LdDB
Ludum Dare #46jam

Happy Life

by scalliondelight
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.80
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.47
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.99
Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.18
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.91
Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.62
Humor★★★★★★★★★★3.75
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.77

About


The theme of LD46 is Keep it alive.

Happy Life is all about keeping the fragile aspects of your life in balance. You want to keep your digital pet alive, but *at what cost*?

Everything could hinge on one stressful evening in this point-and-click life management sim.
Can you keep your happy life together for another day, or will it all come crashing down?

Pay attention to the important things and take it seriously, but don't forget to live a little!

boxart.png

Disclaimers


The following creative commons resources were used. These sounds are the paper shuffle, wine bottle sound, gulping noise, and restaurant foley, as well as a song remix as a ringtone. All other sounds and songs created by the team.
```
"Umblättern (kurz).wav" by MiSchy, 05DEC2016
https://freesound.org/people/MiSchy/sounds/369960/
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

"20170101 Big Wine Bottle" by kijjaz, 31JAN2017
https://freesound.org/people/kijjaz/sounds/378852/
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

"Water_Gulp.wav" by Q.K., 27JUN2008
https://freesound.org/people/Q.K./sounds/56271/
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

"Restaurant_Ambence.wav" by mshahen, 01MAR2020
https://freesound.org/people/mshahen/sounds/507218/
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

"Local Forecast - Elevator" by Kevin MacLeod, remixed by @aspectmfr,
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300012
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

```

Changelog

```
4/21/20 v0.3

- Increased time wife prompts can be viewed
- Capped duration of drunk view, automatically set back to 2 BAL (this is to prevent endless drunk bug)
- Allow the boss' last message to be seen
- Allow the ringer challenge to fire
- Extend time food choices stay on screen after selection
- Fixed mysterious game ending crash (it was a while loop i'm sorry)
- Allow the wife to become happy again

4/20/20 v0.2

- Lowered volume
- Remove food choices when end game modal is displayed
- Fixed phone modal instance missing error
- Possibly fixing the bug where texts stop coming in
```

Known bugs:
```
- Audio track restarts abruptly in Google Chrome when attempting to crossfade smoothly between tracks.
- mouse enter / leave threshold causes hand flicker when right on border of the pet case
- sometimes menus flip back and forth, can't drop cursor menu
```

screenshot

Comments134

Jenny Bourke
Jenny Bourke21 Apr 2020, 01:46
This game is super fun and distressingly accurate to my real life T.T
NomadicRockMan
NomadicRockMan21 Apr 2020, 01:46
This is such a good idea! The goal of the game is to play a game within the game, but the world around you is trying to stop you from doing that. This is so clever!
smt
smt21 Apr 2020, 01:47
I like the concept and art here a lot, the volume is pretty loud for me but still a neat game
Danielle Schugars
Danielle Schugars21 Apr 2020, 01:47
My favorite game I've played from this jam so far!
alessia-ip
alessia-ip21 Apr 2020, 01:47
It reminds me of a Tamagotchi! Super cute! Loved how the hand cursor changed for different actions. I did find unlocking the phone to be a bit tricky/not super smooth, but all in all, just as stressful and satisfying as an virtual pet is! The music is also super charming~
Yadir2447
Yadir244721 Apr 2020, 01:49
its very cool! neat idea
CooperJKnapp
CooperJKnapp21 Apr 2020, 01:50
That is a full 5 stars across the board from me. What a masterpiece
LapisRaider21 Apr 2020, 01:51
I really love this game! It's really interesting and innovative! Had a lot of fun with it!
enzobrown9721 Apr 2020, 01:51
I like the art and the stress is real! Haha very creative
welby
welby21 Apr 2020, 01:52
Really good multi-tasking game, but the unlock on the phone sticks a little. Other than that, really fun premise to explore. I wish more of the tasks had overlapping meaning to the story.
der_finski
der_finski21 Apr 2020, 01:52
Very nice and fun game, i personally was completly overwhelmed but that was a me problem. Schöne Grüße aus dem Norden des Landes XD
Robert Li21 Apr 2020, 01:54
relaxing game, love the hand lol
shwany_b21 Apr 2020, 01:54
AHHHH it's so stressful jesus
TheMightyTrout21 Apr 2020, 01:55
really well designed with great artwork. I had a few glichs while moving the hand
Izokia
Izokia21 Apr 2020, 01:55
First off: I loved tomogatchi as a kid so this was an immediate eye grabber! The concept was really funny and I got a good laugh out of it. Gameplay was enjoyable and has a lot of replayability. I JUST WANT TO KEEP MY BUDDY ALIVE!!!
Chaplike21 Apr 2020, 01:55
A great concept and it feels like so much is going on. I think I drank myself into early dev.
T C
T C21 Apr 2020, 01:56
Very good game. Had no idea when certain ratings drop so hard, so some losses came out of nowhere. I appreciate it as a mechanic after playing though!
mhykah21 Apr 2020, 01:56
My pet and marriage both survived, and I didn't get fired! I also found what happens when you drink too much wine... creepy...

