Arrow Lft / Rt ......... Move Arrow down ........... Crouch / Use Z (AZERTY C) ....... Jump / Back X (AZERTY V) ....... Shoot / Select Numbers 1 / 2 ........ Gun Mode / Camera
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Into the Abyss is an underwater platformer where the player takes the role of a brave marine biologist wearing the Mark IV Underwater Investigation Suit. Unlike traditional platformers, Into the Abyss scrolls from the top to bottom as you make your way deeper into the dangerous waters.
Many hazards await you, not least the constant drain of oxygen. Each moment spent underwater you will lose health, which can either be restored by absorbing bubbles or spending money by crouching in front of recharge stations buried in the seabed.
You can collect more money for recharging by taking photos of any new creatures and objects you come across. Press [2] to activate Camera Mode and take a photo with the fire key. The reward will be instantly added to your account.
As a last line of defense you have a UV Blaster that can be used to destroy hostile creatures. Bear in mind that the weapon only holds a limited number of ammunition before it must be recharged.
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The game features music by Teknoaxe used with permission.
Track 1: Digitized Cycles Track 2: Eight Bit Jungle Track 3: Bad Graffix Crow
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Developer's notes:
The game and all of its assets (sans the music) were created by one person in roughly 60 hours. This was my third time finishing Ludum Dare and the first time I took part in the 72-hour category. The game features two levels, after which it returns to the title menu.
Very solid and complementary audio, graphics and gameplay. Perhaps a micro-tutorial would help? I didn't fully appreciate the camera aspects until a few plays in.
@Artylo: The camera is used for taking photos of enemies and items in exchange for money. You press [2] and move the camera over to an enemy, then press fire to take a photo.
@TheLastBanana: Cheers! The music is by Teknoaxe, you can see more of his stuff at www.teknoaxe.com
The music is cool and the graphics are nice. I just didn't really understand the entire concept of shooting/gunning.. Knowing the goal is to take pictures of the monsters? Also sometimes my camera didn't really work I believe. I could be doing something wrong. A tutorial would help haha.
Nice game! I liked the combination of health and air depot and how air consumption forces you forward. I also liked that it was pretty challenging. Graphics are pretty sweet too.
The camera mode rectangle moves very slowly and therefore was not so much fun to use.
I enjoyed this, played it through a couple of times. Like others have said the camera aspect of play wasn't apparent to me. Also I think some of those crab placements go beyond hard into vindictive territory =D
Thanks! If anything I learned the importance of a proper tutorial this LD around ;-)
And yeah, you can really see that I tried to stretch the game with artificial difficulty. I really wanted to make at least three levels, and was a bit disheartened when I didn't have the stamina for it.
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The camera is used for taking photos of enemies and items in exchange for money. You press [2] and move the camera over to an enemy, then press fire to take a photo.
@TheLastBanana:
Cheers! The music is by Teknoaxe, you can see more of his stuff at www.teknoaxe.com
Thanks! I really wanted to make a tutorial, but as the contest drew to a close I was simply too drained to start making a new level.
The camera mode rectangle moves very slowly and therefore was not so much fun to use.
I see the camera is causing confusion still, I added a picture with simple instructions, so hopefully next players won't be so baffled by it.
Like others have said the camera aspect of play wasn't apparent to me. Also I think some of those crab placements go beyond hard into vindictive territory =D
Thanks! If anything I learned the importance of a proper tutorial this LD around ;-)
And yeah, you can really see that I tried to stretch the game with artificial difficulty. I really wanted to make at least three levels, and was a bit disheartened when I didn't have the stamina for it.