Into the Deep

I don't generally enjoy "non-games," but the music and visuals were so good that it made me play until the end. You nailed the mood, this game definitely relaxes you. I really enjoyed it.

Hey thanks so much for the feedback @stewmega!
Yeah I generally don't enjoy them either lol first time making one so I'm happy to hear I managed to make something at least relaxing and enjoyable!

Its a nice foundation, but I think the story needs conflict! Or maybe a background reason for you to go deep. Its a good start for a nice in-the-depth story!

Came for the game, stayed for the music

Absolutely true @dante2001! Honestly I just super did not have time to make actually game play lol so poem it was!

Thanks so much @keylime! I had to try out a couple different styles and iterated through quite a few versions before I ended up with something I was happy with.

Omg its was the best atmosphere so far

Thanks so much @elektroney!

the music was really nice and calming, gave it a good atmosphere. the variety of fish was also really fun to see, but i was a bit confused at first on if any of it did anything.

Yeah that's totally fair @traffle. Thanks for your feedback. Initially I really didn't know where I was going with it and when I realized I didn't have enough time to implement an actual game I landed on just using them as scenery more than anything and more just go for an experience.

My initial concept was going to be fight a giant squid or something like that but just couldn't think of how I'd really want to make that work. Who knows, maybe some day I can come back to that idea.

The music is perfect and it's a very engrossing experience overall! I especially liked bumping into a whale (?) and swimming through the ruins at the end.

Thanks so much @rose! Yeah it's the whale you bumped into lol It's great to hear that it was an engaging experience and that you liked the music. I was hoping a least a handful of people would encounter that whale and get curious about it :)

Very relaxing. The music was great. Nice job

I felt relaxed and even if the gameplay wasn't the best, the music made me play until the end.

Thanks @tengusheath and @mololo! Really excited to hear that you both enjoyed the music :)

So good mood :D
I felt like inside my submarine, so chilling game.

I loved the atmosphere, and the variety of sea critters!

Thank you @michal and @tetrapteryx for playing and for your feedback! It's so great to get so much feedback that people are enjoying the overall mood and atmosphere of my little game :)

This was really nice! The graphics and music are really good, but I liked even more how smooth and well executed the whole "journey" or diving deeper felt. Congratulations on trying something new, this was a nice piece!

Thanks for the feedback @albertnez! Really great to hear that it feels smooth and feels like something a bit unique and different :)

The game is calm and well paced (although maybe a bit slow). The game does a good job at keeping the player interested, but it would be even better if there was something at the end. Also, there is nothing stopping the player, maybe add some danger or reason to follow the dotted line other because you can go wherever you want. Otherwise, great game with nice dialogue!

Thanks @scidev! Yeah I think you're absolutely right. I was planning on doing some kind of water current to sort of push the player back towards the path if they start the stray too far but ultimately didn't have time to implement it. I also wish I could have had some more time to pull together a real ending with a real sense of pay off. Thanks again for playing and for the feedback!

Set a great tone and it was a very cohesive experience. Loved the drawings, especially the whale near the beginning. Chill vibe :)

Thank you so much for playing and for your feedback @hcs-hades! And yeah, I love the way the whale turned out too :)

Very cute, calming experience. You're able to get a lot more out of just a simple move set. Nice explorable environment and pacing is solid as well. Well done :)

Awesome! Thank you for your feedback @corbeng! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :)

The game started slow but the quality of music and smooth gameplay was awesome, i expect more such games from you in further jams. The audio quality felt the most cool.

Ah, what a nice relaxing game, glad I found this one ^^
This is just perfect between all the time & skill based games.
Very nice tone, story, really liked the mood of this one. Thanks for making it. ^^

The simple but effective light mechanics were great, I love the pressing sense of darkness and the red lights on the trail marker.

There is a story book quality to the paper cut out graphics that works really well with the atmosphere and the 2d-in-3d animation effects.

Would love to have seen more of the journey, but it was a very pleasant few minutes for sure.

_post pictures on the LD page! your style is very nice, show it!_

This makes me feel so good inside. Peaceful & poetic & addicting. Well done! :)

@tush4r wow thank you so much! I do have other games from previous jams. If you want good music / audio, I'm particularly proud of https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/a-fistful-of-daisies and https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/helsing

@leorid you know I didn't even think about that but it is definitely nice to have a game that people are finding to be a nice / relaxing experience. This sort of thing is usually way outside what I'd usually try to make so I'm glad I took a chance.

@windfall890 thanks for your feedback! Yeah, I really wanted to make something that felt like it was a hand crafted / "paper doll" experience. I totally agree, more of a journey would be great, honestly based on the reception I'm considering try to build out a longer experience. And thank you for your compliments on my art style! I'm definitely no artist so it's very nice to get that kind of reception :)

@thebox193 thank you, you're comment makes me feel good inside! I never really get an opportunity to try my hand at writing so it was great to give that a go for change. Glad it was well received!

I really enjoyed that. Very peaceful.

The ending felt a little abrupt though.

Bumping into the whale near the beginning was oddly satisfying, haha.

Good job!

On a side note, it looks like you are missing a thumbnail for the game (unless the website is just acting up) you might want to consider adding one :)

Thank you for the feedback @jaoel! I absolutely agree, the ending is definitely abrupt, definitely something I'd like to have better thought out / spent more time on if I had more time. And that's awesome! Yeah, I personally really liked that experience as well so I'm glad at least one other person got that satisfaction of bumping into the whale lol

And good call out! I will look and make sure I have a thumbnail added.

Very calm and nice! The game could perhaps use some other mechanic to give the player something more to do, but this is not necessary if that is not how you envision the game. I myself enjoy these kinds of more story-centric games, so this is kinda what I have been looking for in #LD48!

Thanks for your feedback @totteriludum! Really happy to hear you enjoyed it! Your critique is something I've been thinking about since completing the jam. I'd really like to find a balance between slower-paced/story-driven and something a bit more "gamey". I definitely want to find ways to keep players engaged and interested without ruining the overall tone. I think some simple evasion type gameplay or maybe some puzzle solving could add a bit more to the overall experience.

@norris-eldridge Good ideas! I think that some obstacles perhaps, or maybe tunnels to navigate through would help make the user more engaged. Well done with the project!

Super nice feeling. I like the art style as well, it is like a papercraft game. There is something interesting about the idea of a person who just abandons humanity and goes exploring the deep ocean, I could see this as a longer game about exploration and finding little set pieces. Great audio. There isn't much gameplay, but it's a nice short experience to have.

Thanks for your feedback @microchasm! Yeah I was really trying to go for the papercraft aesthetic :)
And totally! Yeah I was just feeling inspired by the idea of rediscovering / exploring a time that's been swept up and long forgotten.

This isn't a game, it's an experience. And it's a lot more polished than most of the game games in the jam. Good job.

Thanks for the kind words @flying-dog-fish! My own personal goal for this jam was to make a pretty game and I felt good about the end result overall so it's great to get some of the validation back :)

I really like the mood.

a gentle guide line, relaxing music and many different view together formed a tour of undersea.

Thanks for playing and for your feedback @nekowei!

I have a soft spot for short, complete games. I liked the music, the art was cohesive and set a good tone. I finished it. I wish it was gamified slightly, and I would help love a little bit of a 'conclusion'

Thanks for playing @quoclon! And yeah, I absolutely agree with your feedback. I think finding ways to gamify the experience just a bit and a much more satisfying conclusion would really go a long way.

Very nice game. I like the artwork and cute style. A pleasant experience, I just wish there was a little more to do. Good job!

It seems the older I get, the more I enjoy the narrative games. This one is definitely a proof that games don't need to be action or even mechanics packed. Simple narrative with great visuals and music to set up the mood can be enough. It kind of reminded me of how I felt playing Mutazione for the first time. Thank you for the experience. I hope to see more good stuff from you. Keep it up 🙂

Congratulations on the game, your story is very engaging and I particularly identify with this type of art, referred me to a children's story book with a wonderful subtlety, a big hug, and I await your evaluations regarding my game.

Thanks @ismael-rodriguez! Yeah, I too wish there was more to do lol really great to get your positive feedback on the art style and overall experience though!

@cvetk0 Thank you for your feedback and agreed, same here. The older I get the more okay I am with smaller and less conventional games. I'll definitely have to go check out Mutazione!

Thank you @etrealjunior! Yeah I was very much trying to create a handcrafted / story book type of look and feel so I'm glad to hear that came across in my game.

Love the music and sprites! And the mystery! Seems like you have a great art skills, the only time management needs more love. 😄

Here is my recording (sorry there is lag at the beginning):