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That sounds great! I know I might have sounded a bit more critical than I actually meant in my first comment, but I’m genuinely looking forward to the update and the soundtrack release.

Hi everyone! I won’t be able to participate for the Winter VN Jam Meet & Greets, but I’m still definitely interested in looking for a team to join the jam!

I’m a music composer with some SFX experience; I’ve also sung (English/Korean/Japanese) and done voiceover on small personal things if that interests you! Additionally, I’ve proof-read on some pieces of writing, including a Twine game.

I’ve done a variety of styles for a variety of projects ranging from 90’s-inspired platformers to contemporary choir arrangements, but something I always love doing is cozy, warm acoustic soundscapes like the work I did for Feather Park, the 2nd place entry in this year’s Cozy Autumn Game Jam. Maybe this kind of vibe is something you’d like to work with!

Besides that, though, I’ve done a lot more music, and I’ve picked up a lot of styles as my projects called for them. Here’s my 2021 music reel for reference:

If any of this interests you, I’d love to chat. Maybe we can make some art together this game jam!

It’s incredible to imagine two people got all this done, especially with all the music, in just two weeks. I handled just music on this jam and barely managed to get a soundtrack of two tracks and two fanfares done, so I can’t help but praise your work ethic.

The balance meter is an interesting idea - it comes across to me that you intended it to be a fair, forgiving way of handling failure in rhythm games, but I’ve seen other people perceiving it as an overwhelming additional element to simultaneously juggle alongside the rhythm gameplay.

Unlike some other games I’ve seen this jam, I am a little skeptical about whether this game concept could be increased in scope and scale. The concept of “keep getting good at the gameplay loop to add additional game time!” as seen with things like endless modes in puzzle games or E-102 Gamma’s gameplay in Sonic Adventure is solid in theory, but I think it’s hampered in this case by the fact that the songs are of fixed length - no amount of increased skill will make them take up less of your finite time, even if the reward money compensates for that. In my personal experience, it makes me feel like how much time I have left is out of my control, regardless of the ability to buy extra time.

I’m definitely glad to see this game exists in the state it’s in, though. It’s an excellent exploration of a bunch of ideas that feels really authentically PS1 in spirit. I admire the soundtrack’s bolder approach to messing with sound compared to what I’m normally used to. I’d love to see a download of it!

I thought this game was pretty fun once I got the hang of it! The Ape Escape-esque soundtrack really helps, too.

I think the game has a bit of a problem with conveyance, though. There’s a bit too much sitting around scrolling through text that I think players might get bored, skip the text and miss out on both important tutorials and lore. Spacing things out by having more optional NPCs that talk about the world and opting for more visual and environmental storytelling would be really helpful.

I imagine there’s a lot of detailed inspiration behind the world of the game that I didn’t pick up on, seeing as how there’s three writers behind the game who I’m sure have had a lot they wanted conveyed through the game script. I hope we’ll see this game and its world elaborated upon!

The movement feels really polished and rewarding! It took me a while to really get the hang of the combat, but I can tell a lot of effort was put into giving it a lot of depth.

I’d love to see this go on into a full game, but if you plan to, I’d have to ask you if you can find a way to make combat more important. Right now, most enemies appear to be able to be bypassed by just maneuvering around and past them, which means that there feels like there’s little point to fighting other than if you just want to.

Besides that, though, there’s a lot of attention to detail here that I really admire. Even having a ledge grab is one major detail that I think has this game stand out amongst the rest!

Hi! I know I’m a little late, but I finally got to play your game. Sorry I didn’t run across it during the voting period!

I liked it! It reminds me of a more peaceful Pikmin in how you’re exploring an alien planet (which is actually Earth), going through day-and-night cycles and occasionally bringing a pumpkin back to your ship. There’s so many things I can see going into a concept like this, many of which I’m sure you’ve already thought about but couldn’t implement in time. Yodawg was a surprising but cute addition, too.

I like how you’ve implemented different levels of brightness for the time of day; the rain, which is a really nice touch to add extra atmosphere; the roundness of the map, which really helps make it feel like a tiny planet; and I enjoyed the voice acting and sound effects for when you pick up a mushroom.

One thing I’d like to bring to your attention a little is the sound and music, though. I think for a game like this, having a bit more ambience in the form of gentle wind and/or rain could really help make the world feel more alive with relatively little work. As for the music, I actually found it becoming the most repetitive aspect of the game over time. I think something less constantly present, a bit more minimalist like the Animal Crossing soundtracks, would actually complement a game like this, especially with additional sound design as I’ve mentioned.

Still, though, it’s definitely cozy, and I liked the ending too. I think if I’d been able to rate it during the rating period (keep in mind I tend to be a bit picky 😓), it would have been:

Overall: 3.5 - I don’t know how I would have voted for it between 3 and 4!

Cozy: 4

Fun: 3

Creativity: 4

Theme: 3 - The pumpkin is a good touch, but I wonder if more autumn colors could have helped?

Aesthetics: 4

It’s really impressive that you managed to implement all this in two weeks! The art is great and perfectly evocative of Game Boy classics, and so are the minigames.

Besides sound, one thing I’d like to ask if it’s possible to implement is to let the main character walk freely, like in Link’s Awakening, instead of being restricted to a grid like in the Pokémon games. I feel like it’d make getting from place to place feel more convenient if you could move diagonally, for example!

Short, simple and sweet. I’m impressed at the quality of the audio given how much time it was completed in!

It’s really cute! I loved the art a lot, and while the writing could use some proofreading for better flow, I think the overall mood of the game absolutely fits the cozy vibe. I went with the Theo ending first, but I liked both routes and how their dialog choices naturally lead into the drink at the end.

I’ll second the sentiment that the experience would definitely feel a lot nicer with some audio. I’ll have to look out for an update down the road!

Quick edit: Is the title of the game “A Latte Love” or “A Latte of Love”? I personally prefer the former!

I really enjoyed this! I’m usually bad at these kinds of games, so between the looming winter, five-year timeframe and information overload I was really anxious at first, but finding out it was more or less turn-based and didn’t really seem to have a fail state let me relax and have fun feeding the rabbits (and other animals).

Thank you for enjoying the game and soundtrack!

I know this might be a silly question, but have you tried holding down Space when controlling the drone? It’s what lets the drone hover.

The bubbles say all! :)

Thank you for enjoying my music! I've sent you a Discord request; I'm looking forward to talking with you too. :)

Hi, everyone! I'm looking forward to the game jam, and if you've got some room for a composer, I'd ideally love to participate in it too!
I'll keep it brief and let my work speak for itself: I like acoustic (live and sampled) soundscapes combined with that charm that melodies from 90's video games exude. If your project might gel with it, I'd love to chat! Even if not, I'd like to get to know creators anyway.

Best of luck, and I hope you all have fun with the game jam!