Searching for Signal

Welcome to Searching for Signal!

This is an atmospheric platforming journey through a city where the robots still talk, the streets are run-down but not run out, and your ancient phone is somehow the least outdated thing in your pocket. In a world of rust, dust, and busted trust, your little brick of a handset is still the one thing with real calling power.

You have one simple goal: get to the highest point of the highest tower and find a signal strong enough for your battered old Aikon 3310 to send a message.

Simple, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong. Absolutely out of coverage area wrong.

The route upward is sealed tighter than a factory-fresh battery compartment, the area is packed with hazards, and the only way forward is to explore its forgotten corners in search of the three keycards needed to unlock the final ascent. You’ll need to make the right connections, avoid getting disconnected from reality, and keep your momentum charged even when everything else is running on low power mode.

Along the way you’ll meet strange machines, take on odd little tasks, dodge hostile dangers, and slowly climb higher through a place that feels old, lonely, and just a little bit alive. Some robots will help you out, some will give you static, and some seem like they’ve got a few loose screws loose on purpose. It’s a city of bad reception, worse conditions, and surprisingly good character.

The higher you go, the more the city seems to ask a question:

What message could possibly be worth all this trouble?

About the Game

Searching for Signal is an atmospheric platformer built around movement, exploration, and a small but meaningful goal. It’s about climbing, searching, surviving, and refusing to hang up when the world keeps dropping the call.

After a short tutorial-style level to help you get your bearings... and maybe your bars... you begin your main quest in a central hub and must travel into three different areas of the city to recover the keycards needed to unlock the final route upward. Each path comes with its own hazards, small objectives, and unusual characters, from chatty robots in need of assistance to less friendly obstacles that would very much prefer you stopped climbing and took the hint.

But you? You’re not here to lose signal. You’re here to boost it.

We wanted the game to feel atmospheric, a little funny, and strangely human beneath the wires and concrete. It’s a short adventure about persistence, curiosity, and carrying something old through a place even older. A game about weak reception, strong resolve, and proving that even in a broken city, one determined little phone can still make a connection.

Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t getting the message.

It’s finding a world willing to receive it.

Controls

* W/Up Arrow/Space - Jump
* S/Down Arrow - Crouch
* Left Mouse/Control - Shoot

Keep inventory between deaths is ON.

Words from the Dev Team

Pixel Prophecy (Phil Strahl) - Graphics and Lighting

Bizzybee - SFX, Music and Cat Herder

Whew... I'll write more here later, but I am DRAINED!

I'm super proud of the smoothly transitioning music loops and battle percussion loop that I got working through FMOD. Hearing my "pews" and "ow" in the game (made my with my own mouth and some editing) ridiculously delights me. The game looks amazing, and as always, has the done-in-72-hours charm. That being said, even with small issues here and there, I am super proud of what we made together.

Fgeva - Programmer and Overall Genius at Systems Implementation

Balimaar - Programmer and Overall Genius at Bug Creation

This was simultaneously the most exciting and most daunting Ludum Dare I have ever experienced. The addition of Phil to our team had me motivated to work harder. The first drafts of his subtle skills with lighting made me appreciate just how cool an ordinary set of sprites can look under the right lighting.
As has become tradition somewhat for me in Ludum Dare, mid-to-late second day was the most stressful experience I had during the 72 hours. I made a bit of a mess in code and then built things on the mess and the end result was a confusing mess that took a while to unwrap and tidy up and even then it caused confusion. I honestly began to feel guilty as it felt like I was making no progress and I could feel the time falling like sand between my fingers.
Thankfully the mess was evidently not as bad as my brain made it out to be as the team worked out the kinks in what I had done fairly swiftly.
In the end, we have a game at the end of the 72 hours that I am proud of and I am delighted to have worked with this team. Full praise to Phil for his graphics skills, Bizzybee for her genius in music and bringing the FMOD system to the game and fgeva for his genius at connecting things to make things "just work!"