Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD23 → Microscopia
By azurenimbus
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innovation | 16 | 4.26 | ||
| Theme | 23 | 4.11 | ||
| Coolness | 1 | 100 | ||
| Overall | 61 | 3.77 | ||
| Fun | 119 | 3.43 | ||
| Mood | 125 | 3.30 | ||
| Audio | 172 | 3.13 | ||
| Humor | 460 | 2.17 | ||
| Graphics | 521 | 2.74 |
Pretty sure Garage Band samples aren't allowed within the rules... Rating 1 for the Audio and Mood (mostly set by the music).
A cool game about finding yourself, though I eventually got to one of the levels where you control dozens of microbes and then its just more or less impossible to do except by luck.
The game was sure innovative, but I soon got headaches at the difficulty of this game. I've never seen anything like before though. Sad to hear what the previous commentator has to say...
That is so RIDICULOUSLY clever! Genius.
I liked the concept, however, the task became tedious and hard rather quickly.
That was brilliant! :D
AAAH! I feel so... insignificant!
Wasn't sure if it was ever going to end. Fun concept.
It got really easy when I realized I could filter out the weird ones by holding one key for a while.
Interesting concept, I've never seen anything like it. However it got a very repetitive and difficult. Maybe could have made it a bit more colourful?
Really neat concept. There's a microgame in Warioware similar to this, where with a bunch of worms, where you try to identify which one is controlled by you. You took that concept, though, and explored it in a ton of awesome directions. The minimalist graphics were perfect, and got quite hypnotic in the later levels. Awesome game!
I think it is a really cool simple game. The concept was awesome, it was moderately difficult (not so hard though), it fits well the theme and i kinda like the music :). Good game!
Very well done. I could definitely see this being a game for mobile devices, people playing one level at a time as they wait for their train.
"Fonts, drum loops, drum samples, and sampled instruments are allowed IF you have the legal right to use them." -- from the Rules.
Here's Apple's legal stance on the loops in Garage Band:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2931
I'm going to take that as yes, you have the legal right to use Garage Band samples, and vote accordingly.
I finished the game. That says a lot. I give full marks for most of the execution. I really enjoyed the level of difficulty (I may have shouted an obscenity when you reversed the controls).
Great job, all around.
Very neat game. Awesome concept, really creative. The ending was kinda disappointing though...
Wow! That got surprisingly difficult!
Wow! Everyone, thank you so much for commenting and giving me feedback. I will definitely take everything you said in consideration when I go back and work on this game to make it better.
I am very glad I chose to take part in this awesome compo. Totally worth it!
Really good idea. Hope to see it improved. Is like fresh air.
I don't know what level I reached (10-15?) but I sure enjoyed playing that far :)
i love minimalism, but just a *little* more context would have been nice. i didn't have any clue what to do for a good few seconds. having the controls on this ludum dare page would've been nice.
all that said, i LOVE the concept and minimalism of it. it would've been nice to be able to reset a level, because i'm not sure i didn't drive my organism out of the view and i didn't want to completely start over.
That was original. The music was good.
Neat idea; reminds me of the feeling you get when you've lost your mouse cursor on the screen.
I like the music transitions quite a bit.
Brilliant concept. So simple and engaging.
This is sweet! I love how it got really difficult when the others moved with the keyboard too. Great job.
Innovation it´s his definition. The game is very good. Quite difficulty, but i enjoy it! :)
Finished. Awesome entry - I actually LIKE that there's no straight explanation what player has to do (it's simple enough, really). Music is a bit repetitive, but fine, graphics are simple, but consistent with gameplay. Very good take on the theme.
Very addictive - I love the idea, and the realization of the theme!
Good stuff! Incredibly easy to lose track, in a good way. Good job!
good stuff man.. love the concept :)
Saw a writeup of this on indiegames.com and came right by. This is a fantastic game!
The graphics are very simple but fit well with the gameplay. The audio is very pleasant and add a lot to the mood. Gets very hard at some point, but it has the right amount of levels Great game! =)
I like the concept and the hardness of the game! Congratz!!
Hats off to you sir!
This is just what this compo is about, innovative, simple games. Well done!
Got to the level where everybody moves when you do and they all go off in different directions. my eyes hurt now :D
Nice job! Quite the challenge too..
Amazingly fun, I love the name and the music. Great job!
Awesome.
It's a brilliant idea! But I think you should have put more work on the difficulty curve. Becomes impossible too soon. Good work!
*high five*
Really clever - a pure original concept implemented well.
Are you familiar with Hidden in Plain Sight?
Also, what are you supposed to do with the guys who only move when you do? I got completely lost once that got hard. Probably wasn't paying enough attention, though...
Amazing game! My jaw almost dropped when I saw others started to move as I also moved.
Very clever !
