Ganymede (my 2D platformer with a big story)

[Sacred Jellybean]

Okay, I've played three levels so far. First, I loved the introduction. You're very talented at setting a mood, and that jumps out from the get-go. I was impressed by how 16-bit rain drops and scrolling blocks of text alone could give me the feels. The prelude is cinematic and tight, not dwelling too long on the Boy's life or meandering. We're put into the his head and thrust right into his adventure.

As I walked around the house, I found myself wanting to pick up and examine things, like a point-and-click adventure. This is probably a testament to your attention to detail. I got Earthbound vibes from visiting the corner store. I really liked how, as the main character travels from screen-to-screen, each one resembles a page, each with words stamped on the background. Like verses in a poem.

As I type this, I just realized that at no point are we ever given the main character's name (unless there was something subtle I missed). True to (what I think are) your intentions, you've created something very introspective, to the point where regardless of whether what we see is to be taken literally, the entire story takes place in the character's head.

Having played the three levels, I'm delighted that you've kept up the motif of showing words across the screen as the player explores each stage. You've struck a wonderful balance to make them both meaningful and non-intrusive. I don't find myself pausing and dwelling on the meaning of the passages, distracting me from the game; neither are they so banal that they're filler, nor so pretentious that I roll my eyes.

Great kudos for the level design, purely from an aesthetic viewpoint. Just as level 2 started, I literally paused and took a screen-cap because this stage is god damn gorgeous.



This, even after I was already wowed by the autumnal bursts of flame in level 1. And, this adorable line deserves a shout-out.



:3

Speaking of which, I like the idea of collecting water to gain more time to explore a level. I found that getting from start to finish isn't terribly difficult in itself, and the greater challenge lies in getting to every nook and cranny in the level. Some areas are far up in the air and only partially visible, others are walled off... I feel a little frustrated about being unable to access some of them, so I might just focus on finishing the game first, then going back to explore. I might learn a few new tactics along the way that I can use when I backtrack.

Take this feedback with a grain of salt, because I don't know if you should dumb down your game for lil' ol' me. I can't imagine the difficulty in not only thinking up a level layout, but designing puzzles with the right level challenge between rubix cube and SQUARE BOX GO IN SQUARE HOLE.

Regarding water, it might be helpful to put in a little jingle or visual cue to know that the Boy has drank his water. I didn't know it had occurred until I looked up and saw that the numbers had changed in the HUD. A little signal would tie it together nicely. Also, all the water is consumed immediately, but is there a way to make it a little more gradual, so you can choose how much to consume?

Another thing is that the game told me that in order to drink water, I had to both hold down the shoulder buttons and press Up. But just holding down the shoulder buttons did it. I'm reasonably sure my controller isn't at fault, because pressing/releasing Up made the Boy tilt his head up and down. So it's not like it was stuck in that position.

One thing I noticed is that upon disembarking the ship and traversing the world, there aren't little markers, like you would normally see in a platforming hub world. I was curious about that. I know you're too meticulous for this to have been an oversight. It would seem a little tighter that way. Maybe you wanted to emphasize the wilderness of the island?



I think a big part of it is the visual cue in the forest. I don't know the limitations of the engine, but is there a way to make the leaves in the trees part just-so, so you can see the character move through them? Again, I noticed you put in fine enough detail to, for instance, make the Boy's hair flap up and down with each jump, so it's hard to imagine this is an oversight.

I think I may have found a bug. In the Info box in level 2, it describes how to pick up an item and chuck it up in the air. However, the very last prompt is blank, and you have to click through that to get back to playing.



I'll wrap up by saying that I love, love, LOVE the music of this game. It perfectly fits with the pensive tone of the world you created. Excellent job with the spooky green level; one rumbling note throughout sounds like the menacing growl of an unseen beast. Did you write all of the music to this game, too? Excluding the Aquatic Ambience track from Donkey Kong Country, I mean. I recognized that one. :)



Ahh, demonic Charging Chuck!

Really superb work, Ryan. Congrats. I'll keep playing and making notes. I won't post my dream count just yet... but when I do, know that I was handicapped by a crappy controller! You saw it yourself!