DiverKerl by ZXKerl

This is a diving-themed game.

There's no way you would know that, of course. There is nothing in the gameplay or the visuals to suggest anything water related.

Is there something fishy going on here? No.

Playing it as a purely abstract game then, it plays like this :

Your little UDG character moves around in 4 directions and can shoot.
There are 3 circles moving left to right, which can be shot. ( Unless the collision detection fails )
You score points by shooting the circles.
The number of points scored depends on mysterious factors.
The game ends if you shoot all the circles.
You don't get points for the final circle. That seems like a bug.
All the while, a uppercase D moves around in 4 directions sort of randomly.
Your little character dies if the D touches him. ( Unless the collision detection fails )
There is a time limit.
The collision detection is terrible, and it isn't much fun.


BUT! Look!

Literal moments of effort on display here.

The elaborate splash screen has the title on it! So, maybe you will treat it as a diving game. In which case it plays like this :


You control a brave diver, armed with a harpoon to shoot fish in the perilous depths!
But you must beware the terrifying shark, which will make a meal of YOU if you're too slow.
Shoot all the fish before your limited air supply runs out to win!
The collision detection is terrible, and it isn't much fun.
That simple title makes such a difference, resolving the concept of the game otherwise floating in a quantum idea space, awaiting clarity. Maybe that UDG character is a soldier. Or a spaceship. Or a naughty schoolboy, shooting his catapult at his enemies. The possibilities are endless, until you notice the title. Then they all collapse into certainty : that thing's a diver. Something is lost, I think.

Scores

Technical Ability : 11%

BASIC. A weaponised level of flickering makes it hard to look at, and even meant that it took ages of mashing the Pause button to capture a screenshot with all 5 of the characters actually drawn on the screen at the same time.
Collision detection, as noted, is woeful.
I'm adding a point for the polite listing of control keys on the splash screen. Good job.

Achievement : -25%

Yes that's a negative 25%
Here's the thing. In an accompanying email, ZXKerl explains that the game was written with the assistance ( I suspect, actually, hinderance ) of ChatGTP.
ZXKerl is a CSSCGC veteran, some of whose games were called out as high-quality in last year's competition, so the exploratory foray into LLM territory has absolutely held them back in this case. A timely warning to us all.

Fun : 5%

Too much flickering. The shots often pass through the targets which is confusing and dispiriting. Scoring doesn't count the last shot, which is fully one third of your score.
Ironically, the most fun part might be from figuring out how scoring works, which is thin gruel indeed.

Crap Factor : 80%

Crap in the standard everyday fashion that we've come to expect, and well below ZXKerl's abilities.
But also extra bonus crap due to the taint of the 'AI' hype machine, which is in opposition to the very soul of the competition.

Remember I play these games so you don't have to. Should you play this game I bear no responsibility for your mental health afterwards. Should the warnings not be enough you can download and play it here.