Hey, I used Stencyl too. Neat little game, it got really hard though. But I like the concept.
Awesome.
I actually finished it! =D You have a difficult but original game here.
Wow, what a unique creation! (I must say, my fingers did hurt a bit at the end...) I played it to completion and I really enjoyed it, very clever idea! I liked the level progression as well, though the last one was really tough!
My tactic was to move up and down or side to side until I'd spot the piece that exhibited that behaviour. ^_^
I like how it progressively got harder as you went along. That is an example of great level design! I give it two thumbs up, you creative fellow!
Enjoyed this, lovely presentation, nice difficulty curve, stays just the right side of annoying ;) A thorough exploration of the idea so good stuff
No need to better graphics for this kind of simple but clever game: well done ;)
Its fun like driving drunk.
Very innovative!
Very clever idea. It matches the theme 100%.
First time making a game ? Really ? This is one of the most clever game I've played in this Ludum Game. THIS is innovative ans THIS is a wonderful take on the theme.
Epic innovation.
I love this game! I beat it and it was a lot of fun. Very innovative and creative mechanic. It's such a cool idea that getting to the middle is a very simple concept, yet the distractions make it so much more complex. Just when I thought I'd figured out a technique for beating a certain type of level, you'd mix it up with a new mechanic such as moving in the opposite direction. I really loved how you introduced the concepts as well, by having the player alone and letting them figure out what was new by themselves.
Congratulations on your first game, which is awesome :) It was fantastic!
Excellent game ! Really !
Interesting concept. Not as much depth to it, displayed in the game, as there could be, though.
Hey, this is nice. The minimal graphics fit the microscope theme really well. You've distilled the essence of big Bomberman games where you can't figure out which character you're controlling, so you try to find the one that's responding to your input. =)
I got as far as the level where the four corners split into pieces and every sprite is controlled by the player. I ran a bunch of them through the center, but apparently there was still a "special" one that I had no hope of finding.
Great job. With quite simple elements you've made an enjoyable game. Congrats!
What a great idea for a game mechanic. Really enjoyed this, and one of the most original takes on the theme I've seen so far. Good stuff!
It was pretty easy at first but after a while...
Good job! I enjoyed it, with a timmer it will be even funniest. Nice music helps a lot to the Mood
I see what you did there... Really clever!
Aw man that's brutal. Especially howthey start and stop randomly sometimes so you think you got it but you didn't.
Fun and innovative. Congratulations, It's an amazingly simple but seriously fun game.
Sometimes I was so happy when I found myself :) Really great job !
"Awesome," indeed! I loved the mechanic a lot. Not only that, but the later levels created some pretty neat looking patterns. Well played, sir!
Like everyone already said, really clever! :) Cool idea, well done... It got as far as the 3rd or 4th level after the one where everyone starts moving only when you do. Quite hard but you still you can manage to develop a strategy to find yourself. I like it :)
that was an amazing idea! I found a truck however: most levels can be solved by going in one direction for a while, until the field is empty, after that go in the opposite direction, and the first one to leave appropriate wall will be you.
ps: sorry for being rude to the creator of that particular I Refuse game, but I really didn't see a point in it. Thats not an excuse, tho, so yea sorry, you're right. (This didn't affect my rating either.)
"Awesome." :)
Clever and fun idea.
Haha, nice idea. But the lag drags the fun out of it. :-(
Very nice!
A few suggestions: add a color the each level or level group, and create more levels with rotating controls, wrapping the position around the edges and so on.. :)
Oh, wow! I wasn't expecting this kind of game! Really clever and innovative. I had a lot of fun playing it. Thanks!
This was really cool, but I got lost around level 5 :(
Beautifully simple! The way it progresses is perfect. And to top it off, you didn't cheapen the experience with any kind of UI cruft at all.
Tiny itty bitty complaint: a level-restart button/key might be helpful for those with crippling doubt -- pretty sure I went out of view at one point -- of course, I can't be sure. :p
I love this mechanic and think it could be explored even further. Bravo!
Drove me completely crazy, hahaha! It's really innovative AND fun. Love the mood too.
Yay!
Loved it! Such a simple concept and yet it's so devious. This game made me smile, it's so refreshing!
Fiendishly clever, and a great take on the theme!
"Awesome."
Too bad so many people already made this very same comment =(
Lovely! I'm wowed at how well this concept works, and I appreciate the intuitive controls and objectives, without having to explain anything beyond the first screen.
Very innovative! Started off thinking it was super easy, then it sunk in! Super simplistic, and nicely done because of that.
Lovely little game. But after a few levels a bit to hard for me. Would love to play this while waiting on my bus.
Finally found you. Is your twitter suspended?! Anyway, I've rated you high on most, but I must say I didn't find your game much fun. You succeeded in what you intend to do; perhaps a little too much ;)
Everyone, thank you so much for all your feedback. I am definitely taking every single one of your comments into consideration, as I improve the game for a post-compo final version.
