FoonLudum Dare ExplorerUsers → Exclamation Mark

Exclamation Mark

Games

YearLDThemeGameDivisionRankOvFuInThGrAuHuMoCo
201429Beneath the SurfaceTitle Unknown
201328You Only Get One1slandcompo9132.432.222.742.482.701.412.352.1236
201326Minimalism8 jumps and a fat mancompo5013.223.222.943.442.692.262.782.8488

Performance over time

overall score (left axis) percentile (right axis)

Scatterplots

Fun vs Overall

Innovation vs Overall

Theme vs Overall

Graphics vs Overall

Audio vs Overall

Humor vs Overall

Mood vs Overall

Comments by Exclamation Mark

LD26 — Minimalism

Mondrianism by Jezzamon 2013-04-29T14:58:00

Nice and on topic. Well done!

RGB by Boiúna 2013-05-02T15:31:00

Nice mood, I love the little touch of the radio - that it can be moved around, and the music it plays. Before I go on - SPOILER ALERT don't read unless you payed through! - The game is really intriguing and engaging ,but once I got the coloured stairs ready, jumped on the platform and started jumping along the trees I felt disappointed that there is nothing left. I was expecting some hidden room in the labyrinth or something, but found nothing :(( Even a silly quote or a picture of a rainbow hidden somewhere beyond the elevated platform, would give closure, otherwise, I left confused o,O Unless I missed something...

SPACE WASD by tdsmale 2013-05-01T12:16:00

Yes, i think you went a bit overboard with following the theme :D I've seen some games with no objective or way to loose, like "Be the wind" or "Zenbox", and there is a lot of games playing with geometric visuals. Putting it all together, you made something that's hardly a game, but definitely an interesting experience. For some reason, it actually works - it is engaging for a minute or two. That a good time for a LD game! Should you back off a step from following the theme, and gave this game some sort of objective, this could be a very promising entry!

F*** This Job by Casino Jack 2013-05-03T23:24:00

Awesome entry! Well in theme, entertaining for quite a longer while, sublime level design, all the glory! Some parts might have been more minimalistic (like, replacing the entire backstory with two words, simplifying the looks of the enemies etc). The replay feature also is hardly minimalistic, but damn worth it! Die a dozen times -> watch the replay -> hilarity occurs :D

Also, I admire the bonus mini-game. By "bonus mini-game" I mean, reading your source code, just to know how to get to the secret door in the second to last level, and what is behind it. This is how intrigued you got me! I won't spoil it to anyone here of course ;) (The code, by the way, is really really neat and clean. Mine is full of course words and redundancies because of last minute panic o,O )

This is not a minimalist game by Volute 2013-05-03T18:13:00

Excellent story, one of the most engaging I've seen so far! A very enjoyable entry to play through indeed. Bravo.

Keepy Uppy by Paul Sinnett 2013-04-30T10:45:00

In theme, work, and fun (kinda)! Good entry, though as you said yourself, maybe a bit too simple.

... by Dir3kt 2013-04-30T14:15:00

Excellent entry! I *love* how the level design introduces you to the mechanics and elements of the game one by one, with no need for a tutorial or any text at all! This is an unprecedented level of design polish for a 48-hour entry! You Sir, have my like, and five of my stars!

Robot Hears Kitten by Kom 2013-05-02T18:24:00

Very cool entry! Simple, but engaging and quite a unique experience - well done! However, you do know that you are not allowed to use recordings found on the internet in your compo entry, right ? These do quite sound like stock audio - correct and forgive me if I'm wrong but otherwise this should be a Jam entry.

Centroid by daniel 2013-05-01T12:36:00

Interesting concept! Good looking, engaging and in theme. It's funny how the first screen is already a part of the game - after I read the instructions I assumed I need to click anywhere to start the game, and immediately I loose :D But at least that one click explains everything in the game - how to win, and how to loose, and challenges the player with a slap to the face. I'll put that under "Humor".

People by BenW 2013-05-18T21:19:00

Simply adorable!