Managing multiple things was really fun! The music and the ambient track of the restaurant was really cool as well as the sound effects. I saw that you didn't create some of the sound but they were well chosen to fit the mood. Some mechanics such as having to remember what was being said to respond is really unique and interesting! Also liked the art style. The only thing was that it was a bit confusing about what I had to do at first and how the stats change, but it was fun once I kind of got it. Good job!
X-c
X-c21 Apr 2020, 01:56
Very nice and cute) I loved that game!
Pixipit21 Apr 2020, 01:57
Very fun game and the hand is very cool.I like it.
IAreDeaded21 Apr 2020, 01:57
Oh man I am horrible at multitasking. Great game though! Was really fun and stressful
relixes
relixes21 Apr 2020, 01:57
Awesome game, I'm not good at multi tasking but it's amazing how many parallels systems you guys pulled out during such a short time. The dialogs are funny and the mood is awesome. Congrats!
Rodrigo Castro
Rodrigo Castro21 Apr 2020, 01:58
Great game! The concept is very interesting and all the game. I remember a lot the Tamagotchi. There are a lot of games in a game. Great.
LarryV21 Apr 2020, 01:59
The controls on the game feel veeeery smooth. good job on that, soundtrack is relaxing and i really got captivated in the game. The art was pretty as well. Good job
Kosmo
Kosmo21 Apr 2020, 01:59
Definitely got the stress of all of the multi-tasking across. Graphics were good. I had some issues understanding what exactly I was supposed to do -- was there a difference between responses? What was the purpose of the menu/drinking? I think a little more feedback about what my choices were actually doing (other than ignoring people) would be beneficial.

Overall great job though!
JanaChumi
JanaChumi21 Apr 2020, 02:00
Great game, I like how you applied the theme
ANRQAngel21 Apr 2020, 02:00
Very good concept, great execution.. music a little overwhelming, but in essence something that can be expanded upon..
Michael Gosling21 Apr 2020, 02:00
Cool concept, needs to be more obvious how to interact with the menus.
HuddyBuddyGreatness21 Apr 2020, 02:01
Very creative interpretation of the theme, I enjoyed this experience quite a bit
Sli21 Apr 2020, 02:01
Creative and fun. Good job.
willjardine
willjardine21 Apr 2020, 02:02
Great concept! The little Tamagotchi was my favorite part.
ZebraAtomica21 Apr 2020, 02:04
This kinda of a weird experience XD. I felt a bit lost when playing it for the first time, i didn't find where to close the cellphone. It's a funny "play to know everything" but what drove me off was the pet dying too quickly. I wanted to atleast understand the game and read some of the dialogs or messages. In the end, 3 or 4 attempt i was just clicking everything, got drunk, the drunkness didn't stop and i lost hahhaha A nice one indeed. Congratz!
BootyGangDisciple21 Apr 2020, 02:04
This was a great concept my g! I like how you put multiple factors to keep "alive". Good work all around.
Limabean042121 Apr 2020, 02:04
Very chaotic and reminded me of what it feels like to be in a social setting again! Found some bugs with the menus flashing back and fourth and had a hard time grasping my tomagachi. Overall great idea!
Helen21 Apr 2020, 02:04
Nice graphics and idea. I really didn't know on what to focus next. What a stressfull life ^^"
FlashViper
FlashViper21 Apr 2020, 02:05
Great game! I loved the sound effects.
Matt D. Parker
Matt D. Parker21 Apr 2020, 02:06
We're gotchibuddies!

