delunado 2025-04-08 06:41
Loved it! Super polished and detailed for just 72 hours, haha. The levels are well desgined, the room of the moving blocks was quite a challenge. Found the 50 coins. Good job!
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD57 → Depth Delver
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 260 | 3.76 | 42 | |
| Fun | 125 | 3.87 | 42 | |
| Innovation | 482 | 3.17 | 42 | |
| Theme | 438 | 3.68 | 42 | |
| Graphics | 365 | 3.82 | 42 | |
| Audio | 280 | 3.56 | 41 | |
| Humor | 346 | 3.03 | 41 | |
| Mood | 465 | 3.52 | 42 |
Loved it! Super polished and detailed for just 72 hours, haha. The levels are well desgined, the room of the moving blocks was quite a challenge. Found the 50 coins. Good job!
Had a good time with this overall. I like the various platforming mechanics involving the whip and how they're explored. Unfortunately my experience was hurt somewhat by quite significant performance issues - the game frequently stuttered to the point I started to get a headache and had to stop playing.
Disregarding performance, my critical feedback for this game is regarding the controls. They're not terrible by any means, but they could stand to improve quite a bit: - It was frustrating to not be able to switch direction in midair. - The whip takes maybe an awkwardly amount of time to trigger, which makes midair timings difficult. - Hitting things with the whip seems to briefly freeze the game, particularly when hitting breakable blocks. It's possible this is just another artifact of the performance issues I was having, though. - The hitboxes for the hooks you can launch off with the whip are frustratingly small. - The last room I made it to before I had to stop was one with two moving blocks I was supposed to hold onto. I was unable to grab the second one - I would simply clip right through it and fall back down (often on top of an arrow, to my chagrin). I'm sure I could have eventually got it to work if I'd kept at it for long enough, but it's something to look into.
Nice work on this. I think with some polish/touch-ups this could be quite a fun little Metroidvania.
Extraordinarily charming short game. Very fluid movement mechanic with the whip, and loved the wall cling mechanic upgrade in the second half. Checkpoints were well-placed, music matched the aesthetic well. Only thing I missed is a functionality for the coins... wondering if there was something I missed or if the coins really were just for show. In my opinion, everything in a game should have a functional purpose (which doesn't necessarily have to be mechanical - for example, unlocking lore entries in games isn't mechanical but many pursue it out of curiosity). Also, there was a bit of a bug with the wall cling - if you were holding down a movement direction in air while trying to whip-cling, you could phase through the moving platforms. Fortunately I figured out what was causing it, but I could imagine some might miss that and be unable to complete the game. But that is a small issue, overall the game is very well made and that was just one little detail.
seems to be broken!
@python-b5 @team-9tailed Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it! Sorry about that physics bug, noticed it at the very end but ran out of time to fix. Just uploaded a post-jam bug fix version that addresses this issue.
@python-b5 Sorry to hear about the performance, I had no idea! The game is made in a new custom engine I'm working on, so this is a good reminder for me to focus on optimizing it. From what you describe, seems maybe spawning the gib effect when the blocks/arrows explode is causing lag? The room you ended on was basically the last room, so you didn't miss much. Thanks for playing so far in spite of those difficulties!
@infecsean Are you referring to the physics bug some others have mentioned, or is something else broken?
@python-b5 Think I might've figured out what was causing that performance issue. Basically those gibs were doing a bunch of unnecessary physics check. Pushed a fix to the post-jam bug fix version. If you have a minute, could you let me know if that actually improved it? No need to play the whole thing, just wanted to know if it worked.
@superpokeunicorn The 1.1 .zip on the itch page is only 22 bytes in size, and seems not to contain any files. Could the upload have gone wrong, somehow? I'll be sure to give the game another shot once I get my hands on the new version!
@python-b5 Whoops, my bad. Should be fixed now.
oh it seems like just a problem only i am having, maybe it has something to do with my graphics driver or something but it's just a black screen. I'll just rate based on the gifs but seems fun and polished!. bug.png
@superpokeunicorn I think 1.1 is at least a bit of an improvement, but I am still getting quite heavy stuttering, mainly in rooms with many entities (the large room adjacent to the one you collect the wall jump upgrade in is the worst offender). I did make it through the game this time, though - clipping through walls is still an issue, but I was able to stay far enough away before whipping this time that I could make it through the room I was stuck in.
@python-b5 Dang, really thought I fixed that clipping issue, I'll take another look. And I'm gonna test on an old laptop to see if I can't narrow down that performance issue. Anyway, thanks for testing!
@infecsean Oh no, Haven't seen that one before. I'll see if I can reproduce it on another machine. No need to rate the game if it wouldn't boot up.
Game (v. 1.1.) did not start on my Windows 11 computer.
