Don't Grow Up! by adangtran

[raw]
made by adangtran for Ludum Dare 50 (JAM)

Don't Grow Up!

Puzzle game where you run away from childhood responsibility. Reach for the stars!

dont<em>grow</em>up.gif

How To Play

  • Left click on the player and drag to move
  • Left click on skills and click on the map to use them
  • Right click to cancel out of using skills
  • Hover over units to understand their quirks
  • Within a turn, hit undo if you change your mind
  • When you're out of candy, end your turn

Credits

  • Instagram: @ashfarts
    • Main Menu art
  • Daniel Lissen:
    • https://managore.itch.io/m3x6
    • https://managore.itch.io/m5x7
    • https://managore.itch.io/m6x11
  • Kenney
    • https://opengameart.org/content/roguelikerpg-pack-1700-tiles
  • Rungeon
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N52zVHpGRxs
  • Heartbeast
    • https://youtu.be/7A4EPIr-6Sc

Ratings

Overall 840th 3.429⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Fun 636th 3.429⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 450th 3.542⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Theme 225th 4.056⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 958th 3.306⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Humor 312th 3.657⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Mood 972th 3.221⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Given 37🗳️ 52🗨️

Feedback

the neon shark
04. Apr 2022 · 23:14 UTC
Concept here is great! But gameplay user interaction felt a bit bumpy. The game loop and abilities were funny, I think you're on track to build something very cool here if you take the game further :) My biggest calms with this are that using the abilities didn't feel good or tangible. Reading about them was fun, but I found running toward the stars with almost no combat seemed to get the job done usually (at least early on).

An example of the awkward UX would be when I tried using the slip-n-slide ability. I pressed it and saw my selection area change, but then clicking in the new selection area didn't seem to do anything. I had a similar experience with a couple other abilities.

Aside the UX hiccups, I really like what you've made here. Thanks for sharing this.
aztecpawn
04. Apr 2022 · 23:20 UTC
interesting game. i like your take on the theme. i think it needs sound and music to help
inanimatecarbonrod
04. Apr 2022 · 23:28 UTC
please nerf doggo :)
Arihan10
05. Apr 2022 · 02:22 UTC
Great game! I had a lot of fun playing the different puzzles, and for once it was refreshing to see a different, more humorous take on the theme :D Good job!
sansman01
05. Apr 2022 · 10:07 UTC
At first it doesn't look like it but it actually has a lot of features. The execution and ideas of the skills are very good. Took me a bit to understand the skills tough even with the description.

I also didn't realize at first that movement also costs candy.

(But who has time for detailed tutorials in a game jam anyway :'D)

The game has a very good strategic feel overall. i really had to think what options i had to still get to the goal :) Very Nice game!
ObsceneBard
05. Apr 2022 · 14:44 UTC
Awesome game, insanely high skill curve, it feels like you need to think 40 moves ahead just to beat the harder levels, great design, I can see this having more success with more levels and built in obstacles (maybe a school map? chemistry lab?) lots of potential for an open ended puzzle game too
Iamsodarncool
05. Apr 2022 · 16:10 UTC
Super cool game! I love all the different abilities, and the various emergent strategies. It's very rad that you use RNG to generate your levels; there's so much replayability!

I quite enjoyed the writing in this game. The voicelines for all the different enemies are a great touch, and all the different endings are interesting & unique.

Great interpretation of the theme as well.
Tan games
06. Apr 2022 · 03:01 UTC
Fun game and lot of depth in terms of different strategies that can be applied. Very nice take on the theme. Great concept and well done. Doggy and Slip slide be op. :)
sprngr
06. Apr 2022 · 03:04 UTC
Trying to escape homework hit hard. Throwing down toy bricks was great & I loved the slip n slide move option. Great work!
thecoconutdream
06. Apr 2022 · 11:08 UTC
Wow, you had a loot of work to do with your dialogs and voices. Really cool! I also liked the idea in general for the theme!
Allax
06. Apr 2022 · 18:00 UTC
Good idea and great implementation. I like how you implemented the jam theme.
But it seems to me that the game is too low dynamics. The game wants to be like chess but is played like checkers
Kat
06. Apr 2022 · 19:27 UTC
Fun game idea. I really didn't want to eat that broccoli but my mum made me eat it :(
OrciFried
06. Apr 2022 · 20:46 UTC
Really awesome game here - I love the double-mechanic of the candies along with the abilities, very nice.
Denhette
06. Apr 2022 · 21:14 UTC
I think I found my favorite game in the jam. Keeping this one on my desktop!
I love the little textblurbs the characters spew after each move, they made me laugh out loud multiple times. The casual strategy, the theming, the graphics, they're all right up my alley.

Seems like an ideal fit for a mobile release too btw.
Boykala
07. Apr 2022 · 00:10 UTC
The core gameplay is fun and the abilities are all pretty cool. All of the abilities were fun to use but the bike and the dog seem like the most useful. It would be cool to see some meta progression between rounds like keeping your previous cards and adding onto them.
sergio_nikol
07. Apr 2022 · 11:20 UTC
TANTRUM!!!
Gameplay is funny, but you need to think about tutorial. It was hard to understand basic mechanics.
Ginxel
08. Apr 2022 · 17:29 UTC
I really like the concept! It's inevitable that we age, great idea <3
Jul._.li
09. Apr 2022 · 12:50 UTC
Quite a fun game! A bit confusing at first. I only fully understood the rules by level 4. Perhaps, a little tutorial level instesd of instructions would be helpful.
Grafics are nice, descriptions are funny. Would love to see a version with some sound effects for full engagement. Great job!
Jchab
12. Apr 2022 · 21:01 UTC
the choice of skill for each playthrough was a great touch!