This was my first LD, yet I'm really proud of myself.
What I love with this game is that the fact that the graphics are ugly and that there is no sound makes totally sense when you reach the end of the game. You understand why this game is the way it is, and why there should not have amazing graphics/musics.
I have to say that this theme was a really hard one. On the 7 hours I spent to create this game, 3 were used to find an idea. And that's a lot of time!
Hope you'll play, hope you'll have fun. I can't wait to play and rate your games!
lol, yes it's a shifter!!! :) Nice work on the puzzles. The first one was the hardest for me... for some reason! Also if you press the up arrow and the right arrow at the same time then your shapes shift... :) Nice job!
First off, congrats on your first Ludum Dare. This isn't a bad entry. Simple enough mechanics that make sense and you've made some decent levels with them. Definitely enjoyed my time.
On the critical side of things: The writing's a bit too pretentious for my taste. Doesn't add much to the game, doesn't really hold any consistent narrative arc. There's a bit of a buildup to the finale but it feels forced and coarse. The ending twist is unexpected, but not satisfying. I think I would've preferred a "Thanks for Playing!" with a drawing of a thumbs up. But that's just me.
That being said, the narrative does lend the game some cohesion and encourage the player to keep going, so I've got mixed feelings on the matter. I definitely think you should have spent more time on the writing, even at the cost of one or two of the levels, to make the experience more satisfying.
Regarding gameplay: the game's desperately missing an undo button. All mistakes are undoable but it can take a hell of a lot of effort to compensate for a single wrong buttonpress. Telling the player to press 'r' to restart should happen in the second or third level, not halfway through the game. I had to use that key several times before the game told me; stumbled on it by accident.
In terms of presentation, the graphics are fine, really. Not beautiful, but functional. Could benefit from a stronger minimalist ethic (solid colors instead of gradients, a cleaner white background with a very subtle grid overlay, either thicker borders or no borders on the shapes, and more visible end-points), but that's just aesthetic preference. I've seen worse :P The cut between levels is a bit too abrupt imo. A fade out->fade in, or a 'good job! press any button to continue' would've given the player a second to savor the victory before throwing them back in the fray. Though I guess that doesn't fit the lore as much :P
Core mechanic was a known one but nice additions with gum and `Shift`. Puzzles were challenging. Enjoyed! Keep it up for the next LD's! (You must put humour to votings. Tell me when you do to get a nice rating.)
This is a very cool puzzle game, with a nice set of mechanics. I had a lot of fun playing all the way to the end. The gameplay is responsive, and the puzzles are open-ended enough that you can get a sense of really exploring a level. Great work!
So, is the name Bill Cipher? W.D. Gaster? I couldn't see it, because I accidentally keypressed once too much, and skipped the great reveal. ^^' (Satan/Devil? Naaah, that would be too easy)
Either way, I probably enjoyed the shapeshifting mechanics more than multiple-shapes-at-once movement; then again, the latter may be caused by you using too many shapes at once (misapplied idea rather than one that's inherently bad). Bubble gum was somewhat interesting, but I don't quite see why it's a *bubble gum*. ^^'
The game makes for a decent puzzle, though nothing too original nor exceptional (I and many others came up with multiple-entities-at-once idea years ago). There is some story, but I didn't really enjoy the writing, and it kinda seemed like its main purpose was to justify the bad audiovisuals. >.<
Still, considering it's your first ever LD and you spent on it 7 hours, it's quite promising. Keep improving. ^^
Comments20
This is nice, I like your game a lot. The puzzles are well-crafted, and the progression is good. I'm apparently just a little inept ;)
Really like the narrative so far and am looking forward to finding out more. Great job!
On the critical side of things:
The writing's a bit too pretentious for my taste. Doesn't add much to the game, doesn't really hold any consistent narrative arc. There's a bit of a buildup to the finale but it feels forced and coarse. The ending twist is unexpected, but not satisfying. I think I would've preferred a "Thanks for Playing!" with a drawing of a thumbs up. But that's just me.
That being said, the narrative does lend the game some cohesion and encourage the player to keep going, so I've got mixed feelings on the matter. I definitely think you should have spent more time on the writing, even at the cost of one or two of the levels, to make the experience more satisfying.
Regarding gameplay: the game's desperately missing an undo button. All mistakes are undoable but it can take a hell of a lot of effort to compensate for a single wrong buttonpress. Telling the player to press 'r' to restart should happen in the second or third level, not halfway through the game. I had to use that key several times before the game told me; stumbled on it by accident.
In terms of presentation, the graphics are fine, really. Not beautiful, but functional. Could benefit from a stronger minimalist ethic (solid colors instead of gradients, a cleaner white background with a very subtle grid overlay, either thicker borders or no borders on the shapes, and more visible end-points), but that's just aesthetic preference. I've seen worse :P
The cut between levels is a bit too abrupt imo. A fade out->fade in, or a 'good job! press any button to continue' would've given the player a second to savor the victory before throwing them back in the fray. Though I guess that doesn't fit the lore as much :P
(You must put humour to votings. Tell me when you do to get a nice rating.)
(Satan/Devil? Naaah, that would be too easy)
Either way, I probably enjoyed the shapeshifting mechanics more than multiple-shapes-at-once movement; then again, the latter may be caused by you using too many shapes at once (misapplied idea rather than one that's inherently bad). Bubble gum was somewhat interesting, but I don't quite see why it's a *bubble gum*. ^^'
The game makes for a decent puzzle, though nothing too original nor exceptional (I and many others came up with multiple-entities-at-once idea years ago). There is some story, but I didn't really enjoy the writing, and it kinda seemed like its main purpose was to justify the bad audiovisuals. >.<
Still, considering it's your first ever LD and you spent on it 7 hours, it's quite promising. Keep improving. ^^