FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD59 → Search of the Signal

Search of the Signal

By duudel

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall3.3512
Fun2.9512
Innovation3.1012
Theme4.0912
Graphics4.0512
Audio2.9512
Humor2.6512
Mood3.2512

Comments

steveofstevesgames 2026-04-20 13:47

That was cool, I almost gave up. Hard to get the scanner to face the direction I wanted.

paroxysmal 2026-04-20 13:53

Like the pixel art, would have liked to see some walk animation though. Movement is a little to slow and I kept scanning but wouldn't find anything and not sure what I was looking for. Thanks for doing keyboard keys has the key location, hard to play WASD movement on French keyboards.

shernik 2026-04-20 15:48

Beautiful graphics, but I still haven't figured out how the scanner works.

500 2026-04-21 14:34

I rarely see this style of painting, it's very interesting, and the music can be further enhanced

2026-04-21 14:34

Hello, concept is great. However I am not sure what I am supposed to find or if waving signal is good or not to find what I am looking for.

crowelian 2026-04-21 14:35

Beautiful graphics!

Did not figure out how to use the scanner either... :)

kanity 2026-04-23 15:52

First of all, the concept is great for the theme! It took me a minute to figure out the scanner and how to use it, but with my one braincell I have realised I have to go in the direction where the waves are high :) Just had to read again through controls properly and use it a few times to get used to it. (I have to say though: I was playing in fullscreen, and when I wanted to check the scanner for the "up" direction, so to say, I met with the X button for closing fullscreen, which made me lose precious energy while getting confused; I am sure the PC build doesn't have that, but my system is Windows, not Linux, so I played HTML)

Secondly, I like the gameplay, however it needs some adjustment. Obviously you didn't have time to add lots of stuff into the world, but what you could do is either make the scale much smaller, or walking speed much faster. As a result, walking through the empty world with a very low speed (especially on sand) makes for a miserable experience and will prompt many players to abandon the mission.

I did finish it, however, because I felt dedicated to completing the game. The goal I reached was a pleasant surprise. It was also beautifully drawn!

I have to note, unfortunately, that at that moment the game just "stopped", the sound of feet moving on sand becoming relentless and neverending, as if the game froze or lagged severely. And then, of course, I couldn't move anymore. It would be nice to just show this message, add "Thanks for playing!" and just let the player be (so they can continue moving free). That way it would be clearly telegraphed your game has ended, but it wouldn't freeze like that. For a jam (compo even!) entry this kind of ending would be perfectly acceptable.

(There is also a mysterious e"d" a bit lower, as a visual glitch(?))

source.jpg

ethernal-tech 2026-04-25 13:27

Really interesting concept and a very unique atmosphere — the art style is beautiful and fits the theme really well.

I have to agree with others that the scanner is a bit hard to understand at first. It took me a while to figure out what I was looking for and how to properly interpret it. Some clearer visual/audio feedback or guidance would probably help a lot there.

Movement also felt a bit slow at times, especially considering the size of the world, which can make exploration feel a bit tedious.

That said, I really like the idea and the overall vibe, it’s a very original take on the theme. With a bit more clarity and pacing tweaks, it could be a really strong experience. Great job!! :smile:

flightless 2026-05-07 17:50

I was unable to pick up any signals, but had a nice sandy walk! Nice graphics!

euler-moises 2026-05-08 14:56

I found the art very beautiful. Even using the idea of ​​repeating tiles to assemble the scenery, the art is so beautiful that it doesn't seem repetitive. Perhaps the game would be less tedious if there were other things to do: stay in the shade to cool off, take something somewhere, find something hidden, etc. Having music, even something simple, would help the experience. Just the sounds of footsteps in the sand make the game monotonous. Walking slowly in the sand, although it makes sense, makes the game very slow. And since the objective is far away, it takes even longer. Using the radar is very good! It was a well-developed mechanic. Did you think about using 8 directions in the search?

Congratulations on the game.

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