for all your game-ranking needs. share your personal ranking here on this topic or on the flowlab official discord once you’ve played all the games! and when you post, maybe explain why you put certain games where they are. what you liked or didn’t like, bugs, issues, and general feedback. This all helps the developers of these games improve their games post jam and learn for the future.
Remember this is all personal opinion and in good fun, don’t get too down on yourself if someone ranks your game low.
I don’t feel very kind after making this. Should I post it? (If I do ignore the placement of Daniel’s Body lol). I’m torn between being kind about it and being honest.
I think you should post it and be honest, as long as you’re not being malicious and verbally attacking somebody which I doubt. If it’s just a tier ranking and honest feedback I don’t see why you shouldn’t post it.
Being honest is the best way to gain feedback on how to improve a game. Being kind can sometimes lead to people building bad habits or overlooking problems
I think you’re good. this is pretty close to how my list is looking at the moment (excluding my own game of course, which I’m not ranking at all.)
I like seeing rcreger + Crigence getting a lot of recognition, and I’d be really happy to see them win the jam this time.
Lets start with Flounder tier shall we?
A few of these games had chronic infinite loops and I couldn’t play them. Others were incomplete or very basic. A few of these had a little potential, but mostly they were very basic, or very broken to be placed here.
The Dolphin tier list might surprise a few people. These games were mostly unfinished (but slightly less unfinished) and had basic mechanics to them. Heck, a few of them had decent (or decently explained) controls and that is a win, if a small one. Elementally, My Dear Watson was disappointing because it broke for me quite early on. I tried again and it broke a little later again. Soul Punk was a cool concept but it didn’t adhere to the theme very well and I thought it was basic.
The Crab tier list (I swear, if I misspell “tier” one more time…): These games were good (at least mostly finished), and I got a small kick out of them! I played a little bit of Jammed. It was a solid concept. I think the tutorial threw too much at the player but aside from that it is a neat little game. Elemental Jackpot didn’t adhere to the theme very well, but it was an interesting concept (and it captures the gambling rush a little bit, which is neat). Low Noon Saloon was the beginning of a popular trend this jam… cards. I found it captivating, but the elements part felt just a little shoehorned in there. Wizzo… I expected more games like this one, honestly. A wizard uses different magical abilities to fight off enemies. It sounds like a certain previous flowjam winner…
Barnacle: Activate Pretty Game Moooooooooodeeeee!!!
In all seriousness, these games I start comparing to professional, in-industry indie games. Envoy was cool because it was quick and fun. You were in- then you were out, and you enjoyed slamming into asteroids at the speed light (and sometimes those pesky space police). The game didn’t try to hold you longer than it should, but it also offers you something to return to. A pleasant combination, and a beautiful, fast-paced rage game (depending on the difficulty). Blue Sky actually broke for me when I clicked on certain objects (the electricity monitor comes to mind). However, continuing with this game (after restarting) was a good decision on my part. Some clever writing combined with good graphics combines into an impressive little game! Liked it a lot! The 5 Harmonies is a rhythm game. A… really polished rhythm game- but still one with only two levels. The music was good, I just wish the theme was incorporated better and that it was longer.
Axolotl: Polished and promising! The God’s of Five I don’t think needs an introduction. It is a little complicated, and definitely throws too much at you in the beginning. BUT. But learning the skills helps make the game more rewarding. Aside from a few smaller bugs, the game was stable and that is good. The art and music is fantastic but I’d expect nothing less from those developers. The cards do feel like a minor gimmick at times but it does add a layer of neat complexity. Stone Cold Steel I think is going to be underrated, which is a shame because this game feels good. The stylized art is awesome, and I didn’t find any bugs. Moreover, this game was challenging in a fun way.
The Goat Tier: finest (again, imo) games of the bunch. Shroud of the Fifth is a game I did not complete, so take what I say with a grain of salt. The graphics were beautiful and I enjoyed dashing around. The game got more difficult as time progressed (which is good), but the controls started to feel worse later on (It is warned at the beginning that the game is better with a controller, but still…) Aside from the controls, the game feels polished and fun. Definitely worth a play.
Fun fact: envoy was originally planned to have permanent upgrades to keep you playing longer but it was cut due to time constraints. Maybe that resulted in a better game?? I really want to emulate the duck life/learn to fly/countless other flash games that used permanent upgrades in a flowjam.
While I definitely don’t agree with this list, but that’s exactly what this topic is for! I have some questions for you about your rankings if that’s alright. (keep in mind I haven’t completed many of the entries)
First about mine and Greggo’s game, Low Noon Saloon. KraylOs on stream said a similar thing about the theme feeling shoehorned in, which I don’t really understand. I was pretty confident that, gameplay wise, the element buffs were distinct, made sense for the element they were assigned to, and were a core part of how the game was played. Does this criticism have more to do with the characters and theming of the cards, or is it still a gameplay thing? And while I liked Daniel’s body a ton for the humour and writing (being the first flowlab game were I’ve ever laughed out loud multiple times while playing), It was definitely the biggest reach for the theme out of the games I liked this jam, unless I’m missing something major.
1 more small things kinda related to the rest:
why was extrez’s game (Rules 'A Nature) so low? I haven’t gotten very far in it so far, but to me it was a very well polished and designed platformer with a lot of variation and challenge. personally I would put it at the top of dolphin tier or even quite a bit higher.
yes, extrez’s game was quite polished, and it had all five different elements with different movement styles. Although some of the levels were a bit challenging, it was still quite fun.
Most people who have played my game have figured out the controls easily, but I could definitely make the tutorial better and add more polish.
While gambling and westerns are about as synonymous as books and reading, the elements part just doesn’t land in a materialistic landscape such as the Wild West. It simply doesn’t mesh with nature-oriented and respectful views of nature elements.
As for Extrez’s game, I don’t remember it too well, so I’ll play it again just to review and change the ranking
Rules of Nature I’m giving a high Crab tier (I misspelled it again). It is super polished and the movement feels n i c e. Definitely reminds me of King of Thieves
Make no mistake: I liked your game! It played well and looked and sounded good. It just felt a little like it took itself too seriously, and the concept is not the most original (although it is popular and interesting). It was a good execution and my review was not meant to bash your game in any way.
