem-M?t=5114

Interesting platformer! I included it in my GM48: Collect! compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/Lw5l602H5TY

Uhh yeah I'm not beating Baku's time lol. Frustrating game to watch someone else play, but actually kind of interesting when you're the one making the decisions. The mechanics themselves were executed well, just not sure I like the game's "style".. haha great entry though!

I'm not an MLG pro so I probably can't beat the current WR but I think I found a faster strat for the last level. If you align your shot fast enough you can just snipe two of the jumps on the right an go straight to the exit. Great game, love the way the puzzles were set up so there's a lot of filler to mess with your head, haha.

Simply put, a great puzzle game. Can't think of any feedback that hasn't already been said. Really well done!

https://youtu.be/jRYX7aeX_Vo There you go!

Edit: about the camera, yes, i actually know what you're going through. I've had a very similar issue with mines and i find it hard to properly calibrate it so it was not "the best" but it didn't annoy me that much. Perhaps the unzoom could be a bit less brutal?

But it was sweet to have this inspection function either way

Okay!

As current world record holder (93.77), I approve of this game.

(seriously, I wouldn't have spent 2 hours playing this game for a goof, if it wasn't actually fun to play!)

Yoooo this is such a good idea! You exploited really well the limited content that can be produced in a jam. The early game was really fun, because you dedicated each level to teach a way your mechanics interacted with each other.

The later part still has good level design, but I do have a few relatively small issues.

• I'm not a fan of the timer, even with the setup phase, I think it's a little superfluous since there's already limited ressources
• Some of the levels rely too much on precision, either from plateforming or aiming, which could be fine in itself, but in addition of the timer I think it's a little much. The puzzling element is strong enough that you can rely on it IMO.
• I'm not a fan of puzzles with "clutter", as in, it gets harder because there's so much different elements, worse when some of those are red herring. It's okay when you use the jump to go around the door in the level with the bottom full of spikes, but on the last level it's... a lot.
• That last level was a LOT of trial an error, and shots that barely missed and forced me to restart. What's interesting though is that I solved it differently than in your video, not sure if it's intended or if it's an accident :D (tough my way of solving it felt a little hacky)

Anyways, this is a really interesting game, and I think you should definitely try to make a more polished version,.

Now I've seen a few people play this on stream already, so I knew what I was getting into. Even still after watching 2 whole playthroughs I still found the levels to be refreshing. I think a big part of the game boils down to the level design, as it is a puzzle game to some extent, and in the majority of the level design, I found it very coherent. There were a few examples of the opposite, where the possibilities seemed endless. This was partly because of the loose parameters and rules in the game. Where you're standing is arbitrary from run to run so solutions may or may not work depending on what pixel you're on and where you're shooting. I still think the game is nicely down from a gameplay perspective, even if the art falls far behind! Lastly, the music was pleasant, and not annoying. It was a little short, but the layered instruments and simple beat with breaks in between makes for replayability.

Ok, this game was super good. The way you built upon each level, introducing new mechanics was really clever. I think if you worked on the few issues noted by others below (visibility, and sprucing up the art a bit), you could have something here. I had a really good time playing through it!

Nice work :D

A satisfying length that was well paced with a steady introduction of new mechanics in a way that never felt confusing. Good work!

I really liked the gameplay of this game. And it had a really intuitive way of presenting new gameplay mechanics. The later levels where quite hard too, but I pulled it trough :D The graphics where a bit minimalistic, but not bad and it somehow fitted the gameplay. The music track is great too.

This was fun. Very clever idea for a game, kind of an action puzzler!

Full disclosure: If I had had the weekend free, I would have been the one doing the art for this game. That said:

My time was 558.42! I really enjoyed it! Your level design is great and with more time this could be a good full-fledged puzzle game! The controls were a little too tight movement-wise but once I got used to it I was fine. I'm going to have to watch the solutions video to see if I did any levels differently than you envisioned. Anyway, solid little game! Great job!

Really impressive and commendable level variety and number of mechanics that were largely intuitive (only in a video game world could you shoot a bullet to collect it 😄).

That alone made this a fascinating game to play, with a lot of puzzle concepts seemingly unique to it, such as having to collect health to be able to damage boost or simply having to collect the right to walk for longer. The levels were well paced too.

Main downsides, which didn't detract too much from the game, were that it could have been presented better (not just graphical improvements, I'd also say the "zoom out to see everything" idea could be mitigated by spacing out rooms carefully), and I do wish W mirred Space to jump. Hand was a little cramped up from stretching with my left hand to press A, D and Space.

Great work overall.

Impressive amount of levels for a GM game. I know others will probably give you a hard time for the graphics, but i dont think thats the worst thing ever. I found them endearing and practical. A change in later levels would have been nice to fight the monotony though.

I really liked the collect actions idea! The overall design of the game are neat (couldn't pass the shoot barrel to jump stage). Good job!

Really stellar level design that makes full use of the mechanics in the game. The range of options you have with the collecting gun makes for multiple solutions to some puzzles.

And you've really taken the theme to heart, this is Collect's logical conclusion- collecting your basic controls!

I love the unique concept of having to collect the pieces that create a platform game in order to complete a level. It was a little tricky, at least I found, to get the barrel to propel me instead of just kill me. But I like what you've done, idea wise! A little work on the graphics and polish and this could go far! :)