Hulloo. This is our entry for the jam. Basically, it's a hardcore platformer game with a twisted mechanic.
Game Description:
You are trapped and lost in limbo and all that's left to show you the way are some strange, glowing orbs in the darkness, and the beautiful world you once lived in... under your feet. But what is reality? Which way is up? Collect all the orbs to unlock the exit and finish the game!
Controls are arrow keys/WASD and spacebar.
Simply jump at the orb to start the game.
Developer notes:
This is our first time joining Ludum Dare. First game ever, too. We had a lotta fun making this and learned a freaking lot. This basically is just one level with many challenges packed in it. We really hope you play, enjoy, and comment on this. We are seriously considering to push on with this and turn it into an indie game. Your thoughts would be reaaally appreciated.
If you do finish this game, please leave a comment :> We'd love to know your accomplishment in finishing this game. (It was even a feat for us just to finish it once).
Edit: We added a post-jam version. Just fixed a few bugs and added checkpoints. The original submission is still up for judging. (Quite frankly, we're not sure if adding checkpoints is allowed as a 'fix' as described, can anyone verify this?).
Edit2: We're seeing a lot of control complaints, especially about inconsistent jumping. We'd really love to improve the game and we're grateful for your feedback, but could you guys be a little more specific? Based on some of the comments, it seems like some of you haven't fully understood the concept of the game yet. That's for you to figure out on your own ;)
Edit3: Added a description. Just to give you a tiny hint.
Gets stuck at the second jump. Jump mecanics doesn't seem to work the same way all the time, or there are something invisible in the way. Couldn't get through. It looks pretty though =)
Very cool! The concept, visuals, and audio are all great. It took me a while to figure out about the inverted platforms though. You could make it more clear by starting with a couple steps down or something.
Pretty good! The inversion mechanic confused the crap out of me initially, but was good! The music and animation on the whole thing is very good. Good stuff, I hadn't completed it yet though :(
D
DDRKirby(ISQ)29 Apr 2014, 06:48
Nice! Just add some checkpoints next time :) Your title screencap is wonderful as well.
The core mechanic, though a bit inconvenient, was really cool! The actual level is what's beneath the surface...great use of the theme, too! And that soundtrack. It was beautiful! Amazing atmosphere thanks to that.
Really nice game you created! Great Idea and you got a nice style -- with graphics as with audio. Good job! I personally cannot comply about the controls (worked good for me) but one or two checkpoints would have been nice since doing all the things at the start of the level again is repetetive if not quite boring.
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Gathering29 Apr 2014, 07:03
Fine Spun :)
Loved the idea from beginning, so i mean after falling at the 2nd hole ^^ Become addictive u want to finish it even if it will take long ! Bored with the red plattforms coz they didn´t come back so u can get stuck even if u are still alive. Enjoyed to start it from beginning coz u want to be faster and after many times I sometimes re-did the basic mistakes from beginning or some new :) Though tough to think (& or look) up and down ^^ + I found the game beautiful, music, and the main charachter ( made me think about this TV animation "La ligne" ). Otherwise I thought it could be cool also to have a timer (no time limit) or a tries count maybe for some future version. Anyway thanks for this really entertaining game!
Was really excited about the idea, then started playing and realized the movement controls feel very... off. Couldn't jump consistently and couldn't make it very far into the game without dying repeatedly. Definitely a good rough prototype and lots to work with here, but the controls are breaking it for me. Good luck guys!
Hey congrats on your first LD! This is a neat idea you have here. If you really want to keep working on that game I think you will have to take the player by the hand and explain the mechanics progressively. Discovering via trials and error might feel frustrating
A lovely game, but really hard! I only got as far as the blocks which drop away under you. Also, if you fall to the left at the beginning of the level, you can fall outside the game world
I played the original version as to give a fair rating :-) I like the concept, there's another game around this dare with a similar, concept, although it isn't as "secret" as yours :-) You should consider telling people though, I was about to call it bugged as well until I read the "edit" notes you put in- Anyways- I liked the game. The music added to the mood, and (after understanding the concept) the game felt quite polished. I didn't finish the game since it is quite hard- Not that I mind hard though :-) You guys did a good job :-)
Lovely. Simply mechanics, but nicely polished and good ambiance. Very hard, I didn't make it very far at all - I may try the version with checkpoints later.
