Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → fakefirefly
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49 | Unstable | Giant Horse Deathball | compo | 221 | 3.59 | 3.72 | 3.79 | 3.57 | 3.22 | 3.18 | 4.02 | 3.42 | ||
| 2018 | 42 | Running out of space | Not Enough Room in this Space[bar] | compo | 506 | 3.15 | 3.31 | 3.90 | 3.40 | 3.02 | 3.27 | 3.29 | 2.50 |
fakefirefly leaves an average of 28.0 feedback comments each event.
A pretty simple platformer. I liked how the little enemies would slowly divide and eventually fill up the entire level. Unfortunately, that also means that it can be near impossible to finish a level if they end up blocking the exit door. I first experienced that on level 3.
I liked the sound effects and the little robot.
Overall, I think this is a solid attempt!
The deck building aspect was really fun. I generally loaded my deck up with club and freeze cards whenever they appeared since that felt pretty overpowered. I also really liked how there were different music tracks for different battles.
The graphics were sparse but they worked. I wish there was a way to increase your health pool, since if a monster casts a fireball and you don't have a heal card, you probably are dead.
Overall, this game was fun!
I thought the graphics were really charming! I liked the ambient music as well. I wasn't really sure what I was doing, even getting shot by the enemies didn't really seem to do anything besides push my ship around. I flew around for a while but couldn't find much else to do. Maybe in the future, you could add more indicators for what to do in the game world.
Overall, it's a solid attempt with some cool visuals.
This game was pretty fun! I didn't think I would like the teleport mechanic but it actually saved me a few times. I also liked the dialogue, it was pretty cheeky. The space rocks being able to destroy the enemies was also a nice touch.
My final score was a 2049, because of a sneaky space rock spawning and killing me near the edge. Like someone else mentioned, maybe extra lives would've helped make that not feel so cheap.
Overall, I liked the game!
The graphics in this were pretty great, like they were rotoscoped. The gameplay is a bit basic, although fighting the other dudes felt satisfying with that smack sound. The first time around, I didn't find the brief case :(
I wish there was music or some background ambience to compliment the rising water.
Overall, it was a great looking game!
I had fun bouncing around on the bots' platforms and generally trying to mess with them. Controls were kind of clunky but I think that fit the game.
I wish there was more of a goal than just survive.
Overall, it was pretty interesting!
This was pretty fun, even though I was playing on keyboard. The water balloons were my favorite since they had pretty good range. The music was good too!
My only complaint is the lack of mouse controls. Otherwise, this was great!
It was a fun game. I got that the connection to the theme was a shirtless guy running out of Space, Inc., which was clever. The music was good too!
I wish there were more obstacles or things to do.
This was a pretty fun game! I loved the idea of your character gradually getting weaker and weaker as the game goes on.
I think there could be some balancing around which upgrades you can switch out with which trophies though. For example, the health upgrades really aren't that useful and maybe can only be traded with a silver trophy.
Overall, this game was fun! Levels 10 and 11 were pretty difficult at the end there.
The idea is simple but it works. I hid in the hallway with the light and survived for forever. I didn't really see a need to pick up any of the boxes. When I did pick up a box, it floated kind of off center, which was strange.
If the boxes weren't an instant kill and instead depleted your health, I think this could be a a fun game.
I liked the concept of switching from 3d to 2d, it reminded me of Super Paper Mario and Fez. Unfortunately, the game was pretty buggy. I couldn't get past the second challenge room with the stairs. I would switch dimensions and then end up in another room entirely.
Overall, it's a cool idea but buggy.
I like the arcadey feel to the game. Like others have mentioned, background music would've added a lot to the game.
Overall, it was fun!
Had some fun with this. The idea of a mini game collection was a good one, though I wish there were sound effects to go along with the falling rocks, jumping, etc.
Overall, enjoyable and a good effort.
The atmosphere in this game was great. I loved the graphics and the background music matched the kind of retro-techy vibe I was getting.
