This is really good! I enjoy you and your dad's sense of humor. I also liked the animation style, it worked well with your humor and sound effects. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because of the sound quality, your sound effects blocked out your dad's voice at times. I would also advise using more vocal inflections to bring out more character. Either way, its still good!

This was great! I understand no Japanese whatsoever but I still fully enjoyed this. The animation was highly appealing, the sound gave me constant nostalgia, the voice acting was so terrific, I was trying to figure out how you coordinated so many voice actors to speaking a different language so successfully, the story was dramatic, yet flowed much like an RPG would, and the character development left me itching for more.

I understand that you do not want to make a sequel. My comment is: if you're feeling up to it AND you have new ideas as bright as the ones behind this, then go for it. I agree with what you said about so many titles being ruined with sequels. Anyway, I can tell you poured a lot of effort into this so let me tell you, every one of these stars... You've earned them.

I really enjoyed the artistic style you have. I has the details of a sketch but with the such a vibrant color palette. The only problem I have is that the main character dies for a reason unknown to the viewer. I give you 4.5 out of 5.

Josh, your games are flipping amazing!

You managed to build a very deep game in 72 hours that made me reflect on my life. It literally stopped me, and made me aware of my own thoughts and feelings. I can't thank you enough. Bravo!

The art in particular caught my attention right away. There was such a simple, but very intentional use of color, and I love it! The graphics are simple, yet evocative. You managed to capture so many details while keeping all of the characters and scenery very simple, especially the backdrop of the "outside" area. (both in the real world and in Paradise)

Chris Zabriskie did a wonderful job with the music. It certainly fleshed out the tone that you were trying to evoke in both "scenes." (the real world and Paradise) I like the soft pads sound that plays in the real world because it communicates the mood that the character is in; this helps tell the player the emotions that the character is feeling when the dialogue does not. It is also very cool that the Paradise music is off-putting, but not downright creepy. Because it sits somewhere in between somber and unsettling, it conveys a feeling of "I have to get out." Genius.

The story.... man, the story. I think you did a phenomenal job! You managed to make a 3-4 minute gameplay session have a greater impact than most 20+ hour games. The setup is very nicely laid out. The middle of the story (in Paradise) is cool because there are extra characters to talk to, and this more deeply informs the player of the world and the change that was made by entering Paradise. The climax is so well executed that I got chills, and felt fired up. This wasn't a game about winning or losing, but I felt like I won because my character survived, and that made ME want to survive! Kudos! Overall, I don't think there are plot-holes or missing story elements. I think you distilled the story down to its bare minimum, the essential pieces that create such an impact. By not overtly stating every detail to the player, you make them think and wonder; it makes them look more closely at the details, the background, the word choice in dialogue, the stances of each character, etc. I love finding all those details that HAD to be placed in the game with intention.

In terms of gameplay.... well, that's a hard one to critique. I understand that this form of game requires minimal gameplay. So, I cannot say much.

Overall, this is an amazing piece of art! I love it! 5 stars! You make awesome games! Please, never stop doing what you love! I look forward to the next creation! :)

I certainly see what you were trying to do here, but as a player it is very frustrating to play. :(
I should start by mentioning that I did complete the game. It was arduous and frustrating, but I managed to finish it.

The optical illusion aspect is kind of cool. However, it is kind of a guessing game to figure out which direction the next platform is in. As a player it is not very fun because there are no clues. There is nothing to go on, so it doesn't engage my brain and make me think. I just have to keep trying directions until I find the pattern of directions that works. My suggestion is to find a system that works and embrace it.

One of the paths you could take is to make the game more of a memorization puzzle. If the entire level layout is shown from multiple angles from the start, then the player has a chance to memorize where the platforms are. After that, the player must navigate the level using the confusing and optical illusion perspective. I'm imagining the spinning camera that Super Monkey Ball uses at the start of every level. If you end up doing this, make sure that the player can optionally restart the level to see this spin-down again. They might not want to see it every time they fail, but they will want to see it on command.

The other idea is to allow the player to rotate the stage 90 degrees to view it from a similar perspective but at a different angle. This would make the game more of a spatial puzzle, where the player has to make sense of the level by only seeing orthogonal perspectives.

Either way, if this is your first game, don't get discouraged. My first game was awful and I never let anyone see it. Everyone has a tough time when they start, and that's only because there is a lot to learn. Some people will give you valuable feedback (hopefully mine is valuable) and other people will just say how they feel without giving you suggestions or explaining why. Listen to the feedback, but don't let the criticism keep you from making games.

Don't give up! Keep learning, keep trying, keep getting better! :)

Cool concept! It just needs a bit of polish!

The puzzle concept is very cool, its a basic block pusher with a directional twist. However, it was a very rough ride figuring out what the puzzle mechanic is.

I'd like to start by addressing the art, as I feel it was my first barrier to learning how the game functions. When the first level started up, I took one look at the screen and had NO idea what was going on. I didn't know if I had a character or if he was on screen. I couldn't tell what was space and what was a wall, and I didn't know what the movable block was. The art style you were aiming for is cool. After pushing buttons and starting to figure things out, I realized what you were going for and I think it is cool, but over simplified. There is room for improvement if you can get your art to teach the player just by looking at it. If you can use things like color, shapes, lighting, shading, etc. to teach the player what their character is, and what the objects mean, and where the goal is just by looking at the art, you've saved them a lot of time and helped them get to the awesome part: playing the game!

