FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD45 → The Blue Girl

The Blue Girl

By gamebuilder, genie and bcav

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall8283.1680
Fun8942.8478
Innovation8072.8579
Theme8352.9279
Graphics8053.0679
Audio3003.5078
Humor8332.0361
Mood2863.7080

Comments

velvetlobster 2019-10-07 23:45

The music reminds me a loot of truberbrook which has an awesome soundtrack was that an inspiration?

"You plummet into a dark void and lose consciousness. Eventually you find yourself in a dream state"

gamebuilder 2019-10-08 00:30

@velvetlobster thanks for the comment. I e-mailed Brian (he did all the music) about your question. His reply:

"Never heard of the movie they mentioned. You can say we used garage band and a simple chord progression but played in reverse for the errie effect. Later we use the same chord progression with echo/delay effects over it. I tried real hard to stay on beat but the drums were more or less filler."

In the early stages of the game I just asked Brian to make something moody, eerie, and ambient. He got a lot out of the reverse effect — it fits well with the ghostly feel of the game.

bainerd 2019-10-08 02:08

Nice entry.

moechen 2019-10-08 12:45

Hard to find the right door QAQ Maybe I just lose some hint. Words can be better to help player to go on and attract their attention. Love the art style!

tab1bit0 2019-10-08 12:48

Actually pretty sad story.

Good job anyway

luc-dercourt 2019-10-08 12:57

Good job on this original entry !

slovnoslomo 2019-10-08 13:00

this is a beautifull entry. one of my most favorites so far.

stylish artstyle (both digital and real), atmospheric music, weird room interiors and storyline. cought some Twin Peaks vibes here.

the thing that you implemented that with the pure HTML adds a lot to the concept actually.

keep it up!

dizzy-dalvin 2019-10-08 13:16

Nice one. Some very Lynchian vibes here. Especially with the music and the sky ladder.

gamebuilder 2019-10-08 14:58

@slovnoslomo @dizzy-dalvin regarding David Lynch, I am a big fan of his. I've been watching *Darkened Room* lately as well as *Inland Empire*. No doubt these films have had an indirect influence on the game's story and images. Thanks for the feedback.

gamebuilder 2019-10-08 16:31

@moechen the lead artist, Dr. Chung, was also confounded by the doors. She gave up during play-testing. If I had more time, I'd have the doors follow a pattern. Anyway, if you explore every area (and look at each item you find) and climb the ladder you're all set. Thanks for the feedback.

gamebuilder 2019-10-08 16:34

@tab1bit0 it is sad for the brute, who will have to live with his evil crime for the rest of his life, and perhaps beyond (unless he repents). The victims have attained eternal bliss since they were innocent. But yes, while in limbo it is sad indeed. The gloom lifts once the mystery is solved.

saering 2019-10-08 19:26

I like the originality in the entry. Not a huge fan of this kind of games to be fully honest haha, but I had a nice time playing it, it was atmospheric and enjoyable :)

fractal 2019-10-08 19:28

Very nice game and story! A bit short and repetitive (many rooms with doors), but the mood is good :)

boyturnedrobot 2019-10-08 19:35

Cool little game with a sad story. I want the sequel where we get to haunt people.

sageware 2019-10-08 20:01

Very dark and sad. I enjoyed the hand drawn artwork and the music was fitting. I found myself very invested in the story. As others have commented, I too would love a sequel!

jeffrey-hwang 2019-10-09 03:10

Loved the vibe of the game :) great work!

velvetlobster 2019-10-09 03:12

Just got back to this game and I must say that it feels even better played a second time ... love the mood about it .. btw @gamebuilder this is the truberbrook I mentioned, you might want to check that for future inspiration, I believe you might find it interesting https://store.steampowered.com/app/757300/Truberbrook__Trberbrook/

elnu 2019-10-09 03:18

Although short, the game's story is very good. With more content and polish (scene transitions, etc.), it would be fantastic! Had a blast playing.

nickykendy 2019-10-09 04:15

The story goes down deep in my heart. Wish it could be longer, more drama.

robowarrior1982 2019-10-09 05:42

Interesting story and nice music, art is cool and make the job. Becarefull there is some responsive problem with the page and it can behide the links.shoot01.png

gamebuilder 2019-10-09 12:14

@robowarrior1982 thanks for the heads up. I thought I had fixed that bug but I guess it still lingers. The code needs to be adjusted. I believe that reducing the font size in your browser (using CTRL minus in Firefox) will solve the problem for now.

