FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD48 → Abyssonaut

Abyssonaut

By thomas-olsson, Jarmustard and slotet

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall124.4182
Fun464.2382
Innovation634.2082
Theme734.3382
Graphics314.6583
Audio314.3981
Humor7622.8760
Mood534.4383

Comments

wheffle 2021-04-26 23:32

That was excellent. The level of polish was pretty unreal for a jam game. The mechanics were super intuitive and the atmosphere was really good. After grabbing the egg, I definitely felt tingly with the weird spike things rising up from the bottom. My only complaint would probably be the controls. Admittedly I didn't use a gamepad which it seems the game was designed for, but having all the controls on the left hand was awkward. But seriously, great entry! I'm baffled how you guys were able to get art, audio, and gameplay up to that level in (less than) 72 hours.

rieps 2021-04-26 23:41

I just love this... I liked eveything, the art is gorgeous, the feeling, the music is phenomenal.

macdoom 2021-04-27 00:20

ABYSNOUT.png

It's amazing that this was made just in 3 days. Interesting mechanics, brutal graphics, atmospheric music. It's really a solid base for a full lenght adventure I wouldn't miss for anything. I'll follow your work from now on waiting for it. 5/5 on everything. This game gonna be one of the top ones for sure.

EDIT: Now I know why I recieved a notification for this game! I also loved you game on LD46 and stared following you. Keep up the superb work!

3amsoda 2021-04-27 02:41

loved kicking people off the air ballon! its cool how some of enemies were easy to ignore on the way down only for them to become major obstacles on the way back up.

thomas-olsson 2021-04-27 07:37

Thx for following my work @macdoom :)) Glad you enjoyed this one too.

@wheffle yeah, that's true. I've always struggled to make good keyboard controls.

nicmagnier 2021-04-27 08:13

This is a great entry. I absolutely loved it.

On the descent, the idea of the baloon is interesting and engaging and a good way to learn the mechanics. And on the way up this become really intense, a really great moment where everything comes together. This is brilliant.

The game also shine because of its mood. The visuals, sfx and music fit together really well to create a world.

Is there some auto targetting when throwing rocks at the enemies? I thought it was easier than expected which felt really nice when under pressure.

erkanec 2021-04-27 08:51

Excellent entry.

goldenevolution 2021-04-27 09:02

Everything about this is absolutely amazing! I don't think there's anything that could be done better here. The art, the gameplay, the music, the mood, everything about it is awesome

steve-dragon 2021-04-27 10:04

That was legitimately amazing. Loved the art, loved the gameplay concept and felt so excited to be playing through a full-length adventure. The level design is beautiful, the work as a whole is thoroughly engaging and fun to play.

The only qualm I have with this is that the throwing rocks bit was a little iffy. It would have been amazing if there was a way to put the rock down/some form of auto-targetting to help with placing rocks on the balloon platform. That got frustrating really fast (but it might just be that I am personally bad at it and the game is fine, so I can't fault the game too much).

That one minor qualm expressed, I just wanna say this was a great game and I'm glad I played it.

nicmagnier 2021-04-27 11:00

@steve-dragon I think you can drop a rock by pressing down and e.

thomas-olsson 2021-04-27 11:38

@steve-dragon Thanks a lot for playing and all :) Yeah, you can put it down with E+Down. I was not sure what to do with throwing controls. To get rid of the problem quickly we figured it'd be ok to just go with the Spelunky style throwing and hope players would figure it out from there. Although TBH I also struggle with these controls myself. Maybe the force of the throwing is just not well balanced, especially for heavier stuff you wanna put on the aircraft. Small rocks are more like projectiles.

hapiel 2021-04-27 12:11

Amazing work! You got a lot done in little time. Great graphics and sound, you managed to find an artstyle that let you get into the mood without having to worry too much about the details!

