Ludum Dare #51compo

Fight The Darkness

by ryan-ackermann

Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.64

Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.66

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.76

Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.09

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.96

Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.39

Humor★★★★★★★★★★2.80

Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.77

Expel the darkness from the world with your light!

In order to ward off the oncoming hoard you must spend your light. A consistent rhythm of rejuvenation rekindles your flame. Last as long as you can!

Controls

* ARROW keys or WASD for directional movement
* POINT and CLICK to toss fireballs

Guide

Enemies will spawn from any direction. A fireball can vanquish 3 gouls (green eyes). It takes 2 fireballs to take down the chomper enemy.

Be careful how often you toss your fireballs, you can run out! You regain your initial flame every 10 seconds.

As time progresses enemies get faster and the chomper enemy appears more often.

Tech Specs

* MacBook Pro M1 Pro 14 inch
* GameMaker Studio 2
* Aseprite
* BFXR
* Pixelmator Pro
* Garageband
* Voice Memos on iOS

---

I hope you enjoy my little game! :smiley_cat:

Let me know your highest score! :trophy:

Tools: Aseprite, Bfxr, GameMaker

Comments24

Gangrue2 Oct 2022, 23:10

Do I need to download Opera to play it?

Matt Green3 Oct 2022, 01:54

I'm a sucker for games that play with light, so I was already on board.

One minor note, without reading the instructions, I saw "Press Space to Start" and assumed Space was a important key. I didn't realize I had to click to shoot.

Also, was it just an endless/highscore kind of game? I couldn't tell if I was progressing toward anything.

Love the character (both the player character and the game's "character" in general). Well done!

LDJam user 2997573 Oct 2022, 02:25

Looks good could you make it to where its playable without operaGX

Ryan Ackermannauthor3 Oct 2022, 05:16

@gangrue ya you'll need OperaGX for the linked version. However, I embedded the game directly so everyone can play it easier!

Ryan Ackermannauthor3 Oct 2022, 05:20

@matt-green great feedback. I can see the confusion with the instructions. This game is an endless game with a goal of getting the highest score. It would be fun to elaborate on this idea more. I like the concept of making the flame / visibility the "ammunition" being spent in a shooter style game.

Ryan Ackermannauthor3 Oct 2022, 05:20

@triangle-point I added a direct embed :smiley:

LDJam user 3037163 Oct 2022, 05:51

Great Game!

salk3 Oct 2022, 10:57

Cool concept! Also candle sprite is cute!

LDJam user 3001843 Oct 2022, 15:05

This game is very cute! Its a bit trickier without a mouse but that's on me. Good job!

LDJam user 2806243 Oct 2022, 16:26

I like graphics and mood. So atmospheric!

ugly_robot3 Oct 2022, 16:44

Really cool idea! Nice to see a game where every 10s something good happens! 😉
Love the tradeoffs that come from visibility and 'firepower' being tied together - and kiting to get the perfect triple kill was very satisfying.
A beautiful looking game as well - very nicely done!

Linus Lindberg3 Oct 2022, 17:00

Fun game! Reminds me a little of my own. I really liked the art, both cute and atmospheric. I really like the lighting system and how it works with the gameplay. Music gets a little repetetive, but good on you getting sound design in. I ran out of time for that. Great entry :)

rasblo3 Oct 2022, 20:57

Honestly way too good of an idea. Felt very engaging saving shots for multiple targets, and then unloading right before the fire resets. Almost wish I could see even less in the dark to really make me appreciate the light.

Fun, responsive and cute!

Ryan Ackermannauthor4 Oct 2022, 00:39

@ugly-robot thanks for the kind feedback. I think the 10 second reward gives you hope when you think a run might be over with!

@linus-lindberg I thought the same when I played yours. Great minds think alike! I want to improve my music composition skills for the future.

@rasblo thanks! I played around a bit with contrast. Having more and less world lighting when your flame is roaring, but I thought it would be more accessible to be a little lighter. It is far more thrilling when you can't see anything though!

Roroto Sic4 Oct 2022, 17:33

Good atmosphere ! The gameplay idea (the light becoming smaller every shot) work very well for this kind of game ! Was addictiv ^^

MikoziQ4 Oct 2022, 17:35

Got a 83 score!

Pros:

- Really good mechanic with the light system!
- Like the enemies variety (at least not just a single one)
- Music in compo is always a +
- Actually liked the visuals

Cons:

- The music feels... a bit too melancholic for me here, but maybe it is what's supposed to be
- There's little incentive to move player around the map, you can just stand in the center and shoot stuff until score is 75+

However, it is indeed a good job!

LDJam user 2579464 Oct 2022, 22:39

I don't think I have ever seen a game where shooting reduces visibility. It seems like such a good idea, that I can't believe I have never seen a game that did it before. This is an excellent concept! Very well done!

LDJam user 2998795 Oct 2022, 16:16

Fun little game! Simple mechanics, but pretty well done. I think the flame losing strength after shooting is an interesting ideea to play with and I'm a big fan of the art and sfx/music too.

Kler6 Oct 2022, 21:38

Feels good to play and fun. I really like the light mechanic. The art is also really good. Well done!

coatline6 Oct 2022, 21:55

Oh yes! Clever way of making the player make the best of their shots! I like the glow on the player and especially on the projectiles. I liked the sound when you took a shot. Nice game!

Real_Human_10007 Oct 2022, 01:44

Cool concept! Simple and well-executed. Looks and sounds nice. For the future, I'd recommend some better lighting effects and a wider world to explore.

LePoulet7 Oct 2022, 10:48

A small concept, well crafted. Godd job for the entry.

SleepyStudios18 Oct 2022, 16:42

This was a really good take on the theme. The managementy/puzzley mechanic was really well implemented and everything just made perfect sense immediately. The weird looping on the music was a bit jarring though.

LDJam user 30116519 Oct 2022, 23:32

Love how you incorporated the theme with ammo and then how you rendered the ammo amount as light (really liked the whole lighting effect tbh). At the beginning, I was just firing a shot off at anything that appeared on screen. Near the middle, I was trying to line up my shots to conserve ammo for when chompers appeared and again firing recklessly just before the timer elapsed. And, at the end, I was just shooting wildly again trying to keep the chompers away from me. Got a final score of 87.

Other games by @ryan-ackermann

compo

Mind The Vagazar

★3.02

LD46