itch.io

The game looks great, thanks for letting me know!

The game was developed in two months by a team of four, in parallel with learning Unity in general.

Thanks, GameCrow4! Glad you enjoyed it.

A very neat game!

Critique:

• As mentioned previously, having the "-2 HP" effect was annoying because it often was the main reason for my deaths in the game
• Hitboxes for the player could be made slightly bigger - quite often, I had to get almost into the enemy to hit it

Pros:

• Giving the player the ability to roll as many dice as he wishes was an interesting idea. Kind of like allowing to gamble - you don't know what you will get, but if you are really feeling lucky, then go ahead
• I like how you added debuffs as potential outcomes of throwing dice. It not only balances the game but also prevents you from exploiting the buff receiving mechanic

Good job!

Interesting game, I liked it!

Critique:

• In the tutorial, you show that a "super shot" is represented by a 6-dot die face - however, it seems like in the actual gameplay it became a crosshair-resembling symbol on the die face instead of 6 dots. For a while, I've been thinking I am not getting the super shot at all.
• "Super shot" doesn't feel too useful, since it just allows me to kill one enemy with one bullet while I need two bullets to do the same thing. Considering that, it feels like 6 ordinary bullets would be better than one overpowered shot. You could make the super shot more buffed, like shooting multiple overpowered bullets or making this shot pass through enemies.
• For the viewport size, enemies seem too big and the main character moves too rapidly. There were a few times when I bumped into enemies as I was running around the map.
• You could add special SFX for when you roll a special shot and when you get your gun jammed

Praise:

• The music is quite good, it fits
• I love how you put a lot of thought into what the player sees and made a lot of things on the screen animated
• It's good you allowed to reload at any time - it's fun to just roll the die and see what you'll get

Great job!

I just had about 40 minutes enjoying his stand ups and songs, laughing all the time through. Thanks, FancyHat.

Exactly, it was Bo Burnham - Rant! Thank you for telling me this name. I ended up laughing through a handful of his songs, haha.

Very ambitious game! I enjoyed playing it.

Here are a few things for the critique side:

• BUG: enemies try to attack dead characters. In fact, it could have been the only reason why I managed to kill all the demons - they were simply not interested in my alive characters, haha
• Because of the lack of animation/game feedback, I was slightly confused about whether I actually attack demons or not. It was only after I accidentally killed one when I realized that I deal damage even though it's unnoticeable
• SFX could do a good job in adding atmosphere to the game
• Idle animation is jittering

Great stuff:

• I like this genre of games (3D cell-based turn-based tactical shooters), and it was a delight to see someone make it for a jam

Great job! Congrats on making a game for the jam!

I loved this game. It was made with some soul to it. Also, I am just a fan of philosophy and deep meaning.

Some critique:

• Adding some SFX would be nice
• Music can add a lot, too. It would probably be not easy to find the right music, but even using some kind of soundtrack for different locations (like birds chirping for the balcony, template street sounds for the street, muffled college sounds for the classroom, etc.)
• There's an extra room in the house that has nothing in it - it could be used for some kind of an easter egg
• It would be interesting if the story had different consequences based on the sequence you executed (i.e. whether you studied before hanging out and vice versa)
• Adding E as another key for interaction would be great, since some people (like me) are more used to have E bind for interaction

Here's what I want to remark:

• Great job at adding idle animations for the characters. If they were static, it would have been boring. You have even a little bit of movement on the screen and it already adds a lot. It somewhat makes the characters feel alive.
• You implemented a very profound idea in your simple game's plot - that's remarkable
• I loved how every character had its own personality to it
• I absolutely LOVED the introduction of our character: "...i have a freaking science test tomorrow" xD

Great job, man.

Congratulations on developing a game for a jam!

Critique:

• The main issue for the gameplay is having to have a teammate. It is ok per se, but it significantly limits the number of people who can review the game.
• The game could benefit from adding SFX
• You could add some VFX for when a goal is scored
• Score UI should be more noticeable since it is the main UI element on the screen
• The theme "Roll the Dice" is purely cosmetic, the only die that is present in the game is the cube's model

Hope it helps! All the best!

I could not figure out what I am supposed to do as a player. I agree with the previous reviews, especially with the ones from SquishyTurtleGames and Jaco van Hemert. The game mechanics could make the game great, but it is totally confusing to understand what they are in the first place.

Congratulations on making a game for the jam!

I wish I could call it a playable game, but I can't.

Critique:

• There's NO interaction of the player with the in-game world. All I do as a player is just click one button to continue - I am not given any freedom, I am just spectating for the numbers I get.
• Poor battle/health design. The main character is simply buffed and has a lot of HP - and that's the only difference between the player character and the enemies. Even giving a choice to either deal damage or restore hp on each turn would give at least some interactability.
• Restarting the game from the beginning does not make a game rogue-like - it's just an absence of checkpoints/saves.

I hope it helps. All the best!

Well done!