I didn't really like the movement. It felt clunky and I kept getting stuck on the level. Sometimes, when you go too fast it looks like the level doesn't load in fast enough, which lead to me getting trapped in a wall.
Overall, I like the art direction and sound, but the gameplay is a bit sparse.
The game is pretty confusing, but I figured it out eventually. The controls are kind of wonky, as it's hard to drag blocks where want them to go.
I found the best strategy was to build up only what I needed in the corners. Buildings like the basic extractor and tree farm I'd build and tear down constantly.
The excel sheet on the right is a little jarring but it gets the point across.
I think the idea is there but it could use some work.
I liked the atmosphere a lot! The graphics were simple but I'm a fan of the billboard-type of sprites in a 3d world.
I wish all of the descriptions had clarifications attached to them. For example, "Kicked a stray dog" was clarified that the dog attacked first while "Killed a man" sometimes didn't have a clarification (could be wrong on Killed a man but you get the point). Also, I wish the disembodied voice would talk faster, but that's just me.
Overall, I liked the kind of backstories these characters kind of have where not everything is necessarily as they seem.
I thought the adaptive music, being slower outside of the shield, was a neat idea! I wish there were more enemy types, like maybe one that shot at you instead of just running at you. I noticed a few times where the enemies would sometimes spawn inside of my shield when returning to my base, which lead to some close calls.
I'm a big fan of the death animation as well, with it showing your score on the little robot.
Overall, enjoyable, if a bit repetitive.
This game was pretty fun once I got used to the controls. Although, I think for controls like this I'd like the player character to move faster. Mouse controls would make this too easy I think.
My first run through, I ended up accidentally breaking my combo a few times dashing for upgrades that were on the edge of the circle. In my next runs, I paid more attention to positioning myself to dash through enemies and upgrades, so I like that there's another layer of gameplay there.
Overall, there was a good variety of enemies (hated the yellow ones since they always stayed on the edge of the circle) and the gameplay was enjoyable.
My best time was 1:21. I liked the graphics and if there had been some background music to go along with it, I think this game could actually have been pretty moody!
2 things: - I wish there was a way for the lazer charge to charge faster (or maybe I missed something). Right now, I can really only fire off one lazer and then the side I didn't fire the lazer at grows out of control. - Shooting the big enemies causes little enemies to spawn out of it in all directions. Sometimes they will shoot out at full speed towards my core, which can feel cheap
Overall it was a competent little shooter!
Hey I got a 21400! I just wish these people at my party would stop breaking my window. I like the idea of the game a lot. It does feel a bit cheap that on "remove the person" missions, that person/cat can spawn anywhere, including in the middle of a crowd forcing you to press x and hope you target the right person.
Overall it was fun!
I really enjoyed this game! I first noticed on the level "The Pound" but it looks like cars can move over the dots that aren't their color. Going back to "Bay Parking" with that in mind, it makes the level a bit too easy
LD49 — Unstable (34)
Sanity Check by BinaryPrinciple 2021-10-08T03:33:12Z ♥ 1
A themed take on a collect-athon. The graphics were nice and the quips from the character were neat. Making the levels timed was an interesting twist, as the player doesn't need to keep all the emotions alive.
I wish there was more of a detriment to losing one of the emotions, like screen distortions as the character's psyche becomes more unstable. The platforming experience was also a bit loose, as jumping felt a bit awkward.
I was able to beat the game though! Capture.png
Drifter by nyxkn 2021-10-08T03:22:52Z ♥ 2
An interesting take on a platformer. The idea to have platforms both recharge your energy, give a boost, and fall is a good one.
However, the game is very slow. I spent most of my time waiting on platforms for more shards and platforms to appear. There are no other obstacles other than the platforms which didn't help. The optimal strategy is to wait on a platform for as long as possible and then boost towards the next shard. I didn't see myself failing at any point, until maybe I lost concentration or interest. Some music instead of ambience would have helped, but maybe that fits the game more.