I was confused about the egg, I thought I had found it at the bottom in what looked like a nest, and it turned white when I picked it up (as do all rocks, silly me). By the time I found the real nest I had already released my balloon and could not travel up any more, but I had fun nonetheless Thanks for making this!

simex 2021-04-27 15:13

DUUUUUDE, this game was sick! my favorite so far. i love the minimalist ui, and the sprite work is on point. Id be nice if there was a shop or trader half way down were one could spend the coins and gems on upgrades etc. to me that more interesting then just getting a higher score. it'd also be nice if we had some sort of ranged attack to deal with exploding the barrels. it's not a big deal, but I also soft locked my self the first go around as I removed all the stone from the blimp, but when I got to the top there was no way for me to go down again.

logicon211 2021-04-27 16:10

This was awesome. Had a great time playing with my controller too. The art was fantastic, the music and sounds really added to the atmosphere and the game mechanics felt really good to play. Using weight as a mechanic to help to descend and it becoming a problem on your way back out was a real solid idea. Exploring side rooms was fun, and tossing the anchor onto enemies was a good time.

I had a bit of trouble trying to make sure I didn't accidentally pick up my gems on the way out while tossing rocks off, but other than that I had no real issues with the game.

I'm gonna be showing this one around for sure. Great job!

freakrho 2021-04-27 16:39

This was really good. Excellent controls and interesting mechanics. Keep it going!

zivfo 2021-04-27 17:01

Finally figure out how to drop a rock and be enable to progress a bit, before throwing then smashing things around the ballon for a while :).Amazingly so many features added that made the control feel intuitive,and the adventure so vivid. You guys must be very experienced. And It's inspiring to see seasoned devs still participate and share a love for jams :) Thanks

klaus-peter 2021-04-27 17:24

Welp you keep making exceptional games. I struggled a bit with the controls but everything else is polished to the last detail.

khofez 2021-04-27 17:49

Man I don't even know what to say. It's incredible, very well executed, the idea is amazing and the balloon mechanic is awesome, and considering the time it was made, damn. I saw a screnshot for this game on twitter couple of days ago and already thought it was awesome, but it is really amazing.

djoz 2021-04-27 19:19

Nice atmosphere and great game play. Very creative, good job.

youthfulidealism 2021-04-27 23:12

Wow! That was fantastic! The controls took a little getting used to--using both X and SPACE with the same hand was pretty unfamiliar to me--but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. Squishing the mouths with the rocks they threw onto my balloon was particularly satisfying.

felo07 2021-04-27 23:30

very interesting, amazing mechanics. sound effects and music are matching ith the whole atmosphere , good game

koboldskeep 2021-04-28 01:57

Y'all have a winner here. Killing an enemy with your anchor is priceless! Putting down explosive barrels on the ship seems to be a little finnicky...

iellswo 2021-04-28 02:10

Super cool, amazing work, especially for a jam, best game that I've played yet from the jam

animatrix1490 2021-04-28 02:10

I've been wanting to play Olija since it came out and when I saw this I said, "Oh, hey--this art style really reminds me of Olija!" Lo and behold, it's the same dude! I know this probably shouldn't play into my comment on this game, but it was so cool to be able to play something like a game I was on the fence about purchasing. I'm going to go get it soon. Good job, everyone!

threeli 2021-04-28 02:58

This is impossibly good, and polished. I only wish there was more of it, in a similar manner as @simex pointed out. Stunned.

foopy 2021-04-28 04:27

The game feels very pretty and refined, very well done.

thomas-olsson 2021-04-28 04:37

Thanks for playing and nice comments everyone! @simex yeah if there was more time on it I'd personally like to put something in between missions to upgrade the pilot and ship.

thomas-olsson 2021-04-28 04:45

@animatrix1490 Let's do a little challenge If you beat my highscore, I'll give you an Olija steamkey :)

Ideally send me a video of your whole playthrough.

A tip : You can skip the tutorial if you restart the game with Shift+R, so that you don't lose time on it.

Highscore.png

eden-shazar 2021-04-28 13:39

Beautiful game, and a great original mechanic to drive it! I get the vibe there are some secrets I haven't fully uncovered, is that the case or am I misinterpreting some world building? Either way, the game is great!

lelek-hunor-kadosa 2021-04-28 15:17

This may be the most badass game I'll play on the whole jam! It looks cool, it sounds cool...and the second half of the game is just...perfect!

pyrofoux 2021-04-28 16:34

That plot twist at the level design level was amazing! very solid entry

tom-robson 2021-04-28 18:25

This is one of the best looking and best sounding LD games I've played. Just, ever! The combat especially I liked, but the weight mechanic was fun too.