Obligatory victory screen:
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Cool beans! It's like a micro Metroidvania... a Microvania! I like the character designs, especially the wall traps spitting their arrows. I just wish there was more! You can pick up certain hidden coins just by standing real close to the blocks they're hiding behind, btw. :D
Really awesome platformer! The game feels great to control, and the map captures the metroidvania feel while still being simple enough that you won't be lost for too long. I really loved the way the whip served as a multi-purpose tool for both combat and movement, and the whip movement abilities were extremely fun, both the grapple points and the wall cling. The moving block room was probably the highlight, very tricky in a satisfying way. Thanks for the game!
really fun platforming! Wall cling mechanic was fun to play around with. Level design felt intuitive as well!
Doesn't launch for me, both versions
The art and audio of this game made a charming experience! If I had to give one point of feedback it would be the choice of jump being on x was unintuitive. I kept finding myself pressing the up arrow then getting hurt because I didn't actually jump.
Your game seems great, but it's not working on my computer. The background is visible, I can hear sounds, but all the objects are invisible
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I'm a big fan of games with deliberate/limiting movement & combat mechanics, like NES Castlevania & La-Mulana; so I was very happy to see that kind of thing here & I respect your choice in doing it.
I played on v1.1 & didn't have any issues on my PC, although I did spot a bug where getting killed mid-whip (I think?) would allow me to stay alive on 0 hearts.
I think the layout & checkpoint placement was great & I never got frustrated or confused about where to go or what to do; whipping enemies off the screen was very satisfying too.
As it stands, the whip's attack frame does feel like it lasts just a little too long, although it feels fine when in the air - I think this might be due to the fact that you retain some ability to move left & right when whipping in the air; maybe it'd help if you had similar very-slow movement control when whipping on the ground.
The difficulty/level design was pretty good, although I think a couple of the platforming challenges were a little tight / felt like they were designed for a game with more fluid movement. The wall-jump section with the two arrow shooters either side was kinda tight, although I really liked the room itself & the way you could get to different areas from it.
I also thought the arrow shooter at the bottom of the moving platform section just served to bother you while you waited for your chance to grab the moving block.
Despite these little nitpicks, I had a good time playing this & got my 50 coins.
Very good. I love the look and feel of the game. Reminiscent of the adventure games of my youth, while having much more polished modern mechanics. I made it to the end too.
I remember seeing a blog post you put on this game, great to see it finished :) I love how lively and springy everything looks even with such a simple colour pallette, and the music fits right in. The game can be a bit frustrating at times but has some nice level design to fit the mechanics. It's sad that you couldn't beat it before the bug fix due to the physics bug but otherwise really great little game!
Very nice entry! Really nailed the all-around package. The graphics, sound, music, and the overall gameplay really created a nice retro vibe. But the character controls were well done and fair, and I felt like my failures were my own fault, which was pretty important in a game like this. I'll admit I did do a lot failing! That repetition (darn room with moving blocks and the arrow at the bottom!!) was key to nailing the retro feel, but the checkpoints were totally reasonable and kept me from feeling totally wrecked by fails.
Great job!
look charming, but the chracter its invisible to me =/ very sad
really charming little platformer! Getting the wall cling upgrade was a nice surprise, although the inability to change direction midair made it a bit hard to use at times. great work!
Pixel Indiana Jones is what I needed
Super charming and well-crafted! Loved the whip mechanics and level design—felt retro in all the best ways. Some polish on controls and performance, and this could really shine even brighter!
Can't start the game on Windows 11, even with admin rights. Please tag me once it's fixed — I'd love to play and rate your game!
as @goiaba-games said, same here too: i dont see the player (i just hear sound etc.)
Same here, game doesn't open on windows 11
Just tested the 2 versions on my W11 computer and none of them are working :sob:
Ran the game on Linux through WINE, worked like a charm. I did have some freezing when attacking the breakable blocks - not sure if that's hitstop, but it doesn't seem to pause the physics (the character would appear lower as if gravity wasn't paused). Besides that, this game was extremely well done. I loved the unique mechanics using the whip. Doing consecutive jumps on the hooks or consecutive walljumps was difficult, but very satisfying. I think these mechanics can definitely be combined and expanded on. The art was also extremely charming and expressive. I loved the little bat guy.
Really impressed that this is your own engine as well. Great work!
@keeta Thanks! There is about 5 frames of impact where the dirt shakes before it breaks, so maybe that's what you're describing? Could also be a performance issue, someone else mentioned something similar. Should looks like it does in the gif above. Gonna be investigating some of the bugs people have been reporting over the weekend, so hopefully I can figure out what's wrong. Thanks for playing and providing feedback!
@infecsean @martta @goiaba-games @batthecat @dreo @neowhoru @friend-pirozhok @jacky-san
Hey all, thanks so much for reporting these bugs! Haven't been able to reproduce any of these locally, so would really appreciate your help if you have the time. First, run Event Viewer. If you're on windows it should already be installed:
image.png
In Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs -> Application. Now try to run my game. Then look at event viewer and see if a .NET Runtime error popped up. Should look something like this. If it does, please copy paste the log message from this box and send it to me (make sure to scroll down to get it all). Should be able to use that info to figure out what's going on.
