A small and (little) deep psychological exploration (quite literally) of the dilemmas and delusions hold up by people in our society (myself included), trying to demystify (read gamify) them.
This is my first Ludum Dare Entry and it was quite an experience (dilemma here of course).
Awesome Tools that helped me made this: -Super amazing Flixel Engine -Free and awesome IDE FlashDevelop (AS3) -Cool generative music from abundant-music.com and cuts & edits through Audacity -Easiest Sound maker SFXR -Photoshop for poor guys, the amazing GIMP for graphics
It's a little... unsubtle? The themes the game is going for are literally stated, which ironically means that there's not much Beneath the Surface. It's a little like trying to make Freudian allusions by drawing a giant, anatomically correct penis.
That aside, I liked a lot of the things you did with the appearance - I was especially fond of the visual change when entering the "combat" part.
I am very glad this game exists, and I hope that you don't change one typo, or one misplaced pixel. Because it's not the end product that has value, it's the piece of your soul that went into it.
Be very proud of your first Ludum Dare, I'm looking forward to playing your future stuff.
Thanks guys for your kind words and honest feedback. And yes i went into him quite literally, perhaps unconsciously, because i think i'm offering the player to see my interpretations rather than forcing them to have their own or its just something i would like to express myself so openly.
Its a depressing game (i felt that too) because i was in some kind of depression myself during its making (now i realized why bad moods are not good for game making).
And the entire game is beneath his (or is it mine?) mind.
The music and visual effects set a nice mood. Some of the messages are more subtle and interesting than others, like the part where you have to stop grabbing the coin.
Hi, this is Vector from the Victory Garden team! (posting under Solifuge's account)
This is interesting, but it seems kind of naive in its approach. What makes this character Mr. Perfect? That's something we never see, or understand. You've successfully depicted a depressed, extrinsically motivated character but I wasn't able to empathize with him very well. He's surprised that the world is dangerous and yet he spends a lot of time on Facebook getting likes... there's a cohesion in narrative that's missing here, that would help your admittedly interesting idea get some traction.
Excellent -- my highest rated game so far. Shame the ending seems a touch borked (I, too, walked off screen in Ego|Anger screen without using Shield). Expected? Sure some choice/other depth would be nice (as +thrishart said) but with 48 hours, you've stayed beautifully on target and made something that works. Good for you! (tangents are so tempting ;-) )
Thanks again for your thoughts. I'm really surprised to see the feedback and concerns from your perspective.
What you mentioned +Solifuge, was one interesting question. What makes him Mr.Perfect? You are right that i didn't include much in the game to show how he's perfect (or in other words, how he thinks himself to be perfect). From my perspective, the character is sort of living in the online world, in online he is famous, he is fighting against injustice, he is blaming the bad guys, addicts, angry people etc. He isn't surprised to see that the world is dangerous (or atleast i didn't meant it that way), he is afraid of encountering the real world. Thanks for your feedback, i will try to improve it in my next games.
Walk off screen bug will be fixed soon.
H
Harsay8 May 2014, 05:34
I found this game a little bit too slow, maybe it was necessary effect ;)
Overall I think it's a great first entry. I unfortunately got stuck at the end after the feelings stopped coming. I received a GO AHEAD message but I don't know where to go and when I reached the middle of the screen my character got stuck.
I think that the strongest moment of the game is definitely the Coin/Help moment. If you continue to pursue this and refine it, I think you should look for more dynamics/mechanics like that. It was very effective. :)
Thanks for sharing this and thank you again for playing/commenting on my entry. Take care!
Comments19
That aside, I liked a lot of the things you did with the appearance - I was especially fond of the visual change when entering the "combat" part.
I liked the music as well!
Do not like these depressing games but can appreciate the work that went into this.
I'm impressed you fit so many different screens and mechanics into the game within the 48 hours.
Be very proud of your first Ludum Dare, I'm looking forward to playing your future stuff.
Its a depressing game (i felt that too) because i was in some kind of depression myself during its making (now i realized why bad moods are not good for game making).
And the entire game is beneath his (or is it mine?) mind.
This is interesting, but it seems kind of naive in its approach. What makes this character Mr. Perfect? That's something we never see, or understand. You've successfully depicted a depressed, extrinsically motivated character but I wasn't able to empathize with him very well. He's surprised that the world is dangerous and yet he spends a lot of time on Facebook getting likes... there's a cohesion in narrative that's missing here, that would help your admittedly interesting idea get some traction.
Sure some choice/other depth would be nice (as +thrishart said) but with 48 hours, you've stayed beautifully on target and made something that works. Good for you! (tangents are so tempting ;-) )
What you mentioned +Solifuge, was one interesting question. What makes him Mr.Perfect? You are right that i didn't include much in the game to show how he's perfect (or in other words, how he thinks himself to be perfect). From my perspective, the character is sort of living in the online world, in online he is famous, he is fighting against injustice, he is blaming the bad guys, addicts, angry people etc. He isn't surprised to see that the world is dangerous (or atleast i didn't meant it that way), he is afraid of encountering the real world. Thanks for your feedback, i will try to improve it in my next games.
Walk off screen bug will be fixed soon.
I think that the strongest moment of the game is definitely the Coin/Help moment. If you continue to pursue this and refine it, I think you should look for more dynamics/mechanics like that. It was very effective. :)
Thanks for sharing this and thank you again for playing/commenting on my entry. Take care!