[Finished][Playable] Bouncy Cat

[Davy Jones]

Played it, but the handling is a little bit weird. For example, I can't change directions or climb ropes while I'm bouncing. And why should I use the mouse when the arrow keys would be enough?
Jump: ↑
Jump right: ↑→
Jump left: ↑←

[NICKtendo DS]

You should be able to grab a rope while bouncing. You can't grab a rope unless you're in mid-air.
I chose mouse controls for precise aiming for jumping. This affects bounce etc. You can't change direction while bouncing, because otherwise some puzzles wouldn't make sense.
I am highly aware of the awkward control scheme, which is why I decided to make its prequel absolute mouse-only (something I tried years ago with Custom Clash, but somewhat failed). That game only uses the left mouse button, so it could be played on a tablet, my real first step to making a 'touch' game.

Also, when I got the feedback on the controls, the game was too far in development to change it without screwing up the rest of the game. Instead of radically changing it (I did tweak the controls), I decided to finish it and publish it for free* so other people could enjoy it. From that point forth I used the critique given on this game to create its prequel, Bouncy Cat Mao.

*The game was originally created to generate income for my intern (a learning company part of my school; I have the rights to do whatever I want with this game). It has been displayed at both the Festival of Games and Indigo in Utrecht, Netherlands and even though we had critical, but positive responses, being a Game Maker game scared away all potential buyers. It was even declined by Mark Overmars (creator of Game Maker and CEO of YoYoGames), because it was pixel-art. We had to make it in Game Maker, because our programmer was lazy and incompetent.

I think that pretty much explains it