My high score was 16 with plenty of fuel left.
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The Nuclear Nightmare by Betamorfosis 2021-10-07T05:24:56Z ♥ 2
I got a high score of 224! This is a great implementation of the theme. The music is fitting and the sound effect for getting points over the old high score is fantastic. There were a few strategies for movement that I found. One was always pointing away from your launch point since you will, more often than not, will hit a vertical platform. Another was just waiting for the rocket to gravitate to the left in order to line up a better shot. A surprisingly tactical, platformer-esque, game.
I found that dragging the tip of the rocket against any object was a bit too sensitive, leading to damage that felt undeserved (e.g. when trying to fly low against the ground). Some of the platform spawn patterns can be pretty unfair as well, with the window to pass through being extremely tight.
A really fun game with great graphics, overall.
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Alien Disco by Ludokultur 2021-10-06T14:29:23Z ♥ 1
A very arcade-y style game with some fun music to boot! The graphics were cute and the music felt very wobbly, which was very on-theme. Having the recharge rate be tied to different circles added more depth as well.
The game did feel like it was out of ideas after figuring out the optimal strategy of storing battery charge until the optimal light appeared, and then dancing as much as you could under it. Maybe other powerups could've been added like an energy drink that constantly uses your charge but gives the optimal amount of dance meter for all lights.
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Ornztarbil by magnusfurcifer 2021-10-06T14:13:09Z ♥ 1
This was pretty fun first person platformer/shooter! The art style was pleasant to look at and the level design has a lot of potential, with the player being forced to use jump pads instead of being able to jump on their own.
The jump pads can be a little finnicky, especially when landing since the player bounces a little which feels a bit weird (but maybe I just need to get good). The player shots also seem to be spawning in the middle of their head, which is a bit jarring as well.
Overall, pretty fun! Check out the triple 7s on level 2 :D
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It will Fall by jeremyfa 2021-10-05T22:58:32Z ♥ 1
A fun take on the stacking blocking genre. I was able to get a score of 2851!
The graphics had a nice, readable look to them and subtly making each shape lighter/darker based on their weight was a neat idea (at least I think that was the case). The music was well suited to this kind of puzzle-esque gameplay as well.
The optimal strategy that I found was to play it very safe in the beginning, trying to optimally spread out the pieces to balance the board. Once there's a good foundation, you can quickly drop the pieces anywhere (adjusting left/right as needed) as each piece affects the total balance less.
I think adding more piece variety would help with the replay value as well as some sound effects for losing to add some pop to the game. Maybe adding some pieces with modifiers (super dense little pieces, explosive pieces that remove shapes from the game, etc).
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ecosystem except there is no equilibrium and everyone dies probably by parafactual 2021-10-05T16:13:26Z ♥ 1
A neat idea to make a programming game for the `unstable` theme. I can definitely say that the code that I wrote was unstable.
I managed to get a negative score by running:
`dup find enemy - (1, 0) -> shoot right -> move right -> eat`
which is neat.
I feel like having a resource counter so you can't infinitely dup/overload the game would be good. I suppose infinitely duping causes the program to become unstable, so that might be intentional.
Overall, a very original take on the theme.
PTSD Fishing by KuKuRammus 2021-10-05T15:47:37Z ♥ 2
A nice relaxing (maybe not for the cat) fishing game. The graphics were really well done and the fishing mechanic was implemented well. Being able to influence where the lure is after casting was a nice touch.
Some background music would really sell the PTSD portion as well as more sound effects. Adding a downside to failing to catch a fish might be nice as well.
Bad Buckets by PurpledArtFrog 2021-10-05T14:55:48Z ♥ 1
An interesting take on the theme. I liked the simple graphics and how your character kinda of just stacks the paint buckets on themselves. The 'blurp' sound effects made by the paint buckets were cute as well.
