Runaway Railcar

co-authored: @grinnij
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.89
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.92
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.26
Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.15
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.67
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.84
Your railcar is out of control! Activate the switches in sequence to escape the mine's many loops.

myimg.png
Created by Michael Horst and Ryan Ernst for Ludum Dare 47

Programming: Michael Horst

Graphics and level design: Ryan Ernst

Music and some sound effects by Eric Matyas | www.soundimage.org

*Edit 2020/10/06: added macOS build after finding someone to test that it works. No game changes whatsoever from the original Windows submission.*

screenshot

Comments29

svntax
svntax5 Oct 2020, 22:44
This is a pretty fun take on a classic mechanic, and it's really well polished!
justin Garrett5 Oct 2020, 23:10
This one is fun.. just Loop after loop. had fun and challenging.nice graphics needs a volume button sound was little loud.
ryupold6 Oct 2020, 00:25
This game is by far the most beautiful i have played today.
It fits the theme perfektly and I really like the art style :)
6 Oct 2020, 01:00
I have played several games so far and this one is by far the best . My music wasn't too loud , btw . It was fast paced, just challenge enough to keep interest. Design and graphics both outstanding , especially compared to previous games I have played on Ludum Dare 47 . As stated above ,fits theme PERFEKTLY ;) . Great job!
mfischer3d
mfischer3d6 Oct 2020, 01:01
Nice good looking game, with a nice gradual difficulty curve. I enjoyed it :)
BobParis756 Oct 2020, 10:17
this game is very fun and beautiful. I like the art style & mechanics
exopunk
exopunk6 Oct 2020, 11:59
Awesome entry, in enjoyed the mechanic a lot and the whole game is very polished! Well done!
toasteater
toasteater6 Oct 2020, 15:08
Really well executed! I like how the game forces the player to change how to approach the levels by speeding the cart up gradually. I got a few dropped frames with a 5700XT, but otherwise it was a good experience. Nice entry!
Michael Horstauthor6 Oct 2020, 15:14
@toasteater I spent 2 hours trying to figure out why a couple of the rooms cause a brief lag the first time they're generated, I think it's a CPU thing rather than graphics. I wasn't able to nail it down in time :( Thanks for playing and reviewing!
laorixu6 Oct 2020, 22:18
Great game with fun mechanics and nice graphics :D
DrSmey
DrSmey7 Oct 2020, 00:18
Amazing visuals! Gameplay is a bit plain at first but gets actually challenging after some time. Good job!
Stracker
Stracker7 Oct 2020, 17:56
Not the most original of gameplay loops (hohoho), but the graphics and overall fluidity and polish absolutely make up for that. Very fun little game !
randomLockNess7 Oct 2020, 17:59
Really efficient gameplay and stunning graphics.
cad7 Oct 2020, 18:00
Great work! Very self contained and polished. I was happy with the challenge and it felt like right as it ended, I wouldn't have been able to go any faster or more complex.
Marinee7 Oct 2020, 18:24
unfortunatly, i can't playing on your game , there are some error - code 6...(
Michael Horstauthor7 Oct 2020, 23:45
@marinee thanks for letting us know. Which build did you try to play, Windows or Mac?
nsadie
nsadie9 Oct 2020, 18:46
That was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the application of the theme, the art and the gameplay. Really solid entry!
RenD
RenD10 Oct 2020, 09:12
Really cool entry. I didn't expect a rhythm game given the aesthetics but it was really engaging with a nice increasing difficulty. Solid entry!
JoeShanahan
JoeShanahan10 Oct 2020, 09:47
Wow, super polished jam game, and fun to play too! I found one level particularly difficult, because the arrows were so close together and even though I'd press the right keys in the right order, it was too unforgiving about the timing. The game was at it's best when it felt like it was my fault for slipping up, not that the game wasn't registering my input.

So I went back to try and find that level to screenshot it, and I couldn't find it! So my guess is that the levels must be randomly generated? :sweat_smile:

If that's the case, kudos on making this game in such a way that randomly generated levels felt like they were made by a person! Very solid entry here!
TheWustache
TheWustache10 Oct 2020, 13:56
Fun little game! Great twist on the rhythm game formula. You executed the low poly art-style very well. The timing allows for enough inaccuracy so it doesn't get frustrating, especially in the later levels -- this isn't easy to achieve (I struggle with it). The difficulty curve is well designed as well.
Michael Horstauthor10 Oct 2020, 19:23
@joeshanahan thanks for the feedback! The rooms and arrows are indeed procedurally placed and will be different each playthrough, and your comment about them appearing too close together is helpful.
Beefbone
Beefbone11 Oct 2020, 13:18
Extremely well polished game. It hits all the notes it needs for a nice little rhythm game. I quite liked the graphics, they really made the game feel well rounded. I can imagine this game being lots of fun if it was developed further to have a rhythmic soundtrack that would fit to the action prompts and longer more complex tracks. Well done!
erikiene
erikiene11 Oct 2020, 15:23
As per above comments - connecting the action audio with the soundtrack would take this to a whole nother level! Very smooth experience, the camera is handled very well I think. And it might just be me but the "success" prompt is reminiscent of the MGS alert sound (which adds respect points in my book). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yGfQak-q9M
Rolly
Rolly12 Oct 2020, 10:01
That's a great entry ! The mechanic is simple but well executed, and perfectly fits the theme: as long as you suck, you're actually stuck in a loop! :D

Great job on the 3D models, lights and particle effects, they were perfect! Graphics are a 5-star for me!

The music was also pretty good ; too bad you had to opt-out, you would definitely have got a good ranking there too!

Awesome work!
bixarrio13 Oct 2020, 21:47
Very nice! Enjoyed it quite a but. Well done
rapidrunner5215 Oct 2020, 00:21
What a great little game . Very fun and challenging . Well executed . Graphics outstanding . Amazing you created such a polished little game in just a couple of days . I also noticed your team is one of the few out 100's I have had time to look at and play , that know what a LOOP is!! I saw lots of circles and wheels but very few loops. All in all , 2 thumbs up :) Gratz!
The Master15 Oct 2020, 01:16
really enjoyed this little game , perfect following of theme , great graphics, smooth seem less game play with great amount of difficulty advancement
Arad HamidSamiee
Arad HamidSamiee17 Oct 2020, 06:09
wow, nice game. Looks good, clever interpretation on the theme. good job

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