FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD50 → Live For Later Or Live For Now

Live For Later Or Live For Now

By khaotom

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall4033.2731
Fun5352.7330
Innovation1833.6031
Theme4353.3631
Graphics4763.0331
Audio314.0331
Humor4302.2429
Mood324.1231

Comments

maxr00 2022-04-04 06:16

Very surreal, love the sound design. I was a bit confused and wasn't really sure the reason for picking either or the consequences of it, but I feel like that may have been part of the point. Very experimental, good job!

mgear 2022-04-04 08:57

this must be art!

stephanttm 2022-04-04 15:34

Fantastically eerie, the sounds definitely fit the art they were attached too and made picking each choice feel like it's own experience! The bass pumping party was a fun one!

wogabi 2022-04-04 20:21

I loved it. Very existential. I could really relate to the main character. Am I crazy or were there a bunch of among us references?

moonblast 2022-04-04 21:14

A very experimental game with a special psychedelic philosophical quality.

2022-04-04 22:11

Well done! Delightfully depressing with excellent sound design.

cogcomp 2022-04-05 20:24

Got a Twin Peaks vibe off this. Not bad at all! It's very artsy and I would've needed a tiny bit more information to be able to interpret and appreciate it fully.

pierce-brooks 2022-04-05 20:45

Wonderful experience for audiophiles :) the free-handed MS Paint aesthetic is great too!

pkenney 2022-04-06 01:23

Such good use of the assets. The drawings themselves were simple but very evocative, and given the consistency of style throughout, I was really able to buy into the world depicted. The layers multi-layered pulsing background was also a really nice touch.

The sound was equally evocative. The preview from mouseover was a cool feeling of standing before the decision knowing what both meant and then choosing. I must be getting old... coming home from the club at 11pm but then staying up wasting time on the internet until 3am. What do the kids say these days? "I feel attacked?" ;)

You use a lot of synths in your games - are they soft synths, or do you have a hardware vice?

Very cool experience. I cheated and didn't hit the snooze button when I knew it was getting toward the end, and went for a walk in the forest instead. May the real end be so politely forecasted.

khaotom 2022-04-06 07:21

Thanks for all the kind words, I'm glad the hand drawn art wasn't too offensive.

@pkenney To answer your question about the music, in this game I used a combination. Most of the music was recorded from a hardware synth connected to a shimmer & octave delay pedal and then into a granular loop pedal. However the club music and the alarm clock were made in software. In previous games I used all software, but this time around I had finally learned how to make a decent setup and workflow for recording my hardware without losing to much time and focus.

shadow64 2022-04-06 09:06

Posted this same comment to itch because I thought that was this. Either way! Good jorb!

It was good. I died. :) Just like in real life I can play video james and look at tvs and check stonks. Very good. Would die again.

Also the music is top notch and it's a very effective concept. The design does a nice job of pulling you in and making you feel a real sense of dread as you make your way towards the inevitable. My second round was definitely more joyous though. :)

jk5000 2022-04-06 13:17

A little weird, but also pretty interesting. I especially like the use of music. Well done.

pdotjpg 2022-04-07 11:58

It's very nice to see LD entries that take a more experimental and personal route than the technical exercises or rough prototypes we mostly see (no shade - rough prototypes is I do in LD as well).

I love the aesthetic here. Both the sound and visuals are in a way really rough, but they also have a lot of personality and cohere into a very moody whole. I think it's also impressive how the game does not explain itself at all but still manages to be intuitive and gripping (I played for longer than I expected).

Definitely the most left-field entry I've seen, and one of my favourites. Great job.

jzucc12 2022-04-07 13:10

An unexpected experience for sure, but that is a good thing. Breaking the mold is nice.

olivier-millochau 2022-04-07 13:52

I always really like seeing more experimental entries rather than classical games, it's always a nice change of pace. The message is quite clear, I'd say you managed to convey your ideas, the soundscape is a hit.

Gratz on the submission !

gbgames 2022-04-09 02:35

The audio stole the show here. The music was very soothing, and the entire experience was meditative. At first I was frustrated by the slow pace and the alarm, but then I allowed myself to experience it fully.

The mechanic of choosing left or right reminded me of Reigns. I'm not sure what message it was trying to tell, nor could I tell if my choices had much of a consequence beyond my next set of choices, but I know I was making deliberate decisions each time. As the skulls appeared, I got the impression that death was inevitable. I danced. I skipped work to go out in Nature. I exercised. I played video games, but only sometimes when my alternative was to passively watch TV (I think? Maybe it was dance dance revolution?). I got a good night's sleep. I got up to enjoy the day instead of sleeping in. I ignored social media. I also ignored the incessant beeping of the alarm even as I watched the clock.

As the skulls added up and turned red, I made the decision to live life the way I always did.

And as I walk away from this game, I think about the decisions I make in actual life in contrast. Thanks.

hawkin 2022-04-09 13:35

I love a "choose your own adventure"! I really started to appreciate your style, musically and artistically. It was definitely unique. Keep leaning into that, and you'll keep making experiences like nobody else! Creating all that music sounds like it was a lot of fun! I'm jealous.

In the game, I started to lose track of how one decision lead to my next choices. It almost started to feel random, even though they matched to the time of day (not sure if that was intentional). I also didn't understand what the skulls meant at first. I guess I got them from partying too hard B) Or maybe that's the thing: no matter the choices you make, the end is inevitable. So live life!

Great experience, thank you!

fueelin 2022-04-12 07:24

Really loved the music! It creates a great atmosphere.

Side note: Congrats on getting a setup for recording your hardware that feels smooth and doesn't disrupt your process! I was hoping to take the same step this LD but didn't have enough time to set some things up pre-compo. Looking forward to finishing it out and taking this same step you did. It really paid off in the resulting music!

diego-escalante 2022-04-13 04:20

I feel like I learned something....

It was a good experience. Very surreal and the audio really aided in that. I did a couple of day cycles as these little skulls popped around; very evocative and I really wanted to know what they meant. Eventually they turned red. And a little later, the game was over? Did I die? I think I died. I like how unique this entry is. This was really good. Nicely done!

lletzgogames 2022-04-15 22:40

A very intriguing and surreal, yet timid and down to Earth experience. Definetely makes you think and reflect on your own choices. Love the great music and sound design. If indie game jam projects could ever become a school subject, this would definitely be one of the all-time philosophical marvels worshipped during the lessons.

lychee 2022-04-15 23:17

Very surreal feeling game but also interesting, I like that it looped endlessly and makes you think about all the ways your day can go depending on each choice you make. Good work!

shrillwhip 2022-04-18 13:19

Cool! I love stuff like this. Very immersive, surreal experience. I just wish there was more variety, especially since the assets were so minimalistic and simple. Either way, it was an interesting and unique game. Good job!

bigbazwa 2022-04-19 00:06

Really great music, very well done!