Chrono Countdown

Maybe a bit too standard. Avoid black for the numbers, it often is difficult to read.

Very nicely made game! I included it in my GM48: Countdown compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/XYwEvzCa2b4

The main problem of this game is the readability. As the levels get darker and darker, you barely discern what's a wall and what's the room. Sometimes you're not really sure where's the exit. Then there's the projectiles who come from everywhere, without any logic to it. The timer is just this black number that you can't see half of the time because of the background. And the lack of any feedback makes it so that you barely realize when you're getting hit (and a small happy sound or something for rescuing someone would have helped a lot too).

The controls can be a little weird but that's ultimately ok. And the level design is really classic, there's really nothing much here if you're not actively trying to rescue people.

This game is somewhat flawed, but I surprisingly enjoyed it a lot. I even went through the extra effort of collecting everything for the good ending. Once you get a hang of the controls and get a feel for the level design it's a fun challenge trying to get everything in the time limit.

Like I said though, there are flaws. The wall jump is a bit awkward - I think it would feel better if you didn't have to wait to start moving down and it if pushed you away from the wall a little. The level design also requires a bit of trial and error with a lot of leap of faith moments.

The presentation works overall, though the player's animations could be emphasised a lot more - they're a bit hard to see. Some audio would also greatly enhance the feel of the game and make it seem more alive.

The viewing distance/zoom is a bit wide. The characters seem tiny compared to the rest of the world. I get that you need to be able to find the people you need to rescue, but some of them are out of your view anyway. A sound cue when you get close enough would be nice. It's a bit difficult to see what is friend or foe, I'm specifically talking about the red bullet kinda particle that comes at you? But it's obviously cool that the particles are there to begin with. The backgrounds are well done and pleasing to look at.

The controls are a bit floaty, and the walljump could be improved by letting the player jump a wall whenever he wants to, but making him jump away from the wall when he does, also just to solidify the idea, so it's more jumping and less climbing. The game is also incredibly punishing when it comes to death, losing all progress you've made whenever you fall into a pit or run out of time. It's really nice however, that you get more time when finishing a level, maybe the same should apply for rescuing people in a smaller sense.

You gotta have sounds; it's worth the time, even if it means sacrificing some features or visuals. There are also plenty of free generators of music, but learning to write it yourself, or having a friend write it for you, really pays off.

A lot of the things I listed are obviously due to a lack of time. I did try to get the good ending, but the time limit is just brutal.

I would've liked some sound, even some simple bfxr sound effects. As it is, it feels pretty lifeless :( That and the fact that some of the controls are almost too responsive (movement), but then some are really sluggish (walljumping), made for an experience that could've been a lot more enjoyable to play had these few things been tweaked.