Paper Jam! by danhett

[raw]
made by danhett for LD 38 (COMPO)

Paper Jam is a completely hand-drawn platform game that takes place entirely inside a single piece of paper:

finished.gif

All graphics were created by hand on a page. This game was created with Phaser.js and a ton of paper and scribbling. The audio was created using Nanoloop on the GBA (music) and LSDJ on the original Gameboy (sfx). All you gotta do is find and destroy five targets in the levels, and not die. There's a prize at the end for you.

There are five levels and it's not too taxing, but the way it looks is quite satisfying. Would love to know what you think.

The game should work on any desktop browser (technically it loads on mobiles but there's no controls or scaling, so... don't)

http://games.danhett.com/paperjam/

or mirrored on itch.io -

https://danhett.itch.io/paper-jam

And if you'd like to peruse the source code, do so here: https://github.com/danhett/PaperJam

Peace! :)

Ratings

Overall 94th 3.78⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Fun 117th 3.612⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 93th 3.673⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Theme 326th 3.245⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 15th 4.46⭐ 52🧑‍⚖️
Audio 124th 3.415⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Humor 143th 3.073⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Mood 126th 3.545⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Given 26🗳️ 17🗨️

Feedback

orquigames
23. Apr 2017 · 22:58 UTC
I like your game!
HomineLudens
01. May 2017 · 06:17 UTC
Great graphics! I really love it. I found frustrating to have to direct the robot to be able to shoot. And ugly that you can shoots after death... but it's a great-clean-fun game to play. Good luck!
danman9914
01. May 2017 · 06:18 UTC
The paper aesthetic is quite convincing! Minus the lines that flow off of the page a little bit, any screenshot could pass as a photo of a piece of paper. Also really liked the pew-pew audio.
JOrbits
01. May 2017 · 06:23 UTC
The idea of playing on a piece of paper looks really good. I had some problems with the controls, why am I not able to shoot when I'm not moving. In level 3, why am I not able walk under this: http://imgur.com/a/fC90C . Maybe you could add more feedback for the player, ex when he dies the paper gets crumpled, or when entering a new level a new slice of paper gets added to the stack.
paulstraw
01. May 2017 · 06:23 UTC
Fun stuff! I'm a sucker for hand-drawn graphics like this, and really liked how the pad was actually visible in the "real world". One thing that might be an improvement is to zoom the view out a bit. Right now, it can be tough to tell when the sawblades are coming from offscreen, which can make it feel like you're guessing whether a move is safe or not.
AntaresValdemar
01. May 2017 · 06:25 UTC
The hand-drawn aesthetic is really cool, the game is challenging and the audio fits nicely.
Good work!
Carsen D.
01. May 2017 · 06:27 UTC
The graphics are sweet, the scribble style is very nicely done! The hitboxes seem a little bit wonky though, so it was a bit frustrating at times to not be able to jump over certain spikes without hitting my head on something.
SaxOps1
01. May 2017 · 06:31 UTC
I love the graphics!
primitive-concept
01. May 2017 · 06:32 UTC
Enjoyed the idea quite a bit, good play on the theme. Agree that it's a bit offputting to have to move in order to shoot. The collision on the sawblades was also a little larger than I would have expected.
🎤 danhett
01. May 2017 · 06:34 UTC
Oh! Man I totally forgot to upload a fix for the movement - updated. Whoops. :)
jackyjjc
01. May 2017 · 06:35 UTC
The graphics is amazing, love the idea of overlaying the game in the real world, feels a bit like an AR game. Music is simple and effective.

However, I find this game extremely hard. My biggest gripe is the size of the hitboxes. I constantly died because I didn't expect the character hitbox or the spike hitbox to be so big. Even though visually it doesn't look like I hit them but I still dies. A screenshot for the hitbox problem, the character couldn't walk through there:

![Untitled.png](///raw/0dd/z/2f40.png)

Also the character slides quite a lot (doesn't stop fast enough) and i kept on sliding into spikes :cry:

I also "cheated" in the game because the bullet lives forever once fired. I can fire them randomly and they can still travel through the entire level and hits the targets even thought i didn't see the targets :p

Other than that, I think you've done a great job. I'm very impressed by the visual, just the gameplay a need bit of tweaking. Well done!
🎤 danhett
01. May 2017 · 06:37 UTC
Thanks for the feedback - I had a version with bugfixes sat on my desktop, just updated. The hitboxes etc are definitely a bit big, they're not adjusted beyond the size of the images unfortunately, I ran out of time! :D
🎤 danhett
01. May 2017 · 06:40 UTC
With more time I definitely would have made more room - it had to be zoomed in enough to see the hand-drawn-ness of the graphics, but this has made it a bit difficult to play. I chose aesthetics! :D
Titangea
01. May 2017 · 06:57 UTC
I really like the art, it was fun to play, good work!
kantieno
01. May 2017 · 07:00 UTC
Graphics are nice it works really well with the photo! You have already addressed the main gripe I had which was the size of the hitbox, but yeah only 48 hours! Besides that it was enjoyable, I played to the end!
slimabob
01. May 2017 · 07:04 UTC
Wow nice! I feel like the hitbox is just a *bit* too large, but aside from that I had a blast playing. Great job making a unique and fun game! :)
Christian Koch
01. May 2017 · 07:11 UTC
I like the idea and the art. It looks fantastic and the audio is nice as well. The hitboxes are a bit weird and the fact that you sometimes cant see where you land was a bit frustrating. But all in all it was a nice experience and the goals were sometimes challenging to get to.
XAVIER_INDIE_GAMEDEV
01. May 2017 · 07:57 UTC
Probably my fav for graphics so far! Good responsive controls and decent audio. I agree with the hitboxes thing (and would like it if you reduced the respawn timer to be instantaneous after a key press), but a fun game overall and a great concept! :)

If you get time, please also check out my game: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/no-minor-task-party-of-a-lifetime
Hadik
01. May 2017 · 13:17 UTC
Very original entry :) I love your idea :)
askania_m
02. May 2017 · 17:39 UTC
Cool anination of the game! Very nice idea :)
We also have a hand-drawn game and the artist tried to draw her best :D
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/stardust
law5guy
03. May 2017 · 05:16 UTC
I love the art style you went with for this game! The coffee cup and keyboard on either end are an awesome touch. They really go the extra mile into channeling the game jam experience! I had a little difficulty controlling the robot as I found him a little bit floaty for my mediocre platforming skills. Pretty great entry, it plays great for a weekend project and is a super original art style.
Oxlander
04. May 2017 · 22:39 UTC
Loved the game, and the idea of making a game just look like drawings on paper. Really innovative and visually appealing. My only gripe was the hitboxes of the flying rotating spikes (as others have mentioned above). The idea is really original and I still pushed through to beating your game; although one of the levels felt nearly IMPOSSIBLE, :sweat: I beat it, and I'm glad I did! Great work, I don't think it was easy to be done in 2 days but you did it! :grin:
Jakob Willforss
06. May 2017 · 09:58 UTC
It is nice, looks fabolous, sounds good and had a nicely responsive movement and jumping. My main complaints are that I didn't get along very well with the platform mechanics. It felt like the hitboxes had some 'padding' around, making it collide and insta-die in unfair situations. The hitting-the-roof jump break killed me many times. Hidden spikes when going down platforms was also a frequent killer. Some kind of ammo limitation/shooting speed limitation would also be nice, as I ended up spamming bullets in all directions in an attempt to hit all targets.

Sorry if I got a bit intense in my review there, I usually keep a lower tone. It is just, I think it has such a fantastic potential, and that if you work some more on the platform mechanics, you will have a top-LudumDare game. Good luck in the future!!
g12345
06. May 2017 · 21:37 UTC
This looks so cool! The robot has some nice frames in it too. I like this look a lot!

At a lot of things I was just wondering how you did it, like those size changing graphics at the begin and end screen; the music was nice too, i haven't even turned it off until i finished the game.

Just one thing... when i pressed space on the start menu screen, everything scrolls up... maybe it's just me.
shiitman
08. May 2017 · 14:51 UTC
Very nice graphics, I totally like it. Gameplay is a little bit challenging. Sometimes robot shoots in the false direction.
sebasrez
10. May 2017 · 14:11 UTC
Nice looking game, good sound effects, good music. Tight Controls. The hitbox is a bit too big on the player for my taste especially when you are moving fast and can't see an incoming blade. It might also be best if the bullets die when they reach the edge of the screen, since I was able to shoot blind and hit targets without the need to see where they were. Also, it would be great to see which direction my gun is going to shoot, because there would be moments that I moved right, stopped, and still shot left which confused me. This aside, it is still a great entry which played very well. Movement, Jumping, and platforming felt great. Thanks!
uchiro
10. May 2017 · 14:20 UTC
Nice art indeed!
citsua
10. May 2017 · 14:31 UTC
Really nice idea, and well executed too! I especially liked the little wobbly antenna on the character's head.
The music was simple but entertaining, even though (I don't know if it's a bug) most of the sound effects I only heard in my left ear.
However, gameplay was a bit frustrating. There are a few things that could have been changed in my opinion:
- it's difficult to know where the character is looking since it looks at the camera whenever it stops moving. It also makes it difficult to know where you're going to shoot while jumping. It would have been great if the character sprite stayed turned right/left.
- the movement has too much inertia. Sometimes you stop pressing the arrow and your character goes on, ultimately falling off a platform or into a spike.
- the jump feels hard to control too; you can't really move in mid-air and you go up really fast.

Still, lovely concept and visuals! Great work!
szczebel1995
10. May 2017 · 14:41 UTC
![end screen.png](///raw/708/2/z/4291.png)
Amazing! love the style of the game, everything works like a charm, I like that the levels are designed so you want to speedrun them but the blades make you time your jumps and think twice about the route :D. Really nice game!
jk5000
10. May 2017 · 14:58 UTC
Simple idea, fun to play, and the visual style is interesting. Well done.
voxel
10. May 2017 · 15:30 UTC
Lovely simple idea + great presentation = great jam game. Music wasn't super amazing but was fun. Sound effects were a good fit for the style and the flying cogs of death weren't too annoying (even after my fifth death). Shots continuing when offscreen made things a little easier than was probably intended, and on the last level you can go through the exit without blasting all targets. I enjoyed this a lot, I wish more jam games were this lighthearted.

But i have to tell you that starbucks sucks. All points deducted :o (not really)
Geckoo1337
10. May 2017 · 16:44 UTC
I like how you manages the theme. Technically this is really impressive. It is a simple gameplay but good enough. A really good entry. I had fun playing it. I assume that you could continue its development. I would like to see another game exploiting the same way. Bravo ++
somethinboutgames
10. May 2017 · 16:45 UTC
Clean art, mask and game fit perfectly together, no flaws there.

As previous comments have pointed out, the hitbox of the character is probably the biggest mistake one can find in this game.

Overall, a very well polished, simple but entertaining game (seriously, I could play more of this ^^)
earthcollapse
10. May 2017 · 20:14 UTC
I liked the graphics, how they are combined with the world, very innovative :)
caterein
10. May 2017 · 20:18 UTC
I really enjoyed this game. The audio tied in perfectly with the art style and graphics, and major kudos to you for hand drawing everything. I did wish I had been able to crouch and look down beneath the platforms, since there were a few times I plowed right into a gear without seeing it. Overall, really well done! :)
Dejvo
11. May 2017 · 10:56 UTC
Really good entry. perhaps the position of the targets could've been somehow indicated, and the hitboxes could've been done better, but i adore that you;ve hand drawn it and it;s not shit :smiley: really good job!
iamteekay
12. May 2017 · 08:52 UTC
One of the neat looking games I've played in LD so far. Good job
NOFUEL
13. May 2017 · 20:44 UTC
The game plays very well! Just a small thing:
I only had my problems of passing the spikes. The hitbox of them are too big and I often died before I think I correctly hit them .
All in all a great game with a very cool art style and nice animations - great job!
Monty
16. May 2017 · 21:37 UTC
Very nice idea! But unless you took a slanted picture of a blank paper, you probably had your pens go over the paper and into the table. Oh, wait... ;-P
Good job - very solid and brisky. Handles very well.
AyyAmThe1
17. May 2017 · 12:38 UTC
Graphics:awesome
Controls: awesome
Nice take on the theme.
But i get hit by the flying spinning things even when they are not very close too me.
pascalman
17. May 2017 · 13:33 UTC
Great game, great art. It's pity that game hasn't sound. Very funny game. Great job!
🎤 danhett
17. May 2017 · 15:41 UTC
@pascalman The game does have sound! Turn your speakers on... :)
Samusoidal
17. May 2017 · 23:25 UTC
This is exactly what Ludum Dare needs, a hard as nails platformer! The graphics were nice (similar to the ones in my own entry), but the sounds and music were a little repetitive and annoying.
Overall, it's a good quality entry, so good job!
Jupiter_Hadley
22. May 2017 · 18:08 UTC
Cute little game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 38 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKbr96NdjUs