LETTERBOX

Overall★★★★★★★★★★4.38
Fun★★★★★★★★★★4.16
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★4.08
Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.52
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.49
Audio★★★★★★★★★★4.08

Just a simple platformer with the twist of using the letterbox to your advantage. Use your jump, walljump and weapons to make your way to the top of each level.

CONTROLS

ARROWS - MOVE

S - JUMP

D - SHOOT (WHEN HOLDING A GUN)

R - RESTART LEVEL

TAB - CHANGE RESOLUTION

screenshot

Comments34

Bearmask Studios
Bearmask Studios14 Aug 2018, 07:53
Really Nice! Really polished. I think the controls, especially the wall jump could be a bit tighter, but I thought the idea was cool and well executed!
My Sweet Whomp
My Sweet Whomp14 Aug 2018, 08:13
Wow that's a nice one. Graphics, music and sounds are nice, controls are neat. Well done!
Metju14 Aug 2018, 09:20
One of the best games I've found on Ludum Dare 42! Theme "running out of space" is implemented in such a unique way, I love it!
pixelstuff
pixelstuff14 Aug 2018, 09:23
Such a nice game, and yeah, we are running out of space in a great manner !
I like the graphics, the sound, the idea... GG !
NoTime4Name14 Aug 2018, 09:26
looks and plays awesome. though i have to note one bug, in the stage where it scrolls upwards (dont know if its the last stage, never finished it, that one is too hard for me) when youre close to the bottom of the screen, sometimes you can jump off of the black bar, but it doesnt propell you away from it. other than that, great visuals, great sounds, and especially the color palette is really pleasing to look at. good job!
SergeM14 Aug 2018, 09:43
All game sides are superior, especially cool music track
Boxman
Boxman14 Aug 2018, 09:50
This was legitimately impressive, getting a game with this kind of polish out for the kind of time frame Ludum Dare gives you. Controls feel very responsive, jump arcs are sharp and precise and the closing walls made even the vertical-scrolling level feel unique and fun. The only issues I have with it are, a specific bug and one or two less than fair sections. The bug is that on the vertical scrolling level, while the walls are moving, sometimes wall jumping would send you straight up, rather than in an arc off the wall, which obviously made it far more difficult than it needed to be. The less than fair stuff is parts where you need to set the walls to a certain width before you start a jump section, it's often a coin flip what state they need to be in and it feels like you're almost guaranteed to die a few times figuring it out. That being said, respawn time is so low that it's far more a nitpick than a real major issue, unless you plan for any marathon levels if you plan to make this a full release at asome point, which you should. Looking forward to everything you make in the future, and thanks for the great game!
Rs11s21n
Rs11s21n14 Aug 2018, 11:47
nice idea not bad disign good music but jups work super strange and this destroy good feling from game...
Sogeking14 Aug 2018, 12:07
Greatest game I've played so far, great platformer, nice touch of puzzle game. I like challenges so the game was well balanced for me, with a cool difficulty curve, especially considering the short time to do it and the few levels it implies.

Small bug I noticed, I saw it on the last level and I couldn't reproduce it on the others : When you die with your double jump, you keep it on your next life. That's what appeared to me at least, may be wrong, everything went so quick :O

Also maybe consider restarting the game when it is finished instead of brutally closing the window.

Appart from that, a masterpiece.
WhitePoulpe14 Aug 2018, 12:12
Really nice, I'm not really into platform game but it was really fun. The theme is well used and The graphics are cool :)
Flower14 Aug 2018, 17:04
The best game on LD 42!
namnam
namnam15 Aug 2018, 21:14
nice and smart. Cool graphic, music and gameplay. Really hardcore at some point that i rage quit the game but still find it amazing :) More checkpoint would have been great.
titos2k
titos2k15 Aug 2018, 21:22
Great execution of the concept. Feels really professional.

Minor issue: wall jumps could be more "sticky" and forgiving
Togimaro
Togimaro15 Aug 2018, 21:26
Awesome idea! Maybe the best game I've play till now!
Lovely pixelart and great level design
Maybe the double jump level is too hard, the lack of item respawn make it difficult to finish
Despite that really cool game!