Untitled.png
This should work for those of you who can't launch the game at all. Not sure if it will work for those who simply can't see the sprites. Whatever the case, you can message me on Discord at SuperPokeunicorn or email me at vazquez.eli@gmail.com and we can trouble shoot it. Thank you so much for your patience!
@infecsean @martta @goiaba-games @batthecat @dreo @neowhoru @friend-pirozhok @jacky-san
Update: thanks to a fellow jammer sending me their error log, I was able to figure out the issue. Turns out it was caused by the system language setting. I just uploaded an update to the 1.1 build which should fix the issue. Thank you all again for reporting these bugs 🙏
Not long ago I played the new Indiana Jones game (was a blast) So was this, altough your game was 3 times as difficult, haha.
What I really liked about your game was the simplicity, yet smoothness in your gameplay. You made a mini metroidvania which was really cool to see. I found the platforming to be rather hard sometimes, but nothing unplayable. The pixel art was "simple" but smooth, specially in the animations.
Love how your game turned out. And props to you for finishing it!
The graphics and sound effects were on point, but I thought the window that the whip existed was too short, which made grappling on to the grappling points quite difficult, especially when you are jumping.
The controls could have had some care like others said, but I had fun!
The game was so pleasant and fun that I wanted a second run, to get all the coins :grin: all.png
Very cohesive experience, the graphics, music, player movement everything plays together in such a harmony. I really liked that coins/key was remembered when player respawned. The bat enemies were a fun challenge. Good job!
Reminded me of Spelunky. Cool pixel art with animations. It seemed a bit hard to cling to the circles with a whip. Good game anyway, I liked it!
very nice game! i love a little adventure in every ludum dare. somehow i missed 1 coin in my playthrough but i really enjoyed it! the only thing im thinking if it would be better to not have delay on the whip so it's easier to time air jumps? but other than that very solid game!
Confirmed works for me now! Short and sweet! Very satisfying when you get used to the whip timing. Looks sounds and feels cohesive. Went back a second time to get all the coins.
Very detailed gameplay and polished design. Loved it, theme could be a little bit clearer.
Incredibly nice game, really chill. The gameplay is tight, and the one room where you have to make a double jump using the whip made me stop for a while :D Music is really fitting to the game, to the full experience. Great job!
Lovely little game this be! I absolutely love the charming graphics and his little belly when he runs and whips! The addition of the coins makes it even more playable as I was trying to find them all while whipping everything. Really enjoyed this one despite a few areas being quite difficult (I'm looking at you circle whip boost things!)Other than that amazing stuff!
depthdivers.png Really fun, I liked the wall cling mechanic towards then end and was really well polished great job!
For some reason the game froze briefly whenever I whipped a dirt block, though it looks quite smooth in your gifs. Simple concept but fun to play and quick to get back into the action after dying.
I really like this, but unfortunately got too frustrated by a bunch of (seemingly) little things with the controls. As others mentioned, the whip is just way too laggy. You pretty much have to press the whip button right after you jump, or you won't hit what you're trying to hit at the top of your jump. It also didn't feel right that I couldn't move or jump during the whip animation. Finally, my breaking point was sadly right after I got the wall cling upgrade. In retrospect, I think the intention was for me to jump back and forth between the two walls with arrows shooting out of them, but I wanted to cling and jump off of just the left wall, but the game wouldn't let me because it kept flipping my character the other way. This was contrary to what I'd just done to get out of the room where I got the upgrade. Losing all control of my character when I get hit probably contributes to the problem as well.
Despite my complaints, I really like the art and the other aspects of the game's mechanics. Coins being kept on death and the checkpoints are both excellent design choices. I really like how you took the whip and turned it into a traversal tool with multiple uses. The grapple points and wall clinging are fantastic ideas and could easily turn this into a more fast-paced precision platformer with more mechanical polish.
so cute! please make it web:)
Woah that was really difficult towards the end, I must have died about 100 times xD (death counter would have been fun)
But I was really enjoying it and got to the end, the checkpoints were well placed and it had a nice classic feel. I only got 41 coins though, clearly wasn't looking hard enough! I thought the whole game fit really well together: graphically, visually and controllery. I think the whip felt good - reminded me of spelunky where there is a similar time delay/lag for the whip - it makes it feel really satisfying when you get the timing right! Nice entry!
This is SOOOO great!? It's a fully polished game, you got everything you could have with this kind of gameplay, from nice tutorial, to a great difficulty curve, to cool mechanics adding up during the playthough, to the collectible accept!
It's very rare that I can't think of any things to add or change in a LD entry, it feels really perfectly done!
Got the 50 coins and I already want to do it again! :smile: