Through the Brush

Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.63
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.31
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★4.19
Theme★★★★★★★★★★3.92
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.89
Humor★★★★★★★★★★2.70
Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.64
*Press through the depths of a dense forest and ancient ruins to find a way through the gate.*

Through the Brush is a platformer where you must master moving between 3D layers. Collect two trophies to win.

You play as Minn, a wily fox who came upon an impossibly high wall that blocked his path. To go deeper into the woods, he needs to find the key to the gate.

As he mused over his situation, he spied a beautiful bunch of golden grapes hanging from the branches of a tree. They seemed ready to burst with juice, and his mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them. He suspected getting up there wouldn't be all too hard.

Controls:

WASD to move (Arrow keys alternate)

C to zoom out

Space to jump

Ctrl for slow movement

K to checkpoint respawn

Layer grid to tell what depth you are at (pops up if you stand still for a moment)

Thank you so much for playing!

LD57 Banner.png

Known Bugs:

> Respawning on a checkpoint sets you to the layer you first approached the checkpoint at.

*Music Attributions:*

> Willow and the Light - Kevin MacLeod

> Ether Vox - Kevin MacLeod

*SFX Attributions:*

> winter-sticks-swish.aiff by alienistcog -- https://freesound.org/s/143296/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

> swoop2g.flac by Streety -- https://freesound.org/s/30241/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

> Swing Stick.WAV by crawfordjohnb@ bellsouth.net -- https://freesound.org/s/403000/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

> 03200 fastener bolt.wav by Robinhood76 -- https://freesound.org/s/135040/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

> Rug Doll Footsteps by IENBA -- https://freesound.org/s/757485/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

> Game Pickup by IENBA -- https://freesound.org/s/698768/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

> DeathGameOverV2.wav by wobesound -- https://freesound.org/s/488375/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

> checkpoint.wav by Vicces1212 -- https://freesound.org/s/123751/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
Genres: platformer
Tools: Unity

Comments26

robobarbie
robobarbie7 Apr 2025, 22:34
hey!! would love to play but that link seems dead :sob:
TheDugnutt
TheDugnutt7 Apr 2025, 22:39
Ooop we will get this fixed soon!
We just published it and then all went for food, but I think the permissions on the page with the game havent been updated so most people dont have access.

Thanks for taking in interest in the game! Hopefully it will be fixed in an hour or two :)
robobarbie
robobarbie7 Apr 2025, 22:55
@thedugnutt omg thank u for the ping!! started playing and really love how creative this is with the 3d movement!! really makes for some fun platforming puzzles
finntastico
finntastico8 Apr 2025, 01:50
Love the art style! Also really cool idea to switch between different depths of parallax background. Took me a bit to get the hang off though haha
Constance
Constance8 Apr 2025, 16:15
First off, this is a really cool entry you guys got there, so congrats!

After playing it, I would say the character controls are a bit sudden and snappy, it took me a moment to get used to how it behaves. But I really liked the paper-like flipping when he changes directions, it suits the art style well. Also he will stuck into trees or obstacles if I make him jump into them, but this might be a minor collider issue so it wouldn't affect much.

About the layer switching mechanic, I think this is the first time I've seen a game using this to blend between 2D and 3D looks, so the innovation and creative is off-the-chart for me!

Lastly, the zoom out feature was nice but it made the framerate drop substantially, even with a decently fast internet connection like myself still suffered the stuttering during transitions. So I think on lower-end devices or users with slow internet connection, it would cause freezing or even crashing.

