FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD39 → Squanchy Squids

Squanchy Squids

By mati, pjnovas, Marcelo, dncolo and gabrielcava

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall6043.0825
Fun5442.9525
Innovation2653.3425
Theme8342.1325
Graphics5073.3025
Humor1883.0825
Mood6762.6925

Comments

m-dam 2017-08-01 22:22

The acceleration behaviour on the player is very hard to control and the shovel is too small. These two things taken together really make this game quite frustrating.

manumeq 2017-08-01 22:23

Really interesting gameplay and concept here. I love how the player needs to think their movements carefully at the begginning of each level in order to succed. Some sound effects or even background music would be fine, but overall I enjoyed the game

chispalbc 2017-08-01 22:49

The first levels were fine but then it got too difficult and it was a bit frustrating. But good job anyways ^^

rijnswand 2017-08-02 02:12

Fun idea. The controls where a bit awkward but it was interesting to play it. Like @manumeq said some audio would have helped a lot to the overall experience, but I enjoyed nonetheless.

shell-pirate 2017-08-02 10:30

A good effort! The visuals were pretty cute on the character sprites, but I'd say perhaps a more cartoony background would fit them better. The atmosphere was good as well, but some sound would have definitely added even if it was just some ambience. The gameplay concept is a decent idea but I'd say it needs some work. I think that the controls are what brought it down for me. Perhaps rather than the control scheme you have now, you could consider implementing tank controls: W moves you forward, S moves you backwards and the direction of movement is the direction you're facing. I say this because I found myself pressing W and expecting to go in the direction I was facing, but I ended up going upwards which wasn't very intuitive. All in all though, good work!

dr-zeus 2017-08-02 18:52

I loved the sprites of the octopus and the squids. I thought it was a fun idea with interesting gameplay! I do think maybe the radius in which you get sucked into the black hole is bit to big. There was many times where I would try shoving them into it only to get myself caught up into it as well! GJ though!

conk 2017-08-02 19:45

AMAZING. Although I agree with some the controls are a little awkward due to moving changes the way you face unless you perfectly track with the mouse at the same time, but I also felt that these controls helped the game feel more manic and fun, so it's both good and bad?

The graphics are fantastically cute which isn't something I thought I'd be saying about squids and octopodes... But there it is...

I had a lot of fun on the last level trying to get as many into the vortex as possible in a single push, managed around 80 one time!

The lack of music is a bit too obvious and even some free sounds online would've added something, but that's just minor feedback, so not too important.

Great job! :grinning:

michaelgrand 2017-08-02 19:55

Running yourself into the black hole is so funny that I spent the first half of the game just doing that :sweat_smile: I'm still not entirely sure how they turn angry, but I'm guessing it's a combination of random chance and how long you are near them. A fun and funny game :octopus:

moski 2017-08-02 20:15

Had a good squanch of a time with this one, and I don't even think I'm using that word properly!

The game itself is amusing and mildly fun. While the controllers were a bit odd, and the difficulty curve got cranked up really fast because of that, I still had a fun time pushing those pesky octopi into the depths of the blackest of holes. While the mechanics were simple, they allowed for some fun variance very early on.

If I could give you some feedback (aside from sounds and music), it would be to fix the controllers and make the scoop more reliable. Adjust the frustrating factors, such as the time it takes for some octopi to get angry. I usually found myself in a horrible spot because of pushing them around or black holes somewhere nearby.

Still, this game has a lot of expansion potential. Who knows? There could even be different squids with different scoops. Maybe even some visual randomization for the octopi. It'd be cool. I liked the game, so it'd be great to see if it goes into something bigger at a later time!

If you have the time, consider [taking a quick look at our jam game as well](https://psychonull.github.io/ld39/). Other than that, great work once again! Keep up squanching, and enjoy the jam! :whale:

risingoat 2017-08-03 18:54

Well, that escalated quickly. Weird controls,but nice stuff.

josehzz 2017-08-04 15:06

It has a nice concept, I think its too hard at first (I died 5 times on the first level) but making it easier could make it more enjoyable. Overall nice game

automatonvx 2017-08-04 23:47

pretty unusual mechanic, i haven't seen a herding game before, quite fun in a weird way. feels like it has potential. Cute graphics also.

christina-antoinette-neofotistou 2017-08-07 13:37

This was very hard but super fun!!! The physics were great! I'm glad you finished it!