Christmas Hustle by john-wuller

[raw]
made by john-wuller for Ludum Dare 52 (JAM)

'Twas three days before Christmas, when in the North Pole, Elfered discovered a tragedy lo. While preparing trees to ship to Elbonia, He found they had wrongly been shipped to Cal'fornia!

"Alas and alak!" he cried in dismay. "The children will lack trees upon Christmas Day!" While all of these thoughts were held in his mind, He found an idea he figured sublime.

He found the one elf who had stayed late at work, convinced him to stop his job on postalwork. The elf help Elfered to meet his big quota before he retired to ol' North Dakota.

And you are that elf, one week left to work! You are almost done with your job as a desk clerk. Finish this task and prepare to retire and help fix this situation oh most dire.

Use arrow keys for movement, and spacebar for interaction. Walk up to a vendor and purchase a seed, then walk over to the garden area to plant it. When the crop is fully grown, take it to the workbench to receive payment. Thanks for playing <3

Ratings

Overall 601th 3.204⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Fun 576th 3.056⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 698th 2.741⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Theme 503th 3.537⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 637th 2.963⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Audio 377th 3.093⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Humor 303th 3.167⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Mood 445th 3.389⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 24🗳️ 42🗨️

Feedback

archfan7411
09. Jan 2023 · 20:58 UTC
This game is a blast! I played the endless mode once I got a hang on things, and my buddy Elfonzo came in handy more than once when I harvested the wrong thing.
r00gaL
09. Jan 2023 · 21:40 UTC
It is really fun game! It took me a while to understand the concept but one I got it it was fun and calming
TheAaronator
09. Jan 2023 · 23:00 UTC
It’s great! But a bit confusing at first.
aisus
09. Jan 2023 · 23:09 UTC
Quite a backstory, like the lore. But yes, the mechanics are a bit confusing
xaviarrob123
09. Jan 2023 · 23:25 UTC
Game is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it!

There is a weird static sound that plays when you first start playing, not sure what's causing that but you may wanna give it a look!
Matank
10. Jan 2023 · 07:22 UTC
Enjoyed the game a lot! The three day mode seems a bit too short (not sure how much variation you can have in only 3 days of play - maybe 5 or 6 days would have been more interesting as it would give you some more time to build up a stock? but maybe I'm just not that good :)
I ended up enjoying the endless mode more. Thank you for making the game!
Oh Seung Min
10. Jan 2023 · 13:08 UTC
Great game! but I think player movement is a bit slow. Other than that, music, concept, fun, everything is great!
miloti
10. Jan 2023 · 13:25 UTC
I really enjoyed this one! Loved the loop and the surprisingly deep lore of Elbonia.

Aside from the character's movement and some confusing UX pieces (e.g. missing prices for tree/coal/cane seeds, day duration, reward amount), the game actually feels very nice when you get the hang of it.
Adam Konig
10. Jan 2023 · 18:26 UTC
This is SO fun. Love the dialog and the personality in this game. Wish there would have been more instructions in the tutorial but had so much fun just interacting with Elfonzo.
919113
10. Jan 2023 · 18:33 UTC
I like the game , it's a really nice idea, but I wasn't entirely sure why I was planting coal and candy canes.
Adam Burt
10. Jan 2023 · 19:22 UTC
Festive! I had fun playing this, although it took me a little while to get the hang of it. Good audio. The controls felt "slidey" which I suppose is part of the fun but it did annoy me a bit, I just wanted to move quicker! Good use of backstory/lore as others have said. Well done!
goldenXD
11. Jan 2023 · 01:08 UTC
Really cool game, like the idea and gameplay is fine!
pazzi
12. Jan 2023 · 06:47 UTC
I love the vibe/atmosphere with the snow and music! The unlimited mode is also a nice option for people like me who enjoy more casual gameplay. Also, there's something satisfying about developing a loop where I never stop moving, while keeping up with the orders. The dialogue is really well-written, and childhood-dreams-ending xD
Awesome game!
LucDeligne
12. Jan 2023 · 12:58 UTC
Quite difficult to get the hang of but the mood of the game is really nice!
(Cool poem too!)
Hulya
12. Jan 2023 · 13:19 UTC
At the beginning I thought that coffee was a timed boost but trying it and speeding up, the game became fun. The song was a bit high pitched for my taste and the gameplay became a bit repetitive after a while but atmosphere, story and humor was excellent, I enjoyed this game!
Flying Dog Fish
16. Jan 2023 · 23:08 UTC
Nice game, very x-massy. It looks good and plays well. Even just moving around feels satisfying.