Ludum Dare #38compo
The Life Amoebic
Play!
Surround, enclose, and eat enough food to grow your amoeba and divide successfully.
Controls:
* Click and drag near the amoeba's edge to reshape it.
* Touch and enclose food in the amoeba to eat it.
* Eat enough food to grow large enough, so that the amoeba can divide.
* The amoeba will shrink constantly unless given food.
* Press R to restart.
More explicit tips:
* If you grow big enough, the amoeba will divide (winning the game).
* As you grow larger, the amoeba's outline will turn to green as you approach the desired size (as in first screenshot below).
* You can check the amoeba's size against the background as another gauge to how big it's grown.
* The amoeba will tend to be stretchier the smaller it is.
Tools:
* Unity 5.6
Downloads and source:
* WebGL and Standalone versions of the game are at Itch.io, along with the source.
Comments71
Drag0mir2 May 2017, 04:12
Very cool. Atmospheric. There is not enough just any indicator of points
benbennett2 May 2017, 05:41
The music was fantastic, great ambiance. I was a big fan of the continuous circle of life with the game ending and beginning at the growth of the amoeba! Super game.
impbox2 May 2017, 05:51
Great game! Nice gameplay mechanic, i was immersed! my only issue is sometimes I seemed to be able to stretch a long way, other times not very far at all, I couldn't figure out the logic for that. Also maybe some indicator of your progress. It says you're constantly shrinking but I couldn't notice it visually. Sound was great too.
Aurelien2 May 2017, 06:25
Really good sound design. I would have really appreciated some goals, points or objective in the game. Is there an end?
Still, very relaxing game, good work on that.
Still, very relaxing game, good work on that.
Cosmic Adventure Squad2 May 2017, 06:37
I have to agree with everyone else: the mood is very well done. The subtle camera zooming out, the color transitions, and the cell eventually splitting were all oddly calming. I can see it working well as a mobile game too.
drtizzle2 May 2017, 06:40
Really nice mood. The music, SFX and visual style really fit together. It was a very relaxing experience. The stretching of the edge was a bit random, sometimes I could stretch really far, sometimes I almost couldn't.
Overall a really solid entry!
Overall a really solid entry!
szczebel19952 May 2017, 07:09
Amazing atmosphere! The sound effects made me really immersed and after couple of seconds I nailed down controls which are a bit confusing at the beginning, overall game is really well done, great entry :D
DeathStorm2 May 2017, 07:57
Very interesting game and a nice Idea.
The sound is a bit anoying after a while.
Unfotunately for me it's not totally clear whats the goal is.
But overall, Good Job ;)
The sound is a bit anoying after a while.
Unfotunately for me it's not totally clear whats the goal is.
But overall, Good Job ;)
Scriptorum3 May 2017, 01:49
Atmospheric, mellow game. I didn't find it much trouble growing my amoeba; once it becomes all loose and stringy, it's easy and fun to whip a long lasso around. Clever design!
kleinzach3 May 2017, 03:30
My one complaint is that my mouse movements won't count when I reach the edge of the screen, so dragging became cumbersome. Otherwise I really liked it!
mindtricks3 May 2017, 09:39
Nice work there! Really like the concept and I found the atmosphere very relaxing. But I'm not sure how my first play ended, I just swallowed four amoebas together and I said "Life found a way", but I wasn't big enough to win
nilead3 May 2017, 09:47
Great mood, weird art and interesting concept. Controls get unresponsive sometimes.
Bunnery3 May 2017, 09:48
Really enjoyed playing this - once I realised how to enclose food and grow. The sound is awesome - sounds like dripping water really make the game atmospheric. Nice work! :-)
Zarkonnen3 May 2017, 09:56
*bloop* This is a really cool concept, and I like the fact that you really have to enclose your food and not just touch it a bit. Reminds me a bit of Mushroom 11. Only thing I disliked is how you end up with very thin and jaggedly drawn amoeba protuberances.
ChloraVirgo3 May 2017, 11:25
This game is very atmospheric and I like the mechanics. I would be cool to add some levels and more features though. But for the 48 hours It's a nice polished project.
