FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD54 → The Giant's Globe

The Giant's Globe

By jvdwijk, parasite210, DavidDee, Traxx186, Jamjamem, Korcalius and NightyDavid

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall6743.4570
Fun5933.4170
Innovation2933.6870
Theme9153.0871
Graphics6143.5571
Audio4493.3863
Humor5003.0359
Mood6543.4366

Comments

mushboom 2023-10-02 22:22

Simple & effective

qaolin 2023-10-02 22:49

Hi, "cool" looking game xD i like the limited mechanics, fits the theme

scottgamer28 2023-10-02 22:57

Nice game I suck at platformers tho so struggled way too much

philwonder 2023-10-03 01:55

Cool mechanic. Nice music and sound. Quite challenging.

amberfall92 2023-10-03 02:44

Gorgeous thumbnail. Pulled me right in! I'm not very good at platformers though, so I struggled a bit with the levels.

cat-lab 2023-10-03 02:48

Nice and simple, very polished. I wasn't sure if there was music until I cranked my browser volume way up, and loved the music, too! Great entry!

deppong 2023-10-03 02:48

very challenging! But overall I think the concept is interesting and makes for a nice puzzle platformer!

rorried 2023-10-03 02:48

Cool mechanic! The audio was really quiet and there was no way to turn that up as far as I could see. I would love to see how this develops more in the future. Loved the art style!

jamjamem 2023-10-03 06:41

There actually is an audio slider in the menu, sadly you need to do that before you start the actual game since we forgot the feature to access menu mid game :cry:

fendri 2023-10-03 07:16

I'm stuck on lvl 2 :( Yet it was a nice polish game, dialogs are very cool !

osh-studio 2023-10-03 08:24

I like the idea of having the abilities pickup-able and clearing them through each gate, it makes the platforming also a puzzle as well. Well done :)

soul-grinder 2023-10-03 10:32

Great take on the theme and an interesting puzzle mechanic for a platformer. The music and sound effects should be set to 100% by default imo. It was only until I read other peoples' comments that I found out there was audio on the game, which sounded good too. Good game and fun to play.

digital-bacon 2023-10-03 10:42

Nice game. Interesting mechanics, good graphics and sound. Well done.

barbabulle 2023-10-03 10:44

Really liked the mechanic! Great mood and interesting twist on a plattformer!

jamjamem 2023-10-03 11:11

@soul-grinder yeah the game was originally too loud and suddenly it became silent, hopefully we can fix it soon :pray:

owc 2023-10-03 12:28

I liked the idea of sequential activation of abilities, and the grandfather also looks extremely cute. I would just like a little more smoothness from the controls. But in any case, it was very interesting to play, thanks!

rainssong 2023-10-03 13:48

like the concept, but failed on lvl 2

kepsert 2023-10-03 14:13

Hi!

Thank you for your submission! First of all, the controls were very responsive, always a good thing! I also really liked the way to scroll through the different levels, nicely set up (even though at some point I jumped out of a level where I probably wasn't supposed to and ended up going back a level). The graphics are generally nice, but I feel like there was a lack of variation in the inner tileset, making it feel really repetitive (repeated pattern, so it makes sense). Besides that, based on the graphics I've seen throughout the game, I feel like there's a mismatch between how the artist intended tiles/assets to be used in the grand scheme of things vs how the level designers used them. The player character was very nice.

As for the game concept itself; I think it was really smart! Picking up your mechanics as you went and especially the part where you could pick them up in different orders but ALSO the fact that you have to use both before you get back to the first one. Unfortunately I didn't get to finish the game, (I might go back) but I'm hoping at some point there are levels with duplicate mechanics (jump dash jump for example).

