While You Were Here

I'm not sure how to complete the second level, but I love the aesthetic and idea of the theme

That is a great entry. Good atmosphere and nice graphics and animations. Love it!

I'm stuck on the third level for now... However, this is incredible. And its a COMPO game!? Impressive polish level!

Man, I wish I was more of an artist. I can code very quickly, but "making it look great" is always time consuming or impossible. This looks great for a 2-day game!

Really dig the whole atmosphere of the game! How did you record the nature sounds! I thought about something similar but only have my shitty pc microphone... :sweat_smile:

I think the golem could move a little faster overall and I don't really like that the signal can be blocked so easily made level 3 very frustrating...

Great job with the overall presentation I love the whistling!

This really is a very cozy game—nice!

Sound design, lights, art : great job!!

I like the idea of controling creatures with signals. The art is also good and I love the little animation/sound design to call your creature !

Wow, this is great! The animations are just fantastic! Both the boy and the golem have so much character and the way they move is very expressive. I love the scene where you wake the golem up in the beginning.

The atmosphere, with the sound and the lighting really feels like an old dense forest.

The game mechanic was a very good take on the theme I think, and I liked the puzzles. I got stuck on level three unfortunately. I couldn't figure out how to solve it, even after many attempts. But I was sad to not be able to get further. I would be interested in knowing the solution and seeing the rest of the game.

I like this! Your character art is great, and full of personality. Did you ever play Abe's Oddysee/Exoddus? The atmosphere and gameplay (and the whistling) remind me a bit of those games, which is never a bad thing.

The puzzles are rather good, doing a lot with only a few kinds of items. The last one stumped me for a while until I realized that the golem can walk through the wall, and that signalling while riding on him has its own effect.

There's a bit of glitchiness: you can get stuck in certain places, and in fullscreen I couldn't manage to restart the level without leaving fullscreen first. But nothing major.

I never did quite figure out the rule for when the golem comes when you call and when he ignores you. But it didn't get in the way too much.

Would have been nice if you'd had time to make the environment art as nice as the character art.

Really nice atmospheric game.

@rogual Thanks for the detailed writeup! I haven't played those games in so long but they definitely were among my favorites growing up. (so maybe they stuck with me while working on this in the back of my mind)
I fixed some of the glitches you mentioned so hopefully its not as bad / game-breaking.

When the golem ignores you they are sleeping :sleeping:

The only thing that annoyed me a little was that the platform collisions were smaller than the platform itself, but other than that, it was great)

Well that was just beautiful, loved the aesthetics and mood and the whole "golem following" kind of reminded me of Zelda Wind Waker

Great entry! The art and aesthetics are really good. It does well at adapting the theme.

the controls were a bit slow and clunky, but other than that cute!

You were right that our games have similar vibes! Yours is crazy impressive for being made by just one person though. Love the atmosphere and the thought that went into this.

You got the mood and theme down really well!

Lovely little game. Art style is very cute, and great use of the theme. Excellent work!

Great atmosphere and cute art. I would definitely like to see more levels expand on the signaling feature.

Wonderful style and vibe. I like the simple puzzle mechanic of controlling the golem remotely and having to manipulate the box.

The third level became an exercise in frustration for me (even after your hotfix), taking around 15 minutes as every little thing went wrong (it is so easy to get stuck in that level if anything goes in the wrong place. It's hard to get the box from the 2nd platform onto the golem, and the last facepalm was that I went to the exit and the golem was slightly out of range so I was stuck on the right side). Is there a reason why the signal has a limited range at all? If I could signal from anywhere that would remove one source of frustration.

Anyway, a really classy entry. I'm glad I was able to finish it.

Hints if stuck

(Click on spoilers to reveal)

Level 1

!> Move the box on the stone

Level 2

!> The giant can carry the box

Level 3

!> The giant can pass the green wall, if you signal while standing on him.

really nice game, the art is nice the sound is calming and the puzzles are fun. given some more time and fleshing out i can see this being a blast to play.
only a few problems, the first puzzle would be good with maybe a tutorial text in game to help understand the mechanics. it took me a while to work out to put the block on the podium and was not used to weight down the spike to stop it form coming up (this may have just been a me problem tho i'm not the smartest). and the hit detection for the platforms i fell thought on what looked like a solid part a few times

other than that very charming game ! amazing job

Nice game, art and sound design. Platforms can be a bit tricky to jump on but overall the experience is really nice !

Sound design and art style are amazing. Really nice job. Relaxing game :)

I really enjoyed playing this game. There was a nice aha moment in each level. The art is fantastic. I fell through the platform edges a few times which was slightly frustrating.