Lovely game, I'm embarrassed by how long it took me to figure out why I was bumping into invisible walls.
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Maniulo30 Apr 2014, 07:30
I love the idea! Figuring it out does take some time though. Maybe showing the player some part of the upper world obstacle (like a lantern in a dark room) when he first bumps into it would be a nice tutorial.
The idea is a fun one, but I don't know how enjoyable it is to execute in practice. The character's control is very twitchy (I appreciate the increase in speed from standing, but it feels way too fast for small, precise jumps), and sometimes jumps failed to execute, which may have been the collision detection or just how my comp wants to respond to simultaneous inputs, I can't really say.
Nice idea. Maybe a little too simple but it's fun and beautiful. I didn't have any issues with jumping. Well, controls are kinda funny, but I guess it's just the way it works, found no bugs definitely.
What a mind screw. Real neat idea there. Good audiovisuals, too.
Falling platforms pass right through the upper area, and when falling into pits the character goes through the stuff shown there, which looks a bit weird. I'm guessing you're using two cameras; setting their viewport rects so that each camera draws exclusively to one half of the screen would feel cleaner, IMO.
Cool audio. Graphics are quite cool and the concept is huge.
Interesting concept of hidden platforms, especially the platform mirroring concept (which is also an original take on the theme). The beginning is a bit challenging especially if you don't get the mecanism. It could have been improved to be more straightforward (getting the actual mirror mecanism wasn't obvious at a start). In the same time, that is a cool way to let the player discovering the game mecanism, so I'm not so so sure about this opinion. Anyway, maybe you could have made the beginning a bit easier.
Sounds are good and create a dreamy mood. I managed to complete it, although the movement controls had a bit of a delay. Either make the player accelerate smoothly, or move as soon as the button is pressed, the way it's currently done just makes it feel unresponsive.
Comments43
Controlling where you land is kinda hard though.
I personally cannot comply about the controls (worked good for me) but one or two checkpoints would have been nice since doing all the things at the start of the level again is repetetive if not quite boring.
Loved the idea from beginning, so i mean after falling at the 2nd hole ^^ Become addictive u want to finish it even if it will take long ! Bored with the red plattforms coz they didn´t come back so u can get stuck even if u are still alive. Enjoyed to start it from beginning coz u want to be faster and after many times I sometimes re-did the basic mistakes from beginning or some new :) Though tough to think (& or look) up and down ^^ + I found the game beautiful, music, and the main charachter ( made me think about this TV animation "La ligne" ). Otherwise I thought it could be cool also to have a timer (no time limit) or a tries count maybe for some future version. Anyway thanks for this really entertaining game!
good game though, tough but fun so many times I was like, "...so am I under or over that platform?"
Although it was a risky move, I think it is a good idea to avoid including a tutorial in this game.
Congrats! great game :)
I like the concept, there's another game around this dare with a similar, concept, although it isn't as "secret" as yours :-) You should consider telling people though, I was about to call it bugged as well until I read the "edit" notes you put in- Anyways- I liked the game. The music added to the mood, and (after understanding the concept) the game felt quite polished. I didn't finish the game since it is quite hard- Not that I mind hard though :-)
You guys did a good job :-)
P.S. Compo build so hardcore.
Falling platforms pass right through the upper area, and when falling into pits the character goes through the stuff shown there, which looks a bit weird. I'm guessing you're using two cameras; setting their viewport rects so that each camera draws exclusively to one half of the screen would feel cleaner, IMO.
Hard but fun.
Good game! I think I just player some game like that, but is a nice idea with the theme.
Interesting concept of hidden platforms, especially the platform mirroring concept (which is also an original take on the theme).
The beginning is a bit challenging especially if you don't get the mecanism. It could have been improved to be more straightforward (getting the actual mirror mecanism wasn't obvious at a start). In the same time, that is a cool way to let the player discovering the game mecanism, so I'm not so so sure about this opinion. Anyway, maybe you could have made the beginning a bit easier.
I managed to complete it, although the movement controls had a bit of a delay. Either make the player accelerate smoothly, or move as soon as the button is pressed, the way it's currently done just makes it feel unresponsive.