FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD48 → Depth

Depth

By sarajs

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall1383.8789
Fun2483.6689
Innovation3513.3988
Theme224.3990
Graphics2323.7890
Audio2143.5889
Humor5402.2074
Mood1253.8490

Comments

2021-04-26 01:29

Brought me to the fiery depths of the hell. Would travel again! A++

limekys 2021-04-26 01:38

Cool game for training reaction

ethan-hammonds 2021-04-26 02:28

Very epic

lawrence 2021-04-26 02:55

So simple, yet so deep 😁 Great work!

sesemcc 2021-04-26 03:42

hi shaun :) i forgot about the way chrome handles direct links to .zips. if anyone else got stuck like i did, right clicking and hitting "save as" will download it properly XDDD this games got a fun, haunting atmosphere. i got four or so spiral staircases in a row and i think i died in real life XDDDD awesome use of the gm2 engine, very fun and intuitive :)

2021-04-26 08:51

The gameplay is stupidly addicting for how simple it is, my morning tea got cold while I was playing this, thanks. The atmosphere here came out so well, gives off a creepy PS1 era vibe, love it!

..Those full size squares in the first layer with the small triangle cut out though!!

jiri-one 2021-04-26 10:10

Those stairs are brutal

boclow 2021-04-26 11:12

I love the pixel 3D look. Also the "woosh" sound when you pass obstacles is really satisfying. My reactions are not so good so I did not get too far, but enjoyed the game still.

ancooper 2021-04-26 15:54

Cool game!

patvanmackelberg 2021-04-26 16:26

Very cool! I loved the splat sound when you met the ground hahah

supergamersgames 2021-04-26 17:04

The graphics are fantastic. It gives a huge PS1 graphics vibe and I really love that. There are some points however that it's not clear where you are meant to go to avoid dying (and I don't mean the three tunnels that one is on me lol). Overall, really great entry!

ethanthopkins 2021-04-27 01:41

cool to see 3d in gms. gives ps1 horror vibes which I enjoy.

jose-bonilla 2021-04-27 03:47

Amazing 3D game. Great job as always. It's a bit hard to figure out when you're going to bump with a wall, but other than that, amazing. Nice work!

wormholegames 2021-04-27 10:16

Saw how this game was made on twitch. Really cool! It's really hard though :P

silkworm-sweatshop 2021-04-27 10:58

This game gave me acrophobia. I could see this being even cooler in VR. Simple and neat idea and great execution. Made me physically wince a couple of times and still I kept coming back. My only complaint is that I think I'd like a slightly faster restart time.

tricky-fat-cat 2021-04-27 12:49

It looks simple in gifs, but it much harder in reality. I like movement and smooth controls alongside stylish visuals.

verygenuinecraze 2021-04-27 12:53

A very cool game. I love the bounce off the wall that make the gameplay deeper (got it?). The sound design is simple and efficient.

I hate those stairs !

mathewcst 2021-04-27 13:13

Really nice game, fits the theme perfectly. The graphics were pretty awesome, a 3D with pixelart, pretty clever.

I just found it a little hard midway when I touched the wall unintentionally and got pushed into the obstacle. But the controls are pretty great, the art is on point, the sounds are pretty good either. Congrats :smile:

the-martijn 2021-04-27 13:26

Nice game! Very addictive!

bytinggames 2021-04-27 13:34

Simple game with really nice execution! The pixelated graphics also add to this simplicity. Somehow the background music wasn't annoying to me, although I guess it's only two sounds in a loop - fits the atmosphere! I wish I could restart from level 2 (or increase speed of level 1), cause level 1 got boring after a while obviously. One time I dropped in a small hole out of three (I think) and just died because it was a dead end. Not sure if that was intentional, but I found it unfair. Also nice air "woosh" sound. Good job!

henriquecanella 2021-04-27 14:17

Really the kind of game that I like to see in game jams, simple and direct to the point, easy to understand, to play, and very addictive =D

megastrons 2021-04-27 14:31

It’s really hard? - YES YES YES YES But with beautiful sounds and a really impressive fake 3D

pierre-morreel 2021-04-27 14:35

Didn't know we could make 3d graphics in gamemaker, besides addictive game !

sarajs 2021-04-27 17:35

@megastrons Waddya mean 'fake'!? lol

sarajs 2021-04-27 17:36

@bytinggames there is a solution to the 'three holes' :)

cassio-eduardo 2021-04-27 19:28

Really cool game. It's so simple, yet it fits the theme and is fun. Good job.

adrien-dittrick 2021-04-27 19:30

Is this what falling down the infinite stairs in mario 64 feels like?

jefvel 2021-04-27 19:43

This game is so frustrating but addictive! It's super satisfying to master patterns.