despdair 2019-10-09 14:27

I think you should add a bit more variation to rooms. Other than that, playing is pretty fun

cafearatus 2019-10-09 16:20

Interesting! Good job :)

gamefive 2019-10-09 16:36

I'm not sure what the subject of this game is. I'm sorry.

wxzuir 2019-10-09 16:55

Really love the story!Nice work! In my personal vieew, the story might be better if there are more imagery or foreshadowing of the ending?

mashas 2019-10-09 17:01

This was different! It felt like if Twin Peaks was made as a book for children. A brutal book though. :D Made it to the end and stayed for a bit to listen to the music which really elevated this game. Good job!

gamebuilder 2019-10-09 18:58

@velvetlobster I'm glad to learn you enjoyed the replay, that is a big compliment. Thanks also for the tip about Trüberbrook. I looked at the previews on Steam and it looks impressive (though outside of my budget alas).

rebecca-harrison 2019-10-09 19:03

Very cool and moody. Awesome entry!

gamebuilder 2019-10-10 01:10

@nickykendy I hear you. Sadly I ran out of time. I am tempted to make an expanded post-LD version. In any case, I'm glad you enjoyed the game.

gamebuilder 2019-10-10 01:18

@despdair I was going to add more variety, but time quickly ran out on the last day. I barely had time to add wallpaper and floor patterns. Next time I should start sooner (I didn't start until later Saturday morning).

@wxzuir thanks for the comment. Your idea is a good one. If I write another story-based game like this one, I'll keep this in mind. Actually the story didn't even get off the ground until Sunday morning. A dream image I had shortly before waking up led to the idea of The Blue Girl, and the story as a whole took shape as I developed the game on Sunday and Monday.

@mashas thank you. I sometimes play the music in the background myself. Thanks go to @bcav for recording a mesmerizing soundtrack.

ausstein 2019-10-10 01:54

Very moody I liked that. But it was soo short... Would love to play a post LD longer version

archimagus 2019-10-10 02:19

Quite nice, very moody. I wouldn't exactly call it fun, but I don't know that it's meant to me. The art was quite nice and the sound was pretty great. Not really my kind of game, but I can see the appeal for some people. Nice job.

landosystems 2019-10-10 02:45

Interesting game, thought it would be a straight text adventure at first, then was pleasantly surprised by the graphics. Its a nice interactive short story, great work!

khaotom 2019-10-10 04:20

As mentioned before the Twin Peaks vibe is strong. I definitely felt like this was set somewhere in the Black Lodge. Good work everyone!

nathaniel-jensen 2019-10-10 15:18

Interesting... and kinda creepy. Good work.

phyro 2019-10-10 23:15

Creepy but charming all the way. Found the hand drawn pictures very moody and it wouldn't work in any other kind of game, I think. Didn't encounter any bugs in my playthrough and found it very easy to reach to the end. The narrative was on point and, since I met the blue girl on the hole and talked about the leap of faith, I was already guessing what would come next when I was climbing the stairs. Nice one!

drrozza 2019-10-11 01:35

Nice work, I like the artwork a lot, it had its own kind of style and fit the creepy/charming vibe nicely. Music was great too. Interesting seeing the comments about Twin Peaks. Someone mentioned my game's music has a similar vibe haha

niborious 2019-10-11 02:15

Super cool! I like how it forces you to see everything before you finish, I would have missed stuff myself haha. Always glad to see other people make games in javascript :)

boxedmeatrevolution 2019-10-12 00:14

Very atmospheric! I thought it was well written. The music was perfect, and the looping rooms gave the gameplay a dreamlike quality. I think it would have been nice if there were a few more puzzle elements. Nevertheless, I was engaged in the story and clicked through until I could follow the Blue Girl off the roof. Good entry!

gamebuilder 2019-10-12 00:58

@boxedmeatrevolution thanks for the comment. I added looping rooms to increase the challenge a bit (and indeed it confused Dr. Chung so much that she stopped playing). If they give the game a "dreamlike quality" all the better! That's the effect I hoped to achieve. Thanks for playing.

gamebuilder 2019-10-12 01:05

@niborious thank you for the encouraging words. I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for JavaScript, I wanted to keep it simple. In the past I got caught up in learning new libraries and tools just before a jam, and that wasn't much fun. Plus I was in the mood for minimalism this time around.