One of the things I'm definitely doing is increasing the difficulty curve, as it got frustrating for many people too soon. That was because of the time, I couldn't get it to be as I wanted in 48h.
I will also be playing and rating all of your games, of course. I still do not have access to a Windows machine, but will do so definitely before the end of the voting!
And like gemberkoekje said, I got my Twitter account suspended :( I started following a lot of Ludum Dare-related people blindly, and Twitter's automated process thought I was a bot or something. I'm working to get that sorted out. I might lose all my following/followers, so please add me when I do get it back @azurenimbus
Thanks again!
Wow! Great idea and excellent level design! Congrats!
Gostei de ver brazuca mandando bem! ;)
cool game and concept. :D It's cool, although I can't think of anything that could really be added to the game.
I loved the concept, quite frustrating but you know there is an answer.
Simple, clever, maddening (in a good way). For an LD entry, this is great! Difficulty got frustrating but it didn't really bother me; maybe I'm a masochist like that. Interesting to come up with "strategies" in some of the later stages.
Extra credit for creating an optical illusion by making me focus at the gray dot in the center for a long time, lol.
So many tiny little things moving in different directions...inverted controls were where I gave up too.
Brilliant concept, good to see another Stencyl user.
When controls got inverted that's when I gave up, the game becomes very hard quickly and it simply isn't very fun trying to pinpoint yourself from hundreds of identical critters. Nice work though, you sure nailed the theme.
Wow, it's amazing how such a simple idea can make such a challenging game if it's mad as good as this one. Impressive that this is your first game ever.
Only negative is that playing this game after some beer is really annoying at the higher levels ;).
Cool concept. Does a very good job of establishing mood from something very simple. Felt like "Where's Waldo?" at times, but in a good way.
It's a clever cognitive test, but damn the difficulty ramps up like crazy. :D
Well done! Simple but effective. The music was very atmospheric. You did a good job of introducing each change to the game mechanic too. Great use of the theme too!
BTW, congratulations on getting your game featured by Edge magazine!
Truly an innovative game. However, the later levels in which I control all the microbes are impossible for me to figure out. The music provided an excellent atmosphere.
Very smart idea!
Simple but clever. I like it
Simple but so clever concept.
For those who get stuck near end levels (a key stroke move everyone), the easiest way to win is to keep on key pressed to clear the scene, and then just see which one seems to obey.
I love the concept. I would have liked to know whether or not the character was outside the viewing area, and a reset button would have been nice for that as well.
Great job for a first time! I really liked the way it unfolded as you went along. A really great learning curve, especially as the dish resets when something new is coming (like the dopplegangers).
Great stuff, I thought this game was really good! once you get the hang of it is becomes very addictive :)
This game is REALLY good. One of my favorites so far, simple and elegant. Excellent choice for the theme, great job!.
Wow, amazing job. Great idea for a game, very fitting of the theme. It became much, much, much more challenging than I expected it to be at first glance.
Clever idea minimally implemented. Nice one!
pretty unique game!
really nice,great job :)
You know, it hurts my vision because it's so fun so I played for long time! :D
Very clever, got very painful after a while.
A simple idea, but lovingly produced. Exactly the sort of thing I love to see, awesome music too.
That was great... Very Puji-like at first, but it gets crazy.
Nice original idea, got a bit hard for me though :-)
Great game, good music. I loved having to figure out strategies to beat each new version.
Great game, good music. I loved having to figure out strategies to beat each new version.
Nice concept. Awesome theme song!
Very interesting game as well as challenging!And very amazing if it was your first game! Good job! :)
It clever and pretty fun, however it gets old rather fast. Still, congrats on making your first game, nice effort!
Quite unique. Haven't played anything like it before. Good job, and congrats on your first game and LD entry!
it gets REALLY hard once you get to the inverted controls...i found the easiest way to find yourself when everything moves only when you do is to simply go up/down/up/down etc... repeatedly and look for the only one only making vertical motions.
I was staring at this so intently that I had dots in my vision for a while afterwords. wonderfully simple.
Powerful game, powerful message. Unfortunately, I didn't have the patience to follow through to the end, especially after the reversal mode came in. Music fits great, a little repetitive though. Love the simplicity and feel of it. AWESOME first game!!! Can't wait to see what else you come up with. Good work!!
Very cool idea! Never seen anything like it before!
aHHHHHHHHH, can't find my little dot.
I really enjoyed the pacing of this game. I spent just enough time thinking "is this it?" for the revelation of complexity to be meaningful. I think the absence of instructions is really important for this game; a lot of the enjoyment is in discovering how small you really are. Loved the movement of the other organisms, also. I would like to see a "reload" button; sometimes I wasn't sure if I was in the viewport any longer, and I wasn't sure if it looped.