However some of the obstacles feel unfair/straight up impossible.

The player moves faster when moving diagonally compared to straight, which make the wall hugging holes impossible when they are on opposite sides of each other in non diagonal directions. Here's demonstrative gif: https://i.imgur.com/nkobA8y.gif This random element kept killing me so many times it started to get really annoying.

The white moving things felt a bit random, but it added tension to the game.

This game might be sliightly too challenging for a gamejam game in my opinion. A personal rule of thumb is that if you can't beat your game fully at relative ease at the end of a gamejam it's probably too difficult.

But I had to beat this game. It was taunting me. So I did it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSc5i5vasmM The relief is immeasurable!

Out of curiosity, did you beat the game fully yourself or single levels separately?

In summary, I really liked it but also hated it. And the graphics and sounds were minimal yet consistent. Good game! This will definitely be the game I put most time into this jam.

PS. I submitted my game to your stream form but accidentally put the url to an ebay link instead of my game

sarajs 2021-04-27 22:33

@jefvel The pattern you describe is actually always possible if you use wall bounces but I agree it can feel bad! Hype to see anyone beat it though!

I don't mind too much about what is good/bad "for a gamejam" bc I'm really just trying to challenge myself or make the best work I can and it was built to be extremely difficult.

I beat every zone individually multiple times when building it although it took some time after the jam to complete a full playthrough.

Thanks so much for playing! -S

jefvel 2021-04-27 22:48

@shaunjs Ah, I didn't think of wall bouncing! It's quite challenging to do, especially during the triangle shaped holes since you first have to check if the hole is on the opposite side or not. They are easier to get through when you can move diagonally though.

Yeah, it's a bit of personal preference. I usually want to complete the gamejam games I play, while also playing many different ones. I got stuck on this forever, but it was worth it in the end!

stroe-andrew 2021-04-27 22:53

Always loved this type of games. Would be perfect for mobile gaming... 100% or like @silkworm_sweatshop mentioned, would love to try it on VR :) Nice

ehtd 2021-04-27 23:21

Nice game, simple idea well executed. Just perhaps too difficult.

simayen 2021-04-28 00:27

This is the first 3D work I see from you, and it's absolutely aesthetic! Big fan of what you've accomplished here! Reminds me of the a similar type of minigame in CS:GO! Great theme adherence, moody music, love the button to open the hatch -- it allows you to refresh your state of mind a bit.

Awesome game man

zarthas 2021-04-28 00:34

I dig it!!! That aesthetic is great, really captured that like, late 90's crunchy feels. Looks sorta like Dungeon Keeper in some bits, and that's about the highest praise I can give there. I think what you pulled off here technically is really cool, excited to see other GMers kicking this stuff around. The game is so frustrating but I had fun!!!!!

nyanpierre 2021-04-28 02:14

cool game

kovakomes 2021-04-28 06:03

The low res art style kind of enhances the falling effect as if your vision has blurred. Well made entry. Got my adrenaline pumping.

kenforest 2021-04-28 12:55

The gameplay of the game is simply gorgeous and addictive for a long time, I also like the graphics style, it looks atmospheric, very cool and great work!

lakea 2021-04-28 16:24

love the idea of this game and have played for a short while and enjoyed it but it did trigger my motion sickness

made3 2021-04-28 17:13

Such a simple base concept, but it was so well done. Love the graphics, made me feel like Silent Hills where you just jump into dark holes without knowing whats on the end. Sound also great, it's the details like bass sound when you pass an obstacle that makes it great!

picross 2021-04-28 17:43

Cool game! Really nice graphics. I think you should put a shadow on the blocks that come towards you because it's hard to feel where you are sometimes. Very nice work!

rawb 2021-04-28 18:11

Nice simple mechanic but executed extremely well. The graphics and game feel are great, really addicting

sarajs 2021-04-28 18:25

@lakea Yeah a few people have this issue! Hard to know what to do about it as a lot of the causes seem to be from things pretty key to the experience :((

I've heard playing in windowed mode makes it a bit better.

glaikunt 2021-04-28 18:34

Great game! The impact when you hit the ground gives me chills xD

andidebob 2021-04-28 18:37

Such a simple idea, really well presented. The looks and music create a really cool feeling which is matched by the controls that feel just right.