Fading by Blizzil 2013-05-02T14:31:00

I must admit I didn't get to the end - a silly mistake sending me back to the beginning got me pretty discouraged. But I like the aesthetics, the simple mechanic and level design.
As rxi already pointed out - I'd recommend embedding the game on a webpage - you can even do so on dropbox - that's the most comfortable way to experience a game, and since it's a flash game, you can do that! It does indeed work on OS X and probably other platforms, but I'd imagine a vanilla install of OS X or UBUNTU not knowing what to do with an .swf file. Oh, and don't use .rar! It's an outdated closed proprietary format - zip is good enough and works on everything. I just noticed i'm sounding like a rant, so once again - good entry, love the looks! ;)

Nine Tails by dualtagh 2013-05-09T11:03:00

Hahaha :D Love it. Absolutely. It's dark, it's funny, it's absurd and it's great. And the jump animation is just perfect. If you spent half the weekend on this animation, it was worth it. Forget about the little bugs, this is one of my favourite entries, good job!

Greyspace by Spierek 2013-04-30T00:21:00

Play this game. Everything in it is perfectly f..... :D
Best moment in any game i've seen so far on this dare.

Newborn by Lowlet 2013-04-30T15:14:00

Wow. This is deep o_O

Spike Line by Yorwba 2013-05-02T15:43:00

Simple and in theme - maybe a bit too in theme, one or two more features would be nice, just to make it more engaging. Love 2D works on OS X and UNIX as well and since you're already using a cross-platrofm technology, you might as well export versions for those two or three guys on Ludum Dare who use those systems :P

To And Fro by iamwhosiam 2013-05-01T18:10:00

It's a 1D super crate box with 1 weapon, and I like it! Though i couldn't play it without zooming into the browser window its soo tiny. The game could be a bit more visible - maybe if the shots were less flashy so that the protagonist and the enemies would stand out a bit better. Also, i'd change the screenshot you have here - the BEST thing about the game is how simple it is, don't photoshop it to make it look more complex. No one photoshops paper bags on supermodels so don't spoil your work as well ;) You followed the theme, made a game that's hilarious in how it works, and is enjoyable and engaging. Good sir, have my like!

Pink Haze by jwin 2013-05-07T20:11:00

Very enjoyable! The controls aren't 100% spot on, but I think this is not a bug but a feature :) The ending is a bit disappointing though, it definitely left me wanting more.

Mini Epic Adventure by frogmaster 2013-05-18T19:45:00

this is so outside of the box, it's in a completely different box. The one labeled "bizarre". I see how the game is minimalistic, but the .pdf is a load of information, and IS a part of the game. But every new idea is welcome.

GUNSLINGER by NexusSteve 2013-05-18T19:30:00

Best graphics quality to buttons used ratio i've seen.

Tactical Spreadsheet by atrodo 2013-04-29T20:49:00

Well I hadn't seen anything like this before o,O Too bad it's not working very well. I'd expect at least a "GO NORTH" kind of experience in the action field. But it's better then another pixelated platformer pretending to be minimalistic because pixels :)

Zzaxxaddriill by ming_tea 2013-05-03T00:17:00

It's interesting how this game takes you straight into the action - with a storm of bullets coming your way and a pack of enemies requiring bizarre coordination on the Z key along with ridiculous button mashing on X. This makes for some good replay value, think i tried 20+ times, but a slightly more subtle start, as some recommended, might have been nice.

MNML by docix 2013-04-29T14:33:00

Well done! Simple mechanics, minimalistic graphics. spot on.

(Follow the) Line by Chman 2013-04-30T14:06:00

Beautiful design! Excellently in theme and fun to play! It does desperately need some sounds but other than that, it's spot on brilliant!

Minimalist's journey towards overlord minimalism by LionelJitro 2013-05-07T22:58:00

Frustratingly hard! (don't take it too personally, i'm fairly easy to frustrate :) ) The drawings are awesome, the sounds are nice, but having to watch it over and over (and *OVER*) again, every single i miss by a pixel killed the mood pretty fast. Getting killed a gazyllion times can work well, games like super meatboy have proven that, but the key to that is keeping the action fast. Revisiting the first screens that are empty and slow paced breaks the action and gives a very mixed experience of challenge, emotion, frustration and boredom. I like the concept of having the action on the bottom of a large screen, that's an interesting take on the theme. Good job, but with could have easily been so much better!