I really like the art, sounds and atmosphere. There were times where the player didn't detect the platforms collisions XD Overall good job!

This was great! The puzzles were designed well, and seemed to progress logically. I do wish there were a couple more, though, as the game ended just as it really started getting interesting. Still, I enjoyed what I played! The tranquil visuals add a lot to the experience, too.

I'll echo others here on the platforms' hitboxes being somewhat unintuitive. Often I would fall through the edge of a platform to my death while trying to make a tricky jump or maneuver boxes around, and since this game is focused on the puzzles, not the platforming, having most of my deaths be because of the latter was frustrating. Probably, the platforms' hitboxes should extend all the way to the edge of their sprites. The spikes' hitboxes, on the other hand, are maybe a little too _big_; they could do with being shrunk a bit, I think, which would reduce friction on levels 2 and 3.

Really lovely art — gives off that warm, wholesome vibe of children's book illustrations. Nice sound design too. Simple puzzle, but the heartfelt atmosphere really pulls you in.

i like idea, animation and art but i dont understand why giant wont push the box in the second level. Any way you did great job :)

Very good puzzle platformer game, It was very challenging, I don't say no to more levels post LD (If you want to continue with the game after, no presure) :D and nice graphics and ambiance sounds

Collision of the platform was frustrating. I failed so many times falling through it

Aside from that, I liked the game. Even though it required so many attempts, I still finished it. The mechanics are clever and unique. Golem and main character are done well, I really liked character animations, his style. Such a cool guy - standing on the golem's head and pointing with a finger where to go.

such a lovely artstyle and cool gameplay

Nice art style and aesthetic

This is funny to me.

@pentagrammal @rise12600 @mortith @wirryloberts @frowsyfrog @python-b5 @skale — you're all right about the platform collisions being a bit rough! I've tightened up the hitboxes in a post-jam patch so they should feel much better now. Sorry for any frustration! Thanks so much for playing and for the kind words :slight_smile:

@andriybyelikov hahaha! future update: how many can we stack? :thinking:

I loved this. Exceptional art, mechanics, and use of the theme. I really got frustrated on the final puzzle until I figured out that I could signal the spirit from on top of him - which speaks to great level design, since it required me to learn that before moving on. This is the kind of thing I'd like to see turned into a full game. Puzzle platformers are so hard to get right (a la Trine), but you really nailed it here. One note: I might decrease the iteration time even further, since falling into the spikes is so easy and figuring out the exact hitboxes is tricky and leads to a lot of death (especially on the level in question). Just a fine-tuning thing, though; this is really top-notch.

really love it. i found so many soft locks!

Oh wauw :thumbsup_tone1: such a cool entry... really liked the feel and atmosphere

Left you a rating :smile:

The scenes in this game are very beautiful. The sound effects are very good as well. You certainly have an eye for color and composition. It took me some time to figure out how to use the golem. I made some progress, but the puzzles became too difficult too soon—at least, for someone like me. I must confess, I'm not very good at puzzle games. But judging from the looks, this game is in a class of its own.

The mood and ambience are great. I found myself a little impatient with the golem's speed and the speed of the boy pushing the box, but overall very nice. I think the little door/wall animation is a great touch.

very cute game, love the golem dude. third levels was tricky!

Great atmosphere and mood, I felt truly immersed, great job!!

At first, I thought I got stuck on the second segment of the game, but after experimenting a bit, I realized that you can place a stone on the golem’s head, which is actually pretty cool. However, I still didn’t understand what I was supposed to do in the third segment. The visuals are amazing, and the sound design is also really good. In my opinion, the game fits the jam theme very well. It looks very polished! You did a great job - I really enjoyed it, and I’d love to play it again in the future!

@lizelive sorry about the soft locks! I think I've got them fixed now.

What a great game, one of my favourites so far this jam! I love the whole aesthetic of the game. It really reminds me of Zelda games where you get to control statues in the woods! The character signal animations are adorable and the puzzles were fun to figure out as well. Overall really well done, tricky puzzles too (:

@sarah Thank you!!! Navi was definitely an inspiration! (The Golem started as a firefly)

Wow first entry? Nice work!

Charming space, the layers to the art really worked well to flesh out the visual vibe. I appreciated that you did not tutorialize or explain anything. I did not even have to read the controls list and I figured all keys out including R before you even offered the in-game hint about that (but that one hint was a good inclusion so folks didn't get stuck).

That choice let me explore and learn on my own, and for small jam games I really feel like you want to extract that extra value of the mystery.

