iguanana 2022-04-04 02:30
This game feels so intense. The music really fits the vibe, and the graphics are simple but great. Amazing job!
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD50 → Pass The Torch
By dan-smith
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 217 | 3.60 | 104 | |
| Fun | 582 | 2.51 | 105 | |
| Innovation | 230 | 3.49 | 105 | |
| Theme | 86 | 4.09 | 105 | |
| Graphics | 18 | 4.45 | 107 | |
| Audio | 38 | 3.98 | 104 | |
| Mood | 9 | 4.43 | 105 |
This game feels so intense. The music really fits the vibe, and the graphics are simple but great. Amazing job!
Amazing graphics with an ominous music to back it up. Really sets the mood. Good job!
@kewdev @iguanana Thanks, very kind of you!
The graphics are amazing. This feels like it would fit really well as a slower section in the third act of a long story-based game. It is really slow, though, which would fit well in a real game, but for a game jam it's just a bit annoying to play. I understand that the slowness is for emotional effect, but playing the game is just kind of a pain. I think this issue could have been remedied if there was some more mechanic to manage other than just holding D, for example a system where you have to ration food to the travelers.
Overall, though, great atmosphere. Definitely the best-looking game I've played so far.
I loved the visuals and atmosphere
Story, setting, and art are all on point for just 48 hours! I didn't have _fun_ playing it though. Definitely spend a little more time working on player experience in the future, but still this is an overall really nice piece!
Thanks for the entry!!
Very good entry, some "This War of Mine" vibes, as it is grim. The music that keeps getting more and more intense as you reach the end of the flame's existence is stressful! Thanks for this game, well made and narrated!
The scene design is really cool, especially the sonw storm animation. I would give a high score on mood
@dennis-magnusson @darandin Thanks and I agree with you both. Ended up going down the more artsy route for this, sacrificing a lot of the responsiveness and gamey elements to evoke more of a helpless, exhausting feeling. Won't be for everyone, ofcourse. Thanks for playing.
@kamikaziuk @kosmosael @myttz Thanks for the nice feedback
That was one of the moodiest games I've played. The ramping music, the super ethereal art and wind, and the way the children and old people slowly fall behind if the torch-bearer is an adult or a teen. It was a harrowing game, with a strong concept. The bleak world was interesting, the Torch and the bitter winter, I would've appreciated more worldbuilding in between stages.
The persistent characters was awesome. My first playthrough, I ended up losing almost all my tribe and then slowly died out as my remaining human got old and slow. You learn and adapt in this game, which I thought was interesting.
Definitely needs some work on the player-experience side of things. The primary loop is interesting, but I can see it getting a little repetitive. More interaction, more things for the player to do, more ways to make choices (maybe choosing who cares for the baby as well?), larger tribes. These are all things that would make this so much better.
As is, you've nailed the mood and the feel. So much potential here!
Wow, that’s quite an atmosphere here! I love the graphics and this music that takes to heart, it’s an intense experience. The game is perhaps slightly too slow but it is a superb work that was done, bravo
Great atmosphere. Nice job!
This is one of the best graphics I seen this time. Keep the good work!
Great game. I especially liked the aesthetics and sound, they manage to create a quite unique atmosphere. Congratulations! :smile:
This made me feel sad. But it's a nice piece of video game art. Good Job!
Really good game! The graphics, sound and atmosphere are great. You could easily forget that this is a LD entry and I could imagine this being a bigger story game.
Wow, the mood is amazing. The feeling of struggling to do even a couple meters in a terrible cruel universe is so well done! Music and graphics match perfectly, and I have this vibe of "adventure" and "curiosity" of what's going to happens, and is there a mistery hidden in this word ? Is there a way out ? I would definitely play a game like that with more content ! :D well done again
I really liked the mood of this game. Music, Graphics, Gameplay, it all fit together very well. Good job!
really simple input mechanic belies some interesting details here. feels like a perfectly distilled version of the tactical team survival subgenre. i feel like being able to select the torch bearer with the number keys or something would feel more intuitive for me than having to move my hand to the mouse.
@steve-dragon Thanks for the feedback, I'd defo have implemented more direct gameplay had I had the time.
@skalv @rafael-garcez @gabriel-dias-oliveira-de-almeida @hechi @homineludens @jni @tyrannas @kazuren Wow thanks folks, didn't expect such nice feedback!
@scalliondelight Thanks for the kind words, there's a bunch of QoL and additional features (like number key selection and more decisions) that would have made it if wasn't for the 48hr rush xD
Very good game, amazing graphics, fits perfectly on the theme. I lasted 44 months, but most of it I shouted at the children to go faster :smile:
What a harrowing game! Quite the experience. Simple concept but it made me feel things. Absolutely nailed the theme better than any game I've played yet. Art and sound worked in concert with the story and thematic elements to make it that much more powerful. Very fine work.