I think you scoped really well and even though I didn't finish it, seeing other people do is super cool. Really well done!

lootgrounds 2021-04-28 18:45

It's all about gameplay and its done really well. It definitely puts you in a state of flow and you keep playing just another last attempt. Ramming into wall is a lovely touch. The visuals are consistent but sometimes the pixelization just not clearly communicate the successful route or move. Maybe that was your intent. Great game overall, congrats!

zalos 2021-04-28 21:00

Pretty cool, very simple concept but is neat. Its fun watching people try and try again, get further and further. Good job!!

robowarrior1982 2021-04-29 06:09

I like the old 3D aesthetics and the mood of the game, the gameplay is simple and effective.That's a good work !

jin9310 2021-04-29 08:26

Simple, yet just on point! I really canΒ΄t believe you were using GMS2 for this. Really great job done, one of my favourite games I have seen so far! Really great job done!

sodaro 2021-04-29 11:43

Cool game! Sort of like a Super Hexagon meets Devil Daggers but in 3D :smiley: Too challenging for me, but I still enjoyed it. Cheers!

pnkvrt 2021-04-29 15:20

Fun and very challenging! The mood is perfect, it gives me this uneasy feeling every time I play. Love the sound and visuals. Great work!

daniel-seeberg 2021-04-29 16:58

I don't have any complaints other than some simple additional features, like a depth high-score couter, or checkpoints for each area. also imo too hard for a jam game but otherwise it was great!

hpa97 2021-04-29 18:25

Very challenging, I'm a big fan of these kinds of falling games. The art style is very nice and somewhat trippy. At times it was a bit difficult to get through obstacles because it was a bit tricky with the collision particularly the small openings near the edges. The soundtrack gives a nice ambience and the sound effects are fitting. Great entry!

eden-shazar 2021-04-29 20:19

Holy hell, I can't recall ever playing a game with the smell of blood in my nose throughout. This is a true horror game, and every aspect of it serves it as such. The graphics are amazing (posterizing and pixelizing as a function of depth? Genius), the sound is horrendous in such precise ways (the background drone, the truly sickening thuds), the level of difficulty is tuned to pixel precision. I can't say I've enjoyed it in the regular way you do a game, but I have a lot of appreciation for the level of craft in making such an evocative experience. Incredible work.

sarajs 2021-04-29 22:27

Gosh thank you @eden-shazar ! Yeah that's exactly what I was going for it's great to hear it worked for someone! =)

xpoho 2021-04-30 01:54

Как часто ΠΌΡ‹ Π²ΠΈΠ΄ΠΈΠΌ ΠΊΠΎΡˆΠΌΠ°Ρ€Ρ‹? Как часто ΠΌΡ‹ ΠΈΠ· Π½ΠΈΡ… выбираСмся? Как часто ΠΌΡ‹ Π·Π°ΠΏΠΎΠΌΠΈΠ½Π°Π΅ΠΌ наши сны? Насколько Π³Π»ΡƒΠ±ΠΎΠΊΠΎ ΠΌΡ‹ спим? ΠœΠΎΠΆΠ΅Ρ‚, ΠΏΠΎΡ€Π° ΠΏΡ€ΠΎΡΡ‹ΠΏΠ°Ρ‚ΡŒΡΡ? Бпасибо Π·Π° ΠΈΠ³Ρ€Ρƒ! ^_^

siberpunk01 2021-04-30 02:14

It's tough but a cool idea. Making 3D games like this in GMS2 seems like it would be challenging.

taikinaaa 2021-04-30 13:19

Cool game! Clever how touching a wall gives you knockback, so you can't just strafe along the walls to avoid obstacles.

the1 2021-04-30 17:15

Super simple idea yet super addictive! If its true that its made using GMS2 then WOW! Its was fun to play thank you. Good job!

mkmuffi 2021-04-30 18:28

Epic!

arguablyarugula 2021-04-30 20:50

Pretty great, I just couldn't get through the "spiral-stairs" obstacles.

