Hi all!

I had so much fun working on my very first game in my very first game jam! I was able to finish the bare minimum for a complete functional game within 48 hours, but there was so much more I wanted to add, but just didn't have time for.

So, ever since the jam ended, I've been working hard on completing my vision for the game! I've added lots more visual effects, some animations, sound effects, platforming, extra (and secret) dialogue, lots and lots of polish and bug fixing, and I even made my own sound effects and background music!

I especially had fun creating the music, I've loved listening to videogame soundtracks all my life, and making my own was a really special experience. I'm sure you'll hear the influence of Zelda, Night in the Woods :3

It's been really great to keep iterating on the game, and see it go from the bare minimum to something I'm really proud of.

I know its super late in the ratings cycle, but I'd love it if you try out the post jam version and tell me what you think! There are still some things I'd like to polish, and a few bugs I need to fix (if you play your cards right, you can end up at the Butcher's Shop with three coins, and he'll have no idea what to do about it!), but I'm very happy with the current state of the game, and I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed making it :3

Entry: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/plague-friends-deathly-journey

Post jam game: https://sakura-magika.itch.io/plague-friends-deathly-journey-post-jam-version

Hi Ludum Dare!

I wanted to thank you all so much for playing my game and giving me such kind and supportive feedback! This was my first game jam and my first time developing a game ever, and I was able to get the required 20 ratings for a score, wow! I've been having a blast playing and rating the other entries, I'm really looking forward to seeing the final results.

This has been such a fun and positive experience, and I'm looking forward to participating in the next one too.

If you have any time in these final few days, I'd love to hear what you think of my entry. I've been putting a lot of work into the post jam version in the past few weeks, adding music, sound effects, animations, "dynamic celestial bodies", and secret dialogues to discover.

Play and rate here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/plague-friends-deathly-journey

If you drop a comment with your game, I'd love to exchange feedback.

Thanks again!

I can't thank @moski enough for this adorable art!

It's the final hours of the Jam, and I'm still discovering some amazing games. Post a comment if you want to exchange feedback in these final hours!

It's time to get bloody! Leeches! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/plague-friends-deathly-journey

i don't know why but i think something terrible will happen this time.

last year i made plague friend's deathly journey. i think it turned out quite lovely.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/plague-friends-deathly-journey

then i made thrice upon a time with three of my friends. it's a rough piece.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/thrice-upon-a-time

now, i have no idea what i'll make, but these feelings of doom will surely guide me to a quiet little corner of the abyss that i can make my own.

hi everyone!

i'm sitting down to play some games.

so far, my favorite games are:

Rocky Rhodes by @brainloaf-studio

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/rocky-rhodes-and-the-cracked-case

Volatile Defender by @azagaya

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/volatile-defender

Chicky Catchers by @xellaya and @ddrkirbyisq

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/chicky-catchers

SEXY BOOBY 95 by @silkworm-sweatshop

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/sexy-booby-95

here's my entry! comment if you want to swap feedback!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/plip-plop-unstable-conditions-of-care

Hi everyone! I'm out harvesting away at them submissions, and wouldn't ya know it, but me own game showed up in me dashboard!

Come play it here: https://sakura-magika.itch.io/happy-tree-harvest

Happy Tree Harvest is totally fun and happy, featuring: * three happy minigames * advanced mathematical simulation engine * eight unique endings * and absolutely no sadness whatsoever

If you still aren't convinced, here are some testimonials

Link is Broken, pls fix :)

Having played the game for a few hours now tbh, dont judge we really liked it! Id say again its my favorite entry and i really loved it!

That's deeper than I thought. 🤔

Fantastic. Love the use of music for sound effects. Love the dark turn.

I really enjoyed the gameplay and the twist when you just [REDACTED]. The art is super cute and the music to match it. I just love the overall vibe of the game. Great work!

Yeah my strategy was also to cull them down!