The graphics and audio really created a nice mood!
Great graphics and song, loved the theme but found the gameplay a bit confusing to understand at first. Also have some minor issues with the font you choose, it works fine on the UI when the game begins, but was a bit hard to read in the introduction
Visuals and mood are quite great. The game itself was a bit too slow paced.
Loved the mood, visuals and music, I felt the pressure to not die :D Great concept and execution, good job!
epic setting, really intense game, i feel it. loved the aesthetic
Wow. I love the mood on this one-the graphics and audio come together to give a very tense atmosphere that grips onto players. The concept of the game itself is simple, but the presentation of the game help gives it life. However, the game *does* suffer on the gameplay side slightly. While the idea of having to choose who to leave behind and who to keep around works well with this concept and story, and the slow pace (literally) of the gameplay forces you to have to maintain your difficult choices for a period of time before they actually happen (such as gradually moving away from an elderly man who's moving too slow for the crowd, until he gets far enough away from the light and will die)) makes the game very downcast mood wise. On another note, I found it slightly funny when there was only one child in the group and absolutely no one was grabbing his hand or anything to make him fend for himself. Something about that was kind of just amusing, and admittedly offputting considering the tone of the game. Overall, though, exceptional work!
Great overall mood of this game, creates a unique atmosphere. Well done :)
its mind blowing what you managed to make in this time frame, its veey very innovative along with good gameplay, I have never seen anything like it.
it is quite an intense experience having to choose who to leave behind and then go forward with those choices, it absolutely goes with the theme.
and i dont even need to mention how good the art it
Thank you for making this game.
Great mood, intense, I didn't manage to let the child die, so... nobody survive... :'( Simple concept but amazing work on it ! Well done !
What a FANTASTIC idea!!? I loved the mood, the graphics, the audio suited the game perfectly. You nailed it!
WOW The graphics and mood of this game are insane. 5/5 all around this game is amazing
Wow, very nice game. The atmosphere is mesmerizing, I love games about fighting with nature. It’s a pity there are problems with randomness: already in the second race, all my adults (including daughter who just grew up) became old and I could do nothing but watch the defeat. But the mood of the game is still cool, great job!
Very interesting ! love the mood and the storytelling ! good job !
Rushing through life, rushing through the day, quickly this and quickly that, all the game jams awaiting to be played. And then I start "Pass the torch" ... Wow! Intense. Makes me think. ... No words. Impressive presentation (music and graphics and effects). Very fitting the theme. Great! My only mini comment, and that is taste wise: I think another font would better fit the theme, some handwritten, serif. The 8 bit to me feels out of place. One other thing: When the light went out, I did not understand why. I did not have any indication, at least I did not notice any, before-hands, so I could plan. Besides that: My highest rating, except for fun. It is not fun, it is emotional deep. P.S.: Thank you for providing the code. I am curious and will have a look to learn.
Beautiful game! I found it similar to The Banner Saga. Music and Graphics are super fitting and I feel like the gameplay has a lot of potential. I found however, that it was very difficult on level two, to keep the kid alive, as he was very slow. I wish there was some kind of morale booster or something to speed up everyone for a time, and maybe a way to swap who is carrying the baby or even to leave the baby behind. Also I always left the old people behind no matter what, as it is impossible to make it to the end with an old person.
Amazing Atmosphere!
Very cool game! I love the art and audio you put together to create the atmosphere, which was executed really well!
Great atmosphere.
Incredible presentation. Well polished, a great experience. Good job.
How depressing D': you did such a fantastic job with the atmosphere really well done! great submission and on point with the theme
Very intense gameplay and experience, wow ! The storyline is sad but the atmosphere is great. An exceptional submission !
Great feel, fits the theme very well. I felt bad leaving the old people behind :( Really good job!!
Love the graphics
Love the look of this, you really captured something with that constant droning drum sound :sweat_smile:
Really love the musical cascade that occurs the further out it goes!
The gameplay is a bit lacking, but I felt it's a part of the experience, the fact that you have almost no option other than walking gives a feeling of powerlessness that matches perfectly the mood of the game. It's not really pleasant and maybe a bit long sometimes, but really interesting nonetheless. And the graphics are amazing.
Stunning presentation, it really conveys the feeling of struggle and hopelessness.
Going into this LD, I couldn't bring myself to tell a story around the theme because it was way too depressing. Glad to see you leaned into it like that and produced something remarkably beautiful. The atmosphere and graphics are amazing and the music fits the atmosphere very well. For me it was one of the most beautiful games I have seen so far. A haunting experience.
