Fire game as a concept for a future title. The reverse-time thingy and the retro-aesthetics are very well done. Gameplay is a little bit boring (and the reversed-you didn't pose any real threat), but I kept playing to see the ending because of the atmosphere lol
Good game, good game. I'd like to see a full game set in this setting :)

@depression Thank you, yes, I already want to make interesting gameplay for some time, but because of the time I don’t have time to complete everything perfectly. Next time I will try to plan my actions.

I bookmarked your post on the Ludum wall while doing my game, was intrigued by the graphics and the reverse combine.
Now that's our game is finished, yours is the first I test, and WOW, this is soooooo cool !

During the intro I was saying to myself "oh like Tenet", but when I saw the combine from *the day before* spawning grass in front of it my mind exploded. Great great idea !

I was able to reach the end without frustration (the upgrades are useful), love the visuals, love the mood, love this game, thanks you !

Can not download the game. It leads to this link: https://files.jam.host/uploads/$313089/Wheat_Harvest_Paradox.zip
And it says "Not found" on a blank page and nothing else. You can report this to @pov and/or host on itch.io or anywhere else.

@icxon Oh thanks, it's very strange that this happened, but I re-uploaded the file and now it can be downloaded.

@pikario Thanks, yes, I was inspired by the tenet and decided to use this mechanic in the game.

Such a good mood with a very original concept. There is also a lot of content and details for someone solo, that's very impressive.
I've look through your page And I see that you've been honing the moody aspect of your games, that's very interesting to see and quite inspiring to do the same

@kenforest could you please copy the link you use to download it. I keep seeing https://files.jam.host/uploads/$313089/Wheat_Harvest_Paradox.zip tried different browser and incognito.


@icxon It happened again, I don't know what the problem is so I'll just upload to google disk.

That worked! You've nailed the mood, great work on sounds too. I was also not expected to see so many npc interactions.

Here is my playthrough:

https://youtu.be/4I32l_Xxnok

Gotta say mate, the best entry I've tested so far, even completed it to 100%
Would like to see what sideways time would look like.

Absolutely LOVED this game! Such good atmosphere and I have such a soft spot for the graphics. Please please please can you tell me more about how you created the PSX style look? I am dying to make a game similar. The game overall played great and the concept was super interesting, kind of like the movie Tenet, but make it harvest. Well done!!

Should have allowed an audio rating cause I thought the audio was good too :)

Very original idea, and a great setting for a horror game. The Dusk kind of graphics are great. A reverse gear would be cool but its insane that you made this is 3 days.

@osh-studio Thanks, glad you liked it. To make a game in psx style, I can advise "Retro 3D Shader Pack for Unity" here is the download link: https://leakyfingers.itch.io/retro-3d-shader-pack-for-unity. It has camera effects and a shaders. And I didn't allow the audio to the rating because I didn't create it

This is a really cool game! I love the atmosphere and the sounds and of course the time loop idea.

I noticed that you can go over 100.0% with the harvester, is that intentional?

What an awesome and unique take on the theme. I really liked the story idea and the cutscene at the end. With a bit of polish, some more content and maybe some music (that also plays in reverse) it could become a good little story game. But its already amazing what you put in for the short scope of the jam, good job :thumbsup:

Now some critique/things i noticed:
- I harvested 100% on day one, 180% on day 2 harvesting everything, and then i just stopped caring at ~270% on the following two days. Seems weird :joy: maybe thats because the wheat is always respawning at the entire length, instead of exactly where it was harvested?
- The upgrades don't do anything, idk if the money increasing one works, but the others sure don't (i bought them on a reverse day, if that changes things)
- It was weird that the village/settling was also mirrored to a second one on the other side, with a second mower.
Those are just details, other than that it was a great game, on a brilliant idea :thumbsup:

This was really good, nails the mood and atmosphere perfectly. The time mechanic is really interesting. Fantastic entry.

The atmosphere!! I had chills when I first saw the reverse me putting the wheat back up.

Really great game. The gameloop is very simple but fun.

You nailed the graphics and sound effects, it just fits together really nicely. Well done!
I laughed when I saw the goose in the ending cutscene :smile:

Nice to see an entry that ties all of its aspects together really well! I'm suprised so much world building is packed into a short experience like this, really just made me want to play more and get invested in the story.
Visuals are also very neat and fit the game perfectly. Great job!

So on my first day I harvested over 100%, on second 188% (no more wheat to harvest ;_;) and on the third I stopped at 229%. I mainly upgraded the quality of the crops harvested and the speed of the truck.

I loved it! Made me reconsider farming simulators xD
What a unique and cool entry for this ld. Great job!

