Cluster mine is a survival game where you can mine coloured blobs that cluster together. The size of your blob indicates the amount of fuel (lifepoints) you have left. Hazardous red blobs can be mined for fuel, and blue blobs are collectable for points.
When you run out of fuel, the game ends.
Controls: WSAD - movement Left mouse button - Mining laser (Mine red blobs, repel blue blobs). Right mouse button - Energy laser (Grow red blobs, attract blue blobs)
* TL;DR You are constantly running out of fuel (life). Shoot (left click) the red things for fuel. Attract (right click) the blue things for points. *
* All sound effects were taken from freesound.org
Edit: Just to clarify, the game is quite unfinished and so doesn't have a good goal besides collecting the blue blobs.
A fun little game, I didn't really get it, but I just know that I enjoyed it. There is just something about a survival mechanic... Good job on a simple, yet fun game
The mechanics work in a non-obvious way, for example it took me forever to understand the blue dots = score. Using the laser to mine hazards for fuel, then using the other laser to attract blue things but grow hazards seem... Arbitrary. I understand it from a design point of view, but it doesn't make a lot of sense thematically, and so it's hard to intuit.
Feels like it could do with a little bit more juice, to indicate what's happening. A lot of the time I'm just roaming aimlessly. A sense of objective would be great.
This was interesting. But I wonder if you could find a tighter concept but simply tweaking mechanics.
For instance score feels contrived. But fuel is important - it has more meaning. I want fuel to survive. So perhaps the collectables should give you fuel rather than points.
Secondly fuel runs down even when you are stationary. So perhaps instead it should only run down when you move. Now you've given me a resource to manage and a meaningful choice to make.
And then if you give a reason to need to move, then suddenly you have a game taking shape. Perhaps hazards hunt you down or target your current location.
Of course we're making something now that sounds a lot like Osmos. My that game was so perfect! :)
I love survival type games. Very abstract and a little hard to understand. But the concept is there and it is fun to play! I like that your fuel is also your life!
Nice idea. I like the idea of having to switch between lasers depending on situation. Like others have said, it feels a bit aimless, but as a jam game it is all there and functions really well so it was a really great effort :)
I like the mechanics. I think the rate of fuel consumption when using the pull beam might be a bit too fast, but my biggest problem with the game was that half the time I didn't get to see a score. :/ And I don't know why.
A bit more of gameplay could have been fun, but i felt like some kind of futuristic cell for a few time :) I liked the way red clusters bind together...
Comments19
Feels like it could do with a little bit more juice, to indicate what's happening. A lot of the time I'm just roaming aimlessly. A sense of objective would be great.
I enjoy the simple art style, and the sound/particle juice was cool (it feel pretty satisfying to shoot/mine stuff).
Just needs more stuff! :)
For instance score feels contrived. But fuel is important - it has more meaning. I want fuel to survive. So perhaps the collectables should give you fuel rather than points.
Secondly fuel runs down even when you are stationary. So perhaps instead it should only run down when you move. Now you've given me a resource to manage and a meaningful choice to make.
And then if you give a reason to need to move, then suddenly you have a game taking shape. Perhaps hazards hunt you down or target your current location.
Of course we're making something now that sounds a lot like Osmos. My that game was so perfect! :)