As much as I loved the experience, I felt as a game it was a little lacking, and I couldn't figure out how to play it well, even though I really tried to get a grasp on it. So maybe there were some hidden mechanics I did not understand, but even though I tried multiple runs, I couldn't get to round 4, but getting to round 3 was fairly simple. So there was not really a difficulty ramp between the outcomes.
So what I thought happened was that I started out with three adults, one of which carried a baby. So the first day was pretty easy and everyone survived. In round two, the baby turned into a kid and there was a new baby. During the round, based on chance, one of the adults grew old before reaching the hut and had to be left behind, but the other survived. So round 2 was doable, but only if I sacrificed the kid, who was too slow to reach the hut. So when round 3 started, I only had one adult and a second kid because the baby grew up. But in order to survive that round, I had to sacrifice the kid, so round 4 would have been the last one, but I couldn't reach it because the adult turned into an elderly and did not make it. So the crucial point was that I could keep my lineage alive if the kid survived round 2, which I never accomplished, or to barely drag myself across the finish line in round 3, but that did not happen either. Maybe there is a way to get to round 4 with enough luck, as I saw there are some RNG elements to the game, but that did not happen to me.
Going into gameplay, I was wondering what the torch passing mechanic was supposed to do. From what I could see, there was no advantage or disadvantage in passing the torch. Handing it backwards would not change anything about the progress because the receiver would have to catch up to the former carrier. Despite the game being about the unavoidable death of the group, I think it would have been great if there was a little more control about how the game played out. Managing travel speed or torch longevity through some player decision might have made the game more intense, like maybe keeping closer to the torch would speed you up but made you age faster so you would have to balance your characters' position more. Some decision making during the rest period could have given the game some additional depth. Maybe you could decide to stay longer in order to fill up the torch more, but at the risk of your people getting too old.
Specifically I would have liked if the kid was able to turn into a teen while walking (just like the adult turns into an elderly), because that would have given me the last minute speed boost I needed to have my offspring survive.
Anyway, these shortcomings don't take away from the fact that you have an amazing grasp of atmosphere and created a haunting, wistful thing of beauty that truly stands out among what LD usually has to offer.
Great job!
First off, congrats on your first game jam submission! It's really tough to create a full experience in such a short amount of time. And honestly it's extremely impressive what you've made here in that timeframe.
I really loved the visuals. Mixed with the ominous music it really added so much power to the mood and is probably the most stand out thing for me here. Even though there wasn't as much in the way of gameplay the idea of passing on the torch to continue the journey is a really nice touch that to me is more story than gameplay. Being able to see who was traveling with you really added to the sense that making it out together was just as important as making it out alive yourself.
Amazing game!
Wow amazing game. Very difficult but the gameplay mechanics are ultra unique, and you were able to tailor them pretty nicely. It'd be cool to think about how this idea could be expanded on! Great work!!!
Bold choice for a game jam game where most are more arcadey and fast. Obviously great visuals and theme. Great job!
OMG. Excellent mood. The gameplay is not very exciting, but due to the idea, visuals and sounds, the game feels like 10/10!!!
Graphisms are very good, really depicts the apocalyptical world. cool idea, keeping the torch alive is a great metaphor for surviving. Gameplay wise, the game is slow paced but immersive, I don't know if there are specific strategies to be able to keep as much survivors as possible, I feel like there is not other option than sacrificing the elders for example.
Great game ! The gameplay is really interesting and the graphics are amazing.
Good job for making it, especially with a game this good :slight_smile:
Great game and great use of the theme! :smile: I liked the tension but damn are the characters slow :joy:
You did a great job, the game is very beautifull, but i think the music was not really accurate with the ambiance
Beautiful art and music. Gameplay is interesting but a bit slow. Mood is spot on.
Wow it is a really interesting game! I love it! The art is cool. I can't believe you have done it for 2 days! And Post processing is great) Music also really good and it do the cool game mood. Story really deep. Game play is really unusual. But it is really slow. So I can play in slow games, but it is really unfair that you haven't any saves((( So I failed when Max has born and it was the end for me because in a first time it is a challenge to survive. But to reapeat a distance - it is quite boring. But still awesome! Very well!
You already had great feedback, I can't add much. Great atmosphere and music, wonderful visual style, but little fun. I think the children move too slowly, you need them to survive in later stages but you can't get to later stages if you wait for them. That's what happened in my playthroughs at least. The concept is really cool but definitely needs more mechanics and balancing. Nice job!
beautiful art and the music fit the mood perfectly. Incredible tone and atmosphere, but not a big fan of exposition dump at the beginning and I felt the mechanics could be more fun. I couldn't find anything to do besides walk right, and at a very slow pace, and still having to stop for the others.