I enjoyed it. There's some handling of the events that are tough and frustrating, but the overall style is great! Very real to try to keep three things alive at once!
denglishdesign21 Apr 2020, 02:08
I saw the Tamagochi and had to check what you made of it! Since I am sure a few of us had a tamagochi in mind, but it delivered!
Cute idea, pretty funny, it took me a while to figure out what the menu was for but the reveal was nice! :D
Claybro2021
Claybro202121 Apr 2020, 02:09
This turned out amazing. Makes me miss my Tamagotchi
Dizzy21 Apr 2020, 02:09
Great idea guys! I really liked the drunk effect, its a really cool game!
Mikabrytu
Mikabrytu21 Apr 2020, 02:09
This game give me SO MUCH anxiety! 5 stars
PHPGator21 Apr 2020, 02:11
I absolutely loved it! I thought it was an extremely clever take on the theme. The old school game of keeping the pet alive was interesting. The part I was confused most about was how to interact with the wife!
bean
bean21 Apr 2020, 02:11
Makes me feel sad. Very good game. Really clear concept of storytelling through mechanics; the stress of checking everything and its uncannyness to reality makes it really emotional.
If anything could be better, I think the lose screens could have more in them, as opposed to just text.
Darylsteak21 Apr 2020, 02:16
I like the idea and the game , and it was pretty nicely executed. It took me some fiddling around to figure out how the game worked but after that, it was pretty much smooth sailing.

Art and sound were also nice
mmason
mmason21 Apr 2020, 02:22
My wife left me and I kept getting drunk but my Tamagotchi stayed alive
JackOfCups
JackOfCups21 Apr 2020, 02:23
Game of the year, every year.
Pieter-Uys Fourie21 Apr 2020, 02:55
Who needs human contact when you have a pixel pet
Horus21 Apr 2020, 04:18
I'm honestly not sure whats happening, but I LOVE ALL OF IT. The music choice, the entire scenario. God I love having my phone and Tamagotchi out with me at a fancy restaurant while ignoring my wife. Sending fire emojis about losing jobs. God I wish that were me. Honestly if you see this, Iwould kill for a copy of his phone background that I could use on my own.
Witdarkstar
Witdarkstar21 Apr 2020, 04:18
Wow. There are so many little details here. It was so stressful to manage everything, which mean I think it did its job. Great job.
James Kusardi21 Apr 2020, 04:38
really neat concept! not what i was expecting at all, in a good way
Joaquinm
Joaquinm21 Apr 2020, 04:58
great game! I spent half an hour juggling jaja
Flamus21 Apr 2020, 05:29
Cool idea! i think theres too much going on and i could handle all of the things at once with my mouse. The music is great!
Bonyok7721 Apr 2020, 06:42
you have to play this game, it's so cute and addicting!
kjscott
kjscott21 Apr 2020, 07:51
There was a minor bug with the swiping of the phone but that wasn't a determinant to the game.

The music worked really well with the environmental aspect, and the ambient sounds helped bring it to life and also provided a nice audio clutter of things which helped make the game more hectic.

The game struck a really nice sweet spot between visual clutter and hectic atmosphere that has made this one of the best examples of this type of game in LD46 so far that I've encountered. I want to try and remember to come back to this at a later date and keep playing to see how far I can get.
redfenix21 Apr 2020, 09:11
Interesting idea, very cool
BeregAlto21 Apr 2020, 10:38
OMG it's amazing)
kaelXD21 Apr 2020, 11:19
stressful but in a fun way
Effarek
Effarek21 Apr 2020, 12:32
Really fun game, the music reminded me a bit of Disco Elysium. I had difficulties talking with the wife because I didn't have enough time to read what she says and answer the right thing, even tho I was really paying attention to her
NoamRaz
NoamRaz21 Apr 2020, 12:55
good game! love it
hangarter21 Apr 2020, 16:23
The idea is fantastic, juggling between keeping your life and other things alive.
I managed to feed the tamagochi and see the menus, drink wine, but talking to the woman doesn't work, so it's not really fully playable!
But I do really love the concept. Great job guys!
Kiln
Kiln21 Apr 2020, 18:10
I loved how well this fit the theme, it probably fits the theme more than most. As noted as a known bug, my game did crash near the end, but that's fine. Overall, the game was fun. I think my only slight criticism was that the options to respond to your wife go away a little TOO fast compared to everything else. Sometimes I'd barely have enough time to read what she'd said before the responses disappeared.
Mallard
Mallard21 Apr 2020, 18:42
Fits the theme very well. Loved the different fail states.
taran.unraveler21 Apr 2020, 20:16
Really a nice game here. Well done. Had a hard time trying to keep everyone happy.
TekleGashaw21 Apr 2020, 22:44
I love the game very deserving of this spot.
TekleGashaw21 Apr 2020, 22:44
I love the game very deserving of this spot.
TekleGashaw21 Apr 2020, 22:44
I love the game very deserving of this spot.
scalliondelight
scalliondelightauthor22 Apr 2020, 02:49
@kiln thanks for your bug report -- I believe I've resolved the game ending crash!
Echonia
Echonia22 Apr 2020, 03:28
Really cute game, a lot to do, it's a fun idea!
Sanjana22 Apr 2020, 03:53
I love it! I used to be a huge fan of the tamagotchi so this game brought back a lot of nostalgia for me and i loved the twist of being on a date
Lambdanaut
Lambdanaut22 Apr 2020, 04:46
That was so relaxing. very enjoy much good
Justin_C22 Apr 2020, 05:16
Interesting take on the Tamagotchi idea. Definitely the best one I've played so far.
firellon
firellon22 Apr 2020, 06:27
Can't play the game: says "The developer has not uploaded the game yet"

Could you please check it out?
keybol
keybol22 Apr 2020, 06:32
lol fun time management game! It went chaotic very early but it's fun. Gonna try it once more, I think the pet is too demanding haha
firellon
firellon22 Apr 2020, 06:47
Wow, that's a lot of things to keep track of... my wife asked for ravioli but they were not on the menu... what I'm supposed to do? :hushed:

Overall, very nice and well-detailed!
WormholeGames
WormholeGames22 Apr 2020, 10:08
Beautiful and fun game. I had a bug where the notification sound wouldn't stop when disabling it. But overall, great job guys (and gals?)!
bobost222 Apr 2020, 16:26
The game is hard, but cool :D
sneakycocoon22 Apr 2020, 16:39
wow wow super hard game here. However you hit the point with how it reminds us of our daily life and what our priority in life should be. We can't have it all, either my pop, my wife or my digital pet :rofl: Minor feedback i have is how to make it obvious that elements are interactive and not just there. Didn't realize i have the food & drink menu options until my 5th play through.

Overall really love the concept, feel very original and relevant! Well done!
julesr22 Apr 2020, 18:47
Great submission. Love the idea and the art and music are a perfect match!
the_martijn
the_martijn22 Apr 2020, 18:51
Wow, nice game with depth! Liked it ;)
DocGeraud
DocGeraud22 Apr 2020, 19:03
Nice mood! Pretty challenging to manage every little task. I could not find what to do with the menu but the game was cool anyway.
Kate9022 Apr 2020, 19:27
Just like real tamagochi :) I totally ignored what was around me, but later i wanted to do multitasking but couldnt interact with surronding in productive way. I had no technical issues, no bugs found... Unless I was supposed to order something from menu?
OddTimes
OddTimes22 Apr 2020, 19:54
Wonderful way to show daily struggles in a game. Felt that guy.
Kinto22 Apr 2020, 20:05
Great concept!
lesinvisible
lesinvisible22 Apr 2020, 20:40
THE. BEST. THING. I've seen in my life.
Ithildin
Ithildin22 Apr 2020, 22:50
Lost my job, but kept my wife and pet happy. Well, guess you can't have everything :shrug_tone1: :grimacing:

Great concept! All the attention sinks on the scene made keeping everything balanced challenging, which was cool. Graphics and music suited the game, too.