Congrats!

amedea 2023-10-03 16:16

I really liked the idea of the strategic use of the abilities picked up, forced by the order they are. Great art and great sound, maybe the animations could be smoother :)

sbeif 2023-10-03 16:19

I really like the idea of building your skillset, although it didn't give me the "limited space" feel, since it's actually limited by what you find in the level, rather than what you can "equip". Nevertheless the idea is great, it just needs a bit more polish (for example I got stuck between tiles while falling next to a wall a couple of times, the two platforms that are not synchronized and you have to wait for them without doing anything, the skill audio that lags a bit behind the skill activation) but it works well

braktheman 2023-10-03 16:49

The puzzle design mechanics are very smart and the forcing of using the pickups in order is pretty unique. While responsive, I do wish the platforming was a bit more polished, but I think the challenging platforming is fitting for this type of game. Still, I ended up tapping out before the end because my platforming skills just aren't where they used to be. The concept definitely has some promise. Keep up the good work!

jamjamem 2023-10-03 19:41

@amedea definitely have to agree that the animations could have been smoother. Sadly had to rush since this was my first jam soloing all art. Also want to point out there is a great part of my work not even showcased in the game, since the concept was a lot bigger than what ended up finished for the game jam. Wished I had known earlier that the concept wouldn't be fully worked out so I could've focused more on the quality of what ended up showcased, but I guess that is one of the sad limitations of having to prioritize the time you have in a Game Jam.

jamjamem 2023-10-03 19:43

@sbeif I want to add that you're completely right and guessed our original concept! The concept was as you got further you would be limited in what you could equip, and you'd have to drop abilities and make sure you had the right ones to solve the puzzles ahead. Sadly never made it to the game though. :cry:

jamjamem 2023-10-03 19:45

*Also want to give a big thank you for all the comments and constructive criticism, really helps getting a different set of eyes on something you've stared yourself blind with for 72 hrs!*

falestress 2023-10-03 21:47

a bit difficult, I'm bad at puzzle games x) Cool mechanic ! Very nice game ! Good job team ! :D

fusionnist 2023-10-04 00:24

Good work! A solid challenge, with good visuals and tunes to accompany. I'm not the greatest as these games but with some help it worked out ;)

branquelo 2023-10-04 02:11

I liked the art and the gameplay, but it's a little bit difficult. In Overall, it's a pretty great game!

veridis 2023-10-04 02:32

Neat idea, simple and streamlined i just wish i could get to the bits i messed up faster!

vera-babchenko 2023-10-04 04:35

Funny game! I liked the mechanic that the functions of the spacebar change depending on the selection of the cube! Interesting!

nuin 2023-10-04 05:04

lol great end screen, creative game <3

zomk 2023-10-04 08:00

The main mechanic is so interesting. It would be cool if you somehow didn't have to wait for the platforms if you made a mistake, as it got frustrating pretty quickly. But overall it was a fun game with beautiful art and music ^^

azokal 2023-10-04 11:09

I like the concept. Nice !

yurain33 2023-10-04 15:10

Nice game! I like it

jvdwijk 2023-10-04 16:53

@nuin thank you haha, we had plans for a real end screen buuut we were already running out of time there as is. There will be a better one for the final version!

jvdwijk 2023-10-04 16:54

@zomk thank you for your feedback! We had planned that restarting the level would also restart the platforms. This, and streamlining the platforms by synching them should hopefully improve this frustration in the post jam version!

skvader-418 2023-10-04 18:27

You guys managed to get alot done in the few hours you had. I remember playing the playtester version, a MASSIVE improvement!. I liked the puzzle aspect of the game, and the level design was good. I didn't experience any major bugs, however the movement can be janky, I always got slightly stuck inside a wall or platform. Controls were smooth and simple. And the music was decent aswell.

euler-moises 2023-10-05 12:43

Good game. I remembered a lot of platform games I played in the 80s/90s. There is a problem with the hitbox on the walls. I don't know if it was intentional (some kind of catch common in platform games), but it got in the way a lot. It interferes with the reflex response time for the next action.

Congratulations for the game! :)

fabula-rasa 2023-10-05 17:16

I really liked the aesthetics, the whole blue-icy look really works. The animations on the main bum hero are also nice. The whole concept with powers you execute in order is very interesting and makes the game a pleasure to figure out.

The platforming elements were, at least to my limited platforming skills, challenging :smile:

The only bug I noticed is the possibility of getting stuck on the platform edge. Screenshot_6.jpg

jerem-watts 2023-10-06 12:25

I certainly had a lot of fun with this one. You guys did an amazing job~✨ https://youtu.be/wZGB4C8fQVk

sacramentix 2023-10-06 18:44

Good game really fun beat it in 8:32 on my first attempt

notdepressedeveloper 2023-10-06 18:57

I truly appreciate the thoughtful idea of opening sound settings first, it's a great touch. The level designs and sound effects are also wonderful

tsjost 2023-10-06 19:43

"_yay I finally made it across after many attempts, woooo!!!_" he said while counting his chickens before they hatched.

https://clips.twitch.tv/DifficultCrowdedGoatCurseLit-Vcc3hYsINTvi3aJ_ [AT-cm%7CaFZ2kFXHN4WLCDU74t2ifw-social-preview.jpg](https://clips.twitch.tv/DifficultCrowdedGoatCurseLit-Vcc3hYsINTvi3aJ_)

toooony 2023-10-06 20:35

Like the 2d art style! The gameplay is so innovative! but it is a bit difficult for me. Overall a very fun game.

wendel-scardua 2023-10-08 14:14

\*reading the comments\* ... oh, I thought the theme was being used as "**limited** functions for the **space** key" 😅

Just finished it; one thing that I liked was having to discover stuff while playing - like the way that white block (snow?) dampens the jump but not the dash, so that staircase full of them becomes not so trivial (but I still lost much time on that last step because I kept trying to jump over the last white block 😅), or the way the order of the functions matter in one other screen (and that we can manipulate said order).

One thing I felt was missing is some tracks to tell the path of the moving platforms; sometimes I was misjudging the way a platform would go.

javasaurus 2023-10-08 19:11

I really enjoyed this game, short, snappy and simple ! Controls were a bit floaty but it is an ice-world after all so that's just perfect. I really like the puzzle aspect of getting skill in the right order, but it might have been nice to have more options than just 2 skills. Then again ,it is a jam and this definitely is one of the better puzzle games I've seen, thank you for making this !

notinatal 2023-10-09 17:59

I really like the concept of this game, actually feels like something that I expect from game jams. The controls and movement might seem a little bit clunky, but that's only my opinion, to be honest, I enjoyed the whole game and might speedrun it later (how tf does someone get 2:40 on this???)

Great entry. Glad I finally managed to play it.

lachlan-james 2023-10-10 11:31

Hey, this was cool! I interpreted it as well as being 'limited use of the space key', but the theme connection does feel like it could have been laid out a little more explicitly. Puzzles and art were cool. I found the dialogue at the start a little hard to get around (felt a bit disconnected to me) but I'm curious to learn more about Mink and his world.

Controls were solid (if a little floaty), and the mechanics were interesting with the rotating abilities. Good submission!

fupi 2023-10-11 16:08

Oh what a cool mechanic! The levels that utilized it to its more puzzle-y potential were my favorite. Speedrunning after my first attempt was really fun, though I was confused on why I couldn't submit my second, better score to the scoreboard? Feels a bit weird to focus a game around speedrunning but only on your first attempt ever. I also thought the moving platforms were a bit too numerous and slow, especially given how the game is oriented to speedrunning. Regardless, I had a lot of fun and saw major potential in this idea! I can only imagine what kind of zany abilities and combinations this could inspire, especially if you followed more the route of a slower-paced puzzle game, where you actually have to think about the order of the abilities you get. Good job!

Captura de tela 2023-10-11 130820.png

aaln 2023-10-14 12:35

Hello I'm terrible at challenging platformer games, especially when you have to get the timing this right (but maybe it's normal difficulty here, I'm not a gamer), hence I will comment on what I could saw. Literally, since I will mostly write about the graphics. Before this, I'm saying right now how great is the music.

Cool artworks are double-edged: on the one hand there are swell previews catching the eye, on the other hand all the rest has to be on the same level, or at least coherent (I think it's frequent to have elaborate graphics and minimalistic interface, but combined in a natural way). So I felt a big contrast between the artwork and the main menu, which looks more appropriate to a game with simple graphics and few but vivid colours. I rather expected some background of a snowy forest for example instead of this shade of blue.

Granted, your artwork is visibly pixels, but the "refined-pixel" kind, so in comparison the font of the menu seems sludgy. Thankfully, the game style itself fits more, even if tile repetition is very visible. I was not expecting a plaformer, but with this artwork (yes, again with this artwork), I would expect more different tiles and some useless decorations. As it is, this game has all the technical elements, but it looks bare.

Advice: more feedbacks. For the use of abilities there are the nice woosh sounds, but it would also be a nice detail if there was sound when you land on a ground. And also sound when you pick up a module and when you lose them through these portals: it seems rather important to notice. So, it's about audio feedback, but you could also consider particle feedbacks: nothing fancy, but small specks appearing are strong at suddenly improving the visual.

For the dialog at the beginning, I strongly discourage various font sizes to fit the text box. This text box could really have improvements, even if it's not your priority. This is the kind of small details you think last (because it's more important to have a solid structure), but like a lot of things it may create a lot of differences in how we player perceive the game.

Finally, maybe my most important issue: the level-design is built around the module mechanism, but graphically the modules seem more a bug than a feature. The way there are shown is no different than if you could freely swap between your abilities. It bothered me so much that at first I did not understand it was the point. The icons, small and at the top of the screen, are not as visible as they should for a core mechanism. Maybe they should be somehow around the character? And I imagine links between them to give the idea of a succession you have to go through.

Level-design-wise there seems to be a lot of thought given (I noticed at the first level how platforms appear when you go back), but graphics have room for improvement. (Bias of mine? After all I didn't advance that much.)

jvdwijk 2023-10-14 16:39

@fupi Thank you for playing our game and for the feedback! I have to say, I was kinda confused after reading about your score bug, but after trying stuff out I got some good news. We do still update your improved score, but we do so with the username of your first run, so you don't have to click submit again :)

We also agree on the moving platforms, in our post jam this issue will have been improved by aligning the platforms, making them a bit faster and resetting them on death or restart!

fupi 2023-10-14 16:56

@jvdwijk Ohh! Ok, yeah I was confused when I didn't see another send button. x) But good to know it was updated

cataclysmicknight 2023-10-16 22:18

Whew, this gets harder ​as it goes for sure 😅 It's a clever idea for a game where your spacebar uses whatever ability is next (in order of picking them up), and if I were better at games I would likely have a much better time with it 🤣 But as it is, it's super unique, clever, and interesting for sure!

jamjamem 2023-10-17 00:34

@aaln Thank you for the feedbacks on the artwork. It's actually funny that you mention the difference from the main menu versus the actual game as our audio composer created the dialogue/menu assets. I definitely agree on the lacking of tiles, this was due to poor time management since we had planned 3 whole worlds, so I had to decide my time to all 3 world's, while I should've focused on only the frozen world, since there wasn't time to code for more than 1 world! Thank you very much for your feedback!

jvdwijk 2023-10-17 09:53

@fupi I just realised I didn't comment on the art you posted as well, amazing!!!!

kanity 2023-10-17 21:17

I like that it is a platformer, one of my favourite genres ^^ The cover for the game is just stunning! The visuals in game are nice and consistent. Main character's design heavily reminded me of Junkrat from Overwatch xD The gameplay mechanic with picking up abilities and having them activated in order was pretty interesting. The game felt a bit hard for me personally as I constantly underjumped xD

aurailus 2023-10-19 16:44

This is a fantastic little puzzle platformer! I had a lot of fun playing, the art is cool, the music is soooooo good, and the design of the puzzles is really well done. I enjoyed having to find your abilities each level, it made them all feel really unique and interesting. Great job!!

itsboats 2023-10-20 05:40

still needs a bit of polish, but the mechanics and puzzles are very good! I just wish i could have collected those orbs xD