Awesome atmosphere and mood, had a great time driving around 😍

This is without a doubt my favorite Ludum dare 52 game! Got extremely scary vibes knowing that a reversed version of me is driving parallel to me and I can accidentally hit my self! Great story, nice graphics and really engaging gameplay! Keep making awesome games!

I really enjoyed it. Has the whole classic horror game vibe and controls are nice and smooth. Like that sensitivity can be adjusted It is a bit boring in the opening but I suppose that gives the player time to get familiar with interactions. Awesome game!

The atmosphere of the game is great. At first I didn't quite understand what "time goes backwards" meant exactly but on the second day when I saw my harvester from the first day, it all made sense. It was a very striking visual that clearly and immediately explained what was going on.

The atmosphere is so well done ! I love the retro-graphic, kinda ps1 vibe (i feel a little bit nostalgic ahah), great sound design and story too !
A little bit disapointed by my past self who isn't really a treat, maybe i would love more danger.

Congratulation for your entry !

Awesome theme and graphics. I feel like for a full game the gameplay would have to be expanded on a bit, and perhaps some more sound effects, but this is already super atmospheric. Great work

How is this a Jam game? This feels like a god damn PS1 full release. Atmosphere is absolutely awesome, and you are getting my attention for the graphics alone. Gameplay is rather simple, but feels okay.

saw this game before jam ends. awesome, 5 stars all

I was very hyped after reading the description waiting for mind-bending experience. But after the first day just end up following my own harvester from previous day while wheat appears beneath it. Then repeat it until I unlocked all upgrades and gave money for space laser.
But overall quality and graphics are impressive. Solid game. Good job!

Quite depressing mood, but well made game, congrats!

nice job, got the PSX feeling nailed for sure! gave me some nice Alone in the Dark vibes for some reason, lot of character interacitons, nice!

Damnn you really nailed that PSX feeling.
Great job.
You've managed to add a lot into the game in the short amount of time.
I love the concept.
I'm personally, not a fan of the upside down rain even though the story there makes it work. Just the effect didn't work for me :D
The game was pretty fun for a while. Trying to see what else there was, seeing myself drive around was pretty fun!
nice job :)

That's such a weird concept. You manage to make the act of just drinving in a field interesting because of everything else in the game loop. I actually enjoyed the ride and always wanted to improve my harvester. Good entry with a very weird but well done mood.

Alright, I *loved* pretty much everything here. Nailed the mood in everything, from color palette, to level design (I was SO fascinated with the fucked up buildings arching over you in the sky), to character design and everything in between. I'm a sucker for psx-style games (heck, my very first game had a really similar vibe) so this was right up my alley. Everything felt perfect visually speaking, the fog, the dithering in the textures, the ugly character's faces, the grit and dirt layered on the combine's windows. The whole thing gave me a strong City17 vibe, in the best way possible.

Then there was all the reversed stuff. It just so happens that I'm also a sucker for time loops and time shenanigans so needless to say I enjoyed this entry to bits when it came to actually playing it. From little details like all the reversed sound effects (the dripping of water near your bed being the very first clue, leading you to the clock on the first run was optimal environmental narrative) to all the neat dialogues from fellow citizens hinting at various narrative elements, to the extremely enjoyable main mechanic of harvesting the field while avoiding your past self. I was lucky from the beginning as I went around the field in circles and ended where my future (...past?) self would start, so at the start of the next (...same?) day I would just need to follow myself and I'd get roughly the same amount of coverage which felt really damn good.

And if THAT weren't enough, you added a whole *upgrade system* to give a sense of progression (which felt really well balanced too! and didn't wear me out for a second), AND a win condition with an ending cutscene to boot! That's not just incredibly cool, that's downright impressive.

Super solid entry, and one of the best ones I've played so far. The only real thing it was missing was a hollow, somber soundtrack to go with it. You should definitely take this somewhere, I'd love to play a more developed, further polished version with a more fleshed-out narrative one day. I'd gladly pay for it.

And *most importantly*: G O O S E !

There is a lot going on, very high consept and a nice vibe.

Astonishing how ya managed all that in such a short time.

Harvester could need an update but otherwise very very good game.

Applause to ya man 👏

I'm simply in awe! This was a really great experience. It seems like you were really economical about your choices, to get so much done. The graphics style you chose really sold the experience. Seeing my reverse self "replanting" the wheat was definitely an eerie feeling. I was never brave enough to risk a collision. Who knows? When my self meets my anti-self, we might cause annihilation!

I really dug the whole scene, and the sound design (even though you aren't taking credit for it) was still appreciated. Reversing sound for the "reverse days" was so smart, even if it was subtle. Great job!!


(P.S. - You've got quite the itch.io following! Congrats! Any tips?)