The phone interface was a bit glitchy, and there was one time where none of the options offered by the waiter matched the menu (not sure if this is bug or feature though, to be fair :D)

Other than this...Nice entry overall, congrats!
alpharock6
alpharock622 Apr 2020, 23:06
Incredibly overwhelming (in the best possible way). Loved this.
Matt Greenbury23 Apr 2020, 01:31
the secret to keeping a good healthy vpet is not to have a life
BrokenCogGames23 Apr 2020, 03:26
Great usage of the theme! We wanted to do something similar but couldn't think of the right way to do it. Really enjoyed the concept.
valisse2123 Apr 2020, 15:23
Very deep. Like the real life actually, when you try to get everything together but in the end something's going wrong. Amazing concept!
Walkalope
Walkalope23 Apr 2020, 16:17
Hello! I played your game on-stream last night. Thanks so much for sharing your game!

As a big fan of *Papers Please*, this game clicked for me in a great way. I would definitely love to see it fleshed out into a full, multi-scenario game. Maybe start off with just the Tamagotchi and the spouse - and slowly add more distractions and things to juggle.

For a game like this - where click, dragging and mouse interactions make up the whole gameplay - it's important to really make those interactions work smoothly and comfortably. Sometimes it was difficult to slide the phone slider all the way - and sometimes it was difficult to land on the right button with tamagotchi. Small tweaks to the mouse interactions and visual feedback can really make this game *juicy*.

Fantastic art, visual/audible style. I hope you continue to work on this one - it's a neat one!