Fun game that becomes, purposefully, increasingly annoying until you just can't stand it. But apparently I hate myself because I liked it.
Top notch graphics, actually - sometimes perfection is when there is nothing left to take away!
Top marks for innovation, fun and theme! Lovely lovely game
Amazing! This game is something special. With minimalist graphic and great idea you created unique game experience.
Great concept, the only thing missing is a progress counter.
First, thanks for your thoughtful comment on my game, much appreciated!
This game was really interesting and very unique. I can't say I've played anything quite like it - it's almost like an interactive Where's Waldo. I enjoyed the feeling of the game and the music set a very nice mood, but eventually I got to a level where I just could not discern which speck was me and had to give up. It might be nice if there was some kind of hint system, sort of like a marco polo/hotter/colder thing - not quite sure how it would work. Anyway, still a very creative and enjoyable experience.
Awesome.
Super cool puzzle game. I loved the very unique idea, the execution, and trying to solve the puzzle was quite interesting.
Two suggestions:
1- There should be a "reset level" button.
2- There is a bug, that if you go all the way to the goal while the screen is still fading in, you will get stuck: Try it on the first level!
Cheers, and thanks for the great game.
Interesting, fun, and innovative. Nicely done!
I really like that the game ends with "Awesome." :P.
The central mechanic is cool and unique and the visuals and audio work really well with it, but I agree with other users that it can feel like a chore at times. I really like the music; hopefully garageband samples are allowed.
Good stuff!
It was a new and creative game. It started off simple but quickly grew to be a difficult game. Some of the stages could easily be solved by erratically moving your germ around, but it grew hard really fast and was pretty enjoyable.
I really liked the simplicity of this one, nice concept. I like how the game adapts each frame almost to combat different techniques I was coming up with which kept it interesting. I made it all the way through! Thanks for making this game for us to play!
great idea, i love it, you should make a mobile version for it!
brilliant. a great example of simplifying until you have something fun, then building on it. Love the way it gets really complex then seems to reset to a basic level again, to assert a new rule.
I'd hate to see this 'enhanced' with more fancy graphics, title screens etc. I like the purity and instand action. Reactive music would be good, or sounds.
really innovative game! i like the minimalist design and black and white graphics suit the concept. Only thing that I can complain about is the round frame.. you can't see your guy when you're out of the frame, and you have to press random keys witch can get a bit annoying.. maybe you could make it wrap around to the opposite side or something. Anyways I really enjoyed the game! good work :D
Fun. Inspiring. This is your first game? Amazing work.
This is a pretty cool game ^^ especially the concept is intriguing. It does, however, not seem very scalable in terms of gameplay. It gets difficult rather fast :P
Good concept but you can get a headache! xD
Very unique and awesome
Love the simple, crisp graphics and petri-dish bacteria duplication vibe. Would be interesting to see some alternative shapes, perhaps muted colours for different types of lifeform? A good take on the theme, and well executed, thanks!
This is unique! I like it!
Good little game, weirdly I didn't find it too difficult as I just kept tapping movement which made finding myself easier. For expansion maybe some of the AI could do that?
Nicely presented, simple but tasteful. I enjoyed the gameplay too, I've played a couple of things similar to this before but this mixed it up more. Found I had to come up with different tactics to filter myself out from each of the 'enemy' behaviours.
Maddeningly clever. Also, maddening. Great job :)
Nice clever game idea :)
Nice use of simple audio and visuals to create something bigger than the parts. I enjoyed finding strategies to differentiate myself from the 'others'. Overall the game left me with a feeling of smallness (which is good).
Awesome. This was rather fun once I figured it out :)
Whoa, that's an awesome idea! Very original and fitting for the theme.
It got pretty difficult really fast, but it's nonetheless a brilliant game and a pretty well executed concept, even with the very simplistic graphics. Unlike other comments, I wouldn't say its repetitiveness is a bad thing; the difficulty curve might be steep, but that's part of its appeal. Great job!
Good concept, good game!
Great concept! Very hard but eventually I completed the game.
The concept is a lot of fun! I would have liked to be able to give up and see where my microbe was. I also had some slowdown issues when there were a lot of microbes on the screen. Overall, I really liked the atmosphere and the way the concept of the game is shown to the player through level progression.
Last minute rating, but it was quite good! I liked the concept.
Wait. So nothing ends up killing me?
This isn't hard until you get super far.
This was great. Simple, but innovative idea, implemented in a minimalistic way. Well done.
I've missed the opportunity to vote but have to say your game mechanics are original indeed. You've got really low level and mind bending stuff going on.
I also like the music. It adds atmosphere to the minimalistic visual representation.
Keep on making games!
Interesting concept. I liked it, though I think it would eventually drive me mad! ;)