In terms of improvements, I noticed there were system messages popping up but they were way smaller than the other UI text. It looked like they they were referring to paint buckets breaking into the customer area? A scoring system would also have been nice. I noticed there was a timer at the end of the game but it seemed to be a placeholder.
Home Renos Inc. by Pincushion 2021-10-04T21:26:19Z ♥ 1
A fun stacking game, as far as I could tell. Trying to frantically fit more pieces into the wall was fun.
The 3d models we nice looking and the background music made me feel nostalgic for whatever reason.
Some of the objects were kind of hard to gauge how much space they took up. The large amount of unused space in the middle felt like it could have been used. Like maybe stuffing unused objects into the middle would increase a 'decoration' value or something.
Unstable Towers by mrnannings 2021-10-04T21:16:57Z ♥ 1
An amusing falling block game that uses tetris-style blocks.
The music is nice and compliments the many restarts I had to make while playing the game. The smooth camera from your highest reached point back to the start was nice as well.
I wish restarting the game was quicker (e.g. left clicking will force the camera back to the start). It also felt like the starting platform was a bit too small compared to how big the shapes are, but maybe I just need to get good.
Unstable Atoms by Fersyvanderzee 2021-10-04T21:12:00Z ♥ 1
A nice little endless runner-style game. The music is well done and I liked the color palette used for the graphics.
When the game restarts, the music track also restarts, which is a bit jarring since it's the same music track.
Flip the board by Baturinsky 2021-10-04T21:08:57Z ♥ 1
A fun geometric, puzzle game. If my memory isn't lying to me, I feel like I've played a real life version of this before.
The idea that the player needs to trap the AI into a bad move is neat. The graphics are nice and readable as well.
I wish there was a built-in dark mode and maybe some sound effects to give the game some impact. An idea for an enhancement would be an audio cue for when the AI is forced to make a non-optimal move.
Overall, feels like a well-realized game.
Nuclear Crysis by blackquiltro 2021-10-04T20:36:45Z ♥ 2
At first it appeared to be a reverse Nonogram or Picross game but with hexagons.
The graphics are well done and the bgm/sfx are well done and fit the game. The dialogue box was also a nice touch to add some narrative.
I guess I didn't really understand how to play the game correctly? It seemed like the optimal strategy was to change every tile, load the control rods, and then continue changing the incorrect control rods until you win. I was also surprised when the game was over after just one level, since it felt like certain hexagons could be disabled/hard coded to add some challenge.
Un-Stabled by Denhette 2021-10-04T20:26:54Z ♥ 3
A neat game that felt like a mini-golf game with a horse as the ball. I actually had the same take on the theme "Un-stable"! It took me 132 seconds the beat the final level.
The 3d modeling is nice, and I wish my horse got their hat back at some point. The music is also suitably energetic for this kind of explosive gameplay.
I did notice that the optimal strategy is to spam the explosions for most levels. Somehow launch yourself vertically and then boost towards the exit.
It also didn't seem like charging up the explosion had much of an effect. Spamming explosions was more effective than charging.
Komuro by Ghoulean 2021-10-04T20:16:22Z ♥ 1
A neat little puzzle game.
I like the sound effects and the explosion effect which make each puzzle gratifying to solve. The color scheme was also well chosen and is easily readable, for the most part.
Sometimes the valid edges are hard to see, which leads to me just random clicking lines to see if I missed something.
I'm also not really getting how this fits the theme? Unless the idea is that each shape is mathematically/structurally unstable?
Hot nucleus by c64cosmin 2021-10-04T20:10:14Z ♥ 1
I got a score of 1941 (youwin on the leaderboard)! Capture.png
The game feels like a twist on a typing game, except instead of typing words, the player needs to hold down various keys on their keyboard.
The 3d modeling was nice and the leaderboard was cool!
When the player is close to losing, the rapidly vibrating molecules in the background start getting hard to look at. Additionally, it's a bit difficult to lose. I actually started typing this review up and left the game running and still had time to go back and finally fail the game.
