Ludum Dare #37compo
Comfort Zone
Comfort Zone
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(Note: at the end of this description is a link to a version that fixes some of the bugs)
You are confined to your room - to your familiar surroundings. However, push against the boundaries and see what's beyond. Who knows what's behind that open door?
Less pretentious version:
This is a puzzle game where you push against the walls of room to gradually move the room over to the door (where you can proceed to the next level). However, the area of the room always remains the same, and you can never split the room (One Room!). If pushing against a wall doesn't work, it's because it would split the room (the split area will flicker red). If it does work, it drags the walls behind you with you.
Avoid the poison gas! In later levels, a key must be in the room with you in order to open the door.
There are 8 levels. And yes, they are all solvable!
Turn up the audio, there's lots of it (and clues too).
Note: The WebGL version does not work properly in Edge (the arrow keys end up being sticky, making it impossible to control). It works fine in Chrome.
Note: There are still some bugs where sometimes you can travel through the walls, and the walls go a bit wonky (in the later levels). Either reset the level (click on the refresh icon), or try to force your way back inside the room again :-). The controls are still a bit sticky too. If you're sticking, back off from the wall you're interacting with (it is highlighted in a lighter blue).
Another bug: you aren't supposed to be able to win if you reach the door and the poison gas at the same time - but indeed, you can. So trying to win by not doing that :-).
I've fixed some of these bugs in this version: http://icefallgames.com/Games/ComfortZone2 (the official links below are still the original, to be used for judging)
------------
(Note: at the end of this description is a link to a version that fixes some of the bugs)
You are confined to your room - to your familiar surroundings. However, push against the boundaries and see what's beyond. Who knows what's behind that open door?
Less pretentious version:
This is a puzzle game where you push against the walls of room to gradually move the room over to the door (where you can proceed to the next level). However, the area of the room always remains the same, and you can never split the room (One Room!). If pushing against a wall doesn't work, it's because it would split the room (the split area will flicker red). If it does work, it drags the walls behind you with you.
Avoid the poison gas! In later levels, a key must be in the room with you in order to open the door.
There are 8 levels. And yes, they are all solvable!
Turn up the audio, there's lots of it (and clues too).
Note: The WebGL version does not work properly in Edge (the arrow keys end up being sticky, making it impossible to control). It works fine in Chrome.
Note: There are still some bugs where sometimes you can travel through the walls, and the walls go a bit wonky (in the later levels). Either reset the level (click on the refresh icon), or try to force your way back inside the room again :-). The controls are still a bit sticky too. If you're sticking, back off from the wall you're interacting with (it is highlighted in a lighter blue).
Another bug: you aren't supposed to be able to win if you reach the door and the poison gas at the same time - but indeed, you can. So trying to win by not doing that :-).
I've fixed some of these bugs in this version: http://icefallgames.com/Games/ComfortZone2 (the official links below are still the original, to be used for judging)
Comments23
The momentum on the character made movement frustrating. I was often hitting walls I didn't intend, which then stopped movement in the direction I really wanted to go.
I wound up walking through the walls a lot in the first level with the poison gas and a key.
Great use of the theme, great concept, great all across the board (except humor)! However, I must admit that the audio sounds a little naughty and I wouldn't feel comfortable playing it through my speakers... but good thing I use headphones!
What I really enjoyed was the level design and the way you were able to communicate game mechanics and objectives to the player without using explicit tutorials. It was really slick and definitely something I can learn a bit from!
The biggest issue I had was inconsistency and snags in the physics. The player character was a little loose to control and got snagged on corners often. Additionally, I often found myself pushing a wall and finding my character outside it, which required me to find something on the outside to push against to pop back inside.
That said, this is a solid puzzle game and one of the best uses of the theme I've seen so far.
It's a shame that original version is so buggy (also, the character feels a bit floaty). I really wanted to have some fun with this game, but it's really frustrating to have to restart a level due to a bug.