I solved all the puzzles and got to the end. The first level with spikes was very nice. I tried some wrong solutions and then there was a nice progression from realizing "wait there's another direction I could be taking this... I wonder if..." and then experimenting and finding out yes it does work! Very cool.

Game was short but with the languid pace I felt like the runtime was just right. You fully explored the mechanics offered, and then you wrapped with a nice visual flourish. Just the right amount.

Well done!

Nice puzzle platformer! Amazing art and unique mechanics blended with a fun interpretation of the theme. Well done!

I thought the game was very beautiful!

Is it easy? Yes.
Is it short? Yes.
Would I like more stages? Yes.

But I agree with whoever said it's very cool and a great entry point for a game jam.

Congratulations!

A beautiful and enjoyable game!

I really like the atmosphere of this game and the level design ✨

This was very clever. Maybe it could have done with a couple of extra puzzles, perhaps, but I think it's better for these kind of games to leave you wanting more rather than drag on and get boring.

Wow! I didn’t think this was made for the Compo. Very nice work!

Great work! Amazing atmosphere! Those platforms got me a few times though..

@squimmy Thank you! If I had more time I would have added more. Gonna have to save that for the full release :sunglasses:

I really like the style. The girl and the stone golem are so cute.

great art style and sound effects, enjoyed the game.

Yess I finished it (thanks @rogual for the tip!) Fun game, it's very cozy and I like the athmoshere a lot. I think this is really impressive for a compo!
It's a bit frustrating sometimes. The hitbox isn't that clear, which could create some tense moments. Also the whole "stand on the golem and use another call" thing was not really explained, which makes the last level very hard to comprehend
I like the birds in the forest singing! Did you record that somewhere nearby? We did that a few times in our jam entries

The art was expressive, and the ambient noise was a nice touch.

I didn't really understand the second level. I couldn't figure it out.

This was a fun game, although it was really tricky in parts due to some collision box issues, but overall it was good to play.

would love to see a more polished version of this

Good game! I got to the end. Some mechanics are pretty obtuse though

I really enjoyed the concept of signaling a pet/friend/golem/nature spirit--like some other reviewers mentioned, I didn't realize you could stand _on_ the golem to get it to do different behaviors. Once I realized that, it really broadened the scope of the kinds of puzzles I could solve. It's a simple mechanic, and well executed!

Also, pretty art. :heart:

such a cute game,,love the art ,the atmosphere is good

Great art and great theme usage as well!

I noticed the inspiration from The Last Guardian right away, which is exactly why I decided to give it a try! It’s a wonderful, sweet game about the bond between a human and a giant. The art style is lovely and the interaction between them is very charming. Great job capturing that vibe!

Lovely game that really feels like it's made with heart. The art is great, I love the particle effects and the shadowy branches which show up in the foreground.

I like that the game mechanic very directly ties into the emotions and storytelling, it makes for a good atmosphere.

Unless I missed something, I think it would be nice to nudge the player more towards discovering the other kind of whistle. Perhaps it could be possible to design a level which forces the discovery more. As an example, a level with no platforms and is simply a long row of spikes. The player would have little else to try except jumping on the golem and whistling, but could still discover it for themselves without actually being told.

On the other hand, the line-of-sight rule being telegraphed by particles traveling between the characters BUT being blocked by level geometry is FANTASTIC. That's one of the best elements of conveyance I've seen so far this LD, genuinely brilliant design.

Thanks for the game!

I really liked this. At first I thought the fact that the whistle can actually get blocked by obstacles was suuuuuper counter intuitive, I had to read the comments to understand that. But in retrospect I can see that basically the whole game is about line of sight, which ties in great with the theme. Probably the fact that the whistle can't pass through walls could be communicated better visually (totally disagree with the comment above mine haha, to me those particles and the way they bounce off of walls just looked like a purely cosmetic effect)

Not very intuitive, what you need to do to solve puzzles.

Lovely art, simple concept, and easy controls combined for a great experience. I thought having the girl knock on the golem to wake it up at the beginning was a nice touch.

as i said before it is like the last film Project Hail Mary) funny tiny project! great job!

A very sweet game, the setting is very good.

I like the mechanic of controlling the golem, also good puzzle, but a bit of clarity in the graphic would be nice. In general, great game!

Great puzzle design, amazing indirect control!

Great game and I appreciate this alone-foresty vibe a lot! Rocks are the best

The visuals and the atmosphere are really lovely ^v^ I especially like the animation of the boy jumping.

I felt confused at first. I don't know why, but I jumped on golem's head (it was asleep still) and tried giving it signals from there thinking it will carry me ^^' Then I went back to the page, reread everything again, tried giving signals from the side but he was still asleep. Only then I realized I have to come up to him and "Interact" with the E to wake him up :')

After that I tried completing the first level. Thought I am supposed to cover the spike with the crate, which again my bad I guess, it does maybe make more sense to put the crate on that stone circle. So I had to reload a few times ^^'

Here I have to note the letters are gorgeous, too. Very pretty!

I enjoyed the audio as well, very fresh and relaxing, gives you that feeling of being out in nature in a quiet forest... The sound of whistling is nice too :)

I did use a hint for the 3rd level. Was still adjusting to Commanding/Signaling mechanic too.

The ending was confusing? This black mass looked creepy... And then the golem just went to sleep :') I see it's a compo, and you did a LOT for a compo game. Probably couldn't fit a proper ending in the schedule. But I feel invested in the characters and their story now :)

Also wanted to say I like how there are three (?) different whistling sounds, I like the design of the boy (nice and colourful, and has character!) and the golem (very golem-y!) and overall atmosphere of the game. It felt relaxing and calming, even despite me failing the levels several times.

All in all, I think it's VERY impressive for a compo game and I loved it a lot!!

nice game with pleasant visuals that really sell the atmosphere. i really liked the mysterious magical forest.

isn’t it every kid’s dream to have their own golem you can control with a whistle?...

feels like this idea could grow into a really nice small game. one thing that felt a bit off to me is that whistling stops the character’s movement. it feels like those two actions could work simultaneously without hurting the gameplay.

overall, a strong entry and a cool game!

@half-animal-half-beast Thanks so much! I would LOVE a golem friend!

I didn't have time to animate movement while whistling so I just stopped movement altogether :laughing:

Very cute game! Gameplay wise I wished the controls and interactions were a bit better communicated, because it felt a bit like the levels are more about figuring out how the game works than actually utilizing the rules (and some things in level 3 were a bit unintuitive) Maybe some additional levels just explaining one control could help here (as an example a level with just a long spike section, so players have to figure out that you can stand on the golem and give him the command to walk endlessly. But otherwise very solid entry! Loved the graphics and the audio (especially the ambient forest sounds)!

It is really cute. I'm very impressed by the quality of the art, sound, and animations - along with the cohesive look of the levels and backgrounds. It meshes together super well!

The puzzle gameplay is fine, I like what you were going for but I think its just a little too slow...it gets tedious having to wait for the golem for so long, and the player doesn't particularly control well and feels too slow.

That being said, the whistling effects (and differing ones at that) are great, and the audio for gameplay-related events is also spot-on. Nice job all around its very impressive!

Last thing though - I noticed when going to your itch page that you don't have your source code linked. You need to upload your source code and link it here to your submission. Its part of the community aspect of the game jam for Compo games :smiley:

cool animations

The animations are very impressive, great work!

Lovely game, I like the whistling. Note that the compo rules say you must publish the source code alongside the game

Really cool style you went for ! Environment assets could be a little bit more polished but it looks great. Levels are nice, and it the right length for a jam. Thank god for the screenshot showing to you can send a signal from standing on the golem, I probably wouldn't have figured it out otherwise. Great work !

I really loved this one! The art was rough, but super cohesive and cosy, which made it look super good all together! I also loved the silent birdsong and just the feeling of two buddies traversing the forest. The vibe was what drew me into this game :)

The puzzles were also really clever overall. My only problem was that at the last level, I did not know that line-of-sight was a game mechanic. I think we might have needed a couple more easier levels to get used to that interaction.

Other than that, really well done! This one I will remember for sure :)

Lovely platformer game.

My playthrough: https://youtu.be/GCp9W9iJtTA

Excellent level design! Simple and effective mechanic. Pretty fun puzzles! Cute characters. This was well executed!

A really great short experience! Loved the art and the forest atmosphere.

I think where it ended was good. I would have loved to play more after some tightening up of the platforming, it was a little frustrating at times missing platforms and slipping off the golem.

A very beautiful project

I love the cute whistles and the sound of the giant’s footsteps. The art style complements the game perfectly

Very good puzzle platformer game, It was very challenging, I don’t say no to more levels post LD and nice graphics and ambiance sounds

super cute game, i love my big rock friend

That was a fun little puzzler.
Looks like a megadrive game.
Really like the jump animation and the crickets, im gonna add more crickets to my games.

Very classic puzzle game shenanigans, tied into the theme nicely. I found myself wishing I could execute my ideas faster once I had thought of them. The platforming occasionally felt more difficult than it should have.