Good job! :D
Gabe
Gabe15 Aug 2018, 21:52
One of the more underrated games so far, this game is fantastic. I had a lot of fun playing it, great job!
Ice Maker
Ice Maker15 Aug 2018, 22:23
Really nice gameplay, everything is great except the sheer lack of intuitiveness of the controls, why can't up arrow be jump ._.
SeaBlu
SeaBlu15 Aug 2018, 22:42
Beautiful polish and level design with tight platforming mechanics, well done!
Bibilega
Bibilega15 Aug 2018, 22:53
I like the idea with tapered walls, after each jump. This is fun game, and you make a great job! Thank you
DodoIta
DodoIta16 Aug 2018, 13:26
Cool idea and well implemented. Clever level design and good audio. I personally think that maybe a gamepad would've been better as input device, but aside from that it's a reeeally good entry.
Lou Bagel
Lou Bagel16 Aug 2018, 14:18
Great art, fit the theme, interesting puzzles. I didn't finish because I got frustrated. The blue double jump arrows were a bit harsh on the timing as a lot were directly over spikes. Would have been nice to have some forgiveness there (maybe increase the hitbox so can press a bit early) as I would randomly die on easy parts I passed numerous times before.
superpokeunicorn
superpokeunicorn16 Aug 2018, 14:33
This game is really great. I like how the screen closing in is tied to jumping, forcing you to be more thoughtful with your movements. I love how the letter boxing serves both as an obstacle and a useful tool for wall jumping, adding an extra layer of depth. I also love the guns that get added in towards the end, as they add another layer of interaction with the letter boxing. The trial and error could get a bit frustrating in areas where it was difficult to react to what was ahead, but it never got too frustrating to handle. Overall, this is an excellent, thoughtfully designed game. Amazing work!
Pyrodaes
Pyrodaes17 Aug 2018, 12:52
One of the best entries! The game feel is amazingly good, great job on polishing especially animations and sound!

Made me quite mad, I failed a lot of times xD but it's the way it should be. I kept playing and enjoyed it.
The only thing I found frustrating was the fact that, even if you didn't die, one mistake prevented you from trying again. Maybe the jump arrows could regerate, and the switches could keep working?
Aside from this, fantastic Ludum Dare entry!

I'm curious, are you a team or a single person?
Shell Pirate
Shell Pirateauthor18 Aug 2018, 13:07
@pyrodaes I will definitely look into making the game more forgiving or at least with a smoother difficulty curve if I decide to take it further.

I am a single person. I did all the art, programming and music myself, just chose to enter the Jam rather than the Compo.
Akuirako
Akuirako18 Aug 2018, 18:30
Great game. It's dynamic and the graphics are cool !
ChicoDeLosMates
ChicoDeLosMates18 Aug 2018, 19:08
I love the wall jumping mechanics and the grapichs.
The music loop was a bit annoying, but the rest of the audio is great.
Good job!
Wesxdz
Wesxdz18 Aug 2018, 19:16
I won! That was tough. The progression of mechanics was the best I've seen so far. Your game has so much eye candy it's like a candy store.
RyanJavanshir18 Aug 2018, 19:19
What a brilliantly polished game you've made here! Really great, well done.
tom7
tom718 Aug 2018, 19:44
This was superb, maybe my favorite LD #42 that I've played so far. Several creative ideas, good controls, and good assets, especially that dapper pupper.

Minor issues:
- The black bars at the side don't cover the very bottom of the screen for me. This might have started after a screen-shaking death?
- The game should probably actually be called "pillarbox" ;)
- I beat it (at least I think--the game just exits?) but found the last level to be pretty frustrating. I think that the controls (while very good) are just not quite tight enough to justify some of the really narrow windows you have to get through, and it's exacerbated by the fact that different timing means that the walls will be in slightly different places, so it's hard to practice to get precise enough.
- The music loops are good but could maybe be twice as long given how many times I have to try a level to beat it? :)
But again: excellent entry.
Shredmer18 Aug 2018, 20:56
Great game and gameplay. I can't tell you the amount of times I accidentally jumped instead of shot or vice versa. The gameplay would have been a lot more enjoyable for me with better controls. Jump and shoot keys should be at least 1 more key away from each other (i.e. A and D or D and Spacebar) instead of directly next to each other. It was still a fun game it just started to get frustrating making so many mistakes.
Swen
Swen19 Aug 2018, 12:45
Amazing concept and execution!
The newly introduced mechanics kept the game fun.
Really enjoyed this game!
MalyTimi
MalyTimi19 Aug 2018, 12:55
fun and simple :D
Bandygrass23 Aug 2018, 16:34
Super cute entry! Great pixel work and a simple, little game that follows the theme nicely. ^^/
nervous-composers5 Sep 2018, 16:17
Loved the concept, definitely could use some tuning to give more allowance to the player instead of near frame perfect jumps.

I beat the level where the level scrolls upwards, and the game closed abruptly. Is it the end? Would love to see more levels! :)

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