FailedStarfish3 May 2017, 19:02
Really interesting game and concept with unique gameplay. Controls can be a little awkward, especially when the amoebas edge became large.
carlosvVk3 May 2017, 20:21
A little bit strange game, but the feeling of being an amoeba is great!
hectigo3 May 2017, 20:58
My first amoeba kind of exploded, seemed like a bug when you make a certain kind of shape. But on my second go I figured it out and the game worked as it should. The game is pretty unique, follows the theme and I like the music, even though it could have used some sound effects. Ultimately the gameplay doesn't have one hooked for very long though, there's not much challenge to it.
mercerbox3 May 2017, 23:58
Got the same "exploding surface" bug others have mentioned, but yeah, incredibly innovative. Would love to see this expanded, I want to see amoeba vs amoeba 'combat'
5Mixer4 May 2017, 10:49
Gee's, this is incredible. Took me a bit of time to get it, but once you start sucking them in it's very ambient and neat :D I agree with others that commented it could be mobile, poking your finger and spread the membrane :D
Cambryx4 May 2017, 17:16
Cool game! This is very innovative. The graphics, the audio and the mood are great! But I have to say that i wouldn't play it often again after finishing it once. But other than that a great game!
If you want to check out our game, here is a link:
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/42-mikronikus
Feel free to leave some feedback
If you want to check out our game, here is a link:
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/42-mikronikus
Feel free to leave some feedback
cablay5 May 2017, 00:47
Very nice! Excellent across the board, and impressively polished. One area for improvement may be having the amoeba revert to its original form a little quicker after you're done dragging, but that may mess with the stretchiness balance you seem to have going as you get larger.
Stevie Bushman5 May 2017, 02:53
Great atmosphere. Very relaxing. I'm not sure how much of a game it is vs. a sandbox or enjoyable toy... I wonder how it would play if there was some sort of enemy or competing ameboids trying to steal your food! Just an idea. Thanks for the game!
James Dunlap5 May 2017, 03:40
I enjoyed this game. The ambience created by the music was perfect and very well done. The one thing I saw was that the amoeba seem to be able to stretch in very weird ways (like back on itself) that just did not seem like they should have been possible. The game was so well done, though, that this is easy to overlook and ignore.
doomshmuck5 May 2017, 04:06
I found myself fighting the controls a little bit too much with stretching, but otherwise it was a very solid game. The music and visuals played well with each other and really helped with the mood. I ended up losing on the attempt I did, but I'm not entirely sure why... there didn't seem to be an indicator as to when I was about to lose / win, which would have helped regarding the game aspect.
candlesan5 May 2017, 06:50
Cool game - very calming and relaxing game. I found dragging the amoeba around to be pleasant. I wish I had a bit more control over the shape of my amoeba. I also think after the first few "captures" it might be nice to shake up the gameplay patterns a bit - I found myself repeating the same general approach of "click, surround some globes slowly, release".
andyman4045 May 2017, 07:35
Great game! It felt oddly satisfying to make the amoeba eat the little green food. I can imagine how funky the math and manipulation must get for making the amoeba and detecting when food is engulfed. Well done!
Iluvatar5 May 2017, 08:07
Nice music and mood. Very relaxing. Although rather challenging to eat at least one green food. Overall nice and original concept
gilborn5 May 2017, 08:08
Great. Very well polished, there is nothing missing.
Scores in all points.
Scores in all points.
Lucas Ferrantelli5 May 2017, 08:28
Duuude thats awesome ! I ve never seen a game like this before !
I played like 30 minutes on it, but it finally crashed x)
Anyway, really nice game.
I played like 30 minutes on it, but it finally crashed x)
Anyway, really nice game.
SleepyStudios5 May 2017, 08:32
Really chill game. Good level of difficulty too, the mechanic was unique and easy to pickup but took some time to get good with. Nice job.
mde5 May 2017, 08:34
Nice game! I especially liked your audio, although the ambient water noise was a bit repetitive in the end. Graphics are great to and your gameplay both made sense in regard to the theme of the game and was fun to play. It would have been great if you could make the border of the amoebic smoother to better suit the mood of the game, but I guess that's to much to ask for 48h.
pcmaster5 May 2017, 10:09
I divided. I didn't expect this to be well playable but it is! Very atmospheric indeed. Awesome!
Tuomo5 May 2017, 10:19
Really interesting game, and I could see this as educational tool for kids to learn about single cell organisms. Nicely done!
makiki995 May 2017, 10:33
Interesting concept, great audio, but there is one big problem: there is not much game in this game.
