The Oubliette Within

by depp
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.15
Fun★★★★★★★★★★2.98
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★2.74
Theme★★★★★★★★★★3.49
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.22
Audio★★★★★★★★★★1.57
Humor★★★★★★★★★★2.12
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.20
Coolness★★★★★★★★★★94%
Version 2.0 is the post-jam version. I encourage people to try it out to see where the game was headed, since version 2.0 has sound effects, music, much better level artwork, and some gameplay improvements.

The v1.0 downloads are for the Jam version.

On Linux, run "make" from the "src" directory, and then run "./Oubliette -d ../data". You'll need development packages for SDL2, SDL2_image, and GLEW.

screenshot

Comments35

bazld29 Apr 2014, 20:51
Would love to try this, mac/win ideally (else, will try to do a linux build).
KirbiKaka
KirbiKaka30 Apr 2014, 06:43
Sorry, I couldn't play it! I got MSVCR120.dll missing D:! (Windows 7)
Dietrich Eppauthor30 Apr 2014, 06:54
Sorry, that should be fixed now. I had accidentally included MSVCP120.dll instead of MSVCR120.dll, I mean come on now, isn't it obvious which one is correct?
Almost
Almost30 Apr 2014, 07:16
It fails now because msvcp120.dll is missing, presumably you need both (and possibly others)

I'm on windows.
kirbytails730 Apr 2014, 07:23
Same, needs both to run on Windows.
rojo
rojo30 Apr 2014, 07:36
The graphics in this game look pretty cool.
Dietrich Eppauthor30 Apr 2014, 07:51
GAH! Okay, both are now included. I am glad I took the time to write a script to make the zip file.
mtinkerhess30 Apr 2014, 07:55
Wow, good work.

The graphics are great, I really like the pixelated effect.

I really appreciate that you tackled some pretty personal, meaningful issues. Talk about beneath the surface.

I would have liked to see some more animations, like maybe a walking animation on the main character. Some sound would be nice too.
snade
snade30 Apr 2014, 08:01
Decent game, had no idea what the goal was though.
SoupWithBits
SoupWithBits30 Apr 2014, 08:37
Was it just a track pad thing to not be able to move and shoot?
Made it pretty impossible.
Anyway, digged the art!
frankbsad
frankbsad30 Apr 2014, 08:38
I like this take on the theme, looked great too.
Dreii
Dreii30 Apr 2014, 09:02
Really beneath the surface there, kinda downed me a bit.
DarkMaster30 Apr 2014, 09:25
So... I guess you've stopped the development abruptly in order to submit it here. That's okay, the idea is pretty simple and takes focus on exploration. But maybe you could at least animate or flip the character when he faces left?

Overall... it's a very interesting game, with a nice concept, but still "half-made". Can you finish this? It would be great if you did that. :D
KirbiKaka
KirbiKaka30 Apr 2014, 09:41
Wow, glad I came back to check on this game! Nice work fixing the .dll errors by the way :]!

I love the mechanics of this game. The way the platforming is interspersed with the inner dialogue is awesome! Plus, I'm a huge fan of the way you always "return home" after collecting each of the pieces. Though it took me a while to figure out how to finish the game after completing the 3 parts, because I didn't think to exit through the same door I just entered :b

I think one thing I would have liked to see, personally, is a bit more depth on the dialogue part. The way it's implemented is really cool, but the actual lines themselves are a bit choppy and shallow. It's also hard to relate the game to the story. The shapes (circle, star, diamond) don't appear to signify anything, and when you're presented with multiple doors, you have no idea what kind of choice you're making when you choose one over the other.

By the way, the graphics are pretty sweet. I really enjoyed just shooting nothing (possibly because when you shoot a lot, the explosions on the walls look like popcorn :b) Also, the platforming itself is smooth and the level are well designed. Great game! :D
Dietrich Eppauthor30 Apr 2014, 17:24
@DarkMaster: I'm working on a "2.0 post-compo version" with fleshed-out level graphics, animations, and recorded dialogue. You can see in the lower-right hand corner of the first "hub" area what the levels might look like when fleshed-out. I actually recorded dialogue during the competition, but I didn't have enough time to edit it or write the code to play it.