If I could suggest anything, I'd say perhaps to make it so, on the way down, I'm encouraged to explore more. I found myself just finding some rocks, and then riding the balloon down to the bottom, with just combat keeping things interesting, which ended up just being the chase sequence, but slower and less tense. Personally, I think having a monster that would perhaps eat the boulders you have, forcing you to explore and find more, would help make me want to explore this beautiful level even more.

Solid entry though, just, so well done!

animatrix1490 2021-04-28 19:34

@thomas-olsson I did actually win, despite the "game over" on the screen. You can see the full playthrough here (forgot to export with sound, oops, here's a better link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_anfJV5v4w

My steam username is animatrix1490, too :)

ryanwoods 2021-04-28 21:56

This is phenomenal! Sound, visuals, gameplay, and mood are just so on point! I really loved how the tension built as you go down the abyss, and it just pops off once you get the egg. Such a great experience!

thomas-olsson 2021-04-29 02:24

@animatrix1490 ahah GG. See you on steam. DM when you get the invite! Yeah, I've seen that game over bug before ;).

thomas-olsson 2021-04-29 02:30

@tom-robson Interesting. I agree, exploration could definitely use more variety in general. We had lots of ideas but the time to stop adding content and polish came faster than expected (as usual...)

pawciu 2021-04-29 12:05

Wow, this is really polished. I think I've escaped but there was game over screen (HTML version). I loved everything about it. Congrats!

solah 2021-04-29 12:54

Excellent work once again! Love the sound design and the tension once we get the egg. Great job!

lelulagames 2021-04-29 16:41

Beautiful game. The atmosphere, and music really are wonderfully done.

shubart 2021-04-29 17:14

Really impressive work. The audio ambiance is really great. Thank you

secretpocketcat 2021-04-29 19:12

It took me quite a few tries, but I escaped with the huge pink donut (and like 3 measly coins). Anyway, the game is gorgeous, the music is great and throwing and kicking feels really nice.

corporation 2021-04-29 19:47

Easily the most beautiful graphics I've seen in this jam. Impressive!

fer9001 2021-04-29 20:01

this was excellent, the level of polish is massive and the gameplay is great, very good job

preda 2021-04-29 22:01

Amazing graphics! The game also feels really nice and I like the sound effects too

alexascher 2021-04-30 21:41

Impressive job! Best entry so far. Mood made by music. Very interesting mechanics

exopunk 2021-05-01 00:01

That was a really nice experience, loved the flow of the game from start to finish. Props to the music for building tension, the art is top notch also, overall it was awesome in all aspects, great job!

siberpunk01 2021-05-01 01:18

It's really well done for such a short period of time. Sprites, animations, sound, and gameplay are all well done. It's so fun to just fly around. Once you get the egg it's really suspenseful too.

karo 2021-05-01 16:37

I really really really love this! The graphics are amazing. That's exactly the kind of art i love. The fighting moves are nice and and fun.

I really don't have anything to complain about. Super fun game! This is one of my Top 3 so far!

mattwoelk 2021-05-02 13:48

Well done on making this gameplay systemic! I could use the anchor to attach. I could catch rocks and throw them back. The fight back up where I had to fight, keep the deck clear, and jump back and forth between the ship and the ground: 💯.

Very well done.

xparker 2021-05-02 21:09

Awesome game, nice audio and with it mood.