In terms of level design, each of the puzzles was great. It slowly got more difficult, requiring the player to think slightly outside the bounds of what they did before. But, I do have issues with the first level. After being confused by the art, I had to press buttons and learn things the hard way. I figured out quickly that I seem to control the green thing. I moved my green thing (presumably a dude) over to the pinkish, greyish thing, which upon first inspection, looked like a dude with a mustache. (the black "arrow" was a little misleading at first) I tried to push it sideways, but it looked like I glitched the game and that the thing moved diagonally instead of straight. (I understand this is supposed to happen, but as a new player, I couldn't understand why) Needless to say, I had to fiddle with it for several minutes before understanding the concept, why the block moves two spaces sometimes, why it moves diagonally other times, etc. My suggestion is to add even more introductory levels that have basic blocks. (without arrows) If the player first grabs onto the idea of moving a block, they will have a stronger foothold when figuring out the directional blocks. Even if you seldom or never return to basic blocks, starting with them is well worth it!

In terms of sound design, there isn't much to say. :/ I wish there was some ambient puzzle solving music in the background. If you're willing to put in the work, you could have some sort of series of quick notes when the player moves a block, (maybe C E G played very quickly, etc.) then have it play twice on the directional blocks that move more than one space. This could help the player learn that it essentially moved twice. Even more, you could have the rewind function play the notes in reverse to indicate a backwards movement through time. That would be cool! :) Feel free to use all these ideas.

All in all, it seems like you enjoyed making this! I enjoyed playing it! I think you have a sharp mind for design! Keep up the great work, never stop learning and implementing new things! I look forward to what you come up with next! :)

Dang! Vocals are tight! The vocal tone is really good! It really sounds like its in your sweet spot; I don't hear very much strain at all. The vocal layering is really good, too! My ears aren't adjusted to picking the words out of guttural vocals as well as other metal-heads, but I think you did pretty good. I guess my only advice would be to focus on the first syllable sound in each word. Every word that was done with a clear first syllable, my ear could figure out the rest of the word super easy. But the words were the first syllable was kind of fading in or smoothed out was much harder to interpret. I can only imagine how hard it is to get the right tone, breath control, mouth shape, etc., and get the words right, and make sure they're in time, and make sure each syllable is pronounced. So, great job overall!
Really wishing for a guitar solo after the breakdown... lol
I think the music and the vocals really match the theming in the lyrics! Very cool!
Can't wait to hear more stuff!

Great riffs, my dude!
Guitars sound awesome! Great tone with keeping the clarity in the chords. I would throw a gate on the input of the guitar. (or if you have one on there, I would tighten it up so it acts faster or at a higher threshold) The section at 0:45 has some brief rests, and the gate will help clean up the leftover string vibration when you palm mute. (or left hand mute, but it sounds like a palm mute to my ear) This will make that next chord sound a little more punchy when you slam it. I recommend a gate on the bass guitar, too, so that it works in tandem with the guitars.
I would use less reverb on the drums, but that's just personal preference. They sound like live drums from an arena show, kind of like they are behind everything else. Drums sound good, nonetheless. They fit right in the mix and have beef but clarity, too!
In terms of composition, the sections are all interesting and have good transitions! My only complaint is that they are all at the same dynamic level. Everything is slamming the whole time, so it kind of takes away from how slamming it is. There's nothing to contrast the slamming. Even just a short quiet section, or a quiet measure to transition into a section would help accentuate the intensity of the whole song.
Overall, great job! Can't wait to hear the vocal version! Sounds pretty kickass already!

Nice! I really dig the both unsettling and relaxing vibes. Really like the sound production in the ambient parts where the drums drop out.
The mix is really good! Super good! Everything is balanced really well and all the instruments are really clear. The bass is thick and full but not overpowering. I guess if I had to complain it would be that the hi-hats are too loud, but that's just my preference for cymbals. Yours do sit well in the mix, so take my words with some salt! :)
I really like the synth at the beginning that almost sounds like a modified acoustic guitar panned back and forth. Very cool sound!
I think the song structure is good, too. There are distinct parts to the song, even though the same chord progression runs almost throughout. You did a nice job building between the parts by bringing in instrumentation one at a time.
My only real complaint is the lack of melody. There is the choir part in the second half, but my ear really needed to hear a melody much sooner in the first half. Even if you foreshadow a melody by stripping it down to its bare bones, that will catch the listeners ear. And when you bring it back later with more complexity will keep the ears entertained even more!
Also, what was your starting chord progression? My ear couldn't quite pick it out. It sounded like B, C#m, D#m, E, B, C#m, D#m, but I could be way off. lol
All in all, great job! Your sound design and your ear are awesome!
Keep up the great work!

Pretty cool!

What did you use to make it? What paints, canvas, etc? How long did it take?

Hey, I like your art!

I think you have some pretty good talent and great potential!

There is something I have noticed that I think might help: You have a lot of internal lines that define the wrinkles and curvature of the person you're drawing and the clothes they're wearing, etc. I think if you short up those lines and even remove some of them, it will make the surface you're drawing look a lot smoother. For instance, in this one, the jacket and skirt have so much definition that they look a wrinkled (like my clothes always do because I forget they're in the dryer, lol!) Try to challenge yourself and think "if I could only draw three internal lines to define the shape of this object, where would they be, and how long would I make them?"

Either way, really cool stuff! Keep up the work! :)

This is cute and it made me smile! :)