gamebuilder 2019-10-12 01:12

@khaotom @drrozza thank you for the comments. I never really got into _Twin Peaks_, for some reason, but I should try watching it again. For me, *Inland Empire* and *Mulholland Drive* are big inspirations. David Lynch is a creative genius. Thanks for playing.

el-fideo-rubio 2019-10-12 15:56

Hey david are you making a sequel to blue velvet :) great game

gamebuilder 2019-10-12 16:21

@el-fideo-rubio I wish!!! Thanks for playing.

bilalch213 2019-10-12 17:51

That's a nice little sad story! Music and mood is well crafted. Rooms should have more variety. I didn't feel satisfied with the ending. Too short. -_-

gamebuilder 2019-10-12 18:31

@bilalch213 thanks for the feedback. I agree about the room variety. Still, at least you get to go outside. With more time I would have expanded the wallpaper patterns etc. If there is a post-LD version that would be at the top of my list, as well as story development.

geckoo1337 2019-10-12 21:48

Poetic and relaxing story. I had fun playing. I found the girl. Thank you ++

gamebuilder 2019-10-12 22:54

@geckoo1337 "Poetic" — un très beau compliment! Merci!

Мне нравится твоя рубашка.

geckoo1337 2019-10-13 00:14

@gamebuilder Я задал себе вопрос - почему написано "голубая девушка" ? Я понял. Тебе желаю успехов ++

daria-toni 2019-10-13 11:58

My first thought was - a browser game? How extraordinary! And then I fell in love. Yes, this game is very simple, but it awakens some nostalgia that I can't explain. The music is amazing! Very unusual work, thank you.

gamebuilder 2019-10-14 15:32

@geckoo1337 только фаза — "son mode rêve." Elle vit dans la vision béatifique.

gamebuilder 2019-10-14 15:35

@daria-toni "nostalgia" — a very interesting word. Maybe she awakened a memory in you. Thanks for playing.

ioleoso 2019-10-14 15:59

Amazing music and script! Congrats!

hartvichio 2019-10-14 19:37

The architect who designed the door geometry was a sadist :D. very nice music and feel. I liked it

madbarron 2019-10-16 01:48

Cool idea, nice interpretation of the theme!

actual-potato-69 2019-10-17 14:46

I really liked​ the theme and the atmosphere of the game. I think the ​game needs more stuff to make it even more interesting.

dob 2019-10-19 02:44

This is really neat! I enjoyed it a lot. Very old-school, but with modern touches. Very good music.

room606 2019-10-19 08:20

Nice OST, good hand drawn characters. Very short adventure though :-) Thanks for such game experience, comrade!

kaeveris 2019-10-19 08:26

Cool old school vibes, with nice graphics and music!

dis0rder 2019-10-19 13:11

I find the minimalistic and crude graphics somehow fitting here. It's funny how it resembles point 'n' click-games me and my friend used to develop ages ago. The graphical style is a bit similiar, and one of them featured a room with an old record player too.

I would have wished for a little more "responsive" interaction with the environment. Like you could choose the object to interact with by clicking, and maybe an inventory etc.

Also, like others have said that the abundance of different doors gets you kinda disoriented. Perhaps an on-screen map showing visited areas could benefit the experience? On the other hand getting lost emphasizes the overall mysterious mood of the story. There's really an unique atmosphere present at all times.

I hope we'll see more of your work in the future!

gamebuilder 2019-10-19 18:26

@dis0rder I did implement an inventory at one point, but it introduced a nasty bug and then I realized an inventory wasn't necessary (though it would be a nice feature to have). Yes, the disorientation from the doors was in a way intended (otherwise, there is very little challenge). Even so, I would have made it more logical if I had more time. Thanks for playing, and I appreciate your useful feedback.

asfdfdfd 2019-10-20 19:57

Doors. Doors eveywhere!

Nice entry!

ancient-pixel 2019-10-23 06:32

That are some nice doors you have there :) This was good, the game never lost me, i saw the hatch, it was locked, i knew what to do. This was a smooth experiance and the music was fitting!

anne-ogborn 2019-10-26 03:14

lost, confused, gave up.

gamebuilder 2019-10-29 16:34

@hartvichio @asfdfdfd @ancient-pixel the doors and the architecture are the root cause of many who give up, I suspect. Even the lead artist, Dr. Chung, was unwilling to finish the game. I agree that one might call the architecture "sadistic" but then again, self-inflicted cruelty is no stranger to gaming. Anyway thanks for playing. Good luck tonight.