I really want to play this game but this game doesn't seem to have a download link? Happy to try it out if the link gets added.

As an IRL bald dad trying not to die, I really hope you come back and add the download link!

I actually found the link to the game on itch.io if anyone else finds this page!

https://re-lo.itch.io/bald-dad-tries-not-to-die

OK, I played it. Good fun, liking the art a lot. Couple of gameplay criticisms, but nothing major.

Health pickups are too stingy, they barely recover any health so sometimes they are not worth the risk trying to pick up 😭

Limiting player ammo is a fantastic idea, most of these kinds of games are just a shooting fest, but this one forces you to be precise in everything you do. Having a melee attack adds another layer of decision making to this is a well, which works really well, but if you melee attack up or down (as opposed to the sides) you usually take damage which limits it's utility somewhat.

@beefsock thanks, don't know what happened, I thought I added the link... Now is added :)

Thanks @teddyreid I didn't know that the link was missing. Thanks also for finding it and playing. I agree with your criticism, those are things that I'm aware but didn't have the time to fix. Fair criticism, Ty :)

so the thing i dont like about the game is that the ammo is random drop. its a nice mechanic that you force us to shoot carefully, but if i want to try for a high score im not garunteed to do better due to the RNG even if i do better. so there could be some thing to balance better there. the game was fun to play, it seemed like 45 was my average run kills due to the rng. nice job!

@jcmonkey Thanks for the feedback, I tried to balance what you mentioned with the melee attack, deals more damage and enemies drop always 3 ammo. But it is tricky to not get hit...

Very solid game. Nice art and nice gameplay. The only thing that the game lacks some kind of uniqueness. All in all a good job!

pretty fine game. decent atmosphere and the dad is indeed bald. I was a bit confused by the map as there wasn't much to be found but nice entry!

Nicely done! I find the limited amount of ammo very interesting, and think that increasing the ammount it's not the way, especially as it makes the game fit the theme very well. The only problem that I find is that you can't do much when you run out of ammo, or I least I couldn't, as I did not manage to do the meele attack.

very fun, played it for a good while and enjoyed it.

WOW AMAZING GAME!!! The polished version is so good!!! But the Ludum Dare version has a glitch where I can't use my melee attack :((

@useless-fish sorry to hear that, I didn't manage to reproduce the bug with the melee attack.... but it seems like it is happening to more people. I'm a biit stuck here. Thanks for the feedback :)

@allax thanks! yep, that the thing that I regret the most this jam, didn't come up with any innovative or unique idea... but there is more to come and try :)

@essence thanks for the feedback.

PS: I made him bald becouse baldness is an inevitable thing that you can't delay

The limited ammo mechanic is a nice touch, makes it fit the theme a lot more than other twin stick shooters submitted to the jam because eventually you're gonna run out. Nice take and clever mechanic!

Fantastic art and the controls feel very good. I also liked the limited ammo idea a lot. The bald thing is also hilarious --> maybe make him grow balder over the time of the game would be even better (just a suggestion lol)

Pretty juicy and satisfying, was a lot of fun to mow down the enemies. My main criticism is that the aesthetic didn't match the lighting and particle effects. The darkness didn't really mesh well with the semi-cartoony pixel art or the chiptune sound effects, and the particles felt very rudimentary with just an explosion of pixels. Really nit-picking here, I can't really complain as it kept me playing for a while. Good job!

Very nice looking game! I didn't realize space bar could melee until after I finished. Should have fully read the description. Good job!

Great game, really had some fun playing it, got to 294 after reading about the melee attack. Really can't complain much about it, I'd say the camera could be a tiny bit larger, sometimes the enemies surprise you through the edges of the screen.
The juice really gives it life.

Nice pixel art. Well polished game!


A simple implementation means enough time to do polish, and man for such a tiny bullet that gun goes meaty.

I just wish the melee was a big bigger, for a while I was wondering where the hitbox was until I realized it was actually that small.