Ludum Dare #55compo
Stars Align
You are a lizard, who is also a wizard. You have the power to cast a summoning spell to pull tiles towards you. Your mission is to align all the magical tiles in order to ensure that their magic power can flow freely. Can you line up the tiles in all 15 levels?
This one ended up being surprisingly challenging, I think, so be forewarned...
*How to play*
* Use the arrow keys to move around.
* Use the space bar to pull a tile towards you. Tiles can move over empty spaces but not gaps in the level.
* You can pull tiles from as far away as you want, even from the other side of a gap.
* Your goal is to line up the lines on the edge of each marked tile with another marked tile, with a clear path between them. They can align over gaps, but not through walls.
* Blank tiles can be moved around but don't need to be lined up with anything.
* Brick walls block alignment and the character's pull power.
* Z to undo, R to reset, M to mute.
*Tools used*
* Graphics: Aseprite
* Game engine: zucchinibread.js, my browser game engine
* Level design: Tiled + ulvl
* Sound effects: PXTone and Audacity
* Music: Ableton Live
This one ended up being surprisingly challenging, I think, so be forewarned...
*How to play*
* Use the arrow keys to move around.
* Use the space bar to pull a tile towards you. Tiles can move over empty spaces but not gaps in the level.
* You can pull tiles from as far away as you want, even from the other side of a gap.
* Your goal is to line up the lines on the edge of each marked tile with another marked tile, with a clear path between them. They can align over gaps, but not through walls.
* Blank tiles can be moved around but don't need to be lined up with anything.
* Brick walls block alignment and the character's pull power.
* Z to undo, R to reset, M to mute.
*Tools used*
* Graphics: Aseprite
* Game engine: zucchinibread.js, my browser game engine
* Level design: Tiled + ulvl
* Sound effects: PXTone and Audacity
* Music: Ableton Live
Genres: puzzle
Comments40
Paroxysmal15 Apr 2024, 13:33
Very cute puzzle game with solid mechanics. I like that there isn't just one solution. Great job!
amarokczukay15 Apr 2024, 19:06
i don't know if it is because i almost didn't sleep the last weekend but this is one of your hardest puzzle games for my brain (which is not a bad thing, i love games that challenge me). i haven't been able to finish it yet, but i'm sure i'll be able to master it with a clearer mind!
graphics are simple and cool, i particularly like the particles (saw your post when you were working on it) and how the line brightens when tiles are linked.
controls were a bit awkward because i often wanted to only look in a direction and ended up walking toward it because i pressed the key for too long. apart from that i don't see any issue!
Great job a usual!
graphics are simple and cool, i particularly like the particles (saw your post when you were working on it) and how the line brightens when tiles are linked.
controls were a bit awkward because i often wanted to only look in a direction and ended up walking toward it because i pressed the key for too long. apart from that i don't see any issue!
Great job a usual!
cassowary15 Apr 2024, 19:09
@amarokczukay Yeah, I had a bit of trouble striking a balance between letting the player turn without moving and not making it too laggy when you want to turn and walk in one direction... I'm not totally sure I nailed it in the end, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of the game!
(edit: I'll probably fix the control issue after the rating period is up -- it's really just a matter of adjusting a constant in the code which I think I accidentally set a bit too low.)
(edit: I'll probably fix the control issue after the rating period is up -- it's really just a matter of adjusting a constant in the code which I think I accidentally set a bit too low.)
LDJam user 23654515 Apr 2024, 19:13
Everything about this game is just really nicely polished.
I really liked that the _distance_ to the pieces didn't matter, just the alignment did. It made it easy to get the general idea of how to solve a level immediately, but made it so you had to experiment a bit to figure out exactly where they go.
Level 6 was really deceptive - it _looks_ easy, but was actually a bit of a head-scratcher.
The pacing was good too. Awesome job!
I really liked that the _distance_ to the pieces didn't matter, just the alignment did. It made it easy to get the general idea of how to solve a level immediately, but made it so you had to experiment a bit to figure out exactly where they go.
Level 6 was really deceptive - it _looks_ easy, but was actually a bit of a head-scratcher.
The pacing was good too. Awesome job!
arzi15 Apr 2024, 19:26
This is a very solid puzzle game and you get a lot out of a simple core mechanic. The level design and pacing works well, too!
It's as you this is not your first puzzle game ;)
It's as you this is not your first puzzle game ;)
LDJam user 27814616 Apr 2024, 14:54
As always I love your cute characters, bright colours and minimal art style. I really liked the magic spell effect with the different symbols.