This is my fifth LD, and I had a rather pleasant and smooth experience, despite being at a really dark place going into it; perhaps that comes through in the end...

I still need to learn to let go certain things that I thought would be really cool to implement, but end up taking a lot of time, or could be done in a simpler way, but still get the point across. This is especially true for my first attempt at using 3D camera and layout in the third minigame. I really want to go for a striking, almost VR-like experience, to really make the player feel immersed in, and a part of what they are doing, in contrast to the previous two games, but jeez... 3D cameras are a nightmare.

Ultimately, what I wanted to create this time round was a Game For Good, a game that increases goodness in the world. Thanks to everyone who's played it for all of the love and positivity, you've really made me feel like I was successful in that regard; it means a great deal.

Here are eight entries I really enjoyed playing.

1. A Day in the Life of Death by @xellaya and @ddrkirbyisq

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/an-amazing-game-probably

This game has wonderful art, animation, music, and narrative. Try going scythe-happy!

2. Live Harvest by @tutti-ankka and @jormarysky

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/elonkorjuu-the-life-harvesting-game

This game has gorgeous 1bit pixel graphics in a 3D environment, and really good level design.

3. Flavors of Victory by @notruche , @pekolio , @helicule , @zacharypinkham @gormand-a , and @kyrio

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/flavors-of-victory

Turn based rock-paper-scissors cook-off with funky cool illustrations.

4. CharacteRizer by @renrok , @moondweller , and @alexhonor

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/characterizer

A text based game where your inventor consists of the very letters you use to type commands! How cool is that?!

5. The Time Traveler's Garden by @lxndrdagreat , @pdog1 , @matthew-philyaw , @joel-shaffer , @artsyomni , @colossalcake , and @drizzle-games

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/the-time-travelers-garden

A twisted interpretation of Overcooked with a very well executed atmospheric and musical transition!

6. The Harvest by @stephenwhoskins , and @epicgamefan

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/the-harvest

A bonafide GBA adventure game with fun point and click / inventory puzzles.

7. The Pets Over The Innsmouth by @cgong , @his-the-unknown-painter , and @21st-century

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/the-pets-over-the-innsmouth

Eldritch farming with incredible animation and illustration.

8. nut another harvest story by @weefairyfabi , and @whalejam

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/nut-another-harvest-story

Serenely drawn interactive children's storybook with a secret (that I couldn't find!).

This has been a really fun LD for me; it's really special to participate in the event with so many skilled people and awesome entries!

Hi everyone, I've just published the OST of Happy Tree Harvest! It's certified organic, locally grown, and happily harvested by humans just like you!

https://sakuramagika.bandcamp.com/album/happy-tree-harvest

Thanks for all the kind words and support <3

Happy Tree Harvest scored 4th place in Theme!

I truly couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the rankings posted. I'm completely awestruck that I got into the top 100, much less the top 10. But here I am, with 4th in Theme, and 62nd in Innovation too!

I can thank everyone who played, and most importantly, who connected with my game this round. It was really special and humbling to see and hear the reactions of players, and to receive comments on how they experienced everything I hoped they would, and appreciated many of the little details I put into the game.

To be honest, I was in an especially dark place going into this game jam, having just suffered through a natural disaster that destroyed many precious and treasured things. I was originally going to make the game much more dark spirited and mean to the player. However, I had a really good conversation with a dear friend of mine, who convinced me to work in some positivity and hope.

The message and core of the game didn't change, but I altered some of the rules to offer players a path to a good end, if they choose it, instead of just doom. All of the feedback from you all in the comments reaffirmed to me how important it is for games to be fun and rewarding, not just punishing and full of ire. This is probably painfully obvious to most of you, but for some reason, I have a tendency to want to twist and hurt the player when I design games. I'll do my best to make sure there's a path to the light in my games going forward!

Well anyways, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all once again for connecting with my game, and for reading through my ramblings.

Looking forward to playing with you next time,

Sakura Magika

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