LeFayGames5 May 2017, 11:01
The best I did was eating three food thingies at once. It's a nice idea but as others have said, a few more features would have been nice. Music and overall atmosphere worked really well!
Hethsin5 May 2017, 12:37
Really interesting. Even if the gameplay may seem simple, its obvious a lot of work went into this. Very nice aesthetics, solid gameplay. Good job!
Altron5 May 2017, 13:32
Really nice and relaxing experience with great audio.
Richard Michael Smith5 May 2017, 13:32
I must admit - it took me a very long time to understand how to absorb the food. I was almost at the point of giving up when it finally clicked.
This is a nice prototype that could be developed further into something with more of a challenge. Nice work!
This is a nice prototype that could be developed further into something with more of a challenge. Nice work!
Papaver5 May 2017, 14:06
Congats, you made a very nice and relaxing game! :) It is very innovative as well, and the music suits the game.
DemyHallar6 May 2017, 17:36
Nice and minimalistic. Didn't make it to the division but it's quite fun. Upd: made it to the end!
MartensCedric6 May 2017, 20:11
Very good mood, the audio makes it really relaxing. The game is quite fun, but I find the controls a bit hard, it's hard to stretch especially when the cell "explodes", i'm not sure if the explosions are a bug or are intended
wobbleboxx6 May 2017, 20:14
Nidely done! I missed some progress bar or something, because I wasn't sure if I was doing it the right way. But then life found a way... :)
🎤 Baby Dino Herd8 May 2017, 03:56
Thanks for the comments, everyone! I've added a few notes in the description. The amoeba will become more green the larger it grows; once it's fairly green, life will find a way, and the amoeba will divide -- congratulations! You may encounter an 'exploding' bug occasionally if the amoeba tries to self-intersect too much or too quickly, but things should still remain playable afterwards.
I won't have time in the near future to leave comments on everyone else's game, but I'll try to get to all of them eventually!
I won't have time in the near future to leave comments on everyone else's game, but I'll try to get to all of them eventually!
KappaIX8 May 2017, 19:54
I actually really enjoyed this. Very relaxing. Found the controls quite weird... but you are an amoeba.
My favourite parts were the sound, particularly the little tinkling noise when eating things.
Really well done! Thanks for sharing!
My favourite parts were the sound, particularly the little tinkling noise when eating things.
Really well done! Thanks for sharing!
Fiery Squirrel9 May 2017, 00:25
I really like this interpretation of the theme, it's very unique. Reshaping the amoeba is fun itself, I enjoyed it a lot. You should consider making this game for mobile devices, of course more content should be added but the core is fun. As feedback, I think you could have some graphic feedback that lets you know how well you are performing, I know that the amoeba grows when it eats but you don't know exactly how much food you have to eat to win, I think that it would help. Good game!
Spinaljack9 May 2017, 00:31
Cool game, I made an Amoeba game as well :)
Eli Delventhal9 May 2017, 00:48
Pretty good game. I thought it was nice that you tried out a new mechanic, which felt pretty good. I got bored reasonably quickly though – it was a little slow-moving and there wasn't a lot changing over time.
yves9 May 2017, 01:12
Really a "Small World" :D The mood was fantastic and the sounds worked together very well. My Amoeba divided pretty fast which is kind a good I think? :D Overall I played multiple rounds and it was very relaxing and chilled. Nice entry for the compo :)
Cheers
Cheers
glimaleite9 May 2017, 02:40
Very unique game! I don't think I've ever seen a game with phagocytosis before. I had some problems with the controls some times. There were times that it felt like the lines were too heavy to drag, and sometimes they would follow the mouse without any problem. I'm super curious to how you've implemented these controls! The audio worked well, establishing a nice mood.
Congrats, great job!
Congrats, great job!
adsilcott9 May 2017, 04:32
Great concept for this theme and impressive execution of the organic cell walls. I would have loved a little bit more to do, like maybe having to avoid bad food by using your "limbs" to separate them from the good food. Very nice!
BlackRose9 May 2017, 11:07
Its so relaxing game and very atmospheric ^^ Maybe new mechanics will be great
La mecanique du plastique9 May 2017, 12:50
Interesting experience. I liked the idea and it would be great to polish it a little further if you have the opportunity. As it is now I found it a little bit too slow and the graphics and sound effects could be improved but it is already pretty convincing. Bravo !
bestnickname10 May 2017, 20:55
Good execution around a simple but interesting idea. The controls also worked quite well, and the atmosphere is excellent. As some above have mentioned, it is quite bare-bones in terms of mechanics, but I personally quite like that as it made for a nice relaxing experience without having to think too much. Good job!