I liked getting used to thinking about a sliding block puzzle from a pull rather than push perspective. The puzzles were also deceptively difficult because I didn't initially know which block had to align with which.
It was interesting that some levels definitely had multiple solutions. I feel like I stumbled into a solution on the last level purely by luck :)
I liked getting used to thinking about a sliding block puzzle from a pull rather than push perspective. The puzzles were also deceptively difficult because I didn't initially know which block had to align with which.
It was interesting that some levels definitely had multiple solutions. I feel like I stumbled into a solution on the last level purely by luck :)
She Wrote16 Apr 2024, 18:22
Not only is really good, but is also a compo game, I am impressed. There is not much to complain, the game works really well, and the puzzles are fun. Well done!
omphh16 Apr 2024, 19:51
Very cute, puzzles work well! Will give it another try when my brain can puzzle better.
LeReveur16 Apr 2024, 20:36
Yes, this game is a little tricky, but I managed to finish it, and the most important is not that a game being challenging, but that it can be finished anyways in a reasonable time, giving a good feeling of satisfaction while reaching the end - and that's exactly what I've got here, so: thank you and well done!
galactical16 Apr 2024, 20:43
Very, very well made game here. I haven't completed all the levels yet, but I will definitely be coming back to do so. The "summon block" mechanic forces me to rethink what I know of Sokoban puzzles, what make a block "stuck" etc, and the goals being tied to the shapes of the block forces you to think much more deeply about the limitations of how blocks can be moved in order to find a working solution. Also, really cute art and GREAT music :) Awesome work!
Le Slo17 Apr 2024, 00:29
Very nice overall! Art and music/sound are the highs for me. The movement felt a bit slow specially the pulling block, I felt a bit frustrated in levels where there was a lot of gray cubes that I needed to pull precisely. The level design shined the most when the levels where about revealing some new configuration for the path, more than those with having to "clean" the space for the lasers. I'm very impressed by the amount of polish there is in general, very nice job.
T C17 Apr 2024, 03:46
Always a pleasure playing the games you submit! My tiniest critique is that if you press 'r' when it says press any key to continue, it restarts the level. Don't ask me why I pressed r I'm tired ok. hah, anyways! Look forward to your next game
Ismael Rodriguez17 Apr 2024, 04:48
One of my favorite takes on the theme so far. The controls can feel a little clunky, but other than that it's a joy to play. Audio and visuals are great. Great job!
Frocto19 Apr 2024, 04:01
Nice!
commanderstitch21 Apr 2024, 02:53
Solid entry. Very puzzly. got to 13 before my brain failed me and I didn't know what to do with those 4 gray blocks off to the left and only 1 open spot to put things at the top. nice work!!
look_for_happiness21 Apr 2024, 06:47
Great entry!!! The level design is great, and I was mainly stuck by level 13 for almost 1h. The music sounded nice, but I was a bit dizzy after a while, maybe it was due to the puzzle. Anyway, good job!!!
Dywanix21 Apr 2024, 12:01
Fun game! got little bit stuck few times but overall I enjoy it
LDJam user 24319322 Apr 2024, 09:07
Well made reverse sokoban game. Instead of pushing, we summon blocks even from a distance.
I'll resume my progress on this game when I had time.
I'll resume my progress on this game when I had time.
Dissonance Generator22 Apr 2024, 13:41
This is great! All the more impressive that you had the time to throw some pleasant music together while putting this game together all yourself over a single weekend!
ShoppnCart22 Apr 2024, 18:24
Neat puzzle game, reverse-push block puzzles isn't a concept I've seen done much before so it was a real brain teaser trying to figure it out in comparison to typical block pushers. A few of the later ones really made me struggle (level 13 especially!) but it was satisfying to finally figure them out. Good job including an undo feature as well! That was very helpful.
Jimbly23 Apr 2024, 02:45
Really nicely done, excellent puzzle design as always! I managed to make it through to the end =). For some reason the controls felt a little unresponsive, I realize it's because pressing for just a moment needs to turn, before moving, but quite a few times I found myself moving when I wanted to turn, or just turning when I thought I should move. Not sure if much can be done there - increasing the delay a bit between turning and moving would help, but maybe not great. I wonder if pressing and holding could just _never_ turn and then move? Tap once to turn, then hold to move? That'd probably be annoying too ^_^. Anyway, besides that, this was great!
ultrarat26 Apr 2024, 08:41
Well done, feels different but still knowable. The levels pacing feels right for concept introductions.
Furtive Pygmy28 Apr 2024, 01:36
loved this game!
Everything done so well, great puzzle design and just generally fun to play!