But overall, this is a solid entry from your team and I appreciate the effort as well as time y'all poured into this, well done!
Edvard
Edvard8 Apr 2025, 16:16
Very cool game, incredibly nice palette, super idea, implemented perfectly
nsadie
nsadie8 Apr 2025, 20:01
Very interesting concept! The actual jumping controls are a bit floaty and it takes a bit of getting used to switching colours quickly, but well done!
Tymus
Tymus8 Apr 2025, 20:29
the platforming control got a bit in the way of some of the puzzles, felt like I had to fight the controls rather than the game, otherwise neat idea and pretty nice execution
Mathieu Chougui
Mathieu Chougui8 Apr 2025, 21:38
Very nice concept! The platforming feel is a bit wonky, but the puzzles are very cool :) Thanks a lot, good work!
Nacchan8 Apr 2025, 21:44
The layer toggling mechanism is very visually pleasing! I like the color palette too
TimeLost8 Apr 2025, 23:50
The visuals are amazing, the gameplay is fun and is a interesting take on the theme, the audio is amazing. The layer toggle mechanic is amazing. I ran into a small issue with the UI showing the current layer shows the selected layer when you died and not the current layer after respawning it corrects it self when you change layers so not major problem. Overall this game is extremely good and the puzzles are fun.
Amedea9 Apr 2025, 16:07
Hi! I really loved the concept and the application of the theme!! I've tried the game but I found it a little bit difficult, because I haven't understood how to see where to move the fox through the wood "levels" (where to jump if I am in a back wood level and I can't see any surface). Loved also the graphics
TheDugnutt
TheDugnutt9 Apr 2025, 16:31
@amedea yeah totally valid! I agree where I think there is a good section of the map that is a little too difficult.

You can press the "C" key to view the whole map, but I agree there definitely shouldnt have been those leap of faith moments, especially early on in the map (I was the one who map the map layout so that was my bad lol)

Glad you enjoyed the game though! :D
Amedea9 Apr 2025, 17:10
@thedugnutt maybe you could think a way to show the current level, pheraphs with a button that “reveal” the way for a moment :)
jtap
jtap9 Apr 2025, 19:41
Very interesting concept of layers, I liked your unique idea. Beautiful stylish graphics.
The character sometimes gets stuck at a height after jumping.
Thanks for that game!
clymm
clymm9 Apr 2025, 22:45
Awesome artwork and animations! The fake 3D / layers effect was really unique I don't think i've seen that done before - really cool! It was a little challenging when making jumps to know which depth some of the platforms were at but overall was a fun experience!
alec
alec10 Apr 2025, 02:27
Such a unique mechanic switching layers like that. It took me a minute to get the hang of the controls, but seriously impressive work. The ability to see the whole map is a super helpful feature.
CharlieTU
CharlieTU10 Apr 2025, 08:45
Very great mood you got going in there! The layer mechanic is nice and fit well with the theme, although I feel like the character controller could use a bit of polish.
Great stuff overall ;)
Euler Moises
Euler Moises10 Apr 2025, 22:43
I've ALWAYS wanted to make a game like this!

The idea is excellent. This well-polished game will earn you something. With more elaborate art and a gameplay fix (the jump has some problems) it will be a huge success.

It's saved on my "Best LD57" list so I can finish it later.

Congratulations!
gquibao
gquibao11 Apr 2025, 02:34
My brain just melted playing this. I kept messing the layer every single time haha Great game. Really well done. The movement feels good, the art is pretty, the level design is very interesting. Loved your game, one of the best I've seen this time.
ScoobySnacks
ScoobySnacks11 Apr 2025, 10:29
very cool idea, also looks very good. I think it would be easier to see where you going if the camera was more a the top looking down.
sbeif11 Apr 2025, 16:26
Extremely interesting take on the theme and the character animation were really beautiful, although the flip even though it makes sense sometimes flickered too much. There is maybe a bit too much contrast between the details in the character and the simple style of the environment, and the character movementis a bit cluncky at times, but with a bit more polish this could become a gem. Nice work!
Thomas Higgins12 Apr 2025, 00:54
Very Trippy but such a cool take on the theme as well as such a cool use of the flip book idea - the first time I went into a tree house then fell into the caves by changing layers blew my mind - awesome job!
paulhocker
paulhocker12 Apr 2025, 23:48
this game was just awesome -- the use of the theme was brilliant -- reminds me of the game that @adamcyounis created -- brilliant game that is going on my play again list
Egor Iv
Egor Iv16 Apr 2025, 10:29
interesting disclosure of the topic

Other games by @jdeedubs

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