JayBeeArr10 May 2017, 21:05
Awesome atmosphere, really enjoyed a game where you look microscopically and move cell boundaries. The music and the graphics instantly put me in a pondering mood for the game and the game really nailed the theme. Great job!
bobsleigh10 May 2017, 23:39
The game felt quite polished and was very fun to complete. More diverse features such as different foods and moving stuff would be nice, but the core gameplay is solid and well done. I loved the music and the overall atmosphere. The stretching felt a bit weird at times, like when you stretch for long enough the cell wall you drag suddenly becomes very thin and you can lasso food without really "engulfing" it. But very nice job!
MestreRothLD10 May 2017, 23:48
Great sound and atmosphere. I would like it to be faster, but it is quite a relaxing game. It all fits together very well. Congrats.
jelch11 May 2017, 00:27
Makes 10/10 butts.
All around excellent.
All around excellent.
XenosNS11 May 2017, 01:14
Would make a great science class game for school. Looks great, the stretching mechanic is cool.
pjnovas11 May 2017, 03:22
really cool mood, peaceful game, loved it and I just saw the movie Lucy last weekend haha what are the odds :P
josefalanga11 May 2017, 04:06
you have some music skills there! a wonderful concept applied with elegant style. The only thing I'm missing is more levels! (with obstacles and such) Good work!
BAJARYMI11 May 2017, 04:53
Really creative idea, fit the theme really well. Audio was perfect, only change I would make would be more detail in the art, otherwise awesome, especially for 48 hrs.
Sn4pi11 May 2017, 06:46
Really creative and comfortable gameplay! It was a lot of fun to play although it doesnt't have a long playtime to get through the game. Audio was great too, you put much effort into this for only 48 hours.
Here is our game(I'm not the author of the game so..): https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/plutiny
Here is our game(I'm not the author of the game so..): https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/plutiny
Chupachu11 May 2017, 11:12
Amazing and neat game. The sounds were good, the physics were good, and it was all around very well made and responsive. Nice work, especially since you made this from scratch in 2 days, amazing.
icxon13 May 2017, 22:52
It requires some getting used to, but feels nice overal. Have you tried to implement moving mechanics? Like if you need to move between rocks, sticks, etc.
Takusan15 May 2017, 19:20
After a few moments control becomes clear, and the playthrough is very relaxing. It could benefit from some more variety though, like moving (just as @icxon siggested) through the environment and some more challenge, although carefully, not to become too close to some other games based on the principle 'eat to grow and evolve'.
Fun entry, well done :)
Fun entry, well done :)
csanyk19 May 2017, 02:54
This looks awesome!
Unfortunately, in a web browser window, I have a really hard time controlling the game. Whenever I mouse outside of the play area, the window wants to scroll, and sometimes I even end up registering clicks on other tabs in my browser window, which interrupts play.
It's too bad, I'd really like to play this in a fullscreen version so I can properly play and enjoy it.
I think it looks like you did a really good job with it though.
Unfortunately, in a web browser window, I have a really hard time controlling the game. Whenever I mouse outside of the play area, the window wants to scroll, and sometimes I even end up registering clicks on other tabs in my browser window, which interrupts play.
It's too bad, I'd really like to play this in a fullscreen version so I can properly play and enjoy it.
I think it looks like you did a really good job with it though.
Kaisean Games19 May 2017, 16:49
I always wanted to something like this - controlling the boundaries of an object. Never managed to do that.
You made a nice ambient, music really relaxes.
I just felt that dragging was a bit unresponsive, but I guess it would be too easy.
Also I was expecting those inner bubbles to do something. Didn't seem to, though.
However, it's a well executed game.
Good luck.
You made a nice ambient, music really relaxes.
I just felt that dragging was a bit unresponsive, but I guess it would be too easy.
Also I was expecting those inner bubbles to do something. Didn't seem to, though.
However, it's a well executed game.
Good luck.
ondrej.paska31 Jul 2017, 21:08
Original and relaxing. The line seems to explode from time to time. Nice audio to go with the mood.
I found the game quite relaxing, the music and sounds are extremely good and fit well with the theme.
The whole game is very well made! Good job!