Everything done so well, great puzzle design and just generally fun to play!
macaroni.dev28 Apr 2024, 04:02
Super cute graphics. Nice sound effects and music. And the puzzle mechanics are great! I'd love a full version.
alpacalypse28 Apr 2024, 08:26
It's very rare for a ludum dare puzzle game to be as well-tuned as this. Every part of this is excellent. My only reservation is it'd have been nice to have fullscreen, but I can guess that's tricky given you're using a custom game engine(!).
LDJam user 9941828 Apr 2024, 09:19
Whooo boy aren't you a sneaky little game dev... With your deceptively simple puzzles that have me thinking I almost got it.. IF ONLY I COULD *JUST* MOVE THAT LITTLE CUBE!!!
Tyrannas28 Apr 2024, 09:58
Wow. Every single game you make is great, everytime, and just during a Compo not even the jam, and alone ! As always, I'm amazed, graphics are super cute, the accoustic music (is it accoustic btw or with a great VST ?) is super relaxing and is a nice change from all the other games. And the puzzles are great, with a nice difficulty scaling. Maybe my only critics would be that 1) in my opinion it does not fit the theme super well 2) while cute, the little animations when walking the characters are too slow imo, it's a bit frustrating while wanting to just move fast to try combinations in the puzzles.
Anyway, it's a great game, well played !
Anyway, it's a great game, well played !
Ace1728 Apr 2024, 14:31
Hi,
I got this message when loading into Firefox (115.8.0esr (64-bit))
```
Uncaught TypeError: map is undefined
draw_map https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:1028
do_draw https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:935
_draw https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:569
_start_transition https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:725
start_transition https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:307
reset https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:665
handle_keyup https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:1103
onkeyup https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:363
game.js:1028:24
```
(I don't get an error with Hazel and Hector ( https://cassowary.itch.io/hazel-and-hector ), which I think uses the same engine (probably an earlier version, though!))
I got this message when loading into Firefox (115.8.0esr (64-bit))
```
Uncaught TypeError: map is undefined
draw_map https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:1028
do_draw https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:935
_draw https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:569
_start_transition https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:725
start_transition https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:307
reset https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:665
handle_keyup https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/game.js:1103
onkeyup https://html-classic.itch.zone/html/10181599/packaging/zucchinibread.js:363
game.js:1028:24
```
(I don't get an error with Hazel and Hector ( https://cassowary.itch.io/hazel-and-hector ), which I think uses the same engine (probably an earlier version, though!))
kawa-yoiko28 Apr 2024, 15:21
Brilliant, elegant, hard puzzles, with a pleasing presentation. Level 2 already requires some mind-wrapping — it's awesome how much can be taught in such a short sequence of puzzles; the design is very compact. Graphics and audio are simple but quite polished, especially with all the little animations and sound effects. Also resonates with the theme well. (I'm also amused by the pun.)
One thing I'd hope for is faster movement (at least for quick successive moves), as sometimes the solution sequence is long and I'm retrying multiple times from scratch. There is an apparently random bug where a key (movement/summon) gets stuck for a while (maybe with accidental triggering of context menus), and the levels' order might need a bit tuning (some later puzzles can turn out more straightforward once things start moving), but those are none of a problem. I can never get enough of such kind of puzzles. Kudos!
Edit: mentions puzzle ordering
One thing I'd hope for is faster movement (at least for quick successive moves), as sometimes the solution sequence is long and I'm retrying multiple times from scratch. There is an apparently random bug where a key (movement/summon) gets stuck for a while (maybe with accidental triggering of context menus), and the levels' order might need a bit tuning (some later puzzles can turn out more straightforward once things start moving), but those are none of a problem. I can never get enough of such kind of puzzles. Kudos!
Edit: mentions puzzle ordering
Ace1728 Apr 2024, 15:27
Indeed, I might have, which is rather strange, tbh ... however, I got the game to load, and it's worth it :)
Thanks for the help, and thanks for the game, which is great! I'm still struggling to get to the end!
Thanks for the help, and thanks for the game, which is great! I'm still struggling to get to the end!
KrummSakura28 Apr 2024, 17:03
The lizard wizard and its spellcasting animation are adorable. Despite the simple and easy to learn rules, it’s quite deep and well crafted in comparison with many other puzzle games. Great job!
CodeRaurus29 Apr 2024, 07:49
Very solid entry. It's fun and challenging. The audio visuals give a pleasant cozy vibe.
Control wise I'd increase the buffer time for tapping slightly.
After giving my brain a good scratch, I got to level 7.