Blox - Return of the Pixel by thequay 2013-04-29T21:25:00

Simple. reasonably in theme. Works. No annoyances. Quite unique features for this Dare from what i've found so far :) You're definitely better than me on the last one :D

Block Disco by Jubjub. 2013-04-30T10:35:00

Nice job. It works, it's playable and enjoyable. But I'm not a bit fan of the interpretation that retro means minimalistic. Minimalism is a design concept, and atari games looked how they looked not by design, but by technical limitations. The engineers of the 80's worked their hats off trying to make the games look as cool and colourful and NOT minimalistic as possible, and here you are making this, laughing in their face :P

Block Disco by Jubjub. 2013-04-30T11:52:00

WanBean: I'm saying that it is *NOT* minimalistic :P WIth all the action and colours and explosions and retro theming. That's my only complain to this otherwise very good entry.

Balls! by Codexus 2013-05-03T18:37:00

Very bold interpretation of the theme - to just have the task minimalistic - but with such a talent in making 3d graphics, I can see what driven you to this decision. Love the aesthetics, everything about how the game looks and sounds and feels is superb. However, I will still take away a point for the theme interpretation.

My Mini Castle by TijmenTio 2013-05-03T20:58:00

I think this is the first likeable character I've met so far on this dare :D Well done!

The Last Barman by Nisshoku 2013-04-30T12:10:00

Fun! Fast paced button mashers are always fun! Not that much in theme, but other than that good job!

MIN(Ball) by cahman 2013-04-30T12:38:00

Cool. Just in my sweet spot between "challenging" and "frustrating". I was just about to rage quit but then not only did I beat a level, but also got the "Kudos" screen - nice touch with the global rankings :) Good concept, works for me, thou it would be nice to have three separate buttons for the three colours. And the graphics are a bit lacking in polish, as some have already pointed out. But still, very good entry! Kudos!

Bell Curve by Soundboy 2013-05-01T23:53:00

Non-trivial, thought through,bug free, in theme - I can hardly believe it's your first entry! Good job! Although this is so deep it's a risky entry - some may find it too sad to rate good o,O

Piano Stairs by robmozart 2013-04-29T18:30:00

Hmmmm.... Well I do love the out of the box thinking and creativity, square peg in a round hole and all that but I find this a bit too outlandish?

MiniCity by ToastyAbraham 2013-04-29T21:49:00

I like it! I like it a lot! I was expecting some minimalistic interpretations of popular games but his just blew me away! It's as simple as it can get, but actually works. I really felt like controlling a city, despite it just being a bunch of blocks with numbers on them! Definitly one of my favorite entries so far. Geat job. You are awesome. A couple of tips thou: The game lacks a goal, something to look up to. Maybe a simple counter of how much % of the map is filled, with a "City complete" message once full would be enough, while still not compromising the minimalism?

The Call by fullmontis 2013-04-30T16:33:00

Indeed, works just fine under OS X. Nice entry. There are some loopholes in the progression of the dialogue: for example, knowing who died, I still had to ask the question "who died" in order to progress in the game. But with such a complex tree of questions and answered, this is probably very hard to avoid. Love the menu "Answer / Ignore" and overall tone, even though it's just a bit shy on entertainment value.

Zip by Chronodrax 2013-04-30T12:12:00

Excellent! Original, on theme, works, fun. Excellent.

Mini-Malicious - when the bit bugs byte by multitude 2013-05-01T17:27:00

This looks like it was a lot of fun to make :) It's also quite a bit fun to play, but I really don't see how it fits the theme. Also, waiting for The Boss to "wake up" once you find the dot really kills the pace. You should be able to click on the "bug" to wake The Boss up for bonus points and a different voice taunt.