I really like the classic idtech look of it as well. Good job!

barelyevengames 2021-05-01 01:22

So I really really enjoyed this game. It reminds me a bunch of Super Hexagon actually, in fact it basically is Super Hexagon from a first person perspective, which I think is a really neat idea. The gameplay is extremely addicting and constantly makes you want to give it another go, and I eventually had to move on after about 45 minutes of failed attempts. I think you did a wonderful job implementing the 3D and the mood of the game is great. I definitely have a few concerns though. For one, I think this is way too hard to a jam game. I went through and watched your stream of the game to see if you were able to beat it and if even you can't beat it the majority of the time, it probably needs a bit of tweaking because we certainly aren't going to be able to beat it.

There's a couple areas that are a bit unfair I think, and it seems most of the reviews agree. While there is a solution to the 3 hole wall, I don't think the way it's implemented is very fair to the player. The graphics can make it really hard to discern the solution with the low res textures (not that I have a problem with the textures in general, just in this one specific part). It makes it too difficult to see the solution and react within a reasonable time frame unless you get really lucky. This could probably be solved by slowing down this area in some way so the player can see the textures up close a bit before smacking into the wall, even if you were to only slow down in this area.

The other big area I think needs some tweaking are the areas where there are tiny gaps you need to squeeze through on opposite ends in both the first and second area. For most of these there are times when it is unreasonable to make it to the other side due to the constant rotation of the path. Most of the time when I made this, I was partially clipped into the wall already which felt like I probably wasn't supposed to be doing this.

I few small areas that could be improved as well: If you hit an outer wall in the main game you just bounce off, but if you hit it in the tunnel you die. This doesn't feel quite right because sometimes due to the spinning of the path, you'll feel like you're drifting to one side and want to correct your path, but it will usually kill you. In the area with the wooden doors where you have to press the button, it doesn't make sense that you can ram into the button but nothing else in the game. If you're going to use this mechanic, it's probably best to present it to the player in an earlier area. It doesn't look like something you should be able to bounce off of so I can imagine a lot of people losing a run to this.

Starting back at the beginning every single time can be a really big pain, especially when you're trying to learn patterns. For example, the 3 hole puzzle was so hard to figure out because I only sometimes ran into it, and sometimes I would get pretty far into the path before it showed up, and for the first dozen runs I just figured it was a death sentence every time I saw it. I eventually gave up because I kept dying at the second round of rocks in the 3rd area and it would just take so long to do the first 2 areas every single time. Because of this, I never had a chance to learn the pattern and just got really frustrated.

Anyway, hope this essay was a fun read. Overall, I really enjoyed your game. Thanks for streaming our games! It was a blast watching your playthrough of my mostly mediocre entry :)

pomo 2021-05-01 12:16

Still upset about you know what. Thanks for submitting it! -PomoTheDog

sarajs 2021-05-01 12:42

@barelyevengames thanks for playing! I don't agree about the difficulty in general as I don't think everyone needs to be personally able to complete the game. However i do already agree about the nature of the 'puzzles' given they're so different conceptually to the rest of the game which is otherwise so honest about its challenges. I at one point planned a checkpoint style system but there wasn't ultimately enough content to merit it and I wasn't interested in guaranteeing everyone could eventually get through it. A future version might have it if the game grows though! Good effort on your attempts! ^_^

secretpocketcat 2021-05-03 15:35

Really neat, though I stopped playing 'cause of the long restart. If dying would just immediatelly jump to the point after the first block (which is like 10-15 s?) I would still be playing.

holtzzy223 2021-05-03 18:11

Fun stuff! really brutal some of those moving blocks! had some real fun though :)

dan-mcalister 2021-05-08 23:03

Great work! Love the presentation and atmosphere, the ominous audio mixed so well with the low-resolution 3d imagery. Could be a little frustrating, but a great experience overall!

cdunham 2021-05-16 08:42

Great game! Really hard but the collisions feel forgiving for the most part, there's a couple times I got about an inch away from the wall but didn't die. Having a score or % to the bottom would be cool, since I have no idea how close I came to it. Really enjoyed playing though!

bodamat 2021-05-18 15:17

Not a bad game, but would also good have a score to motivate continue playing. Graphics very good I think and music not distruct :smiley: