The jam is over and I feel like it’s time to analyze what was good and what was bad about this game. I’d appreciate some honest feedback from the players and my fellow jammers, I’m trying to improve and I’ve a lot to learn :)

What was good:

• Pixel art. I’m pretty satisfied on how the game looks, in relation to my skills. It’s not so shiny but I’m not an artist and this was my first attempt with pixel art, I think that the outcome is pretty after all.

• The overall idea. I was very inspired by this thing of the cooking wizard, I feel like I’ve managed to think of something mixing cooking and adventure in a fun way.

• The trapped pig tutorial idea. I think I’ve found a way to explain how the spells work without giving away too much on how to defeat real enemies. I also think that the piggy looks cute <3 The tutorial doesn’t feel right for other reasons (more on this later).

What was not so good:

• Static gameplay. No jumping attacks and a lot of immobile enemies makes the game more about finding a good position and the right combo to defeat enemies. I think it was fitting the theme (cooks and wizards are not famous for their agility) but it was not so fun after all.

• Sound. My first attempt with synths, I’m not happy with the outcome. Feels too noisy in my opinion. Someone told me that it’s fitting the pixelated look of the game, so I’m not dumping it in the “What was bad” section.

• Level design. Some parts of the level are not so cleverly designed, I should have spent more time on it.

• Weak main character, weak sidekick. I think I’ve failed to make the main character interesting… his lines just feel too “generic” in my opinion. I also should have put some focus on his grill-shaped golem and create some fun interaction between them.

What was bad:

• Keep it simple, stupid. It’s not a complex game per se, but 4 spells probably are too much for a game jam entry. It should be easier to pick up and play. Complexity should eventually increase as the game progresses to keep player engaged with something new to learn. Giving it all at the beginning feels confusing.

• Too difficult. Again, it’s not a difficult game per se but some enemies require a specific approach and some situations require a specific positioning. Maybe it would be better if it was more about dodging and firing instead of finding a way to defeat an enemy.

• Too much text on the screen. At the beginning there’s far too much text: character lines, tutorial, cookbook recipes, actions log… It feels very confusing.