Critique:

• It's difficult to control multiple dice, moreover a whole flock of them. You either should make them more independent, or give the player fewer dice but make them more powerful
• Enemies after the zombie are too buffed. After a horde of zombies weakened my dice forces, two wizards came and demolished all my progress
• 5-dot die should buff its nearby allies, but I felt no effect from it. The effect should be more visible
• To be honest, the theme "Roll the Dice" is not implemented much. Everything that is actually connected to dice is player units' sprites.

Good stuff:

• That was very original to give dice their unique abilities
• I like how you implemented the growth/evolution of player characters
• I love the music! I remember hearing it somewhere. Can you please share the link to it?

Great job!

I loved the idea! It was difficult to understand its mechanics at first (why read the manual, right?), but when I understood the mechanics on my 10th turn, I really liked playing it.

Critique:

• Throwing dice shows off the fancy 2.5D aspect of the game but since it's something you are going to do over and over again, it just takes too long. It would be great if you made this throwing phase quicker.
• It would be nice to have SFX
• You could add some VFX

Good stuff:

• Music keeps me engaged in the gameplay
• "Occupying" cells with dice was a very creative idea
• It's good that you animated the characters. It adds life to the game - otherwise, the only things moving on the screen would be the dice
• I love how you combined chance, progress, and strategy with these cells. The mechanics you implemented are quite addictive, the game has potential to be replayable

Great job!

Very well done! I liked the game!

Some criticism:

• Ball movement feels slightly unpredictable. Yes, it's visually just a square - but it doesn't deny that the player can not predict which direction the ball will go in
• The particles and the screen shake are ok, but when the ball gets faster, it becomes hard to orient. Particles cover a significant part of the screen, and the screen shake confuses you regarding the location of objects on the map

Good stuff:

• The aesthetics are lovely even though they are not outstanding. They remind of old-school, simple games
• There's a lot of game juice
• It's very interesting to play, I liked the gameplay
• Thank you for giving more than 3 lives per level, and for increasing the number of lives as the levels grow in difficulty
• The Win Screen is very rewarding :]

Great job!

I really liked the idea! It is a creative approach to the original theme

Some criticism:

• Text size should be bigger
• You should make the game auto-adjust its viewport size so that it can be played in any size. Since you are using Godot, you can just set your Window Stretch Mode to 2D and Aspect to Keep (Settings->Window->Stretch)
• You could add some dialogue SFX (at least two-three neutral, one agreeing, one disapproving)
• You should add a tip on how to advance in a dialogue (i.e. pressing Enter). I sat for a while on my first dialogue line, waiting for the dialogue to advance automatically

But overall, this game was a nice surprise! Having some experience myself of going from house to house, trying to sell something, I could relate to the game.

Good job!

The asset pack is Ninja Adventure Asset Pack by pixel-boy. Almost all the resources in Failing But Gaining are taken from this asset pack, including SFX and music.

Thanks for your kind feedback! I'm glad my contributions were helpful :)

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Great idea! I loved the game.

Points to work on:

• Too quick movement
• I wish there was a way to finish all levels without killing a single enemy :D

Great stuff:

• I love how the sound changes slightly when you are underwater
• Different soundtracks for different game states - it's great!
• There are so many neat details in this game - you can feel that the game was made with love
  
• I love the jellyfish state. It is not so often to see games with a similar movement system.
• It's rewarding to complete level areas without killing enemies
• The end screen sequence is great - I like how you limited movement direction while allowing for the movement itself. Can you describe how you have set up this system?

Good attitude! I liked the idea of the game, it's just some flaws in production that can be fixed. I'm glad my feedback was helpful!

That was one cute game. Good job!

That was one big challenge with that turret, haha

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Hey! I reviewed this game on my live stream. You can hear my feedback here:

Thanks for playing! Nice suggestion. It would indeed feel a lot better if the UI could be hidden or moved.

Don't worry, now you have pointers on what you can do better ;)

Neat game! I like your idea of trying to combine gathering resources and surviving with a cozy/relaxing atmosphere.

However, here are some notes from me regarding how you can make the game better:

• The art itself is good, but the animations are poorly done
• It would be great if you implemented an 8-direction movement
• The music is nice, but it is very repetitive and doesn't really convey any emotion, it's hard to associate it with the gameplay
• The main objectives in the game - woodcutting and fire feeding - are de facto optional and even futile as they are not rewarding. The moment I understood you just want me to cut trees, grow trees, and feed the fire, I tested what happens if my body heat goes to 0. When I noticed it just decreases my movement speed, I felt unmotivated to do anything since there was no reward nor a punishment.
• The game hardly feels relaxing. In theory, you have to be constantly running from trees to the campfire - it is hectic.

Nevertheless, I can see you were making it with love! Good job, and keep developing!

Well done, Ben! When I first opened the game, it felt confusing but intriguing. I noticed the matching icons and this way understood the mechanic of stacking cards in similar piles, but it was closer to the endgame when I accidentally understood how I can add cards to my draw pile.

Glad you enjoyed it, AlseusDev!

Good notes, thanks for the suggestions. Thanks for playing, Phindie!

Haha, that would be indeed fun to implement actors' and props' interactions.

Thanks for playing, and you've built a great level over there! Glad you enjoyed it :)

Thank you, Ben! Means a lot for me :)