Ming Imah Lism the Wizard ! by Gustera 2013-04-29T14:12:00

Nice game! I'm on Your side with the fireing from the staff thig - make things different, event if it makes the game hard! Unique is better. Nice drawing and I love the sounds, but i'm afraid you missed the theme. imho, 8bit does not mean "minimalistic" soo, i'm gonna have to take a point or two away :(

Robot X Mutants by Brunodev 2013-04-29T14:45:00

soooo not in theme :D You take away points for using the laser? Ill take away points for every sentence in the instructions for a "minimalistic" game.

But. love the tune, and hey, it works just great! This was your first time, right? You will do excellent with a more suitable and less restrictive theme!

8 jumps and a fat man by Exclamation Mark 2013-05-01T20:42:00

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Yes, Captain Forever was my inspiration, the first time i've played it i was more than amazed by the combination of simplicity and expandability. Implementing this mechanic was quite a challenge, but I was well motivated having the TWIST in mind from the very beginning. I did notice that you can make a ship that shoots itself about 2hrs before the deadline, but it's not a bug, it's .... a conversation starter! :D There are a gazillion other bugs i've noticed now though, for example: the debug key to create a new ship block - "c" still works :]

Evolism by noa 2013-05-01T17:57:00

Nice concept. The controls were a bit buggy but other than that it's a nice entry. The download was a bit fat thou. Oh and ignore the guy who said it doesn't work on OS X - works just fine ;)

Be The Wind by dstozek 2013-04-30T15:59:00

Unprecedented design and quality. Very unique and innovative. Nice to relax with this entry after several dozen retro shooters that make beepy noises. Thumbs up!

Dieter Rams Memory by PixelArtM 2013-05-08T11:13:00

This might work - a musical simon says with good looks but I think it's simply a tad too slow. Speeding it up a bit could make the game more engaging, especially if the length of the notes would also be variable. Good job on the aesthetics, one of the best true pixel art I've seen so far on this dare.

Canon by sparkleswirl 2013-05-08T10:55:00

Well done! Very nice take on the theme. Quite hard, but the challenge is fair and enjoyable. It's the good type of hard :) My only suggestion would be to add some sort of sound feedback when you are hit with an inactive (bright) block - that would help with getting in sync. Very good entry!

QUEST SPACE by VictorGrunn 2013-04-30T02:00:00

Hahaha :D I love it when good code by someone who definitely shows some talent goes basically to waste just for the sake of a joke :D Well done. Could be more "fun" if the game included some sound effects for fighting / resting / etc, but still I liked it, and all the people complaining that "you should have made a real game" are just plain wrong. This is the way to go!

GHOSTS - Minimalistic horror game. by bummzack 2013-04-29T18:59:00

:D:D!! Excellent! Love it. Excellent. Thou there are some rules regarding using music. As in "make your own" :].

Potato The Destroyer by Cory Martin 2013-05-03T22:40:00

Fun and well made. My x-pressing finger wasn't very fond of the boss fight, but the button mashing does work well with the retro appeal. Can't really see how it's in theme though - having pixelated graphics does hardly count.

The Minimal Machine by Andromatta 2013-05-19T11:27:00

Nice! Making controls for basically 3d, 6 axis manipulation is a *very* difficult task, so you shouldn't feel bad about yourself for not making in perfect.The clever folks at google barely made it usable in SketchUp, and I'm pretty sure they had more than 48h to do so :D Adding a story to the controls might have helped ease the frustration - like, for example, the keys control flying drunken dwarfs that move around the objects, or some magnets or something. Something that is between the player and the manipulated object, so that you can blame IT instead of the game controls. Than again, that would collide with the minimalism theme. Good entry nonetheless!

crush. by oatsbarley 2013-04-29T14:34:00

Excellent. Spot on.

Battery by onzephyr 2013-05-03T20:43:00

Awesome! Absolutely awesome. Simple concept that engaged the player and granted replayability. Superb quality, well done.