Funny mechanics with the weight moving the ballon.

kaminos 2021-05-02 23:11

I had so much fun playing. I've saved the donut thrice. I'm hooked. The graphics and animations are awesome. The music throwed me inside the game.. great mood. The camera movement adds a lot to the overall feeling that i must hurry. Kicking the ass of the monsters is extremely satisfying.. super cool sfx there. I've destroyed all of them more than once :P I didn't understand why i need the gems but i got them. And speaking of gems.. you've managed to create a small shiny gem in 3 days, guys. Fantastic job.. my respect :)

jose-bonilla 2021-05-03 04:17

Beautiful game and graphics, I love the physics of rock throwing. I didn't get the balloon part - since there's no fall damage and I managed to fall, I just kept going until I got the egg and started to use the jetpack to go back (unfortunately I died to lava). I think the keyboard controls are not very comfortable, I'd rather use W to go up/jetpack and mouse to kick, I wish there was a way to remap them. Amazing game nonetheless, great job!

badpiggy 2021-05-04 04:28

First off, really great that you're continuing to use simple art styles similiar to what you guys did with Olija. I absolutely love simplicity in pixel art and feel more games should honestly do this. This game was really cool, presentation was on point and the gameplay loop was really fun. Kicking enemies was really satisfying lol. Having some strategy in place with knowing when to anchor down and collect coins or just do some minor exploration was neat as well. Also liked that rocks could be used for managing the weight on the ship and to cause damage to enemies. I liked the fact that the exploration present was minimal though. It ensured that my focus was always on the ship and going deeper.

However, I felt that the things on the walls which shoot white hooks at the ship were kinda useless and didn't really stop me going down (Except while going up, then they became a little more of a threat lol).

This was seriously a good entry. I'll probably try it again cus it was just fun to play lol. Great job on this.

etrealjunior 2021-05-04 16:16

Congratulations on the game, well done art, it is very dynamic and fun at the same time, a job worthy of pride, a big hug my friend, and I await your feedback on my game.

onedozenbagels 2021-05-06 02:28

Phenomenal graphics, sound, mood, and gameplay. Enjoyed the twist. Beat it on my 4th or 5th time and the final ascent was intense. Only change I wanted was different keyboard controls. Found e + x awkward to switch between and also wanted the up arrow to do jump/jetpack.

embedder72 2021-05-06 12:56

Wow. That's one of the best games I've played. I did find the controls a little awkward but that didn't decrease from the playability. I loved how the audio really added to the menace.

larsdu 2021-05-07 05:46

Amazing. Just amazing. I am in awe. This 72 hour game made me feel more in 10 minutes than most AAA games. When the blood started rising, my heart started pounding. This game wins Ludum Dare hands down.

larsdu 2021-05-07 05:58

I had to comment again since I actually beat the game on my second playthrough. This game is a masterpiece!

euler-moises 2021-05-07 19:01

I don't need to say that the art and the soundtrack are fantastic! Mood is phenomenal with this suspenseful song. The choice of buttons to play on the keyboard I thought was bad. I don't play with ASD, just with the arrows, and for me, the E and X buttons are bad choices. They are a long way from each other. Another configuration would be easier to play.

great game! Congratulations to the whole team.

darqweful 2021-05-08 05:27

The music and graphics are great and create the perfect mood. Brilliant idea with great execution. Would love to see this turning into a longer game. It would be nice if we could control the force and direction with which we throw stuff but overall really well done!

tanis 2021-05-08 17:23

Kicking people around is so fun! The art is just amazing and the sound effects just go hand-in-hand with it. The mood reminds me a lot "beneath a steel sky" and all those kind o games even though the mechanics are completely different. Amazing job!

cdunham 2021-05-16 07:19

Really cool game, love the take on the theme. The design of the balloon is really clever and I like how the enemies purposefully drop rocks onto it to weigh it down when you have the jewel. Only thing I wish was included was more UI, for the health and jetpack fuel specifically. It'd help to know how charged the jetpack is at any given moment so I can decide if I want to try to attack more enemies or recover on the ground for a few seconds. Being able to move the balloon left and right would also be pretty cool, but I get how that might mess with the gameplay and make it too complex. Still though, an overall great submission.

blubberquark 2021-05-18 07:43

big Owlboy vibes!

philstrahl 2021-05-18 17:03

Wow, what a polished experience! Loved the controls and feedback, the clever design choices and I even managed to escape. Barely. :) Here's my time with it on my stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2X3tRskS-U