It is noticeable though that you ran out of time, for one, it is very hard to move around (the air lasts for 1/3 of a screen, because shaking the plants takes so long) and there's not much to do (or I didn't find it due to problem 1).
Shaking the plants to extract air bubbles fascinated me! When the circle expanded, I felt the surprise of discovering the goal and the feedback. If you continue to develop this, have you considered hinting earlier at an additional task to do while also retaining air?
Pleasing visually though gameplay I struggled with, I couldn't make / use air pockets the ceiling seemed too far away, couldn't really figure out a goal.
Phew! Made it. Very nicely done. I like the art. Once you get the hang of it, it's quite serene under water. It's a little hard to angle the character when swimming toward the air pockets but I didn't mind the effect - it creates good tension. Nice job.
@everyone: thanks for the comments so far, I'm glad that I've succeeded in the visual department.
@ethankennerly: That would be the next step indeed, it's definitely lacking in the actual gameplay side. But as mentioned in the description, I've been wanting to do a style/feel experiment for a while now, since I've already done several feature-complex games during several jams this summer.
If there was a category for "Particles" I'd give you a 10 (out of 5). There's tremendous potential here. I'm intrigued. The bubbles and plants are amazing. Tons of goodness. But I didn't find much of a game. Not sure what to do. Not sure why the world kept resetting. Confused.
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matthias_zarzecki26 Aug 2013, 06:57
Nice job on using few colors. The plants animating is cool too :)
Very nice atmosphere. I die very quickly though and it's difficult to refill air. Controls are rather imprecise. Needs moody underwater sounds! Overall good job considering the focus on feel.
Awesome particle effects and simulation. I felt like I didn't quite get the balance of the air bubbles... I seemed to run out of air too quickly to make use of the air from the plants (it took most of my air just to get to the ceiling), and if I used Space to push off, it seemed like I would bounce off the top. So I ended up just swimming to the ceiling and breathing from my own exhaled bubbles, which can't be healthy!
There's a very interesting gameplay dynamic between creating the resources you need to continue and actually going forward, especially because of the delay between shaking the plants and the bubbles settling.
Really cool mood set by the graphics. Took me a while to get a hang of the controls, but it works. Audio and a clear goal would have made this an excellent game.
>It is noticeable though that you ran out of time, for one, it is very hard to move around (the air lasts for 1/3 of a screen, because shaking the plants takes so long) and there's not much to do (or I didn't find it due to problem 1).
I had that problem, making an air trap takes too long, so I couldn't really do anything.
Really cool graphics! This game definitely triggered a sense of claustrophobia with me. I wish there was more of an incentive to explore. I hope you keep developing this!
Looks cool, and it's a nice concept. It's a shame there's no sound, I can totally imagine some cool underwater sounds with nice reverb there :-) Another thing: the camera moves, but then it teleports when you reach some trigger. I'm pretty sure that it should be either one or the other, not both. Overall, good job.
If mood is what you were going for that great job. I love that the Phosphorescence light up and the physical based particles that pool up on the ceiling are great. Really felt like it needed some moody audio to go along with the visuals.
Really cool concept, I just wish there was more time for you to have developed it. The air pockets seemed a bit finicky to me and it would really benefit from some sound, but it was enjoyable.
Very good looking! Some sort of goal stated up front, and some audio would have made this spectacular! As it stands, it is quite the pleasant experience though, very good job on the visuals.
Good mechanics, very fresh. The art is good at establishing the atmosphere - love the plants swaying, the bubbles rising, and the character's health/breath indicator is fantastic. Definitely needs audio, though - felt very cold without anything there. It was also a tad on the difficult side - maybe starting with a few built-in air pockets, and later having to using the plants to survive would have been a better way to go? Anyways, the difficulty put me off getting further than a few screens, so I'm not sure how much more content there is here, but I did enjoy the freshness of the gameplay for the short period I spent with it.
It's hard to tell how much oxygen you have in the bubble or if there is enough in the air poket to refill it. This makes it very hard and confusing along with the swimming mechanic that makes moving less controllable.
I like the idea though it's sad that you couldn't add all things you wanted. Maybe in post-compo. ;)
Nice game! I love games like this without a HUD or anything. Looks really clean. No AIR: 5 I hate that. Interesting concept of plants giving off air when they get agitated. Nice work. 8/10.
Comments61
It is noticeable though that you ran out of time, for one, it is very hard to move around (the air lasts for 1/3 of a screen, because shaking the plants takes so long) and there's not much to do (or I didn't find it due to problem 1).
@ethankennerly: That would be the next step indeed, it's definitely lacking in the actual gameplay side. But as mentioned in the description, I've been wanting to do a style/feel experiment for a while now, since I've already done several feature-complex games during several jams this summer.
I can see the potential here.
I had that problem, making an air trap takes too long, so I couldn't really do anything.
To everyone who mentioned animations: There are none. Other than the main menu, everything is drawn via code.
To everyone in general: Thanks for the comments again, glad to see that I did indeed succeed in the visual department.
I like the idea though it's sad that you couldn't add all things you wanted. Maybe in post-compo. ;)
Nice work!