Twitch 21 by Jesse Freeman 2013-05-08T11:06:00

Pretty cool. May lack a little juice - sounds, some movement, but then again the theme was minimalism, so I guess you decided to be careful. Starting a round with a "1" is quite a pain - instant loose :D

Minimal Complexity by hydancer 2013-04-29T20:41:00

Interesting concept, and in theme (i guess?). Althou you have to work on your Math a bit ;) The score system is flawed - the best score is when you dont kill any enemy, and let them all through, while holding the worst possible weapon. Also, the math on weapons and HP seems a bit on the hard side, so do the movement speeds. Finally, very unwelcoming to new players - you start with the worst possible gun with hardly any chance to survive, and with no instructions on how to shoot. Lot of potential, every flaw is easily fixable, so hope to see you next dare :)

Ruined by chrismcr 2013-04-30T11:14:00

What just happened o_O ?! With the timer at 05:00 the game just floded me with the bad guys, mocking me :D! Fun.

Complexity by RobProductions 2013-05-07T20:02:00

Cool idea of making things more complex but it does lack a lot in execution, as it's hardly connected to the gameplay itself. For example, it's completely indifferent to the gameplay whether i choose to change a blue box into a chair or not. Also, the appeal of minimalism and the more complex models clashes a bit. Obviously both problems are sourced in the lack of time, but that's the problem of the Dare, you should always bite of as much as you can chew in 48h :)
Oh and Kudos for the sensitivity setting, I've had *SO* much problems with this in other Unity Games!

Natural by Oye Beto 2013-05-03T23:07:00

Very nice use of theme - simple, quite original and engaging, but *very* unforgiving. The first game on this compo that I've rage quit :D

Left & Knight by toaster 2013-05-07T23:08:00

I never say "no" to a single button game! Nice concept - minimalistic to the bone, with nice graphics and I'm a big fan of randomly generated levels. Too bad some levels are just unbeatable. You might have gone a step too far following the theme, adding one or two other elements to the game might have make it a lot more engaging.

Jetpack Survival by BlennosoftGames 2013-04-29T15:10:00

No.

ASTEROIDS! (the side-scroller) by locknic 2013-05-18T23:25:00

Bah! Ignore anyone who says the game is too hard! It's a video game challenge at it's finest! Hard, but fair and rewarding! Nothing ground breaking, but very well executed.

LD28 — You Only Get One

The True And Only Way to Mono by Tyu 2013-12-21T02:50:00

Great take on the theme! Too bad the collision detection spoils the fun :( But still, very good entry indeed!

You Get One: Crappy Torch by robopossum 2013-12-18T03:16:00

two games in the price of one? SOLD! Also, the torch concept is nice and creepy, good play on theme and works for me!

Unibrow by ViliX64 2013-12-21T03:07:00

Now this is proper use of Unity3d in 2d! Nice mechanic, but i'm not sure if limiting the "dimensional jumps" the player has is the way to go with such a nice concept - i would think it's best to let the player explore. The length of the game is quite impressive though - that's quite some content!

You only get Juan by Rynig 2013-12-18T02:24:00

Nice! The first game I played this Dare and enjoyed it! (thou i did just start a moment ago). The mechanic is nice and interesting, and I love the fact that you start with 5 of everything, however absurd that is :D This does however look more like a game from the "You are the villain" theme, but still, you have my like.

Impressive Dog by EricTheCoolDude 2013-12-21T02:49:00

you get ALL the stars! I did not see anything like this before.nice idea, great execution, offers quite a giggle!

One Take by Sheepolution 2013-12-21T02:56:00

Best take on the theme I've seen so far! Very interesting gameplay, nice story, thou following the instructions live is a bit of a tackle.

Ballkeeper by cappelnord 2013-12-18T03:02:00

FUN! everything just clicks and fits together here! the simple design, the sounds, the controls. Excellent work! (oh, and it worked perfectly fine on my Intel HD4000)

LD29 — Beneath the Surface

PATRIOT by sumprunk 2014-04-30T01:47:00

@Mase if you dive, the planes have a harder time spotting you and fire less bombs/torpedoes. After that it's just spamming space i guess :) Though to be completely honest, I still believe there's a bug in the scoring system and didn't ever manage to test it out fully before the deadline came D: