So my second complete Jam game, and first complete solo project has been rated. The results are middeling:

I'll be the first to admit that I agree that this solo entry didn't end up as good as last year's game, which was rated better too. That game, done with the help of a LD veteran, was more or less done after 2 days, with the third dedicated to polish. This year I was still working on the game late into the third day. I guess that's a lesson to take away for next time: Take that polishing time. I also noticed that even small bits of polish in terms of menu's or an intro of some kind can make an amazing amount of difference.

That said, even ignoring the polishing aspect, I'll also admit that this game felt less fun to play than my previous entry. As this game is based on an idea I have for the first "real" game I want to make, this is something to keep in mind. I may have to spend some more time working out how to implement this movement & fighting scheme to be more entertaining. That, or leave the game as a MVP that I'll just use as a practice run and give away for free.

So I don't really disagree with the ratings. I would have liked to see my Theme rating a bit higher, both because I overhauled my original idea for a game to better fit the sacrifice theme and because I kinda like it myself. That said, my subesequent rating spree has shown me that my "choose which skills to level down" idea wasn't exactly unique this jam.

Still, even with a mediocre end result, I am happy that I did manage to deliver a game within the deadline. My previous solo attempt for a last-minute compo entry was a failure. And since it appears increasingly likely that when I start working on my first big game project I'll have to work mostly alone, it's good to know that I can at least get some work done. I hope to get better work done in the future.

PS: Does anyone know where I can find the total number of rated games for comparison?