Apocalypse horse by p-r 2021-10-04T19:52:33Z ♥ 1
Nice take on the theme! It's almost the same take that I had on the theme "Un-stable" but with a more RTS-like control scheme.
The screen shake effects and the random AI behaviors were well done and added a sense of weight and autonomy to the game. I liked how there was also the possibility of AI in-fighting, as far as I could tell.
On the other hand, the game starts a bit too slowly since it takes a few hits to gather up more horses. A greater variety of sprites would make destroying things more fun as well.
Fragments by Retrisma 2021-10-04T03:48:23Z ♥ 1
This was a wild game. The main gameplay loop feels simultaneously smooth and unstable, since the more damage you take, the more unstable the actually PICO-8 VM becomes. The graphics were suitably glitchy to fit the feel of the VM/game world falling apart. The same goes for the audio.
However, the most important thing to note is that there are many, many flashing graphics. I don't have photosensitivity condition and this made my eyes hurt even then.
Overall, probably one of the most original representations of the theme.
Theory by agentparsec 2021-10-04T03:25:21Z ♥ 1
I really liked the instrumentation as well as the cutscenes; they were really well done. The final level was also pretty good with complicated guard pathing.
The use of the theme was cool too, with your unstable state being inaccessible while being observed, which seems to be a nod towards quantum mechanics.
I wish there was the ability to reset the level, since it is possible to soft-lock in a few places. The ability to shift the camera around would also be nice to get a better view on guard pathing.
TECHNUCLEAR by TheGreenWorm 2021-10-04T02:56:04Z ♥ 2
I really liked how each level felt like it had its own loop. It's an interesting take on a mini-golf game. The graphics are well done and nice to look at. The music is a bop, and the final level was probably the highlight. I've never seen a boss fight in a game like this.
I do wish there was an option to restart the level in case you miss your first shot.
Overall, an enjoyable experience.
~☆~ Nekolibrium ~☆~ by Chris Dirkis 2021-10-04T02:36:46Z ♥ 1
I like the idea of balancing an ecosystem and the UI/color scheme was very nice to look at. The animals sprites were very cute.
It does feel like reading the linked 'Darwin Game' article was necessary to know what was going on.
It feels more like an interactive design doc for a game.
Unstable Block Stacker by Kraxxi 2021-10-04T02:11:38Z ♥ 2
The decision to make blocks stick to the other block was a nice one. I had a few blocks stack diagonals, which was amusing. The sound effect and resulting block explosion when the tower falls over is also nice.
I just wish there was more to it.
Unstable Apocalypse by Benjamin123 2021-10-04T02:05:39Z ♥ 1
I got a score of 82! The shooting feels smooth and the gore effects add to the experience. I did think it was a bit weird that the gore effects were drawn on the camera, since it looks like they were drawn in global space.
I wasn't really sure what the point of the vaults were, since the enemies could just walk through the barrier. I also wish the camera was zoomed out a bit more, but maybe that was because I was playing the web version.
I'm not sure if this was intentional, but the enemy sprites reminded of minions, which might be a good thing since I was shooting them.
Breakaway by Mark Smith 2021-10-04T01:56:42Z ♥ 0
The graphics came together well. The use of things scrolling in the background made for a good sense of movement.
The player isn't able to deny an upgrade, which seems like an oversight. Also, I wasn't able to catch a fish with the fishing, so I couldn't even get my fishing fix in.
I wish the game had more to do with the theme, but the graphics were executed well.
Unhitched Isles by senex 2021-10-04T01:44:45Z ♥ 1
Really interesting game with a surprising amount of depth to it. The idea of an island tipping over is fun to think about, especially considering that there's a real world example of someone actually thinking that.
The fact that you aren't constrained to what you can build per task allows for a surprising amount of strategies. The islands are also well designed and makes each island feel like a puzzle. Surprisingly enough, I found the first island to be the hardest one to play, since it's so open ended.