I'd also like to remind you that we are in fact in year 2024, not 2023 :P
Control wise I'd increase the buffer time for tapping slightly.
After giving my brain a good scratch, I got to level 7.
I'd also like to remind you that we are in fact in year 2024, not 2023 :P
LDJam user 37402829 Apr 2024, 13:03
Great game, I managed to beat it. The puzzles were very fun. The graphics are solid and the music is perfect. Nice to see a DAW like Ableton user. Good job!
johnnysix30 Apr 2024, 23:10
Love the concept, and very well executed for a compo game, the music really added an extra pizazz :musical_note:
Sadly I'm not caffeinated enough to figure out the final puzzles , but just to say, amazing job for such a polished and rounded entry.
Sadly I'm not caffeinated enough to figure out the final puzzles , but just to say, amazing job for such a polished and rounded entry.
Roroto Sic1 May 2024, 20:08
very fun puzzle game ! the soft music is a good accompaniment to reflection ! ;) lovely aligator !! 15 levels very well made !
Jeremy Ryan3 May 2024, 06:12
Nice work as always!
There have been so many Sokaban-style games at this point that it's surprising that this one feels so unique even though there are only really two changes to the core game:
- You suck instead of push
- The blocks need to be arranged in a certain way
It turns out those two things make a big difference! Along with good level design, they led for a number of "aha" moments and head-scratcher situations where a deceptively simple problem required several steps to execute on. A slightly awkward byproduct is that you could never bring the blocks quite to the edge, since you're in the way, but you play this to its strengths by designing levels where you have to avoid boxing yourself in or where you're separated from the blocks by a big chasm anyway. But there are some moments where this feels a little weird because the level looks very open but plays like it's cramped --- and you have to mentally subtract the one-block border to find navigable paths.
Graphics and audio are charming, I like the lizard wizard as a protagonist! Here's a doodle:
There have been so many Sokaban-style games at this point that it's surprising that this one feels so unique even though there are only really two changes to the core game:
- You suck instead of push
- The blocks need to be arranged in a certain way
It turns out those two things make a big difference! Along with good level design, they led for a number of "aha" moments and head-scratcher situations where a deceptively simple problem required several steps to execute on. A slightly awkward byproduct is that you could never bring the blocks quite to the edge, since you're in the way, but you play this to its strengths by designing levels where you have to avoid boxing yourself in or where you're separated from the blocks by a big chasm anyway. But there are some moments where this feels a little weird because the level looks very open but plays like it's cramped --- and you have to mentally subtract the one-block border to find navigable paths.
Graphics and audio are charming, I like the lizard wizard as a protagonist! Here's a doodle:
cassowary3 May 2024, 06:33
@jeremy-ryan thank you so much! it's so cute! :)
altaf-creator3 May 2024, 11:30
Wow. I haven't finished it, but I already loved this game!
Firstly, the gameplay is nice, even though I was a little bit confused in the first level. I didn't realise that you need to pull blocks. But when I got the hang of it, I really like that mechanic!
The game is fun and pleasantly difficult. I'm no puzzle expert, in fact I rarely play puzzle games, but I really like this one!
Also, the graphics and sound is pretty great in my opinion! I like the lizard, very cute! And I must tell you about the music. I really like it. It feels calming, warm, and welcoming, which is my jam.
The only issue that I had I think is that you need to press a button very briefly to just turn, but it was just a very minor annoyance.
Oh, and I like the way how you nicely integrate the current level number with the actual level. Very nice attention to detail.
Overall, this was a very well made submission, loved it. Will play again! _(brain, please remember to play this game again)_
Firstly, the gameplay is nice, even though I was a little bit confused in the first level. I didn't realise that you need to pull blocks. But when I got the hang of it, I really like that mechanic!
The game is fun and pleasantly difficult. I'm no puzzle expert, in fact I rarely play puzzle games, but I really like this one!
Also, the graphics and sound is pretty great in my opinion! I like the lizard, very cute! And I must tell you about the music. I really like it. It feels calming, warm, and welcoming, which is my jam.
The only issue that I had I think is that you need to press a button very briefly to just turn, but it was just a very minor annoyance.
Oh, and I like the way how you nicely integrate the current level number with the actual level. Very nice attention to detail.
Overall, this was a very well made submission, loved it. Will play again! _(brain, please remember to play this game again)_
The controls felt a bit awkward at first (probably because of how you can turn in place), but I'm not sure if they can be improved.
I played up to level 9, will continue later. Some of the puzzles seemed impossible at first, but were solvable with just a bit of persistence, which I think is ideal.