Walker
LocksmithArmy
LocksmithArmy23 Apr 2020, 17:17
I was quite impressed by this. great job.
recursor
recursor23 Apr 2020, 17:54
Wow. What a frantic little game. It was pretty neat to have to pay attention to the phone, pet, waiter and wife trying to keep "it" alive. Some of the controls did frustrate me some though. Mainly I felt like the phone was difficult to unlock at times and when it should have already been unlocked I had to unlock it again. These minor gripes didn't keep me from playing it longer than I expected though. Very nice workl.
coatline
coatline23 Apr 2020, 17:57
Such of an impressive entry! I loved the pressure of having to remember that you have a stupid squid ghost thing to feed, sleep, clean its poop, plus a wife trying to talk to you, plus you have to unlock your phone which is a step in itself plus reply to the messages, plus ordering food, and finally drinking wine. It was very humorous when I chugged my wine and my wife was like will you stop chugging your dang wine and talk to me. I had a lot of fun with this one.
ForeverTrash
ForeverTrash23 Apr 2020, 19:02
This was honestly the concept I was thinking about. I went with just a normal pet simulator instead, but it's crazy how close related our ideas were and how well your execution was. Nice art, cool mechanics.
IanLux23 Apr 2020, 20:12
Man what a nice concept, it was very interesting trying to balance between different aspects of his life.
Would really like to see another version of that for mobile
Merpui
Merpui23 Apr 2020, 21:56
Amazing game! The concept of taking care of everything at the same time was implemented perfectly. Well done! :)
keanutah23 Apr 2020, 23:46
Cool concept, very frantic. Took a while before figured out all the interactions, a few were a little un-intuitive to me. So unique though, well done!
anystarabove
anystarabove24 Apr 2020, 05:07
what a wonderful game. The story line was compelling and I really felt like someone in this tense situation of having to keep all these plates spinning -- wife, person I was texting with, the irony of trying to keep the tamagotchi alive while all this is falling apart around me. Lovely music by the way -- bittersweet. I liked the drunk effect too. Very imaginative, and I thought the whole composition was beautiful and explored the human condition. Super impressive you could execute this on such a high level in such a short amount of time.
Sibi
Sibi24 Apr 2020, 06:24
Such a great social commentary! Took me a couple of tries to fully grasp everything that I had to do but finally managed to keep my toy and marriage alive and didn't even get fired :D
Doot
Doot24 Apr 2020, 20:12
thank a lot for this game. This was really great.
JMad
JMad24 Apr 2020, 20:54
Like other said, it took me a while to figure out what to do with the interactions (wife, menus...), also that only the tip of the finger worked for clicking on answers to give. It was interesting! Really like the concept of trying to balance everything and actually having to read things and not pretend to. Very cool what you did in such a short time!
Gorypixels
Gorypixels24 Apr 2020, 21:03
Multitasking - The game jajajajaj awesome! Made me rethink lots of my table manners, congrats on the great game!
Unimaginable_Code_Studios24 Apr 2020, 22:36
Unlike any other game I have played so far, game idea is creative and unique. Game is also pleasantly relaxing. Love the game!!
dingotime25 Apr 2020, 02:43
Nice graphics and sound. Very stressful and fun.
G.A.GameStudio
G.A.GameStudio25 Apr 2020, 05:14
The game is great and super funny. All it needs is more polishing.
GaryS
GaryS25 Apr 2020, 11:57
Strangely compelling... I think I broke it eventually - my phone stopped doing anything, my perpetually angry wife stopped talking and my tamagotchi was relentless in its needs... I got to the end though and didn't get fired or dumped. Well, on my second playthrough anyway.
Wikers25 Apr 2020, 13:13
I lovved, super funny, i miss my tamagocchi :'v, very nice art
BenG25 Apr 2020, 17:24
Nice artwork! We found it very stressful keeping the little creature alive. I have certainly had meals like this!
Jishin
Jishin26 Apr 2020, 11:30
Besides a few glitches with the phone and some texting which didn't make much sense, it felt like a nice dating simulator while trying to do multiple things at the same time.
Really liked the concept and the graphic, wish it would become something more!
m-trigo
m-trigo26 Apr 2020, 18:22
I never wished so hard I could throw my phone into a fishtank.

Great job!
Mika la Grand
Mika la Grand26 Apr 2020, 18:23
I couldn't figure out how to properly operate the phone, but the art and music were nice.
Eran Haas28 Apr 2020, 12:35
This is fantastic!

I would love to see something like this developed a little more to be the base of some deeper interactive fiction.
Great job!
verbvirus
verbvirus29 Apr 2020, 11:05
I really liked your take on the theme, good work. The presentation was great and I could apply the feelings from my own experience to make decisions in this game. The interaction was a bit hard sometimes to know exactly how to do certain things but it was a really cool idea so I didn't mind too much. Congratulations on the game!
puppetmaster
puppetmaster3 May 2020, 21:52
Game idea is great, you really felt the stress, not for me because I'm not multitasking but it was still a lot of fun and the italian restaurant mood is great. Keep up the good work!
Akronsus
Akronsus7 May 2020, 10:24
really nice game. Haven't finished it, 'cause I'm just too slow. But I'll try again in the future, it's that great :D
Kusaihana
Kusaihana7 May 2020, 14:02
I love the controls. It is really neat, gj! :)
zubspace
zubspace7 May 2020, 20:07
Very nice game! Lot's of small tasks mixed together. The graphic is nice and you really captured the the atmosphere of a restaurant.

I really like the game, but geeez, it's so hectic that it very much feels like work... But still, good job!
nahual
nahual9 May 2020, 13:35
* * *
Mood and esthetics

Oh it feels really juicy. I like the tripping part when you get drunk :D

* * *
Emiliabea
Emiliabea11 May 2020, 04:47
My pea brain can't handle the multi-tasking haha. It is impressive that you were able to make all of this work, it was a pretty ambitious idea for a jam but it payed off

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