@KirbiKaka: Yeah, I agree that it seems esoteric how the pieces match up to the levels. I wanted to add sigils to label each of the doors, but that got cut due to time constraints.
Marjie62
Marjie621 May 2014, 04:22
It was fun and intriguing, with a lot of branching and unstated goals. I did get a little frustrated after a while, not really understanding what effect my decisions had. We seem to have eventually found the "good" ending where you accept your fears :)
pikkpoiss
pikkpoiss1 May 2014, 05:00
I liked the aesthetic a lot, and liked how the main level was a bit more of a departure from standard tile-based games. The jumping and moving felt good, but the aiming was a bit fussy with a trackpad.

I'll admit that I didn't quite get how the levels mapped to the collectibles, nor how the dialog mapped to needing to shoot all the characters in each level, might be more interesting with different types of gameplay based off of the tormentor. But I did get pretty engrossed with finding the treasures, I'm a sucker for that kind of mechanic :)
bazld1 May 2014, 08:08
Finally got round to playing it (built the mac version) -- loved it! Very playable mechanics - I thought the shooting/jumping was almost spot-on. The shader effects really give it a great look. Level design was good, and I liked encountering the different characters.

I also got a bit confused with the looping-back mechanic (but I am usually kinda bad at these games), maybe an extra hint or 2 would suffice?

Great job, one of my favourite entries so far.
Neonlare2 May 2014, 00:23
Pretty damn mood-driven, it's a shame there wasn't any sound to add to this and the characters were rather static throughout. I think some of the themes could be explored a bit more, it was an interesting experience though for certain! Did find the themeing very intriguing.
dertom3 May 2014, 20:23
Worked for me using wine under linux. Nice game. Nice graphics. Neat little dialog-story. I like it! Good job!
danialhyatt
danialhyatt3 May 2014, 20:26
Good one! I wish there were some sounds and animations, but gameplay and concept are great and the silence almost made it more effective!
Ragzouken
Ragzouken3 May 2014, 21:39
nice aprites, wish there'd be some perfunctory sounds to compliment. i quite like this kind of platformer :)
BoneDaddy3 May 2014, 21:44
That was EXCELLENT! I love the graphics a lot (could do with some animations). The core gameplay mechanic is a bit lacking, could be funner. But the use of theme here is great. A few months back I did a take on exploring one's fears at a jam (platformer as well), so I can really appreciate what you accomplished here. Love this kind of stuff, very good work.
jaxonf92
jaxonf928 May 2014, 03:33
Great game. loved the level design
Jason Lay13 May 2014, 01:23
This was deep (no pun intended). I loved the look of the art, and the way the difficulty selection was implemented!
jujule14 May 2014, 19:43
I tested the 1.0 jam version. Obviously the game lacks polish due to time constraints but I liked action take on the theme and especially how you managed to integrate it in the platformer format. Now I'll go on playing the post comp version.
Delca17 May 2014, 20:10
I really wanted to 5 star the audio, it is a shame that the jam version did not have any...
Anyway, I loved your game! Graphics were good (even in the jam version), controls were very smooth, and the levels were well-designed. Great job!
Dietrich Eppauthor18 May 2014, 06:43
@Delca: Don't worry about rating the audio, I'll get it within the deadline next time. I just want a couple people to hear it :-)
frogcheese
frogcheese18 May 2014, 13:46
Interesting and thoughtful, made me think. I liked the pixellated look, and the controls were smooth and responsive without any obvious collision issues, which has been a problem with many LD platformers. Good job!
Maxom18 May 2014, 14:28
Very nice game. I enjoyed the fast shooting and the graphics are also very interessting!
Lukbebalduke
Lukbebalduke18 May 2014, 22:39
Nice graphics , but the view has some problems. Overall nice game
kirbytails719 May 2014, 00:27
Pretty smooth. I think having some large amount of health at Easy would be better, as I was confused as to whether or not there was health at all.
TheZiggy20 May 2014, 00:59
Looks interesting

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