The ambience in general is well done and very calming. I wish that after the game is over, the waves kept flowing so you could bask in your creation.
The idea was very creative and fit the theme well.
Overall, an excellent game.
FrogEatsMouse by JCMonkey 2021-10-04T00:57:52Z ♥ 1
A good twist on a classic top-down shooter game. I like the fact that you have to balance being in the safe against being able to shoot accurately. A lot of the game revolves around you choosing between the two options, which is neat.
The theme connection was a bit weak although I did like how the bullets did have an unstable trajectory after a certain distance. I was there was a greater variety of enemies/attacks besides (shield enemies, chasers, and boss).
Overall, fun to play to through.
Aimless Wizard by pvp 2021-10-04T00:38:17Z ♥ 2
A very interesting idea for a wizard. I found that the optimal strategy was to just quickly double tap spacebar, because the wizard cannot move when casting + the cast positions are random. Thus, it doesn't really matter where the spells are cast since you'll have to dodge anyways.
I wish there a bit more feedback when destroying skeletons. If there was, this could be a neat incremental game.
I liked the graphics. They were nice and readable.
Regarding the theme, I suppose you were going for unstable spellcasting?
Going Postal by Delightfullymad 2021-10-04T00:25:19Z ♥ 1
Had a nice groovy, synthy soundtrack. The enemy model was amusing. I also liked the postage stamps next to the main menu.
Throwing items is a bit janky since the character will either baseball throw an item or kind of slowly lob it. I couldn't really tell if melee attack were hitting or not, so I just defaulted to throwing packages at enemies at all times. Picking up packages is a bit finicky as well.
Stable Inc. by CorbenG 2021-10-04T00:16:28Z ♥ 1
This was pretty fun. A single player version of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.
The instructions were well written and easy to read and the UI was very responsive and readable. I liked the art style as well.
It sounded like there was a soundtrack but it was almost too quiet for me to hear. I wish there was a greater variety of audio tells for warning signs.
Additionally, I was able to panic push buttons a few times and eventually get the right answer. I'm not sure if I was supposed to fail if that happens?
Overall, a fun game.
Idle Is Bad by FlorianBalD 2021-10-03T23:57:47Z ♥ 1
A fun little game. I liked how the main character makes a ^_^ face when the collect the key.
Something I noticed the aerial movement is that if you are jumping in a certain direction, you will maintain your momentum. However, if you jump in a direction, then tap back in the opposite direction, you will come to a complete stop. That's something that almost feels like a bug, but could be a neat mechanic if you expand upon that.
Competitive Skyscraper Construction Simulator 2021 by Nick Barrash 2021-10-03T23:47:00Z ♥ 1
A fun stacking with a nice twist. The leaderboards were a nice incentive for multiple plays.
A complaint is that, because you cannot see what the next theme is, you can get screwed over because of positioning. The blue blocks theme has ruined pretty every one of my runs.
The audio when same colored blocks touch is punchy and made me wince the first time, which is a good thing.
Overall, I did have fun with the game.
Piles - Pile it up by Mordrick 2021-10-03T23:28:21Z ♥ 2
I really liked the graphics. The hand-drawn art style is really easy on the eyes.
I did figure out that, at least in the HTML5 version, that you are able to cheat by just holding the furniture in place as long as the rest of the objects are touching the ground.
There needs to be more weight on some objects in my opinion, because they all feel pretty flimsy. The way that bigger objects like tables and couches flex is pretty neat though.
I didn't notice at first but the audio design for each object type is also pretty well done. Like the cushions make a softer 'cush' sound which I initial missed.
....To the Ends of the World and Back by Peace Of Cake Games 2021-10-03T23:13:58Z ♥ 4
Nice idea for a game! The narrative was the best part and would be nice to see it expanded upon.
I wish the narrative and the gameplay aspects were mixed together more. For example, the access codes were told to you via the narrative box so that there was a gameplay link to the narrative.