After Hours: A Reverse Metroidvania by MattWoelk

The hero has defeated the beast! Now it's up to you, the game's janitor, to reset the game so that the next hero can start their journey.
Lowly janitor, behind the scenes of a metroid-like game. Now that the player is gone, you can use all the power-ups for yourself! You must, however, put all 4 back in the right order so you can get to the exit and start your work break.
- * Choose carefully the order that you lose your power-ups! *
- * Be your own hero! *
- * Let the actors know that it's time for coffee! *

Credits:
Rebecca Harrison - Art
Kai Clavier - Programming
Julian Beutel - Music / Sound Design
Matt Woelk - Level Design
| Windows | https://mattwoelk.itch.io/reverse-metroidvania |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/after-hours-a-reverse-metroidvania |
Ratings
| Overall | 161th | 3.863⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 324th | 3.5⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 91th | 3.84⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 266th | 3.843⭐ | 53🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 151th | 4.212⭐ | 54🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 114th | 3.86⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 255th | 3.386⭐ | 46🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 227th | 3.684⭐ | 51🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 13🗳️ | 13🗨️ |
Like how those hints were everywhere.
I've made a metroidvania game a few LDs ago, but this one looks so great I might go learn unity for the 3d effects.
Well done!
Nice entry
Maybe I mis-read something, but I think one of the "hint givers" told me that I need to return lava boots last, and it really messed me up - I spent a lot of time trying to find an alternate way to reach the lava boots guy without using the double jump. Was that supposed to misdirect the player or did I read the information incorrectly?
Anyway, I really enjoyed beating this puzzle. Starting out I thought it would be frustrating to figure out the order, but after walking around the station for a while I got to know it pretty well, and it was very satisfying when I got the order correct.
Graphics were great as well.
GHHHGHHGGGGGHGHHHGHHGGGH.
In particular, I enjoyed a lot trying to figure out the right approach to solving the level in question. It took me a few times backtracking to figure it out.
I was a bit confused by the parts of the map that weren't on the minimap - but it looks like they were just little hint zones. The only thing that would've made this better is if the gun had actually been used for fighting enemies or anything like that, but it was just a glorified door opener.
The other thing I was confused about was the... beetle... things? They gave a hint about Lava being the last to drop off... but I couldn't make that happen, so I had to go about it a different way. Either way, solved it and had a good time playing through.
Great job with the aesthetic, the music, everything. The air control/platforming could probably be tightened up a little bit, but it was still fun, all in all!
I have a couple of little niggles, though. I feel like the jingle that plays when you pick up or put down an item goes on for a bit too long, especially at the start when you're hearing it four times in a row in rapid succession. The control scheme also felt a bit weird - Space to jump, and Ctrl to shoot? - but since the Pulse Gun is only needed in a couple of areas, it's not such a major issue.
I couldn't figure out how you were supposed to do the Lava Boots last without the Double Jump, so I didn't beat it, sadly, but I'll try dropping them off the other around and see if I can beat it. Overall, good work!
And also you can skip the jingle with space ;P
I quite liked the music, but it did get a wee bit repetitive. I liked the reverse Metroidvania idea; it works very well. The graphics are quite nice, but in my opinion, you slightly overdid the post-processing stack. Nice game, with a good deal of polish.
If you'd like to rewatch the playthrough, you can find it here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/346057870?t=01h31m
Good luck on your ratings, see you next LD! :D
💜 Elysia Griffin AKA Button Feedback Lady
https://www.twitch.tv/elysiagriffin